NETHERLANDS - King of Netherlands and family

Another great card for my royalty theme. The King and Queen of Netherlands and their daughter.

JAPAN

KENYA - African Wildlife Flamingoes

Another great card from Roseline of Kenya. Thank you.

ENGLAND - Warwick Castle and River Avon

Gordon sent me this Warwick Castle postcard. Some information on the castle:

"Warwick Castle  is a medieval castle developed from an original built by William the Conqueror in 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a bend of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture. It was used as a stronghold until the early 17th century, when it was granted to Sir Fulke Greville by James I in 1604. Greville converted it to a country house and it was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978 when it was bought by the Tussauds Group."

RUSSIA - Alexander I (1777 - 1825)

From official postcrossing, Yulia sent me a this card which read: Alexander II (1777 - 1825) reigned as Emperor o Russian from 1801 to 1825.  He was the first Russian king of Poland, as well as the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland.  The Tsar's greatest triumph come in 1812 as Napoleon's invasion proved a total disaster for the French.  Another addition to my royal collection.

FRENCH POLYNESIA - Bora-Bora

Another new country for me, #120 from French Polynesia.  Thank you Diana for sending me, my first card from the country. The card shows Bora-Bora Island.

"Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu."

Society Islands of French Polynesia :

IRAN - Girl in traditional costume

One new country to add to my collection, card #119, from Iran. It shows a beautiful girl with traditional outfit and head cover. Received the card on 16 Dec 2014.

"Iran, also known as Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Kazakhstan and Russia across the Caspian Sea; to the northeast by Turkmenistan; to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. ran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations."

GERMANY - Christmas Chapel Near Mittenwald

MAURITIUS - Le Dodo De l'ile Maurice

A written in envelope postcard shows a 'Dodo' bird which is now extinct, long time ago was Mauritius only bird. Thank you Zaheda for the nice postcard.

"The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

The first recorded mention of the dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598. In the following years, the bird was hunted by sailors, their domesticated animals, and invasive species introduced during that time. The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662. Its extinction was not immediately noticed, and some considered it to be a mythical creature."

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA -Serbian Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity in Banja Luka,

A great card from Sandra of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Thank you for the great swap Sandra.

"Church of the Holy Trinity was built between the two world wars in the center of Banja Luka . Construction of the temple lasted from 1925 to 1929 , and was solemnly consecrated on Ascension Day in 1939 . When isceniranog German bombing , April 12, 1941 , the temple was hit and badly damaged the altar ( APSE ) . In May of that year Ustase temple declared a " mockery of the city " and ordered the Serbs , Jews and Roma to it , brick by brick , completely broken down."

OREGON

These cards come as surprise to me, Debbie sent this 4 beautiful card from Oregon as a thank you card for my official card.  Thank you for these cards and wonderful Batman forever stamps, my kids just love the stamps.

Debbie also sent me a Chrismas handmade card, How beautiful it is, I miss scrapping too..

BELARUS - Lighthouse

FINLAND - The Old Church of Petajavesi

"The Petäjävesi Old Church (Finnish: Petäjäveden vanha kirkko) is a wooden church located in Petäjävesi, Finland. It was built between 1763 and 1765, when Tavastia was still a part of Sweden. The bell tower was built in 1821. It was inscribed in 1994 on the UNESCO World Heritage List."

JAPAN

ENGLAND - Braithwaite

Braithwaite , a village in the Lake District in Cumbria, northern England.This is a very nice place to go for a holiday especially if you like walking or climbing mountains. Another great card from Gordon. Thank you!

MOROCCO - Mosques

Casablanca (Grand Mosque HASSAN II) - Marrkesh (Place Djemaa El Fna) - Rabat (Mausolee MOHAMMED V) -  Meknes (Bab Mansour ) - FES (Mosque KARAOUIYINE)

Thank you Sophia for the nice card.

CANADA - Ontario Parliament Buildings

Ontario Parliament Buildings:

Completed in 1880, the red sandstone building was reportedly haunted by ghosts of three woman and a soldier from an asylum formerly on the site.  Now it is politicians, tourists and students who haunt the richly decorated and glossy wood-paneled rooms.

Thank you Mary Ann for the wonderful Toronto card.

"The Ontario Legislative Building is a structure in central Toronto, Ontario, that houses the viceregal suite of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and offices for members of the provincial parliament. The building is surrounded by Queen's Park, sitting on that part south of Wellesley Street, which is the former site of King's College."

HAWAII - Sea Turtle

From Hawaii, Chloe sent this sea turtle card.  I just love the nice color on this card.  The card reads; Endangered sea turtles are making a dramatic comeback in Pacific water.  It is now a more familiar sight to diving enthusiasts.

RUSSIA - Russian Famous Rulers

ENGLAND - CARRS of Carlisle

"Carr's is the name of foodstuff and agricultural brands historically derived from founder Jonathan Dodgson Carr, but now owned and marketed by more than one separate company.

In 1831, Carr formed a small bakery and biscuit factory in the English city of Carlisle; he received a royal warrant in 1841. Within fifteen years of being founded, it was the largest baking business in Britain. His business was both a mill and a bakery, an early example of vertical integration, and he produced bread by night and biscuits by day. The biscuits were loosely based on dry biscuits used on long voyages by sailors. They could be kept crisp and fresh in tins, and despite their fragility could easily be transported to other parts of the country by canal and railway."