Lithuania - Vilnius

From Lithuania, Sava sent me beautiful view of Vilnius.  I am so thankful to you for keep sending me card from your trip.

ISRAEL - Jerusalem

For the past 3 days, my mailbox is smiling with these wonderful cards.  Returning home after a long day at work to these is simply a best feeling. And today, 7 cards arrived in my mailbox.

These 2 wonderful blank cards shows Jerusalam and city in Israel is from Irina, together with beautiful Jerusalam magnet. Thank you so much!

"Jerusalem ( Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם About this sound Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس‎ About this sound al-Quds), located on a plateau in the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally."

LATVIA - Country-side view

Thanks to Agnese for the swap.

TAIWAN

Thanks to postcrosser Aelena for this cute card.

HONG KONG - Ocean Themepark

Thanks to postcrosser Yvonne for the card and cute Chrismas stamp.

"Ocean Park Hong Kong, commonly known as Ocean Park, is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, animal theme park and amusement park, situated in Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan in the Southern District of Hong Kong. It is, together with Hong Kong Disneyland, one of the two large theme parks in Hong Kong. Opened in 1977 by the then Governor of Hong Kong Sir Murray MacLehose, Ocean Park has grown to over 80 attractions and rides after the completion of a HK$5.5 billion Master Redevelopment Plan (MRP) begun in 2005."

FRANCE - La Roque Gageac, Dordogne

I simply loves the dreamy look of this town, it makes me think that life is so slow and peaceful here. Thanks to postcrosser Nathalie for the card!

"La Roque-Gageac, a village listed among the 'Most Beautif'ul Villages of France, is nestled between the cliffside and the Dordogne River. Its southern exposure provides it with a virtually Mediterranean microclimate.

The white and ochre façades of its houses align along the bank of the river. A number of winding lanes lead to the foot of the cliffside, offering a magnificent view over the river.

Halfway up the cliff next to the church, the natural solarium formed by the rock sustains a surprisingly exotic garden of palm trees, banana plants, agaves, fig trees, cacti and bamboos. If you continue beyond, you will discover the Manoir de Tarde, a Renaissance manor that still overlooks the heart of the village.

The best way to discover the village from the river is to embark aboard one of its famous cargo barges. These traditional flat-bottomed boats were historically used to transport merchandise along the Dordogne. The majority of the cargo barges that reached this area of the river would never return, as they were dismantled upon their arrival to be sold as firewood."

UKRAINE - Olimpiysky, Kyiv

This postcard shows the Olympic National Sports Complex in Kyiv.  Thanks to postcrosser Andriy for the card.

"The Olympic National Sports Complex (also known as Olympic Stadium; Ukrainian: Національний спортивний комплекс "Олімпійський") is a multi-use sports and recreation facility in Kyiv, Ukraine, located on the slopes of the city's central Cherepanov Hill, Pechersk Raion. The stadium is the premier sports venue in Ukraine and the second largest in Eastern Europe after Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. The complex beside its stadium also features several other sports facilities and is designed to host the Olympic Games (the stadium hosted some football matches at the 1980 Summer Olympics)."

JAPAN - Yokohama, Minato Mirai Area

Such a spectacular aerial view of Minato Mirai city.  Thanks to postcrosser Yukari for the card.

"Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい21 Minato Mirai Nijūichi?), (often known as simply Minato Mirai and abbreviated as MM) is the central business district of Yokohama, Japan. Initially developed in the 1980s, Minato Mirai 21 was designed as a large master-planned development and new urban center planned to connect Yokohama's traditionally important areas and commercial centers of Kannai and the Yokohama Station area.

Today, Minato Mirai is a major center for business, shopping, and tourism, attracting visitors and businesspersons throughout the Greater Tokyo Area. The business district is host to several major hotels, office towers including the Yokohama Landmark Tower, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center, art museums, and numerous cafés and shops in shopping centers and along its central pedestrian mall. The area continues to be developed as originally envisioned in the 1980s."

PORTUGAL - O Fado

Thank you postcrosser Sofia for the card and stamp.

LITHUANIA - Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman during filming of 'Arch of Triump', Hollywood 1946. Thanks to postcrosser Auste for the card.

"Ingrid Bergman (29 August 1915 – 29 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute. She is best remembered for her roles as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942), and as Alicia Huberman in Notorious (1946), an Alfred Hitchcock thriller co-starring Cary Grant."

JAPAN - Poster of the Japanese old beer

Thanks to postcrosser Haruka for the card and stamps.

CHINA

Thanks to postcrosser Jiaqi for the card.  Unfortunately, I could not find any information about the structure.

RUSSIA

Thanks to postcrosser Irine for the card.

GERMANY - Semperoper, Dresden

Thanks to postcrosser Elisabeth for the card and stamp.  And she even share this beautiful stamp that she got from another card.  Thank you Elisabeth!

"The Semperoper is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper ballet. The building is located near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany.

The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878."

CROATIA MAXICARD - Hrvatska Fauna - Glodavci (dormouse)

Thanks to dear Anja for the maxicard and magnet.

GERMANY-

Thanks to postcrosser Corinna for the card.

BRAZIL - Praia da Freguesia de Santana (Beach Santana Parish)

Thanks to Marcos for the swap.

GREENLAND - Sunset near Isortoq, Ammassalik District, East Greenland

I am happy to check off Greenland from my missing country, #146.  Thank you Julia for the swap!.

"Isortoq (old spelling: Isertoq)  is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality, in southeastern Greenland. Its population was 93 in 2010."

PRINCE WILLIAM'S WEDDING

NETHERLANDS - Schokland

Schokland used to be an island.  Occupied and then abandoned as the sea encroached, it had to be evacuated in 1859.  But following the draining of the Zuider Zee, it has, since the 1940s, formed part of the land reclaimed from the sea.  Scholkand has vestiges of human habitation going back to prehistoric times.  It symbolized the heroic, age-old struggle of the people of the Netherlands against the encroachment of the waters.

Thanks to postcrosser Mar for the Schokland card.

INDONESIA - Colorful floating market in Banjarmasin

Thanks to postcrosser Sasri for the wonderful card and stamps.

"The Floating Market of Banjarmasin is a traditional market at the estuary of the Kuin river, a tributary of the Barito. From daybreak boats come from villages around the rivers Tabuk, Jelapat, Anjir and Selapat, bringing vegetables, fruits and other daily needs and household utensils. Buyers and sellers come to the market in small boats and close their transactions on the water. All daily needs can be obtained at this market."

INDIA - Jama Masjid, Gulbarga

Hello blog! it's been a while. We were celebrating Eid al-Fitr or Aidil Fitri.  Aidil Fitri is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims to marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Here in Malaysia we celebrate it by visiting parents, close family and long distance relatives, seeking forgiveness and forgiving. 

Now let's get back to the postcard, only one card landed in my mailbox today.

Jama Masjid, situated inside Gulbarga Fort was built by Muhammad Shah I (1358 - 75) to commemorate Fulbarga as the capital of the Bahmani Sultanate. The Jama Masjid does not have minarates.  It is a unique mosque with a huge dome and smaller ones as embellishments.  It was built in 1367 AD by a Spanish architect, with arched doorways on the same lines as that of the Great Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba in Spain.

Thanks to postcrosser Manbol for the card.

CAMBODIA - Smiling of Bayon, Siem Reap

A wonderful and beautiful decorated card from Ave, thanks so much!.

"The Bayon (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបាយ័ន, Prasat Bayon) is a well-known and richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, the Bayon stands at the centre of Jayavarman's capital, Angkor Thom. Following Jayavarman's death, it was modified and augmented by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.

The similarity of the 216 gigantic faces on the temple's towers to other statues of the king has led many scholars to the conclusion that the faces are representations of Jayavarman VII himself."

NETHERLANDS - The Dutch Front Door

Thanks to postcrosser Irene for the Dutch door!