Sucevița Monastery

Again travelling to Romania but this time with a postcard. One of the famous monasteries of Moldavia: the Sucevița Monastery (Suceava, Romania). It was built in 1585 by Movilă brothers in Gothic style with all its walls covered by fresco paintings inspired by Byzantine art. It was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Still in use, the Orthodox nuns have a pleasant life of work and prayer there.

Recently Fabienne showed us her collection of churches of Moldavia. Now I know I have 7 missing postcards to complete my own collection.

Fortified church of Biertan

The stamp also shows another UNESCO WHS! This is the fortified church of Biertan (Transylvania, Romania), UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

I love how the whole postcard is WHS and church themed. ♥ The sender is the 2nd on most postcards sent range of her country so I guess she knows well how this postcrossing swap works. ♪

Not long ago Anna from Ania meets the world held a little post-loving contest and I was the lucky winner. The prize? This awesome round-shaped card depicting an example of Polish folk art papercut. It is a joy to receive such bright colours in my letterbox. As a former art student I am truly delighted with it. ♥

On the back, these stamps carried by a cute happy butterfly-postie made possible this card to arrive in here. Church and Cathedral from Sieradz and Gniezno respectively. Two churches, one cathedral. Both with green roof. Joy!

Stawnica is a village near Złotów (Poland). This art card shows a chapel in this town. I love the autumnal colours of the whole picture and the little details.  The sender's handwriting is gorgeous. She wrote her favourite quote: "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite" (William Blake).

The stamp is a very beautiful architecture themed one from 2001. It depicts a late Baroque wooden mansion in Janowiec near Pulawy rebuilt in the early twentieth century after a design by architect Kazimierz Skórewicz (1920-1928).

The historic mainstreet of (North) America: Route 66. Who hasn't heard of it? First postcard from the USA. Typical, I cannot deny it. Different. It surprised me a lot. Although the Route 66 was removed from the Highways sytem in 1985 it remains as an historic route through several states. The sender lives in the Route's birthplace in Missouri and I guess she knows it well.

Love, love, love this stamp! ♥ See that cute carriage on the road? The postmark hides it a little but it is still visible. My first USA stamp, by the way. My American friend always sends her parcels via registered mail and they have that sticker with the weight and the money paid. Did I say I love this stamp?

Switzerland. A spring postcard showing the town of Thun, the lake and the castle. What a beautiful sturdy castle from the Middle Ages they have! Nowadays, the castle is a history museum where you can see medieval weaponry and armours. Yum! In my hometown we have a castle from the 12th century too and I must say there is no doubt about which one is the coolest one.

The Church of Ressurrection, built in 1651, is a superb example of the typical 17th century Russian art. Although it is not an UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kostromá is part of the Golden Ring and worth sightseeing.

They cannot be seen in this snowy winter picture but the five onion-like domes are green. I haven't never seen snow so I love these white snow sceneries. Plus I love old buildings and art. Plus I love green colour. ♪ They were -22ºC the day this postcard was sent! I cannot imagine that.

I never thought I would have a royal as a guest in my house but yesterday H. M. Queen Elizabeth II came to my letterbox and of course I couldn't ask her please to go. On the contrary, she graciously accepted my invite and we had tea in my room. Now she hangs on my cork board above my computer so we can share niceties while I am typing. She is my first Royal postcard. Congratulations on your 60th anniversary, Your Majesty!

These are the Jesuite College and St. Barbara Church in Kutná Hora, a small town in Central Bohemia (Czech Republic) whose centre become an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 for its gothic buildings.

And this is the stamp that made the postcard travel to my letterbox. I am speechless! The famous poster of Alfons Mucha for Victorien Sardou's Gismonda starring Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris (1894). Just love it. ♥

Rhododendron tomentosum

Marsh Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum) is a mildy toxic plant that can be found in the Northen tundra swamps. It blossoms in June-July, when the temperature is higher and the sun is almost 24h up. It is also known as wild rosemary. Very beautiful but not my --herbal-- cup of tea. Let's leave it on the ground just in case. Even the smell of it can make you dizzy! So different from jasmine and at first I thought they look quite similar. I would make an awful botanist, I know.

Priority (left), cross-shaped (centre) and wild strawberries (right)

I am delighted about the stamps I am getting in my letterbox lately. Three stamps, two of them cross-shaped, plus one priority sticker. Why don't we have these stickers in Spain? I wonder. And the drawing of the wild strawberries is very beautiful and detailed. Love it!
One-themed: Finnish flora.

I have never been to Turkey but probably when I go (if even) I will visit this building in first place. Why? Well, it's a major Train Station of Istanbul and I only take trains to travel long distances. I love the way it looks at night with all those lights. It was built in 1872.

And I don't think I need to write anything about these stamps. Just gorgeous! ♥

Postcard from: Ankara, Turkey.

Received: February 2012.

Language: English.

Envelope: no.

Stamps: two gorgeous heart-shaped 1 TRY stamps depicting lilies.

La Pirámide del Sol

My penpal went on a trip these past Christmas holidays. Living in Greenland the rest of the year must be hard enough! I asked him where he was going and he just said "somewhere sunny and warm". Some days ago I got the answer with this beautiful postcard. This is the Pyramid of the Sun, located in Teotihuacán (Mexico). I wonder if he climbed up all the stairs and reached the top...

The Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is the most visitated archaelogical site in Mexico.

Mexico (top) & UK (bottom)

The most interesting thing about the card are the stamps. Four stamps and  none of them marked! Three from Mexico and one from the UK. My guess: he took the plane back home before sending the card and finally sent it when he arrived in London airport to change. But I will have to wait for the answer till he writes again. Anyway, when I got it I had the feeling that I was being sent post like in the old times, when letters were stamped and marked in the postoffice of every country they had to cross until they reached their final destination.
A truly travelling card!

From the veeeery cold (sender's own words) Ukraine, this postcard came to my postbox today. Sometimes multiviews are disappoiting to some people. I partly understand that, they don't allow you to see the image clearly because they are too small. But when you don't know the country they are not only usually beautiful (it depends on the design, of course) but helpful too. I like them! Some places from the historic Old Town are featured here. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

I also learnt the name of the city in several languages: Lviv (Ukranian), Lwów (Polish), Lemberg (German) and Leopolis (Latin & Spanish). It means City of Lions.

I decorated (and sent) another letter this week. Not in Latin, if you're curious. Plain English this time. A black ink drawing on an airmail classic envelope that I hope my penpal will like. Although I have my fountain pen back and repaired I found out that the standard cartridges are too big for it and I ended using the old school pen again. Will buy an inkwell soon to refill my Waterman 'expensive'  pen because I prefer its smaller flexible nib both for writing and drawing.

Yes, we put the sender's address on the back of the envelope in Spain. Addressee on the front, sender on the back. No place for mistakes. hehe. I was feeling artistic that day.

The lithograph was printed to advertise Princezna Hyacinta, a fairy tale ballet and pantomime by Ladislav Novák and Oskar Nedbal an acclaimed Czech violinist. The fairy tale follows a blacksmith who dreams that his daughter is a princess kidnapped by a sorcerer. In the design you can see hearts, the blacksmith's tools, a crown and instruments of sorcery all referring to the plot. The motif of the hyacinth is used throughout the design, from the embroidered robes to the silver jewellery as well as in the circular object held by the princess.

Source:  Alfons Mucha website.

Doesn't this postcard give you a hint of winter? Her jewels, her robes and the background reminds me of snow flakes. So cold! ☼

Another stamp from the 2011 Lorca earthquake collection. This time it is the Santuario de la Virgen de las Huertas (Virgin of Huertas' Sanctuary).

Postcard from: Madrid, Spain.
Received: January 2012.
Language: Spanish.
Envelope: no.
Stamps: one 0.36€ 'Todos con Lorca' featuring the city's Virgin of Huertas' Sanctuary, patroness of Lorca.

Merci, Fabienne!

Postcard from: Zwolle, Overijssel, The Netherlands.

Received: February 2012.

Language: English.

Envelope: no.

Stamps: one Floriade and one b/w sleeping child. Plus colourful stickers!

This time I am travelling to Middle Ages Winchester, Hampshire, in England thanks to my German penpal, who allows me to accompany her. Entering the Castle's Great Hall I can see through the gates the Round Table hanging above. I can only imagine how was life then. The King and his Queen sitting at the end of the Hall on their thrones and all the barons, bishops and ladies standing in two rows at the sides, bowing, gossiping and glancing each other. I truly love this postcard!