NEW BLOG ADDRESS!!!!!

Due to some technical reasons I've decided to move my blog to different e-mail account so it's easier for me to deal with all the accounts etc... So from now on the blog is on:

http://lovemycards.blogspot.com/

Sorry for inconvieniences

Azulejos

Aveiro- train station (photo)

Azulejos showing the lighthouse(photo)

One of the postcards which made my day today! Actually I recieved 3 postcerds from Portugal, 4 from Scotland and 1 from the Phillipines with a letter...That was a good day ;) Coming back to postcard... It shows azulejos- thin ceramic tiles very popular in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries. Nowaday is one of the characteristical features of Portugal and that's where I fall in love with them! In Aveiro where I used to live there is an old train station covered with blue and white tiles- it looks amazing!  I've attached 2 photos of that building :)

Anyway the art of azulejos has been being developed for over 500 years. It was the cheapest way to make the buildings look more aesthetical and unique. Tiles are also very higyenic and they are used indoors in kitchens, bathrooms...everywhere where humidity may be a problem.

There are two theories about the origin of the term 'azulejo'.  Because it was the Moors that brought azulejos to the Iberian Peninsula it is said that the term comes from arrabic al azzelij which means 'little, smooth stone' and which was used to name the middle-easter mosaics. The second theory is that the name comes from Portuguese/Spanish word 'azul' meaning 'blue' and it reffers to the traditional blue ornaments on the white tiles. More informations soon as I'm hopefully going to recieve more postcards showing beautiful azulejos!

For your country's sake today...

Very interesting postcard recieved  by a private facebook swap with Molly. She was on holidays in Fort Sumter/Fort Moultrie in South Carolina.  It was a World War II-era recruitment poster by Steele Savage from 1944.

Here is a little bit form Wikipedia about the American posters from II WW:


The U.S. used posters more than any other method of broadcasting propaganda, and produced more propaganda posters than any other country fighting in World War II. Almost 200,000 different designs were printed during the war.


The Office of War Information (OWI) Bureau of Graphics was the government division in charge of producing and distributing these advertisements. The feature that distinguished the United States poster propaganda from British and other allied propaganda was that the advertisements remained primarily positive in their messages. The United States focused on duty, patriotism and tradition where other countries were focusing on fueling the people's hate for the enemy. These positive messages were used to increase the production of the home front instead of insuring that the "money raised was not lost". Posters rarely used images of war casualties, and battlefield scenes became less popular, being replaced by commercial images to satisfy the "consumer" need for the war.


Posters used a number of themes to encourage support for the war including conservation, production, recruiting, home efforts, and secrecy. Posters were placed in areas lacking paid advertisements. The most common areas were post offices, railroad stations, schools, restaurants, and retail stores. Smaller posters were printed for the windows of private homes and apartment buildings. These regions were places where other propaganda forms could not be deployed.


The war posters were not designed by the government but by artists who received no compensation for their work. Different government-run organizations held competitions for artists to produce their best war time design in order to enlarge the number of designs that they could choose from.

Birthday card frem Asia

I promise I'm not going to put all of my birthday cards here but I couln't help myself with this one. I was sent by Anne from the Phillipines and I really love it. Card is printed on recycled paper and contains very warm and sweet wishes.

China

That card is very misterious. I recieved it for Bridges RR group and all what a sender wrote was the information that  the bridge is located on the 2nd the largest river in China- which is called Yellow River as far as I remember. I have no idea what is that city, which part of the country and what's the name of the bridge... Card has quite a long description on the back but unfortunately chinese is not my language...

Worldwide stamps

That collage of stamps from my cards makes me want to take part in Chain Postcard RR. I saw some examples and it looks soooo cool! I guess I'll try it in October when I move to my new place :)

Nothing more dutch than a windmill

Windmills are one of the symbols of the Netherlands. They were really important to provide energy for pomps for drying out the land. Some of the sourses says that there was about 10 000 windmills in Holland in 19th century. Right now they are undoubtly a huge tourist magnet :)

Warszawa- Polish capital

All my life I've been hearing that Warsaw sucks... Finally I went there and guess what? Warsaw is quite interesting :) I was there in May when all the tulips were blooming and everything looked beautiful. The city center was totally destroyed during the II WW and rebuilted and as far as I remember it's on UNESCO WTS - I don't feel like checking it right now. The only things that I didn't like there was the Main Square-not really renovated, small and empty which comparing with my hometown Main Square is really disappointing. The other thing was lack of rivers... Of course there is Wisła flowing through the city but it's not really that noticable like Odra in Wrocław. Except for that I liked the city :D 

And the card was sent by my friend who moved there few years ago ;)

Islam in the Philippines

Islam is the oldest monoteistic religion recorded in the Phillipines. First mosques were built there in 14th century. Right now Muslims are 5-9% of the population of the country. They dominate the Autonomus Region in Muslim Mindanao who was traditional homeland for Muslims since the 15th century. That beautiful postcard recived through private swap shows one of the mosques. It's such a beautiful view!

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system known in the world located in Edmonson Country, Kentucky. The labirynth is 591 km long and it's on UNESCO WTS since 1981. There are few lakes, rivers and waterfalls including Echo River located 110 meters under the ground. The cave is a home for various species of bats, insects, fish... I don't even want to imagine what creatures live there... brrr

Palacio de Cristal

Palacio de cristal is a builing located in the Retiro Park in Madrid. It was built in 1887 for the exotic plants from the Phillipines. It was orginally made of glass and steel, later rubber and plastic elements were added. Card recived from Facebook postcard exchange.

Statue of Liberty

I've got this card some time ago from a penpal who was in NY for holidays. Statue of Liberty is probably the most famous statue in the world. Designed by Federic Auguste Bartholdi, it was firstly named Liberty Enlightening th World. As many of you probably know it was a gift from France to the United States. It's 93 meters high and it weights 204 tonnes.

Mount St. Helens

The mountain that can be seen here is actually an active stratovolcano located in Washington State and it's famous for an eruption from 18th of May1980. 72 people were killed, 250 homes, 47 bridges, railways and highways were destroyed... The most destructive volcano eruption in the US ever! 

Tui for my birthday

Another birthday card. This one s from New Zealand and it shows Tui bird sitting on Potuhukawa blooming tree. I love this card!

U-Bahn and S-Bahn

Usually I don't collect postcards that I bought myself. I prefer to recieve them but I'm going to keep this one.Mainly because I got it from the most amazing European city- Berlin. Longer post about the city soon for now just a short note.


Metro- U-Bahn in Berlin was opened in 1902 and it consist of 10 lines and 173 stations. The length of the lines is 146,3 km and 4/5 of it is under the ground. S-bahn is a rapid transit system of 15 lines that crosses the city and the surrounding. It's integrated with U-Bahn.


From my short experience I can say that the public transport works fine in the city and it's easy to use and the only problem was that automats don't allow payment by Visa Electron card ;)

My very first postcard

I'm very sentimental when it comes to that card. I recived it when I was 3 or 4 years old from my dad who lived quite far away due to his army training. Card is funny and after all this years I still like it :D I'm glad I can show this card he

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Books

This official postcard from Finland made my day. I love reading- I can't live without books. I'm not sure how  many books I've read in my life but it's a lot for sure. My favorite one is "Master and Margarita" written by Mihail Bulhagov. Recently I've totally fallen for Jose Saramago Books- he is magician of words for me. Anyway time for postcard:

Basilica Church of St. Mary Magdalene

Beautiful postcard recieved from a private swap. I love the architecture of the building! I bet it looks amazing and very impressive in real! It's the largest Romanesque church in France and just little bit shorter than the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Another place on my list to visit :)

City of Red Light District

Amsterdam is one of those cities that I really want to visit! There are so many reasons- Dutch architecture that can be seeen on the card, museums, city athmosphere and nightlife... And Dutch people are great so if only I get a chance I'll go there!

Turkish ornaments

I'm not very sure where that ornament comes from but it doesnt matter- it's lovely! It's actually a birthday card for me that came from Turkey :) 

Agusiowy Lublin

I've recieved that postcard ages ago from my dear friend who actually made me join postcrossing. I really like it- I like postcards showing architecture details- like the street latern here. Scanner cut the white frame on one side- not sure why... Lublin is a lively city in the South-East of Poland. It is situated in The Lublin Upland, which stretches from the East of The Vistula & San Rivers, up to the Ukrainian Border.The Old Town is small & compact & easy to maneuver. Now it fills with cafes & restaurants.


The Trynitarska Tower which houses the Archiepiscopal Museum of Sacral Art, offers a splendid panorama of the Old Town, Castle Hill, City Centre and city outskirts. I'd love to visit the city :)

Poppy pot

 It's my second card from the Ukraine from official postcrossing draw and the second that I love! Poppies are amazing flowers- delicate and strong in the same time. Usually they have 4-6 petals and they can be almost any colour but of course the most popular are the red ones. Those beautiful flowers are symbol of sleep and death due to opium effects and bloody-red colour. 

Peterhof

I'm very behind with my blog. I've recieved tons of great postcards but I'm short on time to post it.Today another wonderful postcard from Ludmila. I love landscape architecture and my favourite epoque in gardening is Baroque. One of the examples of the style are gardens of Peterhof, located in Peterhof-city located in the federal city of Saint Petersbourg. The palace complexs consist of 20 palaces and 7 parques covering over 1000 h. One of the most interesting elements are water cascades and fountains and that can be seen on the postcard.

Happy birthday...to me!

Link between Asia and Europe

 Postcard recived thanks to attending RR group :) It looks way better in real!

The history of the Bosphorus Bridge is long and rich, an idea that first surfaced around 500 BC, when the Persian Emperor Darius had a pontoon bridge built so he could chase fleeing Scythians. Another pontoon bridge was built across the Dardenelles, or Hellespont, (the strait to the south of the city and the Sea of Marmara) in 480 BC. This was the bridge built by the Persian Xerxes to invade the forces of Greece and Sparta—a battle immortalized in the award-winning 2006 film, 300 These historical bridges were temporary, and no other bridge was built until the First Bridge in Istanbul Turkey was built in 1973. Until that time, all transportation across the strait was done by ferries, which today still are a major transportation link and are popular for sightseeing tours and Bosphorus river cruises.

The modern history of the Bosphorus Bridge began in 1900, when the Bosphorus Railway Company drew up plans that included a rail link between the two continents. A decision to actually build the structure was not made until 1957, by which time Turkey had become an independent republic. Construction began in 1970, and the bridge was completed a day after (October 30) the 50th anniversary of independence. The British engineering firm that designed it also designed several other famous bridges, including the Auckland Harbour Bridge in New Zealand, the Humber Bridge in England, and the Volta River Bridge in West Africa.The First Bridge in Istanbul Turkey is located closest to the Sea of Marmara, and enters Europe not far from the Galeta Kulesi Tower, the gateway to attractions of the Old City, including Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Since this is the route used by most tourists and the majority of business, it can be quite congested. Virtually all visitors to the city will cross over or sail under this picturesque bridge in Istanbul Turkey during their vacations. It is a beautiful sight during the day with the sublime minarets and domes of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia in the background. At night the bridge is lit by computerized LED lights with changing patterns and colors. One of the special events in the city is the Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon held in October, one of the few times that pedestrians are allowed to cross the bridge. Many bring picnics and enjoy a day on the bridge.

Taiwan

My official card from Taiwan sent by 17-years old girl :) Firstly I was dissapointed cos I saw many wonderful postcards from this country and I was expecting something different. But I've changed my mind- this card is interesting and I love the paper it was printed on- thick with nice facture.

Tallin

Once upon a time, from 1549 to 1625 to be exact, this 13th-century church was the tallest building in the world. But its gigantic, 159-metre spire, which was probably meant to act as a signpost for approaching ships, also turned out to be a very effective lightning rod. Throughout the church's history its steeple has been hit repeatedly by lightning, completely burning down the structure three times.
Nowadays its smaller, 124-metre steeple still dwarfs most of Tallinn’s buildings and remains an important symbol of the town. From April to October, visitors can make the vigorous climb to the top of the stone portion of the tower for magnificent and dizzying views of Old Town, Toompea hill and the port.
The church itself dates back to at least 1267 when it is thought to have served a group of Scandinavian merchants who settled in the area. Various legends insist the church got its name from either the giant or the mysterious stranger who built it, however it was in fact dedicated to King Olaf II of Norway.
Its current shape and size were set in the 16th century. Inside are high, vaulted naves and a historicist interior design that dates to after the 1830 fire.

All of the above was taken from here as it's really nicely written ;) Card arrived from a friend who was there for holidays. He was really impressed and he said that Tallin is a city that I really should see :) Hopefully one day it will be possible.

The Sunshine State

I really don't like multiviews, not even a bit...unless they are as charming as this one :D Beautiful postcard recieved through facebook group. This is my first postcard from Australia! 

Queensland is often reffered as the Sunshine State due to the climate. Capricorn Coast's name comes from it's location on the Tropic of Capricorn. Not all of the coast is accessable- part of it is taken by Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area. The largest town on the Capricorn Coast is Rockhampton, the area’s cattle farming centre.  Rockhampton has got some  historical buildings from the times of gold rushes.

 It looks wonderful, doesn't it?

Harbour Bridge, New Zealand

It was a bit strange to recieve postcard from New Zealand that wasn't from my boyfriend ;) I've discovered Round Robins on postcrossing  forum and I think my wallet will be pernamently empty. Luckily I need to gain trust first so I can take part only in one RR group from Bridges RR. I'm doing my best to not even check other groups ;)

Bridge that can be seen on the postcard shows Auckland Harbour Bridge which is a part of state Highway 1- the longest road in the North Island. There are 8 lines for the cars and- what is suprising to me - there is no walking or cycling access. Only tourists can walk on the span  when they are on guided tours. I found some facts about the bridge here

• The Auckland Harbour Bridge was opened on 30th of May 1959 and it took over 200 workers around 4 years to build.

• It was made with 6500 tonnes of concrete and nearly 6000 tonnes of steel.

• When the bridge was first built it only had four lanes but after a few years they needed to make the bridge bigger to cope with all the traffic so they added two lanes to each side. The new lanes were called “clippons” because they were made in Japan, shipped to New Zealand on huge ships and then clipped into place with huge steel pins and rods.

• The Auckland Harbour Bridge cost 16 million dollars to build over 40 years ago! The clippons were another 13.5 million dollars1

• They decided to build a harbour bridge because the traffic wanting to go from Auckland City to the North Shore or vice versa was growing all the time and the trip round the harbour through West Auckland used to take hours. 

• Before the bridge was built vehicles and passengers also used ferries to get from one side to the other. Ferries are boats that take either cars or passengers or both.

• The span between the water and the bridge is about 15 stories high – high enough for most yachts to sail under but not high enough for many of the cruise ships, tankers and cargo ships that come into the Auckland Wharfs

• The bridge is 1,021 meters long (nearly 10 rugby fields long)

Japanese crescent

That card defienietly made my day- I'm smiling all the time!!! This is official postcard that took 5 days to arrive from Japan to Poland- quite impressive! It shows beautiful moon. It's hard to believe that something as magical, beautiful and interesting as the Moon is just a piece of rock...

Harumi  wrote this postcard on Tanabata Day which is the Star Festival. She wrote me very beautiful but also sad legend. Two stars- Vega, a weaving girl and Altair, cowhead boy loved each other. They were spending all the time together therefore they stopped working hard which caused the King's anger. As a punishment he has separated them by the Milky Way. They were only allowed to meet once a year across the Milky Way and that day is 7th of July...

Golden Gate again

The Mighty Task is Done

Written upon completion of the building of the Bridge in May 1937

At last the mighty task is done;
Resplendent in the western sun
The Bridge looms mountain high;Its titan piers grip ocean floor,
Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce the sky.

On its broad decks in rightful pride,
The world in swift parade shall ride,
Throughout all time to be;
Beneath, fleet ships from every port,
Vast landlocked bay, historic fort,
And dwarfing all--the sea.

To north, the Redwood Empire's gates;
'To south, a happy playground waits,
in Rapturous appeal;
Here nature, free since time began,
Yields to the restless moods of man,
Accepts his bonds of steel.

Launched midst a thousand hopes and fears,
Damned by a thousand hostile sneers,
Yet ne'er its course was stayed,
But ask of those who met the foe
Who stood alone when faith was low,
Ask them the price they paid.

Ask of the steel, each strut and wire,
Ask of the searching, purging fire,
That marked their natal hour;
Ask of the mind, the hand, the heart,
Ask of each single, stalwart part,
What gave it force and power.

An Honored cause and nobly fought
And that which they so bravely wrought,
Now glorifies their deed,
No selfish urge shall stain its life,
Nor envy, greed, intrigue, nor strife,
Nor false, ignoble creed.

High overhead its lights shall gleam,
Far, far below life's restless stream,
Unceasingly shall flow;
For this was spun its lithe fine form,
To fear not war, nor time, nor storm,
For Fate had meant it so.

New Zealand stamps

Stamps are the part of each letter or postcard that we recieve. I love countries whose postal offices design nice, funny or beautiful stamps. I'm quite dissapointed by Polish stamps- regular ones  are just ugly. There were few stamp designs that won the contest for the most beautiful european stamp but those were limited editions and really hard to find in the post offices.

Today some stamps from my soon to be place of living- New Zealand

Postage stamps have been issued in New Zealand since around the 18th to 20th of July 1855 with the "Chalon head" stamps figuring Queen Victoria. The design was based on a full face portrait of the Queen in her state robes at the time of her coronation in 1837, by Alfred Edward Chalon. The stamps were initially hand cut from sheets, but from 1862 on, these sheets started being fed through automatic perforation machines. New Zealand was the first country in the world to prototype and install stamp vending machines; one was installed in the General Post Office, Wellington in 1905. 

Gateway Arch

Postcard from Kristi 

The purpose of building the Gateway Arch were numerous. First, it was built with a vision of being an avant-garde construction, that would symbolize architectural expression of simplicity and modernity. Second, in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial National Historic Site, to memorialize the role of Thomas Jefferson and others responsible for the America's territorial expansion to the west. Third, was the decision related to building it in St.Louis. It was done to acknowledge the importance of St. Louis's citizens in the settling of the west, and finally, to revitalize the deteriorating riverfront. All these reasons contributed to the Gateway Arch construction.

The Gateway Arch is a perfect blend of beauty and modern architectural styling. Millions of tourists visit it annually, not only to view this marvel, but take its tram ride, that is of only a four minutes way up to the top. 
On the postcard we can see the panorama of St. Luis and Gateway Arch dominating the view.

Whriling dervish

This postcard arrived to me from Turkey. Arzu sent it to thank me for my little help. I'm really glad because of the postcard- I've always wanted to see Whirling Dervishes! I like postcards showing traditions and cultures from different countries.

The members of the Mevlevi Order are known in the world as Whirling Dervishes. The Mevlevi sect belongs to the Sunni or orthodox mainstream of Islam. Its doctrine never developed a revolutionary strategy - and although it was occasionally criticized for its heretical ideas, it always enjoyed the respect of the officialdom.

The rituals of the Whirling Dervishes are among the enduring as well as the most exquisite ceremonies of spirituality. The ritual whirling of the dervishes is an act of love and a drama of faith. It possesses a highly structured form within which the gentle turns become increasingly dynamic as the individual dervishes strive to achieve a state of trans. The music that accompanies the whirling from beginning to end ranges from somber to rhapsodical; its effect is intended to be mesmerizing. Chanting of poetry, rhythmic rotation, and incessant music create a synthesis which, according to the faithful, induces a feeling of soaring, of ecstasy, of mystical flight. Information provided by www.allaboutturkey.com

Birds of New Zealand

New Zealand as a country located on an archipelago is very isolated and thanks to that 75% of the species are endemic. The most famous bird from New Zealand is Kiwi but it's obviously not the only one. 

My favourite is Little Blue Penguin which is the smallest species of penguins in the world and it lives only in New Zealand and Australia (they were also spoted in Chile and South Africa but there were only few cases). It has few different names-Fairy Penguin, Little Penguin, Blue Penguin, Kororā. I have a thing for those birds- I remember spending over an hour just looking at penguins in Zoo in Prague ;) The Little Blue one is only 30-33 cm tall and weights1,5 kg. I'm not the only one who likes those birds- Linus Torvalds had a "fixation for flightless, fat waterfowl" and claims to have contracted "penguinitis" after being gently nibbled by a penguin: "Penguinitis makes you stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins and feeling great love towards them." Torvalds' supposed illness is a joke, but he really was bitten by a Little Penguin on a visit to the National Zoo & Aquarium, Australia.Torvalds was looking for something fun and sympathetic to associate with Linux, and a slightly fat penguin sitting down after having had a great meal perfectly fit the bill. 

Aloha!

Hawai'i is the newest of the United States located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, about 4 000 km away from the main land. Capital of the state is Honolulu. Archipelago contains 137 islands but only 8 of them are inhabitated.  Hawai'i means homeland in Hawaiian language which has only by 2000 native speakers . The language is connected with Maori and Samoan- I wish I couls speak Maori one day :)

Hawaii is the only state of the United States that:

• is not geographically located in North America
• grows coffee
• is completely surrounded by water
• is entirely an archipelago
• has a royal palace
• does not have a straight line in its state boundary (found on Wikipedia)

Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Another amazing postcard from Ludmila. I was bit lazy and I just copied the text coming from St.Petersburg website. I blame my laziness on donating blood earlier :)

This church is known to Petersburgers as the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood - or even just the Church on the Blood - as it marks the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded in an assassination attempt on March 1, 1881. Designed by Alfred Parland in the style of 16th and 17th-century Russian churches, the Church of the Resurrection provides a stark (some would say jarring) contrast to its surroundings of Baroque, Classical and Modernist architecture. Alexander II died of wounds inflicted in an attack by the terrorist group People's Will. Immediately, his heir, Alexander II, declared his intention to erect a church on the site in his father's memory, and moreover to have this church built in "traditional Russian" style - in distinction to what he saw as the contaminating Western influence of Petersburg. Eventually, after Alexander had rejected several architects' designs, Archimandrite Ignaty gave the job to Parland, but made the design himself. The church's final composition drew heavily from St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. Construction began in 1883, and Ignaty died shortly afterward, leaving Parland to complete the job. No baptisms, funeral services, weddings, or other traditional church services were held in the Church on the Blood, as this was not in Alexander III's plans. However, weekly requiems (for Alexander II) and sermon readings attracted large numbers of worshippers. After the Revolution, the church - despite becoming an official cathedral in 1923 - was looted. It was closed in 1932, and essentially turned into a garbage dump. Rumors abounded that the church would be torn down. Damage from World War II and the Siege of Leningrad can still be seen on the church's walls. After World War II, the church was used as a warehouse for the Small Opera Theatre. The valuable shrine was almost completely destroyed. Four jasper columns with mosaic mountings in them, and a part of the balustrade were all that remained. On July 20, 1970 the church was made a branch of the St. Isaac's Cathedral museum, and eighty percent of the church's extraordinary restoration was funded by profits from St. Isaac's. The decades of deterioration and then restoration culminated in the dramatic re-opening of the church in August 1997, when thousands of eager visitors swamped the church. The project was estimated to cost 3.6 million rubles, but ended up costing 4.6 million rubles, mainly from the extravagant collection of mosaics. The more than 7500 sq. meters of mosaics link Alexander II's murder with the crucifixion. One of the most impressive elements of the church is the extravagant shrine constructed on the spot where Alexander II was fatally wounded, which has maintained a special place within the church's interior. It was constructed to Parland's design, and completed in July 1907. Four columns of gray violet jasper serve as the base of the shrine. Rising up the shrine, small rectangular columns unite the carved stone awning and the decorated mosaic icons with images of the patron saint of the Romanov family. The columns are supported by a frieze and cornice and stone-carved pediment with vases of jasper along the corners. The church has an outstanding and varied collection of mosaic icons. Several icons were completed in the traditions of academic painting, modernist style and Byzantine icon painting. The large icon of St. Alexander Nevsky was created according to a design by Nesterov. The icons of the main iconostasis Mother of God with Child and the Savior were painted to designs by Vasnetsov. The mosaic panel Pantokrator (Almighty) which depicts Christ giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the gospels in his left, in the platform of the central cupola was painted according to a design by N. Kharlamov. Parland and Andrey Ryabushkin completed the framed icon mosaic ornaments.

Pandanggo sa Ilaw

Pandanggo sa Ilaw is folk dance from the Philippines. It have orginated from the island Mindoro, Philippines. Dancers have to balance 3 oil lamps called tinghoy- on the head and back of their palms.The lights of the lamps are said to represent fireflies that are fluttering in the night. Girl who sent it to me used to dance it when she was a kid :)

Postcard from Anne

Pōhutukawa

 Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is really beautiful evergreen tree from New Zealand. It's one of endemic species to the country.  The blooming time is November-January and because of that it is also known as New Zealand Christmas tree. The tree grows up to 25 meters and largest one in New Zealand is at Te Araroa on the East Coast. 

 Pōhutukawa is very popular tree and it's easy to grow but it makes it invasive- the roots may destroy sidewalks or the underground installations. 

Kentucky

Postcrossing official US-1135051

I recieved that beautiful card from Amy and Ella via postcrossing. Kentucky is actually a commonwealth (only 3 more- Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are constituted as a commonwealth). The state was a part of Virginia but since 1792 it became the 15ths state to join the Union. Amy mentioned in the card that Kentucky is known as Bluegrass State due to the fact that bluegrass covers many of the pastures in the state. In my opinion the state could be known as 'deer and turkey state' as the number od those animals per person is the highest in the whole States. Kentucky is known for coalmining, horse racing, throughbres horses, bourbon, bluegrass music and tobacco. The name of the state (as in many other cases) comes  from native tribes. One of the biggest tourist attractions is Mammoth Cave National Park but  I will write about it soon as I recieved another wonderfull postcard showing one of the caves :) If I ever go to Kentucky I'll surely visit Cumberland Falls State Park due to moonbows or lunar rainbows that can be regulary seen over there! Johny Depp was born in Kentucky <3

Зимний дворец

Winter Palace- Saint Petersburg

Another set of postcards from Ludmila- I'm really glad that I got in touch with her. That beautiful building is the Winter Palace- former official residence of Russian monarchs. In 1917 it was stormed and that became the symbol of the Russian Revolution. Obviously the Palace is very monumental- the building is 250 m long and 30 m high and it has 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases.There was a huge fire in 1937 due to unknown cause, it destroyed most of the interior of the Palace.

The Winter Palace is home for The Hermitage Museum. The main Hall of the Museum is the Egyptian Hall with mummies :D  The second view  shows The Alexandrian Column which was erected after the Russian victory in the war with the Napoleon. It was named after the Emperor Alexander I who ruled in Russia in 1801-1825. The column is one of the most notable symbols of the city. It was created bu Auguste de Montferrand

Mickey salutes America!

Funny postcard from Kristi who got to be my new penpal !

The birth of Mickey Mouse occurred on a cross-country train ride (a four day journey) in early 1928. Walt was returning from a business meetingalong with his wife. At the age of 26, and with an active cartoon studio in Hollywood, Walt had set out to arrange for a new contract for his creation, Oswald the Rabbit, but the backers turned him down. As they owned the copyright, they took control, leaving Walt with nothing. To prepare to announce the unpleasant news to workers back home, Walt gave birth to a sympathetic mouse that he first named, "Mortimer". By the end of the ride, which concluded in Los Angeles, Lillian Disney suggested to her husband that the first name was too stuffy. He was renamed, "Mickey." Walt and his head animator, Ub Iwerks, soon completed their first Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Plane Crazy." But no distributor would buy the film. Not one to quit, Walt produced a second silent Mickey Mouse cartoon, called "Gallopin' Gaucho." It was less than a year since Warner Brothers had introduced the talkies with Al Jolson as the "Jazz Singer" (late 1927). In 1928, Walt Disney began work on his third Mickey Mouse cartoon, this time a talkie, entitled, "Steamboat Willie." To add sound to the film, Walt had to take the animated portion to New York since West Coast studies did not have the equipment. The young man invested everything he had into the film, and when it was completed, Walt screened it for New York exhibitors. (Written here)