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!

I got this fabulous postcard of painter Alfons Mucha's artwork for an editor and printer in Paris. I don't know how but the sender just read my mind. Mucha is one of my favourite artists, his advertising designs are simply gorgeous! ♥

This stamp means a lot to me. Some members of my family were affected by May 11th 2011 earthquake in Lorca. The Spanish national post service released five stamps featuring the city's landmarks (some were severely damaged) to help with reconstruction. I am very glad to have received it.

My first official Postcrossing postcard arrived today. As I have asked for "typical things of your country" I couldn't be more happy with it.

This smocking mill was built in 1829 and restoration was completed in 1980. The base of the mill is in use as a tourist information office. The sender herself took the picture and chose very beautiful stamps. I wish we had these priority sticks in Spain too!

Postcard from: De Wijk, Drenthe, The Netherlands.

Received: January 2012.

Language: English.

Envelope: no.

Stamps: one December 2011 and one 100 Jaar (years) circus Herman Renz.

Went to the post office today and asked for some stamps. Looks like we are not longer asking for X cts stamps (national, Europe or international) but for A or B rates. Not very sure if I like them, those letter rates. Could be great when the year is over and you don't need to buy one cent stamps to complete last year's rates but we won't know how much was the postage back in year 2012 when we look at them in the upcoming years.

They look so nice together! It was a pity removing them from the paper to put them on the postcards. This is a collection depicting Archs and Gates Landmarks.

Top (left to right):

- Puerta de la Macarena (Seville)

- Puerta de Alcalá (Madrid)

- Arco de Santa María (Burgos)

- Torres de Serranos (Valencia)

Bottom:

- Arco de Triunfo (Barcelona)

- Puerta de Palmas (Badajoz)

- Puerta de Bisagra (Toledo)

- Arco de Bará (Tarragona)

I have met this special penpal last year. Many people (including my postman) think the special thing about him is that he lives in Greenland. However, he is special to me because he is another Latin speaker and a very skilled one. Thanks to him and his patience I have a bunch of wonderful views of Greenland -- and soon from Denmark I hope. All of them with Latin words on the reverse that no one but he and I understand. Bye bye prying postmen/neighbours. :-)

The theme of this postcard: kalaallit (& friends).

Postcard from: Nuuk, Greenland.

Received: October 2011.

Language: Latin. ♥
Envelope: no.

Today I received both a postcard and a letter from a German penpal. Christmas holidays in Spain end in January 6th, that day being a public holiday, so her postcard was held until today and came together with the letter which was written later. Thanks to her I am able to visit Germany through her postcards and enjoy snowy sceneries from my dry hometown.