Sucevița Monastery, Bukovina, Romania

This postcard should have been uploaded some time ago. I guess I left it out under that whole pile of unsorted cards. Anyway, here's a richly coloured postcard of the Sucevița Monastery in Romania. I wanted this card so much because I was so attracted to the vibrant colours! This monastery was built in 1585. The interior and exterior walls of the monastery are covered with murals depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament. It was once a princely residence and served as a fort. Today, it houses a museum that displays historical artifacts and artistic objects. In 2010, this place was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There you go, one more UNESCO card to the growing collection :). You can find out more about this place here.

Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein

Some things really happen by coincidence. Some time ago, I arranged a swap with Michaela who resides in Liechtenstein. You can see the previous post here, where she sent me a couple of pretty interesting items and some nice stamps. Recently, I received an official Postcrossing card from Liechtenstein, and guess what, it was from Michaela! Fate does play a part here doesn't it?

Monks in Bagan, Bagan, Myanmar

Here's an amazing card from a rather "hard to get" country. This one shows monks from the ancient city of Bagan in Myanmar. The ancient city of Bagan can trace its roots back to the 9th century, and I would say the pictures of Bagan depict very impressive architecture. I guess it would have been considered an incredible construction feat during that time. You can read more about the ancient city here.

Aladdin, Austria

Ok, this will probably be my last post today. I have to get back to work soon! Here's another very special card: a card from the "Les Couleurs Magiques Disney" collection featuring Aladdin! The special thing about this card it that it is a foil card. That is probably why my scanner couldn't do a good job of scanning out the picture nicely. But I guess you can still see the shimmering effect on the card, and I've got to say this has to be one of my favourites! Disney classic animated films never fail to entertain me. And even years after their creation, it's still nice to watch reruns of the same film ;). I really won't mind chasing the Disney foil card collection if its possible.

United Kingdom: of Alnwick and Roald Dahl

Wow two cards from Great Britain received in one day! One an official Postcrossing card, one a direct swap; one from North-east England, the other from North-west England, but both are pretty much my favourite types of cards! I was considering whether to lump them both in the same post. To save some time, I did, and lets hope it doesn't get too confusing ;).

First up, the card from Vanessa (official Postcrossing one). This one over here show the Percy Lion in front of Alnwick Castle. The castle started construction in 1096 and has a pretty interesting history. You can find its full history over here. But the coolest thing about this castle is that it has been used to film several of the movies in the Harry Potter series. No wonder it looks strangely familiar! The castle has its own website here and you can see the variety of activities that it offers.

Next up, a wonderful card as part of a direct swap between me and Dan. It features four of ten stamps on the theme of Roald Dahl's stories. These four depict scenes from the Big Friendly Giant. It was first published in 1982 and has since been a popular read for many children. I read most of the Roald Dahl series when I was younger, and the stories never failed to captivate me! These stamps were issued on 10th January 2012 by the Royal Mail, and in time, I sure look forward to collecting the entire series!

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA

This card here adds to my USA states card collection. From the city of Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan, this card shows the Soo Locks, which transports boats from Lake Superior to the Great Lakes. This is necessary because the St. Mary Rapids, which connects the two lakes together, falls about 21 feet from Lake Superior to the lower lakes. The lock thus facilitates the movement of boats by acting as an elevator between the two lakes! That sounds really cool and I wish I could take a look one day!

Lisboa, Portugal

Here's one of the most special cards I've ever received! It came in a pretty normal looking envelope with a warning to handle carefully due to its fragility. I didn't think much about it at first, but it caught me by surprise to discover a card made entirely of cork! Though this is not the first card I have received from Portugal, it is the first card made from cork that I've received, and it really makes my day :).

Guernsey

It was really a nice surprise to receive this stunning multi-view card of Guernsey! I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to visit this beautiful country, but for now, this postcard will suffice to make my day!