Germany - Cistercian monastery of Langwaden

The Order of Cistercians is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monks. They are sometimes also called the White Monks, in reference to the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn. The emphasis of Cistercian life is on manual labour and self-sufficiency, and many abbeys have traditionally supported themselves through activities such as agriculture and brewing ales. The term Cistercian (French Cistercien), derives from Cistercium, the Latin name for the village of Cîteaux, near Dijon in eastern France. It was in this village that a group of Benedictine monks from the monastery of Molesme founded Cîteaux Abbey in 1098, with the goal of following more closely the Rule of Saint Benedict. The best known of them were Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Citeaux and the English monk Stephen Harding, who were the first three abbots. Bernard of Clairvaux entered the monastery in the early 1110s with 30 companions and helped the rapid proliferation of the order. By the end of the 12th century, the order had spread throughout France and into England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Eastern Europe.
The keynote of Cistercian life was a return to literal observance of the Rule of St Benedict. Rejecting the developments the Benedictines had undergone, the monks tried to reproduce life exactly as it had been in Saint Benedict's time; indeed in various points they went beyond it in austerity. The most striking feature in the reform was the return to manual labour, especially fieldwork, a special characteristic of Cistercian life. Cistercian architecture is considered one of the most beautiful styles of medieval architecture. Additionally, in relation to fields such as agriculture, hydraulic engineering and metallurgy, the Cistercians became the main force of technological diffusion in medieval Europe. The Cistercians were badly affected in England by the Protestant Reformation, the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, the French Revolution in continental Europe, and the revolutions of the 18th century, but some survived and the order recovered in the 19th century. In 1891 certain abbeys formed a new Order called Trappists (Ordo Cisterciensium Strictioris Observantiae - OCSO), which today exists as an order distinct from the Common Observance.
This pretty card was given to me by Inge-Lore.

Germany – Lindau

Lindau is a Bavarian town and an island in the eastern part of the Lake Constance, the Bodensee. It is the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau. The historic city of Lindau is located on a 0.68-square-kilometre (0.26 sq mi) island, which is connected with the mainland by bridge and railway. The name Lindau was first mentioned by a monk from St. Gallen in a document of 882, stating that Adalbert, Count of Raetia, had founded a nunnery on the island. However remains of an early Roman settlement dating back to the 1st century have been found in the district of Aeschach. The Lake Constance - "Bodensee" is the German word - is located between Germany, Austria and Switzerland. On the Swiss side are the famous Rhine falls, best reached from Schaffhausen. The lake area has one of the warmest summer microclimates in the country.

There are many outdoor activities that one can do including water sports sailing and hiking. There are many beautiful resort towns along its shores notably Meersburg which is surrounded by vineyards and which has half-timbered houses and the oldest castle in Germany. You can also visit the islands of Mainau (lush tropical vegetation) and Reichenau (ancient monastery) near Konstanz at the western end of the lake or Lindau or Bregenz at the eastern end if you have a chance. There is ferry service across the lake from Friedrichshafen into Switzerland. Clemens sent me this card.

UK - HMS Alacrity

Dorothy sent me this nice card.

Wau kites

The picture is of Encik Ismail bin Jusoh with his hand-made “wau” kite. He is famous for his very pretty wau’s. Indigenous to the people living in Kelantan and Terengganu, these kites are a special craft of West Malaysia. Due to its similarity with the shape of an Arabic letter, these kites are known as "Wau" in Malay. Also when the kites are flown in the sky, it produces a humming sound, which is similar to "wauuuu". So symbolic is the Wau that Malaysian Airlines has even used it as its logo.

Making these kites is a tedious job and requires a great amount of patience. First, bamboo is used to make the frames for the kites, which keeps the kites sturdy and lightweight. Next, motifs are carved out of coloured paper and shiny glazed paper. The intricacy of the carvings is what sets a good kite maker apart from the others. The carvings are then meticulously glued onto the frames. Finally the kite is decorated with bright paper tassels. The motifs on the kites are normally flowers with vines. The flowers represent the man while the vines represent the ladies. After the harvest period, these kites are commonly flown over the paddy fields. This is a break time for all the farmers who had worked hard through the rice-planting season. Ethen sent me this pretty card.

Canada - Ottawa - Parliament Hill

This nice card showing Parliament Hill In winter was sent to me by Sandi.

Finland - Lapland

This is another nice picture post card featuring a scene in Lapland. This nice card was sent to me by Esa.

Vladivostok.

Vladivostok is Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai. It is situated at the head of the Golden Horn Bay, not far from Russia's border with China and North Korea. It is the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet.
Stepan Osipovich Makarov (January 8 1849— April 13 1904) was a famous Russian vice-admiral, a highly accomplished and decorated commander of the Imperial Russian Navy, and a distinguished oceanographer, awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books. According to his honour, "Shiritoru", where was a town in Sakhalin island, was renamed as Makarov in 1946. Makarov was highly decorated for his service as a captain of the Russian torpedo boat tender Velikiy Knyaz Konstantin in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. He was one of the first adopters of the idea of torpedo boats and he himself went to action in torpedo boats. On January 16, 1877 he was first in the world to launch torpedoes from a boat (which itself was launched from a tender) against a Turkish armed ship Intibah.
This is a monument in honour of that Great Russian Admiral . It overlooks the sea at the far Eastern Russian port of Vladivostok. I was fortunate to be a resident of this wonderful city for two winters. This pretty card was sent to me by my friend Elena.