JAPAN - Gassho-Zukuri Village

Thanks Alshams for the card.

"Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama (Ainokura and Suganuma) in the southern part of Toyama Prefecture are villages designated as World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization due to the presence of thatched- and steep-roofed gassho-zukuri houses. The villages are among a limited number of heavy-snow areas in Japan and traditional gassho-zukuri houses have miraculously remained here due to delays in road improvement construction.

A feature of the houses is the steep roof (of 45 degree to 60 degree), and the structure is called gassho zukuri because the houses resemble palms placed together and fingers pointing upward in prayer. No nails or other metal materials are used." Source

GERMANY - Bremen (100 years ago)

Thanks Barbel for the old city of Bremen card.

TAIWAN - Tuba local Museum, Fusing, Taoyuan

The case of Tuba local museum in Fusing , Taoyuan country, Taiwan.  Thanks Ivy!

TAIWAN - Alishan

Thanks Julie for the card.

"The Alishan National Scenic Area is a mountain resort and natural preserve located in the mountains of Chiayi County in Taiwan. It is 415 km² in area. It includes, among other things, mountain wilderness, four villages, waterfalls, high altitude tea plantations, the Alishan Forest Railway, and several hiking trails. The area is popular among tourists and mountain climbers, and Alishan, or Mount Ali, itself has become one of the major landmarks associated with Taiwan. The area is also famous for its production of high mountain tea and wasabi."

GERMANY - Sissi

Empress Elizabeth painted by F.X. Winterhalter, 1865.  Thanks to Gabriela.

POLAND - Roses and Book

I hardly ask or request these kinds of card but they're nice to have when they do come. :).  Thanks Natalia! And the stamps is lovely as the card too..

UNITED KINGDOM - Hereford

"Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately 16 miles (26 km) east of the border with Wales, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Worcester, and 23 miles (37 km) northwest of Gloucester. With a population of 58,896, it is the largest settlement in the county.

The name "Hereford" is said to come from the Anglo-Saxon "here", an army or formation of soldiers, and the "ford", a place for crossing a river. If this is the origin it suggests that Hereford was a place where a body of armed men forded or crossed the Wye. The Welsh name for Hereford is Henffordd, meaning "old road", and probably refers to the Roman road and Roman settlement at nearby Stretton Sugwas.'

GERMANY - Santa Andreas, Lutherstadt Eisleben

Thanks to Katrin for the card.

"The St. Andreaskirche with its two towers represents the structural center of the historically grown old town of Eisleben. In 1180 it was mentioned for the first time, but it did not reach its present form until the end of the 15th century. In 1531, St. Andreaskirche had 14 altars, including a Corpus Christi altar, a Petrus altar and a Marienaltar.

In February 1546, Martin Luther held his last four sermons on the pulpit built in 1509 before he died on February 18. On 19 February 1546, Martin Luther's corpse was laid out in the late Gothic Hallenkirche and transferred from there to Wittenberg by order of the Elector of Saxony."

ESTONIA - Viru Gates,Tallinn

Walls of Tallinn.  Thanks to Anja for a card from her vacation to Estonia.

"The first wall around Tallinn was ordered to be constructed by Margaret Sambiria in 1265 and for that reason, it was known as the Margaret Wall. This wall was less than 5 metres (16 ft) tall and about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) thick at its base. Since that time it has been enlarged and strengthened. The walls and the many gates are still largely extant today. This is one of the reasons that Tallinn's old town became a World Heritage Site. The walls were enlarged in the fourteenth century, and citizens of Tallinn were required to turn out for guard duty, which meant to wear their armour and demonstrate their readiness to face off invaders."

RUSSIA - St. Cyril-Belozersky monastery is reflected in the waters of Lake Siverskoye

Thanks to Elena for the card.

"Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (Russian: Кирилло-Белозерский монастырь), translated into English as White Lake [translation of the town name of Beloozero] St. Cyril's Monastery, used to be the largest monastery and the strongest fortress in Northern Russia. The monastery was consecrated to the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, for which cause it was sometimes referred to as the Dormition Monastery of St. Cyril. By the 20th century, the town of Kirillov had grown nearby.

The monastery was founded in 1397 on the bank of Lake Siverskoye, to the south of the town of Beloozero, in the present-day Vologda Oblast. Its founder, St. Cyril or Kirill of Beloozero, following the advice of his teacher, St. Sergius of Radonezh, first dug a cave here, then built a wooden Dormition chapel and a loghouse for other monks. Shortly before the creation of the monastery."

CZECH REPUBLIC - Kromeriz

Gardens and Chateau in Kromeriz were written on UNESCO World Heritage in 1998.  Thanks to Yvette for the card.

"Kroměříž is a Moravian town in the Zlin Region of the Czech Republic. The town's main landmark is the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace, where some scenes from Amadeus and Immortal Beloved were filmed. The Gardens and Castle at Kroměříž were added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1998."

RUSSIA - Russian Architecture of the 19th Century

I loves architecture, especially wooden architecture and this Russian beauty is simply delightful to see.  Thanks to Olga for the card.

LATVIA - The Blackheads House, Riga

What a nice surprise to see this card in my mailbox. Anja from Croatia went for a short vacation and sent this card. Many thanks Anja for the thought, will write to you soon. Oh well, I've been lazy lately, didn't swap much and only did on postcrossing.

Marilyn Monroe

Sexy lip Marilyn Monroe. Thanks to Heidi. Great stamps too.

RUSSIA - Mama bear and her babies

Thanks to Maria for the card and nice stamps.

..this message was enclosed together with the card in plastic sent to me by the Post Malaysia..the card is a bit damage due to rain water, I guess.

VANUATU - Traditional Costume

Well, I have something to be happy about! This beautiful folded card of Vanuatu natives in they traditional costume arrived today, it was mailed from Solomon Islands. Thanks so much Pang for awesome card.

Vanuatu a island country #159 in my collection.

"Vanuatu (previously known as the New Hebrides Islands) is an archipelago nation consisting of 83 islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand and east of Australia.

The first island in the Vanuatu group discovered by Europeans was Espiritu Santo, when in 1606 the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós working for the Spanish crown, spied what he thought was a southern continent. Europeans did not return until 1768. In 1774, Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name that lasted until independence." Source

Here's the close up on the stamps:

NETHERLANDS - Royal Family

A great combination of card and stamps showing Netherlands Royal Family. Many thanks to Jan for the card.

The stamps:

NETHERLANDS - Windmill Holland

Thanks to Ries for the windmill card and stamps.

GERMANY - Aachener Dom

Thanks to Barbara for the magnificent cathedral card.

"Aachen Cathedral, traditionally known in English as the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle, is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, western Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe and was constructed by order of the Emperor Charlemagne, who was buried there after his death in 814. For 595 years, from 936 to 1531, the Aachen chapel was the church of coronation for thirty German kings and twelve queens. The church has been the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Aachen since 1802."

USA - Boston

Thanks to Debby for the card.

"Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston also served as the county seat of Suffolk County until Massachusetts disbanded most county governments in 1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of 667,137 in 2015, making it the largest city in New England and the 23rd largest city in the United States."

PORTUGAL - Lagos

Thanks to Carla for the card.

"Lagos is an historic and lively city that is situated on the beautiful coastline of the western Algarve. Lagos has become a respected holiday destination as it offers visitors glorious beaches, buzzing nightlife and a charming historic centre that has retained its unique character."

Royal Wedding

Thanks to Vera for the Royal Wedding card.

GERMANY - Vintage phone

Thanks to Betina for the card.