Finland - Grannies

Ella My Friend sent me this card showing our well known world famous characters the 'Grannies'. Here we see the Grannies having a Tree Top Picnic. On the left are the stamps on the cover sent by Ella that had some other things as well.
Thank you Ella.

Netherlands – Three Master

A model of a three master barque in the Prinz Hendrik Museum at Rotterdam.

Finland - Lighthouses

Finland has coastlines facing south on the Gulf of Finland and west on the Gulf of Bothnia, both arms of the Baltic Sea. Finland also administers the Åland Islands (Ahvenanmaa), an archipelago at the junction of the two gulfs. After centuries of rule by Sweden, Finland was conquered by Russia in 1809 and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. The country declared its independence from Russia in 1917, at the start of the Russian Revolution. Finland has a large number of lakes and inland waterways, and there are lighthouses on many of the larger lakes. I am indebted to Michel Forand for researching and locating many of these lights. Unfortunately, we have no light list for the country's inland waterways, so data on the characteristics of the lights is not available. No doubt there are more lighthouses to be discovered on Finnish lakes. Coastal lighthouses in Finland are maintained by the Finnish Maritime Administration (Merenkulkulaitos), and the agency also maintains the lights of inland waterways. The Finnish word for a lighthouse is majakka (plural majakat). Swedish is a second official language in Finland, and some of the lighthouses are commonly known by their Swedish names.

The lighthouse at the top Left is the famous one named Uto. It figured on a 1946 stamp that was issued to commemorate the Pilotage Services of Finland. Those interested may kindly refer to my blog http://letstalkstamps.blogspot.com. The one ot Top Right is the lighthouse at Porkkala, by the name of Ronnskar. The one shown at the Lower left side is at Kirkkonummi, is situated on a small little rocky island called Kallbådan. This lighthouse was finished in 1920. The material of the lighthouse is reinforced concrete. Originally there were rooms for two lighthouse keepers, engine room, sauna, kitchen and tank for freshwater. There was also some kind of a foghorn. The lighthouse was a part of Porkkala area that was leased to the USSR from 1944 to1955. The lighthouse was in very bad condition after this time. Lighthouse keepers did not live there any more after this period. Men from lighthouse Rönnskär took care of Kallbådan. Nowadays Kallbådan has a remote control from Rönnskär. The island Kallbådan is a seal protected area and that’s why no one is not allowed to go to the island without permission. These paintings on the cards are all by the artist Pekka Vehvilainen. And these pretty cards were sent to me by my friend Merja.

Finland

Sailing Ship Sigyn, built in Göteborg 1887, and now a museum ship in Turku, is the last remaining wooden barque used for trade across the oceans. At the time she was built there were thousands of similar vessels, but she was one of the last ones built. She was quite small even for her time, considering she was built for long-distance trade, but well built and considered fast and beautiful. Sigyn (Old Norse "victorious girl-friend") is a goddess and wife of Loki in Norse mythology. Sigyn is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In the Poetic Edda, little information is provided about Sigyn other than her role in assisting Loki during his captivity. In the Prose Edda, her role in helping her husband through his time spent in bondage is stated again, she appears in various kennings, and her status as a goddess is twice stated. Sigyn may appear on the Gosforth Cross and has been the subject of an amount of theory and cultural references. This lovely card was sent to me by Pirjo.

France – Besançon

Besançon is the capital and principal city of the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France. It had a population of about 220,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 1999. Located close to the border with Switzerland, it is the capital of the department of Doubs. Once proclaimed first green city of France, it still enjoys a proven life quality. Thanks to its rich historical and cultural heritage and its unique architecture, Besançon has been labeled a 'City of Art and History' since 1986, and has been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 2008. This card was sent to me by Tanja. The card had this lovely stamp of the Eifel Tower on it.

Hitchhikers at Sea

During all my years in the Navy I never came across a sight like this one. Hitchhikers at sea…wow… this is indeed a good one. Thanks Merja for this card.

Egypt - King Tut's throne

The Egyptian Museum was first built in Boulak. In 1891, it was moved to Giza Palace of "Ismail Pasha" which housed the antiquities that were later moved to the present building. The Egyptian Museum is situated at Tahrir square in Cairo. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened on November 15, 1902 (More History). It has 107 halls. At the ground floor there are the huge statues. The upper floor houses small statues, jewels, Tutankhamon treasures and the mummies. A hall for the royal mummies was opened at the museum, housing eleven kings and queens. More than a million and half tourists visit the museum annually, in addition to half a million Egyptians. When Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, he remarked that it was, "the day of days, the most wonderful that I have ever lived through, and certainly one whose like I can never hope to see again". However, the collection is yet to be completely documented, and it took some ten years for Howard Carter to finish excavating the tomb. There is probably no more famous group of artifacts in the world then those associated with the discovery of young King Tutankhamun's tomb. The collection has traveled the world, setting attendance records most anywhere that it may be found. While its current permanent housing is in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, it will soon be moved to a new down town location.

This scene, depicted on the card is actually on the backrest of King Tut's throne, shows how he would lean back in a relaxed manner while his wife, Anchesenamun, rubbed ointment into his shoulder. The text also suggests that the young Tutankhamun married his own half sister. Asha gave me this nice card.