Winter in Finland

This card with the few winter scenes in Finland was sent to me by Susanna who lives in a small village on the edge of the beautiful Finnish archipelago.

The Cruiser Aurora

The cruiser Aurora is arguably the most famous Russian Navy vessel and one of the “must-see” attractions on a shore excursion or guided city tour in St. Petersburg. 

The Aurora was made famous for its participation in the 1917 October Revolution and is currently the oldest commissioned ship in the Russian Navy.

The October Revolution is what really made the Aurora famous. On October 25th, 1917, the Aurora was ordered out to sea but instead remained in the center of St. Petersburg. At approximately 9:45pm the Aurora fired a blank shot into the air, signaling the last chapter in the October Revolution, the assault on Winter Palace. The crew sided with the Bolshevik cause and took part in the attack and final piece of the October Revolution.

Olya sent me this pretty card which shows the daily evening routine of the Retreat ceremony on the Quarterdeck of the famous Aurora. This ceremony is popular among the tourists visiting Saint Petersburg.

Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (81 mi) west of Prague (Praha). It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).

In the 19th century, it became a popular tourist destination, especially known for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the popular Czech liqueur Karlovarská Becherovka. The glass manufacturer Moser Glass is located in Karlovy Vary. The city has also given its name to the famous delicacy known as "Carlsbad plums". These plums (usually Quetsch) are candied in hot syrup, then halved and stuffed into dried damsons; this gives them a very intense flavour.

The city has been used as the location for a number of film-shoots, including the 2006 films Last Holiday and box-office hitCasino Royale, both of which used the city's Grandhotel Pupp in different guises.

My good friend Sebik from Hlinsko sent me this nice card.

Girl in Every Port

Yes, you're right Nikita - A Sailor Boy can't survive without a Girl in Every Port :-))

Stade in Lower Saxony

Stade is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany and part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (Metropolregion Hamburg). It is the seat of the district named after it. The city was first mentioned in a document from 994. It includes the urban districts of Bützfleth, Hagen and Haddorf which have a district council ("Ortsrat") of their own with some autonomous decision making rights. Stade is located on the lower Elbe River and the German Timber-Frame Road. The city has about 45,000 inhabitants.

Thank you Renee for this nice card.

200th Birth Anniversary of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

This interesting maxicard given to me by Maria commemorates the 200^th Birth Anniversary of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm known as The Grimm Brothers were born at Hanau in Hasse-Kassel, Germany. Jacob Grimm the second son, was born on January 4, 1785 and Wilhelm Grimm the third son, was born on February 24, 1786. The Grimms were a large family of nine children, eight boys and one girl. Their father was a lawyer and after his death they set out to Kassel to attend law school and to follow in their father’s footsteps. 

The Grimms had been collecting fairy tales from the people of Hesse since the early 1800’s. They had a favourite local storyteller named Marie Muller.

In 1812, the Grimm Brothers published their first volume of eighty-six stories and tales. In 1814 the second volume contained seventy stories. The stories were a success and the brothers were recognized for their work in 1819 with honorary doctorates from Marburg University. 

The most beautiful fairytales of the Grimm Brothers as far as I can recollect, were Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Snow-white, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, and the list goes on and on. But, the stories I have mentioned here are the really well known ones in the English speaking nations of the world. I was lucky to have a Dad who was a great story-teller and introduced us siblings to the fabulous fairy tale world of the Grimm Brothers. 

In 1838 they began the work on the thirty-two volumes of a German dictionary, which focuses on history. Within the next ten years the Grimms resigned from their teaching at the university of Berlin and devoted their time to the completion of the dictionary. The Grimms did not live to see the final edition of their German dictionary, which took almost a hundred years to complete.

Wilhelm Grimm died on December 16, 1859 and Jacob Grimm on September 20, 1863. 

STATE ART GALLERY in PERM

Now firmly recognized as the most remarkable Ural art museum the museum the STATE ART GALLERY in PERM - city houses the largest public collection of old and contemporary Russian art as well as European. Eastern and antique woks of art. It possesses 40,000 items including icons, Oil paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and objects of applied arts.

On the permanent display there are fascinating portraiture paintings, landscapes and pictures by distinguished 16-19c. Russian and foreign painters and the early 20 c. avangard paintings by the well-known Russian artists. The department of icon-painting offers visitors a superb collection of unique icons created by the outstanding masters of the well-known Stroganov's studios established in the Ural in the 16 c., the time of vigorous exploration, colonization and construction of numerous orthodox churches in the vast Ural areas in the Kama river region.

The centre piece of the collection is the permanent exhibition of invaluable wooden sculptures featuring the images of the Savior, Our Lady and saints of Russian orthodox church created by the locall professional and amateur craftsmen in the 17-18 centuries. The history and heritage of the Kama river region with Perm as the center come alive in the changing exhibition of classic and contemporary art which are complemented by the extensive archive materials of the scientific department. 

This nice card was sent to me by my friend Polina in Perm. Unfortunately, the ravages of postal transit have left their unmistakable marks on the card.