Punakha Dzong

Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it takes about 3 hours by car from the capital Thimphu. Unlike Thimphu it is quite warm in winter and hot in summer. It is located at an elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level and rice is grown as the main crop along the river valleys of two main rivers of Bhutan, the Pho Chu and Mo Chu. Dzongkha is widely spoken in this district. Pungthang Dewachen Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness) or Punakha Dzong was constructed by Tuebi Zaow Balip under the great command of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in 1637 and believed to have been completed in two years of time period. It is also the country's most beautiful Dzong.It is the winter residence of Bhutan's Central Monastic Body led by HH the Je Khenpo. The Dzong houses the most sacred relics of the Southern Drukpa Kagyu school including the Rangjung Kasarpani, and the sacred remains of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal and Terton Padma Lingpa. In 1907, Punakha Dzong was the site of the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first King of Bhutan. Three years later, a treaty was signed at Punankha whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. In 1987, the dzong was partially destroyed by fire.

This card was sent to me by Shashi.

Mushrooms of Cyprus

Mushrooms are in fact the 'fruit' of the (in many cases huge) underground fungi organism. They are very important for ecosystems as many species live symbiotically with plant species. Mycorrhizae constitute the symbiosis between fungi and plant roots and improve dramatically the roots' ability to absorb nutrients. Cypriots have traditionally looked at wild mushrooms as a delicacy. Extreme care must be taken in selecting wild mushrooms for food, as it is VERY DIFFICULT to identify edible from poisonous ones. The stamps shown on the card were issued on 4^th March, 1999. Brief details about the four stamps are given below. Merja gave me this card.

Pleurotus eryngii (10) (also known as king trumpet mushroom, French horn mushroom, king oyster mushroom, boletus of the steppes) is an edible mushroom native to Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, but also grown in parts of Asia. In Italian it is called cardoncello; in Chinrse, it is called xìng bào gū ("almond abalone mushroom"), cì qín gū ("stab celery mushroom"), or cì qín cè ěr ("stab celery side ear"); in Japanese, it is called eringi.

Lactarius deliciosus (15), commonly known as the Saffron milk cap, Red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius in the order Russulales. It is found in Europe and North America and has been accidentally introduced to other countries under conifers and can be found growing in pine plantations. A fresco in the Roman town of Herculaneum appears to depict Lactarius deliciosus and is one of the earliest pieces of art to illustrate a fungus.

Sparassis (25) (also known as cauliflower mushroom) is a genus of parasitic and saprobic mushrooms characterised by their unique look. Its look can be described as similar to a sea sponge, a brain, or a head of cauliflower, from which it has been given its popular name. They are increasingly cultivated and being sold in the Korea, Japan, USA and Australia. The generic name comes from the Greek sparassein meaning to tea.

Morchella elata (30) is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It is one of three related species commonly known as the black morel, the others being M. eangusticeps and M. conica. The fruiting bodies of M. elata are known to be consumed by grizzly bears (species Ursus arctos horribilis) in Yellowstone National Park.

Josien Broeren the Dutch Artist

Josien Broeren was born on the 27th of February 1956 in Den Dungen, the Netherlands. After obtaining her High school diploma she went to a hairdressing school. Besides cutting hair, she was busy painting. Karel Appel (a well known Dutch painter and coincidently also a former hairdresser) was her mentor and role model.

Marion of Holland who sent me this card says about Josien Broeren, that, she has developed her own style and uses pop-art like colours. The motto on this painting means, “He whom the divine gift of passion owns, grows older but never old”. How true.

Bird’s eye View of Helsinki

What a lovely view this bird has as it flies over the Finnish Capital of Helsinki. Prominent in this picture is the St John’s Church in the centre. The large building at the lower left of the picture is a school. Helsinki, the capital of the Republic of Finland, is a modern city with over half a million residents and is situated on the Baltic Sea. In 2000 Helsinki was an official European City of Culture while celebrating its 450th anniversary. Helsinki together with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa forms the Helsinki metropolitan area with more than a million inhabitants.

Helsinki is unique among Northern European cities. The lifestyle in the second-most northern capital city in the world is full of contrasts and activities in the form of hundreds of events and friendly people. Helsinki’s identity has been formed by cultural influences from both the East and West. The archipelago that surrounds Helsinki with hundreds of tiny islands creates an idyllic environment for cruises, for example. In the Upper part of the card one observes three massive ferries which generally sail between Sweeden, Åland, Finland and Estonia and some other Baltic States as well.
Over 450 years of history, several architectural layers and the impact of different periods can be clearly seen in Helsinki. Finnish design has also made the country’s capital city world famous. The beauty of the surrounding nature blends seamlessly together with high-tech achievements, while old traditions mix with the latest contemporary trends. The city centre has many beautiful parks, and the nearby forests offer an ideal setting for peaceful and quiet walks. Helsinki’s rhythm is laid back yet at the same time refreshingly active in terms of both the number and quality of restaurants and nightclubs. Everything is nearby – Helsinki is a pocket-sized metropolis that is ideal for visitors! This pretty card was sent to me by Pia.

Finland's National Bird

The Whooper Swan (pronounced hooper), is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American Trumpeter Swan. An old name for the Whooper Swan is Elk. The Whooper Swan is similar in appearance to the Bewick's Swan. However, it is larger, at a length of 140–165 cm (55–65 in) and a wingspan of 205–275 centimetres (81–108 in). Weight typically is in the range of 7.4–14 kilograms (16–31 lb), with an average of 9.8–11 kg (22–24 lb) for males and 8.2–9.2 kg (18–20 lb) for females. The verified record mass was 15.5 kg (34 lb) for a wintering male from Denmark. It is considered to amongst the largest flying birds. It has a more angular head shape and a more variable bill pattern that always shows more yellow than black (Bewick's Swans have more black than yellow).

Whooper swans require large areas of water to live in, especially when they are still growing, because their body weight cannot be supported by their legs for extended periods of time. The whooper swan spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food, or eating plants that grow on the bottom.^[4]

Whooper swans have a deep honking call and, despite their size, are powerful fliers. Whooper swans can migrate many hundreds of miles to their wintering sites in northern Europe and easternAsia. They breed in subarctic Eurasia, further south than Bewicks in the taiga zone. They are rare breeders in northern Scotland, particularly in Orkney, and no more than five pairs have bred there in recent years. This bird is an occasional vagrant to western North America. Icelandic breeders overwinter in the United Kingdom and Ireland, especially in the wildfowl nature reserves of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Whooper swans pair for life, and their cygnets stay with them all winter; they are sometimes joined by offspring from previous years. Their preferred breeding habitat is wetland, but semi-domesticated birds will build a nest anywhere close to water. Both the male and female help build the nest, and the male will stand guard over the nest while the female incubates. The female will usually lay 4-7 eggs (exceptionally 12). The cygnets hatch after about 36 days and have a grey or brown plumage. The cygnets can fly at an age of 120 to 150 days.

The Whooper Swan is the national bird of Finland and is featured on the Finnish 1 euro coin. This pretty card was sent to me by Auli.

Makarios Memorial

Makarios III died unexpectedly, of a heart attack, on August 3, 1977. It has recently emerged that, in order to confirm the cause of death, Makarios' heart had been removed during an autopsy. The heart has since been preserved in his former bedroom in the Archbishopric. He is buried in a tomb on the mountain of Throni, a site he personally chose. The tomb is near Kykkos Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 1930s. Two kilometres uphill is Throni - the seat of Virgin Mary. Close to this holy monument is the site of the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III. Makarios was not only the first president of the Republic of Cyprus but also a leading member of Kykkos Brotherhood, and he personally chose the location of his tomb. It has a spectacular view over Cyprus and faces his birthplace - the village of Panagia (Virgin Mary). Since Makarios' death in 1977, Throni has become an additional place of pilgrimage for all visitors to Kykkos Monastery. To commemorate his life, an imposing bronze statue of Makarios was erected outside the Archbishop's palace in Nicosia; in 2008 the statue was moved to Kykkos monastery and replaced by a life-size marble statue of Makarios.

At his funeral, held at St. John's Cathedral outside the Archbishopric in Nicosia, 182 dignitaries from 52 countries attended whilst an estimated 250,000 mourners --about half the Greek Cypriot population of the island-- filed past the coffin. Merja gave me this nice maximum card showing guards at the monumement in honour of Archbishop Makarios III.

Colosseum

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96). The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin. Maria sent me this card.