Christmas Card from Inge Look

The famous painter Inge Look sent me this lovely card. She does have a quaint and interesting way of spelling Vijay.

Thank you Dear Inge Look for this Lovely card and the good wishes for Christmas. I too wish you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

A Ship on the Hudson River

Sandra sent me this nice card showing a Cunnard Passenger ship on the Hudson River.

Inge Look and her Aunties

Inge Look (Ingeborg Lievonen) was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1951. As child she and her family lived in a seven story apartment building in the city. It was literally teeming with tenants... so many people, personalities and smells. The two that quickly captivated Inge's attention were Alli and Fifi, two older women who's exuberance for life was contagious.

She refers to them as the "Aunties" and they became the inspiration for her very popular cards. The motto for these two fabulous old ladies is... 

"Time is not money and spending it isn’t a sin."

Thank you Ella.

Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park is a national park in southwestern South Dakota that protects 242,756 acres (379.306 sq mi; 98,240 ha) of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. The park is managed by the National Park Service.

Thank you Rose for this nice card.

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) inThailand. The Emerald Buddha housed in the temple is a potent religio-political symbol and the palladium (protective image) of Thai society It is located in Phra Nakhon District the historic centre of Bangkok, within the precincts of the Grand Palace. This lovely card was sent to me by Pannipa.

This card had lovely stamps on them as shown below.

Thai Heritage Conservation Day is an annual observance in Thailand held on April 2. It has been celebrated since 1985. Thai Heritage Conservation Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the second daughter of King Rama IX, who was born on April 2, 1955. Sirindhorn has earned a BA in History, MA in Oriental Epigraphy, and PhD in Educational Development. She has a keen interest in conservation, foreign cultures, history, languages, the arts, education, and technology.

To honour Princes Sirindhorn and celebrate the Royal Family's contribution to creation and conservation of national heritage for generations to come, the government of Thailand established Thai Heritage Conservation Day. It was first held on April 2, 1985, in honour of Sirindhorn's 30th birthday, and has been celebrated annually ever since.

On the occasion of the holiday, numerous cultural activities are held, including, but not limited to, academic seminars, exhibitions, lectures, concerts. They are aimed at providing the knowledge of Thai heritage and exhibiting the variety of Thai culture. On this day, citizens are encouraged to decorate buildings with the national flag.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono

This card featuring the famous Lennon's was sent to me by Alexandra from Moscow.

John Winston Ono Lennon MBE (born John Winston Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as the founder of the rock band the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. With fellow member Paul McCartney, he formed a celebrated songwriting partnership.
 
Yoko Ono (born 18 February 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer and peace activist, who is also known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking. She is the widow and second wife of John Lennon.

15th World Gymnaestrada 2015 Helsinki

The World Gymnaestrada 2015 Helsinki was the best festival of the summer of 2015! It was a perfect mixture of festival, friendship and joy. Seven days full of gymnasts’ passion and talent, good spirit and unity. The 15th World Gymnaestrada rounded up the Gymnastics World in Helsinki in July!

Helsinki, together with the whole metropolitan area, was ready to welcome the international gymnastics family as guests. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, Cities of Helsinki, Vantaa and Espoo, the Finnish Gymnastics Federation and the Local Organising Committee worked closely with each other to make this event come to life. This top team is also living its own dream of organising a worldwide Gymnastics for All events with enthusiasm and excitement.

The Finnish summer is at its best in July. Warm days and a sun that doesn’t really set provided an unforgettable experience to all of the participants of the 15th World Gymnaestrada.

Thank you Ella.

The Aurora in St Petersburg

Aurora is a 1900 Russian protected cruiser, currently preserved as a museum ship in St. Petersburg. Aurora was one of three Pallada-class cruisers, built in St. Petersburg for service in the Pacific. All three ships of this class served during theRusso-Japanese War. Aurora survived the Battle of Tsushima and was interned under US protection in the Philippines, eventually returned to the Baltic Fleet. The second ship, Pallada, was sunk by the Japanese at Port Arthur in 1904. The third ship, Diana, was interned in Saigon after the Battle of the Yellow Sea. One of the first incidents of the October Revolution in Russia took place on the cruiserAurora.

Thank you Merja.

Wuling Farm

Purple Sunny Chang sent me this card about the Wonderful Wuling Farm, a well known tourist attraction in the central mountain area of Taiwan.

 

Way before the Central Highway was completed, Taiwan's aboriginal tribe, the Ataya, had long been residing along the upper stream of Da-Jia river. The residents of Huanshan, Sungmao, Lisan and Jiayang tribe in Taichung City lived a self sufficient farming life.

After the completion of the Central Highway in 1958, there was a gradual increase of population in Wuling, as people engaged in farming or foresting activities gradually moved into this area. A group of cultivators, in the name of "Taiwan's Veteran Cultivation Reclaim Service Station", started to build the "Wuling Cultivation Area" here.

In the spring of 1963, late president Chiang Ching-kuo, the Chairman of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen (now titled Veterans Affairs Commission), devoted himself to exploring the mountainous areas in search of person with hardships. He then named the "Wuling Cultivation Area" as "Wuling Farm" on 10th May 1963, and appointed Mr. Lin De-Gi as the first director of the farm. At the initial stage, the farm was under the Veteran Farm Committee.

A Wonderful Card from Canada

This card was sent to me by Denise from Canada. The picture on the card is of a sheaf of wheat. Pretty nice really, but do look at the stamps my friend affixed to the card. They are simply superb, and almost a collection by themselves. Never before have I ever seen a card with so many stamps. Not ordinary stamps, they are wonderful stamps. Thank you Dear Denise. 

Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov

Sabine from Belgium sent me this card featuring Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov (May 15, 1891 – March 10, 1940), a Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.

Donald Duck

Saskia from Germany sent me this nice card. I have always enjoyed cartoons by Walt Disney. Thank you Saskia.

Sampaguita Festival in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines

My friend Michael in the Philippines sent me this colourful card about the Sampaguita Festival which is a week-long celebration which includes various activities ranging from  cultural to athletics, trade fairs, dance contests, parades,  art-exhibits, social and religious gatherings, tribal dance and sports  exhibitions in San Pedro, Laguna, Philippines. The festival is about celebrating the national flower of the Philippines- the sampaguita flower.

The town of San Pedro, Laguna is a place that has a thriving 'sampaguita-industry' in the Philippines. Garlands of sampaguita flowers  are being made in the town. Farmers in the town are still  cultivating the flower. The Sampaguita Festival coincides with San Pedro Day- a local holiday for the town. San Pedro Day is celebrated every February 21- the actual day when the said festival is at its peak.  The pictures on this card show participants being awarded for their costumes.

The Town of Cello in Germany

Wiebke from Germany sent me this card which shows different views of the town Celle where she lives. Now, for those of you who have visited Hanover may have visited Celle too, for it isn't too far from there. 

Cello is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000. Celle is the southern gateway to the Lüneburg Heath, has a castle (Schloss Celle) built in the renaissance and baroque style and a picturesque old town centre (the Altstadt) with over 400 timber-framed houses, making Celle one of the most remarkable members of the German Timber-Frame Road. From 1378 to 1705, Celle was the official residence of the Lüneburg branch of the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (House of Welf) who had been banished from their original ducal seat by its townsfolk.

Thank you Wiebke.

Have a nice Summer

Towe from Sweden wishes "Have a nice Summer" with this nice card.

Thank you Towe, hope you have a great Summer too.

Indian Silver - Åland's most successful trotting horse

Åland's most successful trotting horse so far was Indian Silver. Out of 61 starts, Indian Silver won 24 races.

Indian Silver had his breakthrough in 1997 at the age of four. This was the year he was housed for professional training at Stig H Johansson stables, one of the most reputed jockeys and trainers in Swedish trotting history.
Indian Silver's track record includes wins in Eliterennen in Gelsenkirchen, Copenhagen Cup and Momarken Grand Prix. Out of 61 starts, Indian Silver won 24, was placed second 12 times and third 7 times. He was in the Swedish Elitloppet final twice. In 2009, Indian Silver died from colic.
Founded in 1936, Ålandstravet - Åland Equestrian Association arranges harness racing, dressage, show jumping and Icelandic horse racing. In 2015, six harness racing events will take place at Ålandstravet.

Thank you Ella.

President's image of Åland women 1.5.2015

"Åland women" was President Tarja Halonen's choice of theme when asked to contribute to the My Åland stamp series. This postcard featuring the famous sea-farer Mimmi Widbom was issued on 1.5.2015.

Serafina Wilhelmina "Mimmi" Widbom was an extraordinary woman of her time being, as she was, a professional seafarer. She worked as cook and chief steward on several of Åland shipowner Gustaf Erikson's ships in the early 1900s. Mimmi Widbom rounded Cape Horn eight times and she made her last voyage as active sailor in 1943.
President Tarja Halonen is the third President of Finland to participate in Åland Post stamp series My Åland, which offers celebrities with a connection to Aland an opportunity to illustrate their opinion of the Aland province and personal view of Aland. In 2004, President Mauno Koivisto's stamp was issued, and President Martti Ahtisaari's stamp appeared in 2009. 

Thank you Ella.

Finnish Summer

Thank you Ari for this lovely card of the Finnish Summer that you guys are enjoying. The strawberries make my mouth water. I believe it is 15 to 18 degrees in your part of the world.

Its not too bad here in New Delhi where I live. The day before yesterday was the highest so far this Summer - only 44.5. Not bad eh! :-))

Moscow - View of the Arc de Triomphe and the Poklonnaya Hill

The third and the oldest surviving Triumphal Arch in Moscow was built in 1829–34 on Tverskaya Gate Square to Joseph Bové's designs in order to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon. It replaced an earlier wooden structure built by the veterans of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814.

The arch was built in brick and lined with ashlar. The columns and statues were of cast iron. A seiuga (six-horse chariot) was designed by Giovanni Vitali. The bilingual inscription in Russian and Latin ran as follows:

To the blessed memory of Alexander I who raised from ashes and adorned with many memorials of paternal care this former capital that had been committed to the mercy of fire during the invasion of the Gauls and twelve other nations.

The arch was dismantled in 1936 as part of Joseph Stalin's reconstruction of downtown Moscow. Vitali's sculptures were then put on exhibit at an architectural museum on the grounds of the former Donskoy Monastery. After the Second World War there were plans to rebuild the structure in front of the Belarussian Railway Station.

The current arch was built to Bove's original designs in 1966–68 in the middle of Kutuzovsky Avenue, close to the Victory Park. An open space surrounding the arch is known as the Victory Square.

Thank you Natasha for this nice card.

Lín Qīngxiá

Brigitte Lin (Lín Qīngxiá) or Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia (born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. She was a popular actress, regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema, who acted in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies. She retired in 1994, although she had a minor role in the 1998 film Bishonen.

She was born in Taipei, and was "discovered" in 1972 by a film producer, and first appeared in many Taiwanese romance films based on the novels of Chiung Yao. Her movie debut is in Chuangwai. She later switched over to making movies in Hong Kong. At the height of her popularity she was arguably one of the most sought-after actresses in the Chinese film industry. She starred in more than 100 movies.

In Hong Kong movies, Lin made a career of playing transgender roles: in Peking Opera Blues she plays a tomboy who dresses in male Western clothes; in New Dragon Gate Inn she is a woman who dresses as a man, and in Swordsman II and III she plays a male character who castrates himself for power and so is now slowly turning into a woman. She had a good working relationship with Tsui Hark, acting in many of the films he directed (like Peking Opera Blues) and produced (Swordsman II).

She married businessman Michael Ying in 1994 and left the film industry. She has two daughters, born in 1997 and 2001. She made her first public appearance since her marriage at a screening of Ashes of Time Redux at the 2008 New York Film Festival.

My friend Aiting send me this lovely card.

Hamburg

This nice card sent to me by Marivi shows Hamburg Harbour, with the  "Sea Cloud II" on the Elbe. One can also see the St. Pauli and Michaelis Churches.

Wind Surfing

This nice card was sent to me by my friend Karoly in Serbia.

City of Goes in the Netherlands

Bart & Marion sent me this nice card featuring Goes, a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.

Appella Beach on Karpathos Island

This nice card was sent to me by Jens from Germany. The card has a photo of the Appella Beach on Karpathos Island.

Karpathos is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern  Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the Karpathos regional unit. Because of its remote location, Karpathos has preserved many peculiarities of dress, customs and dialect, the last resembling those of Crete and Cyprus. The island has also been called Carpathus in Latin, Scarpanto in Italian and Kerpe in Turkish.

The beaches of Karpathos island can be divided into four large groups: the beaches on the east coast are smaller and gravelly but without wind; the beaches of the southern part of the island, near the airport, area made of fine white sand; the sandy beach on the west coast are the most exposed to the Meltemi and they are only available in low wind conditions; the beaches of the north of the island, accessible only by sea and partly by a jeep.

East Coast: Amoopi, Karpathos Beach, Achata, Kato Latos (reachable only by foot), Kyra Panagia, Apella, Agios Nikolaos (Spoa).

South Coast - Damatria, Diakoftis, Devils Bay, Agriopotamos (nude beach).

West Coast - Lefkos beach, Mesohori Finiki, Arkasa Leucadius.

North Coast - Diafani, Vananda, Forokli

Kiel - The Bicycle City

This card with a photo of a bike was sent to me by Alexandra from Kiel, which is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 240,832 (June 2014).

Alexandra tells me that Kiel is a bicycle city. That's one great way of keeping fit. I loved cycling too, but that was many many years ago. I wonder if I would be able to balance on a cycle now!

A little bit about Kiel. Kiel has also been one of the traditional homes of the German Navy's Baltic fleet, and continues to be a major high-tech shipbuilding centre. Located in Kiel is the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) at the University of Kiel. Kiel is an important sea transport hub, thanks to its location on the Kiel Fjord (Kieler Förde) and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). A number of passenger ferries to Sweden, Norway, Russia, and other countries operate from here. Moreover, today Kiel harbour is an important port of call for cruise ships touring the Baltic Sea.

In 2005 Kiel's GDP per capita was €35,618, which is well above Germany's national average, and 159% of the European Union's average.

Within Germany and parts of Europe, the city is known for its leading handball team, THW Kiel. The city is home to the University of Kiel (established in 1665).

The name of the city is most likely derived from the wedge form of its bay (Keil in German).

The Holy Rosary Cathedral

The Holy Rosary Cathedral  is the oldest Catholic church in Taiwan, located in Lingya District, Kaohsiung, just east of the Love River. It is the seat of the Bishop of Kaohsiung. The cathedral was first established in 1860 and rebuilt to its present dimensions in 1928.

Thank you Yi-zhen for this lovely card.

Frankfurt on the Main

Ellen sent me this card with a view of Frankfurt on the Main. Frankfurt is the most important trade and economic center in Germany. 

This view is over the Main.