#203

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Michaela (Prague, Czech Republic)
Depicts: Views from Prague, Czech Republic

This was the last card Michaela sent me and it's absolutely beautiful and very big. It shows a lot of little images of the city and it just came to make me realize even more that I really want to visit this city one day. Michaela also told me that Prague is the largest city in the Czech Republic, with 1.2 million people, and it's more than 1000 years old. It's also the 4th most visited city in Europe, with more than 4 million tourists per year.

Postcard stamp:

None, since it came in an envelope.

*

#202

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Michaela (Prague, Czech Republic)
Depicts: Charles Bridge (Prague, Czech Republic)

Two cards from Charles Bridge in the same day and they are different, I was very lucky when it came to these postcards. Michaela told that me Prague is called "the city of a hundred spires and bridges" and, as I've said in a previous post, this bridge, the Karluv most, is the most important in it. I love that the two cards I've got from there are very mysterious, it makes me want to visit it even more.

Postcard stamp:

None, since it came in an envelope.

*

#201

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Michaela (Prague, Czech Republic)
Depicts: Vltava river, Charles Bridge, Lesser town and Hradcany castle

This is the first of three postcards that Michaela kindly sent me, after I proposed swapping with her, because I've been very interesting in Prague, it seems such a beautiful city! This is another card that shows this part of city, with the river Vltava, Charles Bridge, the Lesser Town and the city's castle. Actually, Michaela told me a little more about it: this is the biggest castle complex in the world and its oldest parts are from the 9th century. The castle has been a seat of power for Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and Presidents, as it is currently the official residence of the President of Czech Republic. The main attraction is St. Vitus Cathedral, founded in 1344, with typical Gothic architecture, where the Bohemian crown jewels and tombs of kings are kept in a hidden room in it.

Postcard stamp: 

None, since it came in an envelope.

*

#200

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Eva (Telc, Czech Republic)
Depicts: Charles Bridge (Prague, Czech Republic)

First of all: I reached 200 cards! So awesome to have so many already! And this another direct swap I proposed and I got one of the cards I had marked as a favorite in Postcrossing, which is always nice! This famous postcard shows Charles Bridge in Prague. This bridge exists since the 15th century and crosses river Vltava; until the middle of the 19th century it was the only way to cross the river from Prague's Castle to the Old Town so it was very important.

Postcard stamp:

*

#199

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Stefania (La Spezia, Italy)
Depicts: View from Vernazza, Italy

I love "Cinque Terre", so I proposed this direct swap to Stefania and was glad that she accepted it. She sent me a card from Vernazza, one of the five famous communes that make "Cinque Terre". The other four are Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, each one more beautiful than the other! My love for Italy was, therefore, a little ignited with this card.

Postcard stamp:

Also a very different stamp from all the other ones I've got.

*

#198

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Annette (Aalborg, Denmark)
Depicts: Views from Aalborg, Denmark

I think I've already said a few times that I have a fascination when it comes to Nordic countries, so I proposed this swap to Annette and was very happy to get it! It shows a few places in Aalborg, which is the 4th largest city in Denmark, more than 1000 years old. Annette told me that the Vikings used to live there, due to Limfjord, a fjord through which they could ship in and out. Annette also told me a little about her life, which is something I always like to know!

Postcard stamp:

*

#197

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Martin (Jenisov, Czech Republic)

Depicts: Charles Bridge, Little Quarter and Prague Castle (Prague, Czech Republic)

This snowy card came through a direct swap I proposed to Martin and it shows a famous part of Prague, Czech Repubic's capital. With this postcard I learned that Prague Castle is the largest castle in middle Europe that is currently populated, it's the official residence of Czech Republic's President. I love castles and palaces so it was very nice to get to know this fact.

Postcard stamps:

*

#196

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Carol (Las Vegas, USA)
Depicts: Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino

This is the second time Carol and I exchange cards (the other one was a beauty!) and this one shows Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, which I imagine to be one of the biggest resorts there are in Las Vegas, just by looking at that immense "treadmill" like the ones in the airports! I loved it, so typically Vegas.

Postcard stamps:

*

#195

Received: April 24th, 2014

From: Jeanette (New York City, USA)

Depicts: Princess Aurora

Oh my God, I love this card! I love Disney, as I've said many time before, and I love the Disney princesses especially; Aurora is so sweet and I didn't have a card with only her (and her fairy godmothers, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather!). Especially the little text that was behind the card meant a lot to me, today of all days, so it was really, really nice to get this card. As it happened with this one a few weeks ago, this card is part of a collection launched by the US Postal Service and, as you'll see, the stamp behind it is the same as the postcard image.

Postcard stamps:

I loved the Aurora stamp and all the others, but especially the Toy Story one with Woody and Jessie!

*

#194

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Helena (London, UK)
Depicts: Night view of London

It's the second time that Helena and I exchange cards and oh my God, I'm in love with this card - and the first one was also very nice! I love London, I absolutely love it, and this night view is absolutely amazing. I can only hope that one day I'll be able to go there again and explore the city by night, something I unfortunately couldn't do the last time. And as I've also said before, Helena is Portuguese just like me, which makes it that more special to be getting a card from a fellow countryman from someplace else in the world!

Postcard stamp:

*

#193

Received: April 24th, 2014
From: Atittan (Samut Prakar, Thailand)
Depicts: View from Bangkok, Thailand

This is my first postcard from Thailand and let me tell you, this picture most certainly doesn't do it justice, because it is really very beautiful! I've always wanted to visit Thailand, it must have paradisiac beaches and right now I wish I was in one of them, so this card made me want to travel even more. Atittan was very nice and I was really happy she proposed this swap to me!

Postcard stamp:

*

#192

Received: April 22nd, 2014
From: Jeanette (New York City, USA)
Depicts: 9/11 3D Postcard

This is my first 3D postcard and I think I've rarely seen one before, although my mom says they were very popular in the 70s and 80s. This one is obviously more recente, since it's related to the 9/11, and behind it there are a few words about what people should do to save the world, something that the organization that created this postcard feels should happen soon. Jeanette is, as always, sending me things I have never seen before.

Postcard stamp:

*

#191

Received: April 22nd, 2014
From: Kate (Kstovo, Russia)
Depicts: Flowers

It is always nice to get an official Postcrossing card, because I've been feeling more and more that they're geeting super rare. A few months ago I used to get many cards in several days of the week and now I get one or two officials cards per week, and that is in a good week... Well, Kate sent me this card from Russia and told me she was finally having a nice, warm day in Kstovo, with 15ºC.

Postcard stamp:

I think it's the first time I get this stamp from Russia, I liked it a lot.

*

#190

Received: April 17th, 2014

From: Luzia (São Paulo, Brazil)

Depicts: Football in Brazil

This is another card I won in an lottery through the Postcrossing Forum and I love it! Its theme is the World Cup 2014 and, as I've said many time here in this blog, football is one of my biggest passions and I'm so happy to have a football-themed card from the this year's host country of the World Cup! In this card we can see a few important landmarks from Brazil's Southeast: MASP (São Paulo's Museum of Art), a church in Pampulha, Belo Horizonte and the Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountains) in Rio de Janeiro. I really, really love this card.

Postcard stamp:

Cherry on top: a football-themed stamp too! I absolutely love it! I followed last year's Confederations Cup closely, even though my favorite team (Spain) there didn't won!

*

#189

Received: April 17th, 2014

From: Pedro (Castelldefels, Spain)

Depicts: Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)

My friend Pedro definitely spoils me too much - in a matter of two weeks, two of the most beautiful cards I've ever gotten, from two places I really love (the other one is here). He visited Paris and sent this beauty, a night view from the Eiffel Tower and the Jardins du Trocadéro. I really, really loved it.

Postcard stamp:

*

#188

Received: April 17th, 2014
From: Elena (Brest, Belarus)
Depicts: Sports stamps

I loved getting this official card! First of all, I had been having my sights set in getting in one of these cards that are "made of" stamps, and this one is very nice, because the stamps are about sports, which are a big passion of mine! It has figure skating, which I absolutely love! And then it was nice to get this card from Elena in particular, because right now she is the person with the most cards sent from Belarus and also the Belarusian whose cards have travelled the furthest away!

Postcard stamp:

*

#187

Received: April 17th, 2014
From: Oxana (Krasnoyarsk, Russia)
Depicts: Lady Catelyn Stark, Game of Thrones

I won this card in a lottery through the Postcrossing Forum and I love it, since this is/was one of my favorite characters of the Game of Thrones show and books! Plus, Oxana wrote me a nice quote by Dalai Lama: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."!

Postcrossing stamps:

*

#186

Received: April 17th, 2014
From: Manan (Mumbai, India)
Depicts: Durga immersion (Calcutta, India)

Another nice postcard from India - my third! This was a direct swap that Manan proposed to me and I happily agreed because I've never gotten official cards from India through the site, so it's nice to get at least private swaps. This postcard shows a tradition from India, the Durga immersion of idols (I think it's called Durga Puja), a festival where the Goddess Durga is worshipped through various days; she's not the only goddess who is object of worship but she's the one in this card.

Postcard stamps:

I love the first stamp!

*

#185

Received: April 15th, 2014
From: Sonja (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Depicts: Gospodska (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

This was a direct swap that I proposed to Sonja some time ago - I want to get as many cards from as many different places as possible and Bosnia seemed like a good place to get a card from! So here it is. This is Gospodska, a pedestrian street in Banja Luka, Sonja's city.

Postcard stamps:

*

#184

Received: April 14th, 2014
From: Roland (Plattenburg, Germany)
Depicts: View from Rovinj, Croatia

This beautiful card of Rovinj, Croatia, actually came from Germany. Roland favorited a lot of my sent cards so I proposed a swap to him and he sent me this nice card from his vacations in Croatia. I really love Croatia so I was really glad to get one more card! And it is actually written in Deutsch, which is a first in terms of postcards from me, and even though it was a little difficult to translate, I think I managed the whole thing and, at least, it's original!

Postcard stamp:

*

#183

Received: April 14th, 2014

From: Jocelyn (Heilongjian Province, China)

Depicts: Classical Chinese garden

Another direct swap, this one that Jocelyn proposed to me. I don't have many cards from China (four total, I think) so it's always nice to get some more!

Postcard stamps:

*

#182

Received: April 7th, 2014
From: Nana (Ronchin, France)
Depicts: Views from Lille, France

Last weekend I was going around the Postcrossing gallery and I favorited a few cards; one of them was from Lille and I didn't even look at the person who sent it or the one who got it, I just favorited it and moved on. A few hours later, I got a message from a Portuguese lady proposing a swap to me - it had been her who sent the card from Lille, where she lives! Not only it was awesome to meet a fellow Portuguese postcrosser, she was so very nice to me, I loved her immediately. And here the card arrived - she challenged me to see whose card would get to the other quickly and, as I predicted, hers did, because here in Portugal our postal service is not that fast. And I love this card, so nice and pretty, Lille must be so nice! I am really happy with this.

Postcard stamp:

Having the father I do, there was no way I could not love this stamp!

*

#181

Received: April 11th, 2014
From: Jagoda (Gostýn, Poland)
Depicts: Views from Gostýn, Poland

Another direct swap and Jagoda, who proposed it, told me that even though she thinks her city is really beautiful, she hates to live there and wants to move out! Well, I don't know about that, but I like the pictures and the fact that the sky is so bright and blue in all of them!

Postcard stamp:

None, since it came in an envelope.

*

#180

Received: April 11th, 2014
From: Conchi (Guipúzcoa, Spain)
Depicts: San Sebastián (Basque Country, Spain)

Finally, finally! I had been wanting a card from San Sebastián for a long, long time and now I've got it! It's amazing, with the sea, the city, the fishing port, Mount Urgull and a little bit of the beach. I proposed the swap to Conchi and was very, very happy that she accepted!

Postcard stamps:

So nice to get Spanish stamps that aren't that one "I love Spain" (even if I do)!

*

#179

Received: April 11th, 2014

From: Thomas (Vienna, Austria)

Depicts: Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria

I was so happy when I got this card! As I said a few posts ago, Empress Sissi and Empress Franz were a big part of my childhood, since I watched cartoons that had them as leading characters and they were my absolute favorites ever! So, for the third time, Thomas chose a card that really got me and now I have cards with two of my most favorite figures in History, and similar cards, at that! I'm really happy with this one. Oh, and another detail: Franz reigned for 68 years (and was really, wasn't he?)!

Postcard stamp:

 

*

#178

Received: April 11th, 2014
From: Jan (Edmonds, United States)

Depicts: Giant fir log (Washington, United States)

Jan sent me this official card from Washington and she told me that timber is a huge resource in the state of Washington in more ways than one. In the meantime, just look at that huge fir log!

Postcard stamp:

*

#177

Received: April 10th, 2014

From: Lena (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Depicts: View from St. Petersburg

I loved this card and it came to confirm what I already knew - St. Petersburg really is (and always have been, according to the postcard) beautiful and I'd really like to go there one day! Also, I don't have many black and white cards, so it was nice to get another.

Postcard stamps:

I love these stamps!

*