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?

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!

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

I haven't been updating my blog for a while. So, here's one: a postcard from France. The envelope is a very beautiful one. This is the front view:

And this is the back.

The postcard shows the famous Eiffel Tower in France. I like contrast of the bright Tower against the dark blue sky! 

Finland

Here's a creative envelope from Finland. This envelope is made our of magazine; the first of its kind I have received so far! I think its a pretty cool idea, though the envelope feels a little flimsy.

The back of the envelope was sealed with a priority sticker.

 This is the postcard in the envelope. It shows two Christmas stamps issued in year 1980. I really like the theme of Christmas and stamps being put together! It just looks so beautiful!

The stamp on the right is designed by renowned postcard artist Kaarina Toivanen. It was released on 7th November 2011, along with another stamp with a Christmas theme.

Unicorn and Dragon, Japan

This postcard is from Japan. It depicts a Unicorn confronting a Dragon. These are some of the mythical creatures that I am really fascinated with. The illustration on the postcard is from the book UNICORNIS: On the History and Truth of the Unicorn by Michael Green.

A small paragraph at the back of the postcard reads: Now, the Unicorn oversees all dominions of this world, and so in shadows he finally must confront the Worm. No creature exceeds the Unicorn in quickness or in courage, but vast and subtle is the knowledge of the Dragon. 

Here are the lovely Japanese stamps: 

Thank you Mitsuyo for the wonderful postcard!

日月潭，南投，台湾 (Taiwan)

I will be using Chinese texts for this blog post, so viewers might want to use google translate if you cannot understand. This is the most beautiful postcard from Taiwan I have received so far.

This is a postcard of 日月潭. Instead of scanning it, I have decided to take a picture so as to better portray the effect of the translucent picture in the center. The stamp is also beautiful:

Thank you Estela from Taiwan!

Hrad Bezděz, Czech Republic

Another card that I received today came from the Czech Republic.

The postcard features Bezděz Castle, a gothic castle which was constructed between 1260 to 1280.

The card was posted along with these beautiful stamps.

Finally, the sender was so kind to include some used stamps in the evelope. This is one beautiful miniature sheet that I found inside.

Thank you Alex for the wonderful card and the beautiful stamps!

RMS Titanic, Ireland

I opened my mailbox today to quite a number of letters and postcards, and some of them happened to be really beautiful! Here is one from Ireland:

It came in a brown envelope. I opened it to find this Titanic postcard, which is one of my favourite cards to date. The Titanic was a British passenger liner that was one of the most luxurious ships ever built. It set off for its first and its last voyage on 10 April 1912. The Titanic met its tragic end when it hit an iceberg and sank.

This year marks the 100th year since the Titanic sank, and the Irish post has commemorated this incident by issuing some stamps. Here is a matching stamp that came along with the postcard:

Yup! So that's all from the Emerald Isle! Thank you Nora for the beautiful card and stamp!

Öræfajökull volcano, Iceland

I was quite amazed when I opened my mailbox one day to find this card that had travelled from frigid Iceland to sunny Singapore! This is the Öræfajökull volacno:

This is definitely one of my facourite cards! Sent by Sigga from Iceland on the 25th June 2012. What a wonderful experience! Afterall, how often does one get to receive a card from Iceland? And here is the picture of the stamp:

The stamp is part of a series issued on 3rd May 2012. The images are weaved into QR codes, which makes it pretty special. Here is the complete series. 

Pretty cool right? :D

Ohrid, Macedonia

I have received quite a number of postcards, but I never quite expected to receive one from Macedonia. This card is a really special one. Sent by Ana from the beautiful Balkan state on 13th June 2012.

Tintin postcard, Scotland

This is a postcard from one of my favourite comics, The Adventures of Tintin. I often read the Tintin comic books when I was younger. I've read the English versions and even the German ones!

This card was sent by Katja from Central Scotland, on 11th July 2012. Thank you for the wonderful card Katja!

Santorini, Greece

Here's a beautiful postcard from Greece:

A wonderful view of the island of Santorini! Sent by Nectazia from Athens, Greece on the 9th June 2012. It's not often I receive a postcard from Greece, and I really like this one!

Unicorn maxicard, Australia

Let me share some of the old postcards that I've received.

This is a maxicard of a unicorn, sent by Sue from Melbourne, Australia in the autumn on the 5th May 2012. This is one of my favourite postcards because I like unicorns! Thank you Sue!