Winter Warfare in Finland

This card shows a picture of a pair of Finnish soldiers at a Winter Training Camp in North Lappland.  Forget about training or actual operations, even living and existing in those sub-zero temperatures must be an extreme ordeal. But, military history books are replete with the glorious exploits of the outnumbered Finnish soldier on skis against heavy odds. And in most cases the soldiers fighting the Finns had a bloody nose. Margaretha sent me this card. The picture on it was taken by her son who is in the Finnish Army.

ASW&C Wedgetail

Four New Stamps to Commemorate 90 Years of RAAF were issued on 22.2.2011. The four Air Force Aviation stamps feature the F-111 (60 cents), the F/A-18F Super Hornet (60 cents), the AEW&C Wedgetail ($1.20) and the C-17 Globemaster III ($3.00). This good maxicard sent to me by Vikki features the Wedgetail.

The Boeing 737 AEW&C is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft. It is lighter than the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry, and mounts a fixed, electronically scanned, rather than a rotating, radar antenna. It was designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under "Project Wedgetail". The 737 AEW&C has also been selected by the Turkish Air Force, the Republic of Korea Air Force, and has been proposed to Italy and the United Arab Emirates. The Royal Australian Air Force Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft began entering service in 2009. Six Boeing 737 NGs are currently being modified to accommodate sophisticated mission systems and radars that will increase Australia's surveillance and air combat capability, provide air defence support for our naval fleet, and assist in civil operations such as border protection and search and rescue.

The Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft are operated by No 2 Squadron from RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle. The first two Wedgetails are being modified in the United States of America, with the remaining four being modified at RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane. The postmark on the stamp on this maxicard is from the PO at Amberly.

A view of Denmark from Northern Germany

This lovely view of Denmark in the background was sent to me by Christina. The view is from North Germany.The island you see is the Danish Island of Okseoerne.

Guatemala City

Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America. It is also the capital city of the local Municipio de Guatemala, and Guatemala Department. Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala, a country in Central America. Within the confines of modern Guatemala City is the ancient Maya city of Kaminaljuyu. Kaminaljuyu was first occupied between 1200 and 1000 BC and the city continued to be inhabited for about 2000 years before it was abandoned in the Late Classic Period of Mesoamerican chronology (600–900 AD). It is one of America's most notable archaeological sites. The centre of Kaminaljuyu was located a short distance from the oldest part of Guatemala City. However, in the late 20th century, the city grew around the ruins, and, in some cases, over some of the outlying ruins before they were protected. Guatemala City became the capital after Antigua Guatemala had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1773. With a population of around 3 million people, Guatemala City is the largest and most modern city in Guatemala. It can be interesting to visit "Guate," as the locals also call it. Guatemala City has attractions and restaurants, often with few tourists. Sunday evenings' gatherings of hundreds of locals at the main plaza is certainly an unforgettable experience.
Vera sent me this pretty card showing a few important sites in Guatemala City namely, The Cathedral, the Seat of the Government and the Court of Justice.

Thank you Jussi from Finland for this pretty card.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of 6,225 ft (1,897 m), it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is 1,645 ft (501 m), making it the USA's second-deepest (the deepest is Crater Lake in Oregon, being 300 ft (91 m) deeper, at 1,945 ft (593 m)). Additionally, Lake Tahoe is listed as the 26th largest lake by volume in the world at 122,160,280 acre·ft (150.68249 km³).
The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin with the modern lake being shaped during the ice ages. It is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area surrounding the lake is also referred to as Lake Tahoe, or simply Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction in both Nevada and California. It is home to a number of ski resorts, summer outdoor recreation, and tourist attractions. Snow and skiing are a significant part of the area's economy and reputation. Mountain and lake scenery are attractions throughout the year. The Nevada side also includes large casinos. Highways provide year-round access from Reno, Carson City, and Sacramento. Marlene from Sacramento sent me this nice card.

Kungur Ice Cave

Despite its ancient and "exotic" story, the city Kungur is unique now because of the legendary Ice Cave in the Ice Mountain. It has got no less mysteries and secrets than Stonehenge and Egyptian sphinxes have got. Kungur Ice Mountain and Ice Cave are situated in the south-east of Perm Krai, 90 km. from the city of Perm. The area of the reservation is 106 ha, min altitude (the Baltic Sea) is 116 m, max altitude is 198 m. Kungur Ice Cave is known since time immemorial. In 1703 Peter the Great issued the decree sending a well-known geographer S.U. Remezov from Tobolsk in Kungur. He worked out the Uyezd plan and the first sketch of the Cave. The cartographers of the XVIII century made a copy of the sketch, multiplied them and they were included in the scientific encyclopaedias of the European Universities.

The Cave as an excursion site is used since 1914 and equipped with with 2 tour routes with total length of 2 km. The examination of a large excursion ring (classic route) continues 1h. 20 min. During this time the tourists travel under the ground 1300 m. Some hundred thousand people come to have a look at this unique creation of nature every year. The total number of tourists has already exceeded 5 million.

In 1733 Professor I.G. Gmelin first in the world kept the ground microclimate under observation. The constant monitoring regime in the cave is carried out over 60 years. This is the only underground laboratory in Russia with long-standing and diverse observations of karstic processes. The standard for monitoring observations in the cave is a protected part, which remains in the primordial form. Ice Mountain is of great interest in archaeological terms. There are two sites of ancient settlement of VII-IX centuries, relating to Lomovatov culture. Yermakov's site of ancient settlement known since the XIX century is located in the eastern part of The Mountain, just above Kungur Ice Cave. Kungur's site of ancient settlement , smaller in area, is situated in 0,5 km to the west of it. Both have well-preserved castle defenses - barrages and moats. This wonderful card was sent to me by Maria who lives in Perm.