SWEDEN

AUSTRIA MAXICARD -

AUSTRIA MAXICARD

AUSTRIA MAXICARD

AUSTRIA MAXICARD

JAPAN - Maiko Girls enjoying Tea Ceremony in garden, Kyoto

"Maiko is an apprentice Geiko (not exactly same as geisha) in Kyoto, western Japan. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors during feasts. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become Geiko after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins.

Maiko originated from women who served green tea and dango (Japanese dumpling made from rice flour) to people who visited the Kitano Tenman-gū or Yasaka Shrine (these are the two of the famous shrines in Kyoto) at teahouses in the temple town about 300 years ago."

FRANCE - Un Poutou de Toulouse

GERMANY - Bird

Thanks to Antje.

FINLAND - Chocolate

Thanks to postcrosser Jorma for the card.

JAPAN - Tokyo Tower

"Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower located in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At 333 metres (1,093 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. Built in 1958, the tower's main sources of revenue are tourism and antenna leasing."

BULGARIA - Emine Lighthouse

RUSSIA - Butterfly

TAIWAN - Andalucia

This card is an artist who draw about a harbor of Yilan, a city in the eastern of Taiwan. Thanks to Carol for the card.

USA - Paintbrushes by Alison Shaw

'Paintbrushes' by Alison Shaw 2011/Corbis.  Thanks to Yulia for the card.

NETHERLANDS - Lida Dijikstra & Marije Tolman

Lida Dijikstra & Marije Tolman.  Thanks to Wilma for the card.

SLOVENIA - Zate

Thanks so much Iztok for the FDC of Urska Zolnir, who earned Gold medal on London Olympic Games.  And a couples of Slovenia stamps!

NORWAY - Arctic Norway

"Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign and unitary monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land. Until 1814, the Kingdom included the Faroe Islands (since 1035), Greenland (1261), and Iceland (1262)."

CHINA - Chinese Traditional Door

CHINA - CaoChangHeng Hutongs, Beijing

"Hutongs  are a type of narrow streets or alleys, commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, most prominently Beijing. In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighbourhoods. Since the mid-20th century, the number of Beijing hutongs has dropped dramatically as they are demolished to make way for new roads and buildings. More recently, some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history."

FINLAND - Lapi Lapland

Thanks to Stig for the card and enclosed used stamps!

"Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region, a sparsely populated area bordering Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic Sea. It’s known for its vast subarctic wilderness, ski resorts and natural phenomena including the midnight sun and the Northern Lights. Capital Rovaniemi is the gateway to the region. The homeland of the indigenous Sami people, which extends into neighboring countries, centers on the far north."