Flag of Cyprus

The flag of Cyprus (Σημαία της Κύπρου) came into use on August 16, 1960 when Cyprus was proclaimed an independent state.

The state flag features a map of the entirety of the island, with two olive branches below (a symbol of peace) on white (another symbol of peace). The olive branches signify peace between the Turks and Greeks. The map on the flag is a copper-orange colour, symbolizing the large deposits of copper ore on the island (chiefly in the form of chalcopyrite, which is yellow in colour), from which it may have received its name.

The flag deliberately chose peaceful and neutral symbols in an attempt to indicate harmony between the rival Greek and Turkish communities, an ideal that has not yet been realized.

This postcard was received from Merja (papermoon) (March 2014) Direct swap Postcrossing  #1 of 4

My first Inge Löök card

This is my first Inge Löök card.  I generally don’t quite care for cartoon-y postcards but this series by Inge Löök of two spritely elderly aunties amuses me.

 

According to a write-up:

Inge Löök was born in Helsinki in 1951. She is both a gardener and an illustrator. Today she lives in Pernaja, Finland.  Her illustrations are mainly inspirations from her own surroundings or life. To date, there are 36 different images of the aunties. I would have expected there to be more than 36 different images given the popularity of this series.

 

When she was a child, Inge lived with her family in a 7-storey building in Helsinki. In the same building lived two older women, Alli and Fifi, who later became the inspiration for the characters in her 'Old Ladies' postcards. She says the women look nearly the same as their real-life models... and they have a lot more fun!

Inge's look on life is one of optimism and happiness, and it shows on the pictures she draws. The aunties (or grannies) are always happy and having fun, and their motto is "Time is not money and spending it isn’t a sin".

Inge has drawn more than 300 postcards on different topics, and has also illustrated several stamps and children's books.

Thanks to Susannah of Finland for this lovely postcard (26 March 2014).

 

 

The Palace of Industries (Palácio das Indústrias), São Paulo, Brazil

The Palace of Industries (Palácio das Indústrias) is a historic building located in the center of the Brazilian town of São Paulo.  The Palace was designed in the eclectic style and was built over 13 years (1911-1924).

The Palace of Industries was initially conceived as a permanent space for agricultural and industrial exhibitions but several institutions were housed there.  One of them, since the year of its inauguration, was Radio Educator Paulista 5, the first São Paulo radio station (now Radio Gazeta).

In 1992, the Palace became the seat of city government.  At the time of this change, the creation of an annex building was proposed, in order to expand the facilities of the town hall and at the same time serve as a focus for a revitalization of the surrounding area.  Unfortunately this was never implemented.

The Palace building housed the City Hall of São Paulo until the year 2004.  In the past, the building was the headquarters of the Legislative Assembly from 1947 to 1968 and also housed the Department of Public Safety.

Since March  2009 the Palace building has returned to its original purpose and it now houses the Weathervane Museum , a museum dedicated to science.

 

I received this very nice postcard from Renata (31 March 2014) Swap-bot.

 

 

 

Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the monarchy of the United Kingdom.  The palace is located in the City of Westminster (an Inner London borough occupying much of the central area of Greater London, including most of the West End).  Buckingham Palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing.  

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.

The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the British state. It is not the monarch's personal property, unlike Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle.

Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 who was the first monarch to reside there as her predecessor William IV had died before its completion.  To summarise, Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, and an art gallery and tourist attraction as well.

This great aerial-view postcard came from Mandy (31 March 2014) Postcrossing.

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the ninth largest city in the United Kingdom.  The seat of the National Assembly for Wales is located in Cardiff.

I received this superb postcard from Lita (26 March 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

The left upper panel and the right lower panel of the postcard shows City Hall.

City Hall is a civic building in Cathays Park, Cardiff, serving as Cardiff's centre of local government since it opened in October 1906. Built of Portland stone, it is an important early example of the Edwardian Baroque style.  There is a magnificent clock tower in this building.  This clock tower is 59 m (194 ft) in height and has a 3.7 metre diameter (12 ft) gilded dial on each of its four faces. The clock mechanism includes an hour bell and four quarter bells which are each inscribed with mottoes in English or Welsh.

The central panel of the postcard shows the Captain Scott Memorial in Roath Park. On the 15th June 1910, Captain Robert Falcon Scott set sail from Cardiff in the S.S. Terra Nova, to conquer the South Pole. Before leaving Scott pledged  "I will reach the South Pole or I will never come back again."  Captain Scott was beaten to the South Pole by the Norwegians and he perished on the way back.  In memory of the ill-fated expedition led by Captain Scott and accompanied by his companions, a clock tower in the form of a lighthouse was erected at the south end of Roath Park Lake. Surmounted by a model of the Terra Nova, the tower was erected and presented to the city of Cardiff in 1915. The clock tower has since been one of Cardiff's most familiar landmarks.

The right upper panel of this postcard shows the Millennium Stadium. It is the national stadium of Wales and has a total seating capacity of 74,500, It is the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof, and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature.   The Millennium Stadium is used for a wide variety of activities - sport events, concerts, etc.

The bottom left panel of the postcard shows Cardiff Castle.  Actually it shows only the Norman shell keep.  A Welsh flag flies proudly from the highest point.  Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion and it is located in the city centre of Cardiff.  In 1947 ownership of this structure passed to the City and these days, Cardiff Castle is run as a tourist attraction, and is one of the most popular tourist sites for visitors to Cardiff.

SW F-010 Virginia, USA

Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as a former dominion of the English Crown. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of Virginia is Richmond

Seal of Virginia

Virginia has a total area of 42,774.2 square miles (110,784.7 km²), making it the 35th-largest state by area.  The highest elevation is Mount Rogers 5,729 ft (1,746 metres).  It was admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788.  According to a 2010 census, there are 8 million residents in Viriginia.



The state's motto, Sic Semper Tyrannis, translates from Latin as "Thus Always to Tyrants", and is used on the state seal, which is then used on the flag. While the seal was designed in 1776, and the flag was first used in the 1830s, both were made official in 1930.  Also on the postcard is the State's bird - the cardinal as well as the State's flower - Dogwood.

This postcard came from Jennifer R. (26 March 2014) Swap-bot.

SW U-032 Flags of the American States

Too many of the flags of the States of USA are merely the state crests on a background of blue.  Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin are all guilty of this boring arrangement.  Having a white background as in the case of Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and West Virginia does not save them from the same accusation of having a dull looking flag.  A green background as in the case of Washington is no better.

In my opinion, the best looking American State flag is that of Maryland with Arizona coming in second.  For simple impact, I like the flag of Alaska.

This postcard from Erin (Ittleetoile) (28 March 2014) Swap-bot contains more interesting information.

This postcard must have been prepared before 2003 as it shows the Georgia flag used in the period 2001-2003.  The current flag of Georgia is shown below and it was adopted on May 8, 2003.

Besides the above, there have also been two other modifications to the State flags (since this postcard was prepared), both of these modifications occuring in 2006 - the flags of Loiuisiana and that of Oklahoma were regularized to avoid variations.  These are minor changes.

Narodno Sabranie Square, Sofia, Bulgaria

This postcard from Bulgaria shows Narodno Sabranie Square.  Narodno Sabranie (Народно събрание) means National Assembly.  The National Assembly is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of Bulgaria. The National Assembly's main building has been proclaimed a monument of culture for its historic significance. It is situated in downtown Sofia and was designed in Neo-Renaissance style.

Another wonderful building can be seen in this postcard - the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Храм-паметник „Свети Александър Невски“). It is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral and it is built in Neo-Byzantine style.  This cathedral is the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral occupies an area of 3,170 square metres and can hold 10,000 people inside.  The cathedral is a cross-domed basilica featuring an emphasized central dome. The cathedral's gold-plated dome is 45 m high with the bell tower reaching 53 metres. The tower has 12 bells. The interior is decorated with Italian marble in various colours, Brazilian onyx, alabaster, and other luxurious materials. The central dome has the Lord's Prayer inscribed around it, with thin gold letters.

Notes about Sofia

Sofia (София) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. Sofia is located at the foot of Mount Vitosha in the western part of the country. It occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula. Sofia's history spans 2,400 years and it has a population of around 1.3 million people.

(28 March 2014) Swap-bot

SW H-014; US-2968658 & US-3439523 Chicago, Illinois, USA

Chicago in the State of Illinois is the third most populous city (2.7 million residents) in the United States, after New York City and Los Angeles. Its metropolitan area is home to 9.5 million people.  Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, Today, the city is an international hub for finance, commerce, industry, technology, telecommunications, and transportation, with O'Hare International Airport being the second-busiest airport in the world.

This postcard from Tiffany Smoot (20 March 2014) Swat-bot shows the city skyline in the lower part of the postcard and in the top three panels

(1) the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)
(2) the Buckingham Fountain in Grant park
(3) the Chicago Water Tower

Short Notes on the three panels

(1) Willis Tower (formerly named and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago.  At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years.

(2) Dedicated in 1927, the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park is one of the largest fountains in the world. It is built in a rococo wedding cake style and it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan. It operates from April to October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights.

(3) The Chicago Water Tower was originally constructed to house a large water pump, intended to draw water from the Lake Michigan.  It now serves as a Chicago Office of Tourism art gallery.

This second postcard of Chicago focuses on the 'L' (sometimes written as "L" or "el", short for "elevated").  This rapid transit system serves Chicago and surrounding areas and is 102.8 miles (165.4 km) long.

This third postcard of Chicago shows lightning striking the Willis Tower. This postcard of Chicago in the evening came from Kate (30 June 2015) Postcrossing.

 

Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA

Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon.

From http://www.oregon.com/

“A waterfall as magnificent and memorable as any in the country is located just a 30- minute drive outside of Portland. Visiting Multnomah Falls, a 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water, lets you experience the power and beauty of nature up close and with ease.  According to Native American lore, Multnomah Falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe.  Unlike many of the West's famous falls, Multnomah Falls does not dry up in the late summer. Rainwater, an underground spring and snow melt feed the falls through all four seasons and ensure a spectacular sight any day of the year.”
This postcard came from HolgaLove (20 March 2014) Swat-bot

Mackinac Fudge

This is my very first recipe postcard (and being the kind of guy that does not really know his way around the kitchen, hopefully my last).  But hey, a postcard is a postcard and I love postcards.

What is Fudge?

Fudge is a type of Western confectionery, which is usually soft, sweet, and rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at 240 °F (116 °C), and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. Many variations with other flavorings are made such as chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, and maple fudge. Nuts can also be added, such as in the flavour "maple walnut", and some even recipes call for candied fruit.  American-style fudge generally contains chocolate.

This postcard is all about Mackinac Fudge.

Where is Mackinac Island?

Mackinac Island is an island and resort area, covering 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

According to http://www.mackinacdirectory.com/

“As soon as you step off the ferry and onto the dock, the first scent your nose will be greeted with is the smell of Mackinac Island Fudge! It's aroma is ever present. There are six different fudge vendors and there are more than one of each scattered throughout the Island. This creamy, rich, delicious treat is one of the attractions to Mackinac Island and a must have while on your visit.”

This postcard came from bluehairedmary (24 March 2014) Swap-bot.

MY-196382 and MY-207574 Two postcards of Langkawi, Malaysia

This first postcard shows Burau Bay which is located in Langkawi, Malaysia.  Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 64,792, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba.   Many tourists flock to Langkawi for a variety of purposes.  Scuba-diving is a popular pasttime here.

This postcard was sent by健美 (27 March 2014) Postcrossing.

This second postcard shows fishing boats anchored at Teluk Baru.  I received this postcard on (29 June 2014)from Jessica Postcrossing.

 

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Schloss Augustusburg at Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Set in an idyllic garden landscape, Augustusburg Castle (the sumptuous residence of the prince-archbishops of Cologne) and the Falkenlust hunting lodge (a small rural folly) are among the earliest examples of Rococo architecture in 18th-century Germany.

Augustusburg and Falkenlust present the first important creations of the Rococo style in Germany. For more than a century, they served as models for most of the princely courts.

These structures were built at the beginning of the 18th century by the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne, Clemens August of Bavaria of the Wittelsbach family.  The main block Augustusburg Castle is a U-shaped building with three main storeys and two levels of attics.

The Augustusburg and Falkenlust building complex has been listed as a UNESCO cultural World Heritage Site since 1984.

This surprise postcard came from Karl Topf who sent me this as a “thank you” card (24 March 2014). A very kind gesture indeed!  Thank you Karl.

Rambutans - a tropical fruit of Malaysia

The rambutan (taxonomic name: Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The fruit produced by the tree is also known as rambutan.

It is popularly believed that rambutan is native to Indonesia and Malaysia. The fruit is a round to oval single seeded berry, 3–6 cm (rarely to 8 cm) tall and 3–4 cm broad, borne in a loose pendant cluster of 10–20 together.

The leathery skin is reddish (rarely orange or yellow), and covered with fleshy pliable spines, hence the name rambutan, derived from the Malay word ‘rambut’, which means hairs. The fruit flesh, which is actually the aril, is translucent, whitish or very pale pink, with a sweet, mildly acidic flavor very reminiscent of grapes.
 

Rambutans are a non-climacteric fruit—that is, they ripen only on the tree.



This interesting postcard came from Nor Asma (jarijoget) of Malaysia (24 March 2014) Swap-bot.  The postcard depicts rambutans being carried on the back of a motorcycle.

"Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习)

Lei Feng (雷锋  Léi Fēng) was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army of China. After his death, Lei was characterised as a selfless and modest person who was devoted to the Communist Party, Chairman Mao Zedong, and the people of China. In 1963, he became the subject of a nationwide posthumous propaganda campaign, "Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习).

See the page titled "特别" above for more detailed notes.

Both postcards came from Kyming (Jan 2014 & 19 Mar 2014) Postcrossing Direct Swap. The stamps are from a set of 4 commemorating the 50th anniversary of  "Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习) campaign.

Gloriette in the garden of the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

A gloriette is a building in a garden erected on a site that is higher in elevation than its surroundings.  The most famous of gloriettes is the Gloriette is in the garden of the Schönbrunn Palace located in Vienna, Austria.

Built in 1775 as the last building constructed in the garden, this Gloriette serves as both a focal point and a lookout point for the garden.  It was used as a dining hall and festival hall as well as a breakfast room for emperor Franz Joseph I. Nowadays, the dining hall has a café in it, and on the roof, an observation platform overlooks Vienna. The Gloriette was destroyed in the Second World War, but had already been restored by 1947, and was restored again in 1995.

The Gloriette is dedicated as a Monument to Just War, that which leads to peace. The front face bears the following inscription:

IOSEPHO II. AVGVSTO ET MARIA THERESIA AVGVSTA IMPERANTIB. ERECT. CIƆIƆCCLXXV. ("Erected under the reign of Emperor Joseph II and Empress Maria Theresa, 1775.") The way of writing of the year uses a Latinization of the Greek letter Φ (phi) for 1000.

 

Short notes on the main palace:

Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn) is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria.  At the end of the 17th century Emperor Leopold I commissioned the gifted Baroque architect Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to built a palatial hunting lodge for the heir to the throne. On the site of the old imperial château de plaisance a splendid edifice was to arise. Half a century later under Maria Theresa, Schönbrunn Palace was to become the magnificent focus of court life. From that time onwards it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe.

This postcard came from Carmen (19 March 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

Ruins of Chersonese, Crimea

Chersonese ( Херсонес, Khersones) also transliterated as Chersonesus, is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula, known then as Taurica. The colony was established in the 6th century BC by settlers from Heraclea Pontica.

The ancient city is located on the shore of the Black Sea at the outskirts of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. The name "Chersonese" in Greek means "peninsula", and aptly describes the site on which the colony was established.

1995 banknote

This postcard shows the ruins of the ‘1935 Basilica’.  This ruined structure is the most famous basilica excavated in Chersonese. The original name is unknown so "1935" refers to the year it was opened. The basilica was probably built in the 6th century on the site of an earlier temple, assumed by historians to be a synagogue, itself replacing a small temple dating from the early days of Christianity.  The ‘1935 Basilica’ is often used as an image representing Chersonese.  A picture of it appears on the 1 Hryvnia Ukrainian banknote of 1992 as well as the 1 Hryvnia  Ukrainian banknote of 1995. 

This wonderful postcard was sent by Natalie (free-weasel) Postcrossing Direct Swap (19 March 2014). She has used great stamps on the card.  An added bonus for me is that this postcard shows a winter / snow scene as well.

The Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

The Giant's Causeway (known as Clochán an Aifir or Clochán na bhFomhórach in Irish) is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. The formation of the Giant’s Causeway was due to intense volcanic activity. Lava welling up through fissures in the chalk bed formed a "lava plateau". Three periods of volcanic activity gave rise to the Lower, Middle and Upper Basalts, and it's the Middle Basalt rock which forms the famous amphitheatres of hexagonal columns in the Causeway.

It is located in County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about 4.8 km northeast of the town of Bushmills. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres high and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places.

I always like legends.  According to a legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool) was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. In one version of the story, Fionn defeats Benandonner. In another, Fionn hides from Benandonner when he realises that his foe is much bigger than he. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow.  Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.

I am grateful to Nicole (20 March 2014) for sending me this wonderful postcard.  (Postcrossing Direct Swap)

Potato plantations of Central Java, Indonesia

Central Java (Provinsi Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia. It forms the middle portion of the island of Java. The administrative capital is Semarang.  The province is approximately a quarter of the total land area of Java. Its population was 30,380,687 at the 2010 Census, making it the third most-populous province in Indonesia after West Java and East Java.

Much of Central Java is a fertile agricultural region. The primary food crop is wet rice. An elaborate irrigation network of canals, dams, aqueducts, and reservoirs has greatly contributed to Central Java's rice-growing capacity over the centuries. Other crops, also mostly grown in lowland areas on small peasant landholdings, are corn (maize), cassava, peanuts (groundnuts), soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Terraced hillslopes and irrigated paddy fields are familiar features of the landscape.  The two major vegetable crops in Central Java are potatoes and brassicas, which farmers normally grow in rotation. Potato and brassica (crucifer) crop production from these provinces accounts for over 50% of the total Indonesian harvest for both crops.  Farmers producing these crops are mostly smallholders who want the produce for cash income rather than home consumption.  The average yields for potato crops grown in these regions are low by international standards and reflect the sub-optimal agronomic management, the unavailability of high quality seed and problems of diseases and pests.

This postcard shows the potato plantations of Central Java.  The photograph was taken from the road leading into Wonosobo, near the Dieng Plateau.  I received this postcard (19 March 2014) from Aristia Dwi (Postcrossing).