Wish you All a Very Merry Christmas and a Great New Year

These cards were sent to me by my Wonderful friends in Finland and in Germany. Thank you My Dears. I wish you all and all visitors to my blogs a Very Merry Christmas and a Great New Year.

110th Anniversary of Estonia's first narrow gauge Barnu to Balga route

This maxicard was issued with the special stamp and postmark to celebrate the 110^th Anniversary of Estonia's first narrow gauge (750 mm) Barnu to Balga 125 km route which was opened to traffic on October 05, 1896. The stamp and card were released at Tallinn on 17.10.2006.

The Barnu station building is shown on this card.

Thank you Ella for this nice card.

135th Anniversary of Haapsalu Railway Station

135^th Anniversary of Haapsalu Railway Station. 

Haapsalu is a major seaside resort town set on the West Coast of Estonia located approximately 100km south-west from Tallinn, Estonia.  Haapsalu established in 1279, is well-known for its historic and maritime ambience, warm sea water, curative mud baths and friendly residents. It's a wonderful little town with narrow streets for families and romantic couples who enjoy having picnics, walking, visiting spas and taking mud baths, sailing and swimming.

The Keila-Haapsalu railway line was constructed between 1903 and 1905 to serve the resort town of Haapsalu - a favourite among the Russian aristocracy.

Erected to the designs of architect Karl Werheim, the grand historicist-style station building not only had an area for passengers but also a summer cafe and an imperial pavilion. The unusually long covered platform makes the station complex unique. The old railway embankment has been rebuilt as part of the County health trail, which offers a range of options for sports and hiking along a route from Riisipere via Haapsalu to Rohuküla. The railway station's waiting area also serves as a bus station.

Thank you Ella.

Estonian Museum Railway in Lavassaare

Estonian Museum Railway in Lavassaare – is the biggest narrow-gauge railway museum in the Baltic States and one of the biggest in Europe, where there are more than 65 items of rolling stock exhibited. The first narrow-gauge railway in Estonia was opened on the 5th October 1896 between the towns of Pärnu and Valga. In summertime runs the museum train and it is possible to organize a picnic in a picnic train.

Lavassaare Railway Museum. The third-largest museum of its kind in whole of Europe, Estonia's narrow gauge railway museum displays a whole host of locomotives from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well as equipment and other train-related artefacts. Best of all, on Saturdays visitors can ride the museum's own train, which runs from Lavassaare (see website for schedule). The museum is only open between June and September, but anyone dropping by the rest of the year will still get a look at the dozen or so engines in the yard.

Thank you Ella for this pretty card.

Helsinki Stamp Fair

This maxicard was issued by Aland to commemorate the Helsinki Stamp Fair 2013. On the card is depicted a 2012 model Nissan Note postal car.

Thank you Ella.

Kyrenia II

This maxicard was released in Paphos, Cyprus on 22.2.1991 to commemorate the “Kyrenia Ship” which was built during the 4^th Century BC, and sank around 300 BC near the harbour of Kyrenia. This ship was salvaged, restored, reassembled and is today the world's oldest preserved vessel.

Kyrenia II which is a full size replica of the original ancient ship was built in 1987 and travels the world. The scope of her travel: a message for freedom, for the old vessel and her hometown Kyrenia which are both illegally in Turkish hands since the bloody invasion of the island by Turkish troops in July 1974.

Thank you Merja for this lovely card.

Kenting National Park

Kenting National Park is a national park located in the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, Checheng and Manzhou Townships. Established on January 1, 1984, it is Taiwan's oldest and southernmost national park, covering the southernmost area of the Taiwan Island. Administered by the Executive Yuan's Ministry of the Interior, this national park is well known for its tropical climate and sunshine, scenic mountain and beach, the Spring Scream rock-band festival held in every March, and has long been one of the most favorite resort places in Taiwan.

Thank you Yan-Ru for this lovely card.