JERSEY - Corbiere Lighthouse

New addition to my lighthouse collection! Thanks Sabrina for the swap.

"La Corbière (Jèrriais: La Corbiéthe) is the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brelade. The name means "a place where crows gather", deriving from the word corbîn meaning crow. However, seagulls have long since displaced the crows from their coastal nesting sites.

The rocks and extreme tidal variation around this stretch of Jersey's coast have been treacherous for navigation and La Corbière has been the scene of many shipwrecks, including that of the mail packet "Express" on 20 September 1859."

LATVIA

The card shows the view of - The Blackheads House; The National Opera; The Convent Yard; Three Brothers; A view from the Dome Square; The Dome Cathedral; St Peter's-Paul's Orthodox Church; The Power Tower; St. Peter's Church.

Thanks to Agnese for the swap!

Malaysia - Hari Raya Card

NETHERLANDS - Door

Thanks to postcrosser Monique for the card.

SLOVENIA -The Sečovlje Salina Nature Park

Thanks to dear Karmen for the nice card.

"The Sečovlje Salina Landscape Park (Slovene: Krajinski park Sečoveljske soline) is a landscape park in southwestern Slovenia covering the Sečovlje Saltworks near the village of Sečovlje. The salt evaporation pond covers an area of 16.1 hectares while saltworks lie along the mouth of the river Dragonja, covering an area of 650 hectares. The salt is produced in the traditional way based on a 700-year-old method that harmonizes man and nature."

FIJI - Bure (Village House)

Not much card in the mailbox these days, been a slow month and I have not sent out much either. I have been busy at work and it's Ramadan/fasting month so time are more spend with family.

And today, one awesome card from Fiji arrived in my mailbox! It's my first written and stamp card from the islands. Thanks to Lui for helping out.

The writing on the back of the postcard say:  This traditional Fijian home is constructed almost entirely from materials originating from the coconut palm.  While the use of man-made materials is becoming more predominant, these traditional structures are still a common sight along Fiji's roadside villages.

The stamp was issued in 2015 in set of 4 stamps depict Endangered Wildlife - Flying Fox.  All 4 stamps bear the logo of Nature Fiji.

Principat d' ANDORRA

This card shows the view of: Ransol(left), Casade la Vall (Right) and Santuari de Meritxell (bottom). Thanks to Ana for the swap!

Ransol is a village in Andorra, located in the parish of Canillo. The Ransol valley is particularly noted for the diversity of its flora and fauna. In 2006, the village had 188 inhabitants.

Casa de la Vall is a historical house in Andorra la Vella, Andorra. It is the headquarters of the General Council of Andorra. It lies just to the southwest of the Andorra National Library. It is a heritage property registered in the Cultural Heritage of Andorra. Built in 1580 as a manor and tower defense by the Busquets family. In 1702 it was acquired by the Consell de la Terra.

Our Lady of Meritxell/Santuari de Meritxell is an Andorran Roman Catholic statue depicting an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Our Lady of Meritxell is the patron saint of Andorra. The original statue dated from the late 12th century.

The stamp used was issued on 7/4/2014 which mark the 30th anniversary of the cease in transmissions of Radio Andorra and was sent from Spain post.

Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra (Catalan: Principat d'Andorra), also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a sovereign landlocked microstate on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south.

Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 square kilometres and a population of approximately 77,281.

It is known as a principality as it is a diarchy headed by two Co-Princes: the Catholic Bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain and the President of France.

ROMANIA - Tusnad

From my postcard pal, Vlad sent Tusnad view.

Băile Tușnad is a town in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. With a population of 1,617, it is the smallest town in Romania by population. It is located at an altitude of 650 metres in the southern reaches of the Ciuc depression, between the Harghita and Bodoc mountains, in the valley of the Olt.

The town and the surrounding area are famous for their spas and mineral waters received from seven springs. Nearby is the Lake Sfânta Ana, a famous volcanic crater lake, the only one of its kind in Romania.

Mail from Flight MH17

This letter greet me when I return home from work. Such an emotional moment to read this letter. Dutch Post have done a very good deed by sending it back to the recipient. Kudos to them!

"Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down on 17 July 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. Contact with the aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, was lost when it was about 50 km (31 mi) from the Ukraine–Russia border and wreckage of the aircraft fell near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 40 km (25 mi) from the border. The shoot-down occurred in the War in Donbass, during the Battle of Shakhtarsk, in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels. The crash was Malaysia Airlines' second aircraft loss during 2014 after the disappearance of Flight 370 on 8 March.

The Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) was used extensively in operations against the rebels, and several UAF aircraft had been shot down over the rebel-controlled territory, both before and after the MH17 incident. Immediately after the crash, a post appeared on the VKontakte social media profile attributed to Igor Girkin, leader of the Donbass separatist militia, claiming responsibility for shooting down a Ukrainian An-26 military transporter near Torez. This post was removed later the same day, and the separatists then denied shooting down any aircraft.  In late July 2014, communications intercepts were made public in which, it is claimed, separatists are heard discussing an aircraft that they had downed. A video from the crash site, recorded by the rebels and obtained by News Corp Australia, shows the first rebel soldiers to arrive at the crash site. At first they assumed that the downed aircraft was a Ukrainian military jet, and were dismayed when they started to realise that it was a civilian airliner."

TANZANIA - Children with a catch of rays, Uroa Bay, Zanzibar

Amazing cards arrived in my mailbox today, happy day!.  The first card is from Tanzania and this would be my first written and stamps card from the country. I have had one from Zanzibar but it was a blank card so I am happy to get this.

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Just have to share what Abir wrote on her card.

"When you visit Zanzibar, it is impossible to miss all the fishing boats, fishermen nets and rods sailing into the ocean and fresh coconut water.  The children perform acrobats afterschool by the ocean outlining the Island.  As I walk through stone town, I am welcomed by its magical jumble of cobbled alleyways.  A beautiful historical town filled  by the aroma of street vendors, burning incense and the sound of the call to prayer roaming the streets.  Zanzibar's rich cultural melange come to life: Arabic-style houses with their recessed inner courtyards rub shoulders with Indian-influenced buildings boasting omate balconies and latticework and bustling oriental bazaars alternate with street-side vending stalls."

Thanks a lot Abir for the awesome card and great information!

TANZANIA - Maasai's dancing, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Abir second card shows the Maasai's dancing.  She wrotes that, "Tanzania mainland is full of rich cultures, tribes and traditions.  Scientists have proven that the beginning of mankind and life of the universe all started here! One of the world's oldest tribes are the Masai, a nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people. They are fierce warriors who have preserved their customs and traditions as well as language."

Thank you so much Abir!

ISLE OF MAN - David Jefferies

The third card is from Isle of Man showing the late rider David Jefferies.  Thanks James!

"Allan David Jefferies (18 September 1972 – 29 May 2003) was a British motorcycle racer. He died after crashing during practice for the 2003 TT races."

CUBA - Sede del Governo Provincial, Cienfuegos

My 3rd card from Cuba, thanks to Frank.

ICELAND - Aurora Borealis

My first written and stamp card from Iceland. I have a card from Iceland before but it was unwritten so I'm happy to get this, love the clear postmark too.  Flor sent me this magnificent view of Aurora borealis and traditional Icelandic houses, - thank you!

Aurora borealis or northern lights originate from solar jets of electrons entering the atmosphere.

USA - Albuquerque and Ohio

We swap for multiple cards and magnet in an envelope.  Thanks Chayah.

"Albuquerque  is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is a high-altitude city and serves as the county seat of Bernalillo County, and it is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 555,417 as of the July 1, 2012, population estimate from the United States Census Bureau and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S.

Albuquerque is the 59th-largest United States metropolitan area. The Albuquerque MSA population includes the city of Rio Rancho, Bernalillo, Placitas, Corrales, Los Lunas, Belen, Bosque Farms, and forms part of the larger Albuquerque – Santa Fe – Las Vegas combined statistical area, with a total population of 1,163,964 as of the July 1, 2013 Census Bureau estimates. With its population growing bigger over the years, Albuquerque is the fastest growing city in New Mexico."

"Youngstown is a city in the state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County. The city was named for John Young, an early settler from Whitestown, New York, who established the community's first sawmill and gristmill.

Youngstown is in a region of the United States that is often referred to as the Rust Belt. Traditionally known as a center of steel production, Youngstown was forced to redefine itself when the U.S. steel industry fell into decline in the 1970s, leaving communities throughout the region without major industry."

"Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States Presidential Memorial, a National Historic Landmark District in present-day Lincoln City, Indiana. It preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived with his family from 1816 to 1830. During that time, he grew from a 7-year-old boy to a 21-year-old man. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and at least 27 other settlers were buried here in the Pioneer Cemetery."

CHINA - Miao Village, Guizhou Province

Thanks to postcrosser Yujia for the great view of Miao village, love the green view of the village.

"Miao Village is about 37 kilometers from Leishan County and about 80 kilometers away from Kaili. It takes about an hour to travel to Xijiang from Kaili by automobile. It is one of the biggest of the Miao villages in Guizhou Province, much of the rest of the town is still traditional architecture and people walking on the farmer’s paths can see the nice scenery that includes a river valley with terraced fields, intricate wooden houses built in their architectural style, and farmer’s working the land with their oxen. The women still dress up in lots of ornamental silver jewelry."

LUXEMBOURG - City Flowers IV by Sandra Jacobs

Thanks to Valerie for the card and nice stamps.

RUSSIA - The Smolny Cathedral

The cathedral look so lovely with the blue sky background, it matches the cathedral color! Thanks to Saniya for the card.

"Smolny Cathedral was originally intended to be the central church of a monastery, built to house the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, after she was disallowed to take the throne and opted instead to become a nun. However, as soon as her Imperial predecessor was overthrown during a coup, carried out by the royal guards, Elizabeth decided to forget the whole idea of a stern monastic life and happily accepted the offer of the Russian throne."

TURKMENISTAN - Modern Ashgabat

Yippee..my first card from Turkmenistan, country #145.  Kjersti wrote  in her card that Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world, but there is a lot of great things to see and do here.

Thanks a lot Kjersti for sending this card from your vacation. It sure looks like a nice place to visit.

"Ashgabat (Turkmen: Aşgabat,; Persian: اشک آباد‎; Russian: Ашхаба́д, tr. Ashkhabad]) between 1919 and 1927, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan in Central Asia, situated between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. The 2001 census estimated a population of 695,300, while the 2009 census estimated a population of 1 million, primarily Turkmen people, with ethnic minorities of Russians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis."

This card from Turkmenistan now completes the Central Asia part of my world collection!

GUERNSEY - Flavour of Guernsey

This card shows the multi view of Guernsey.  Thanks to Maya from Jersey for sending a card from Guernsey. Such a nice view, I would love to spend a day there..