Wenchi Crater Lake

Pavel sent me this pretty card as well.

The beautiful Wenchi Crater Lake is 155 km west of Addis Ababa, between Ambo and Welliso.   An extinct volcano (the top of which is 3380 metres above sea level) the crater contains a large lake, hot mineralsprings, waterfalls and beautiful valleys and farmland.

There is an old monastery with a church is situated on one of the lake islands.  

Cape Verde

Thank you Pavel for this pretty picture of waves crashing on a rock coast of Cape Verde. Officially the Republic of Cape Verde, is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres (350 miles) off the coast of Western Africa. The islands, covering a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), are of volcanic origin and while three of them (Sal, Boa Vista and Maio) are fairly flat, sandy and dry, the remaining ones are generally rockier and have more vegetation.

The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century, and became important in the Atlantic slave trade for their location. The islands' prosperity often attracted privateers and pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, a corsair (privateer) under the authority of the English crown, who twice sacked the (then) capital Ribeira Grande, in the 1580s. The islands were also visited by Charles Darwin's expedition in 1832. The decline in the slave trade in the 19th century resulted in an economic crisis for the islands. With few natural resources, and without strong sustainable investment from the Portuguese, the citizens grew increasingly discontented with the colonial masters, who nevertheless refused to provide the local authorities with more autonomy. A budding independence movement culminated in 1975, when a movement originally led by Amílcar Cabral (who was assassinated on 20 January 1973) then passed onto his half-brother Luís Cabral, achieved independence for the archipelago.

The country has an estimated population (most of them creole) of about 500,000, with its capital city Praia accounting for a quarter of its citizens. Nearly 38% of the population lives in rural areas according to the 2010 Cape Verdean census. The literacy rate is around 85%. Politically, the country is a very stable democracy, with notable economic growth and improvements of living conditions despite its lack of natural resources, and has garnered international recognition by other countries and international organizations, which often provide development aid. Since 2007, Cape Verde has been classified as a developing nation.

Ernst Henne with his BMW World Record Machine in 1936

Ernst Jakob Henne (22 February 1904 – 23 May 2005 (aged 101) ) was a distinguished German motorcycle racer and racecar driver.

Henne was born in the village of Weiler, near Wangen im Allgau. His father was a saddlemaker. In 1919 Henne was apprenticed to a become a motor vehicle mechanic. He started racing in 1923 and in 1925 he competed in the Monza Grand Prix, his first major international event. He placed sixth in the 350cc class.

Henne soon became one of the most successful German motorcycle racers. He was the 1926 German champion in the 500cc class, 1927 German champion in the 750cc class and the 1928 winner of the Targa Florio in Sicily. Between 1928 to 1937, he achieved a total of 76 land speed world records, the last on 28 November 1937 with the 279.5 km/h (173.7 mph) on a fully faired 500cc supercharged BMW. This record stood for 14 years.

Henne was one of the most successful sportsmen in the 1930s in the company of such German greats as Max Schmeling, Gottfried von Cramm, Rudolf Harbig, Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch and Bernd Rosemeyer. After the end of World War II, he developed a contract workshop with Mercedes-Benz. In 1991 he founded the Ernst-Jakob-Henne Foundation to help innocent victims of misfortune. From 1996 until the end of his life, he lived in retirement with his wife on the Canary Islands.

Henne died at his home in Gran Canaria in 2005 at the age of 101.

The card Maria gave me shows a photograph of Ernst Henne with his BMW World Record Machine in 1936.The hallmark BMW became a concept of the world as 1929 a racing machine with the white and blue emblem gained the absolute world speed record for the first time. The then fastest man on two wheels, Ernst Henne rode from year to year on constantly enhanced BMW compressor machine new records. In 1937 he finally reached with 279.5 km / h world record.

Thank you Maria for this nice maxicard.

Olavinlinna

Olavinlinna is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing.

The castle is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi.

Thank you Virpi for this nice card.

Kingston

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the Saint Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario.

Growing European exploration in the 17th century and the desire for the Europeans to establish a presence close to local Native occupants for purpose of trade led to the founding of a French trading post known as Fort Frontenac in 1673. The fort became a focus for settlement.

Located midway between Toronto and Montreal, Kingston was named the first capital of the Province of Canada on February 15, 1841, by Governor Lord Sydenham. While its time as a political centre was short, Kingston has remained an important military installation.

Kingston was the county seat of Frontenac County until 1998. Kingston is a separated municipality from the County of Frontenac. According to the 2011 Canadian census, the population of the city proper was 123,363, while the population of the census metropolitan area (CMA) was 159,561.

Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone.

Look at the lovely stamps Karen has affixed to the card. The prominent stamp is the RMC cadet in his impressive uniform. The Royal Military College of Canada, established in 1876, is Canada's only military university (Collège Militaire Royal in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec is a military college), providing academic and leadership training to officer cadets, other members of Canada's armed forces and civilians. There are currently 1,100 undergraduate students and 500 full and part-time graduate students.

Thank you Karen for this nice card.

Pärnu

Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga. The city is served by Pärnu Airport.

Pärnu is a health resort of international stature. In addition to guests arriving from around fifty countries, it is also proved by its membership in the European Spas Association (since 2000) and the European Flag that has been flying at the beach of Pärnu since 2000. Many tourists in Pärnu are Finns and Estonians. Hotel and restaurant staff speak English, Russian and some Finnish in addition to Estonian.

Thank you Este for this card. 

Bobsleigh World Championships 1991

1991 Bobsleigh World Championships

This maxi card is about the 1991 World Bobsleigh Championships which was awarded to Altenberg. It was held from 4 to 17 February 1991.

Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden.

It is home of the Altenberg bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track that has been in use since 1987.

The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Saxony, for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 (bobsleigh), 1994 (skeleton), 1999 (skeleton), and 2000 (men's bobsleigh). It was the first time Altenberg has hosted all of the events at one championship.

Thank you Maria for this maxicard with the pretty minisheet on it.