Macedonia

Postcards from 3 new countries. Love it!

This postcard is of Galicnik, a small village in the western part of Macedonia. Ana mentioned it's well known for their Galichnik Wedding Festival, which is an annual event that takes place every July. Only a selected couple gets to celebrate this styled wedding each year by entering a contest.

Moldova

Another first! This postcard is from Moldova, and it shows various views of Tiraspol, including the military parade in the central square of Tiraspol.

Thanks Alla!

Hungary

My first postcard from Hungary! Peter mentions that this place is very frequented and it's purpose is to find peace for the soul.

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

Very interesting story about this shrine (I copied this from Wikipedia).

The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto deity of seas and storms and brother of the great sun deity, Amaterasu. Because the island itself has been considered sacred, in order to maintain its purity commoners were not allowed to set foot on Miyajima through much of its history. In order to allow pilgrims to approach, the shrine was built like a pier over the water, so that it appeared to float, separate from the land, and therefore existed in a liminal state between the sacred and the profane. The shrine's signature red entrance gate, or torii, was built over the water for much the same reason. Commoners had to steer their boats through the torii before approaching the shrine.

Retaining the purity of the shrine is so important that since 1878, no deaths or births have been permitted near the shrine.To this day, pregnant women are supposed to retreat to the mainland as the day of delivery approaches, as are terminally ill or the very elderly whose passing has become imminent. Burials on the island are still forbidden.

P.S. I love the Hello Kitty stamp!! :) Thanks Chiaki!!

Mont Saint-Michel

A beautiful view of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France. Thanks Marion!

Valle de la Luna

Hernan is awesome. He sent me another postcard from Chile, this time of the Atacama Desert. He mentions that this is the driest desert in the entire world. This specific area here is called "Valle de la Luna" specifically because it makes you believe that you're actually on the moon. Check out that surface and those craters!

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Beam sent this very bright and illuminated postcard from Thailand. It is of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Looking up some more info about the history of the Temple, the actual buddha has traveled quite a lot. Apparantly it was created in India, then taken to Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and then landed in Thailand. The buddha also goes through three golden wardrobe changes throughout the year. Thanks Beam!

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Another postcard received via Postcrossing, this one from Germany. This town is exactly like those Christmas Villages people usually put on display in their homes or in their stores, so cute.

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Received via Postcrossing :) A beautiful view of Yosemite National Park. Everyone that I know that has gone camping at this park has had a blast here. I also had a friend of mine who got married here, what amazing pictures and scenery.

Strasburg, PA

An Amish buggy trots along Black Horse Rd. East of Strasburg during sunset.

Maryland

More postcards sent by Mary! A Maryland postcard showing the state flag in Black Eyed Susans, which is the state flower.

Balloon Fiesta! New Mexico

Mary always takes and posts pictures of the Balloon Fiesta every year on her Facebook or Website, and so she sent me a postcard of the Balloon Fiesta. This takes place in Albuquerque every year in early October. The reason why this event is always successful are because of the temperatures and the "box" which is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate the balloons.

Gig Harbor, Seattle, Washington

A view of Gig Harbor with the beautiful Mt. Rainier in the background.

Scything in Vojvodina

My friend Karoly sent me this traditional postcard of Serbians scything in Vojvodina. Thanks Karoly!

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Now I have a postcard of Sun Moon Lake at night! Nice!

Thanks Frank!

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Postcard from Estonia received via Postcrossing. It features Keila Falls in Harju County,
a wheat field with cornflowers, and a red squirrel.

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Boise, Idaho has one of the largest Basque populations outside of the Basque Country in Spain. The Basque Center featured in this postcard was built in 1952 and serves as a gathering place for Boise's Basque citizens.

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I received this postcard via postcrossing of the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. While looking for information on the Sky Tower, I came across this info:

The upper portion of the tower contains two restaurants and a cafe, including a revolving restaurant which is located 190m from the ground, turning 360 degrees once every hour. There is also a brasserie style buffet located one floor above the main observatory level. It has three observation decks at different heights, each providing 360 degree views of the city. The main observation level at 186m has 38mm thick glass sections of flooring giving a view straight to the ground.The top observation deck labeled 'Skydeck' sits just below the main antenna at 220m and gives views of up to 82 km in the distance.

Another really cool feature about the Sky Tower is the different illuminations it has to promote different causes.


I love the stamps that were posted on this card. The All Blacks is the name of New Zealand's Rugby team. New Zealand is currently hosting the Rugby World Cup, and Maureen mentions that everyone is having a blast. I bet!

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Sebatu

A scene of the public baths in Sebatu, Indonesia

This temple was built in homage to the God of preserver (Wisnu), who rules over water, and here one finds a number of natural spring and waterspouts. The Balinese believe that water is one of the forces of life. The etymology of Gunung Kawi means a fabricated mountain. It lies west of Sebatu village, which is elovated and its name means slipping on a stone.

Indonesia

This postcard shows the largest lake of Indonesia, Lake Toba in North Sumatra. Thanks Agung!