Tulips!

And, at least, great card from Netherlands! It's a card from Regina. Thanks a lot!
Great view, I think. So good colours, so bright! And tulips... My favourite flowers:) I wish I visit this place one day:)

Let's start Malaysia set!

O.K., I start to post Malaysia cards:) The first one card I posted is from Nurulhuda (she is a moderator of postcrossing forum, so, I think, nobody is against I've posted her card first:)).
Some good photos of Malaysia

Porto

And here is another card from my favourite Portugal:) Thank you, Maria!
I think that Portugal is amaizing counrty. People usually plan their travels to Italy, France, Spain... But I think Portugal is not less beautiful. And I think this way not because I support Portugal national footall team:) Take a look on Portugal!

My 100th official postcard:)

Yappi!! Yesterday I received my 100th official postcard (of caurse, I have much more postcards, but this is my 100th official, via postcrossing.com. It is from user "Around" and the card shows hte town named Savonlinna, and the castle named Olavinlinna (built in 1562). So nice names:)) Here is a link with some photos of this castle.
And I also wanna show you my first card. I've never been abroad (sadly, but true), and this is the first card I've ever received from other country. The card is from Mirkku (Finland, of caurse:)) Unfortunately, I don't know what the monument is this.
This card is the first, so very important for me.

Chukotka

I received two card from this part of Russia on a days. The card above (shown Zhivonachalnaya Hole Trinity cathedral in Anadyr) is from Anastasia, and the card below (with Siberia animals, also from Anadyr) is from my friend Liuda. Thank you, girls!



Chukotka is the most northeasterly region of Russia and, since the sale of Alaska to the United States, has been the only part of Russia lying partially in the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered on the east by the Bering Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, and to the north by the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea, which are part of the Arctic Ocean. Chukotka has an area of 737,700 km2 (284,800 sq mi) and a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census. The principal town and administrative center is Anadyr.

Lake El'gygytgyn, an important site for scientific research on climate change, is located in Chukotka, as is the village of Uelen, the closest substantial Russian settlement to the United States.

The Itapuã Lighthouse

I think, every postcrosser has his own collection of postcards with something special. Tha most popular collections are: moomins, Kaj Stenvall, Hello, Kitty!, national clothes, Disney etc. And many people collect lighthouses. I do not. I mean, I don't do anything for take one more lighthouse to my collection. I have 3 now, here is 1 of them.
The card is from Valeria. It shows the Itapuã Lighthouse (built in 1873). Unfortunatelu, I can't tell you something more about it, 'cos I didn't find the information:( Sorry:( So just enjoy the view:)

Taipei City

I have two... No, three cards from Taiwan. Here is one of them. It's a thank you-card from Yin. Thank you, Yin!

Photos of Taipei

St. Louis

These are cards from St.Louis (Missouri). Thank you, Chris!
The city has many nicknames, the most popular being "Gateway City", as it is seen as the Eastern/Western US dividing mark. St. Louis is also called "Gateway to the West" on behalf of the many people who migrated west through St. Louis via the Missouri River (first leg of the Oregon Trail) and other wagon trails.

Tallinn

And here is my first viewcard from Estonia:) Thank you, Rita!
Nice, I love night (or evening) views (yes, I said it again:)).

Tallinn photos

A very familiar-looking ducks

I am a fan of Finnish paintner Kaj Stenvall (does anybody know how to pronouce his name in English?). One day I received a card via official postcrossing (this card is above, named "To be enjoyed in good company and candlelight" (2006), from Heli) and, to be honest, I thought: "Ummm... What?" And only when I became a postcrossing forum member, I found out more about him and his art.
Here is my second card, "The after glow" (1991), from Sari:



So, Kaj Stenvall first came to the attention of the Finnish art world about ten years ago when he began to paint a very familiar-looking duck in a variety of settings. Stenvall asserts that this character has been developed by himself, even while acknowledging its similarity to the most famous duck in the world. The scenes in his pictures are from the world at large and his duck often appears in absurd, if recognizably generic, settings. There really is nothing in his paintings that one can put their finger on to connect them to any particular corner of the world, especially not to Finland, except perhaps a specific intensity of angst and foreboding. [...]
[...] Stenvall insists that his images do not have any connection with his own life, stating that:

"The duck is more of a symbol; the material of an intermediary; and a symbol of Man. The character illustrates the dilemma of being human. The duck, as such, doesnґt symbolize anything to me personally. It is used as a catalyst in the process of how it will be interpreted in the eye of the beholder."

My third card, received today from Essi ("With one touch" (2007)):



I love this, the idea is very creative! I deceided to gather my own collection of the "familiar-looking ducks":)

About persistence

I am a very persistent girl:D When I say: "I want a card from Luxembourg" - it means I'll get a card from Luxembourg:)) Maybe even not one card:))) Well, I just need to pester people with a question: "Do you wanna exchange with me? Pleaaaase!" Too bad postcrossing isn't popular in Lux:( There are only 50 registered users, and a half of them are not interested in private swaps:( And a half of the interested have not been visiting the site for a long time:( So it's really hard to find somebody who wants a card from Ukraine. But, as I told before, I'm very, very persistent:))) And I found Alice. Thank you, Alice, for your beautiful cards! Here is one of them. Isn't it nice? I think, it's really nice:)
And maybe there are only 50 users because Luxembourg is small? It's really small country, the area is only 2,586 km2. It's like a... Like Ottawa, for example:) (even smaller). So, this country is like a city in another countries!
And they have a very nice motto: "We want to remain what we are". I like it:)

UK time

Another exam has passed good:)



This is Brighton, a town in East Sussex on the south coast of England. As I know, it is a place where rich people spend their vacations:) I didn't find photos of them, but here is other pictures of life ih this town.



From Keeley.

Israel cards

I passed one of the hardest exams today, yay! I'm proud of myself:)



And these are cards from beautiful and interesting coutry - Israel. I received it from my friend Anna over a year ago.



I have few friends from Israel and because of them I'm interesting in this country. Here is some beautiful photos of Jerusalem (link is also taken from my friend's journal:)). Nightviews are awesome:)

Forbidden City

Great card from Alice. It's a picture of the most famous UNESCO object in China, Forbidden City. Looks like a painting, yes:)?

The Forbidden City, situated in the very heart of Beijing, was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The construction of the grand palace started in the fourth year of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (1406), and ended in 1420. In ancient times, the emperor claimed to be the son of Heaven, and therefore Heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperors’ residence on earth was built as a replica of the Purple Palace where God was thought to live in Heaven. Such a divine place was certainly forbidden to ordinary people and that is why the Forbidden City is so named.

Pictures

Carnaval in Venice

Card from Isa. Thanks, Isa! I always wanted to have a card with a carnaval mask:)
I chose this card from offer-list. Usually I don't do this, I prefer surprises. But sometimes I look through offer-lists of some people and think: "I would like to get this card! And this... And this one!" So I don't even know what is better - to know what you get or do not know?

Greeeen

I am a good girl today - I passed 2 exams, uploaded another layout to my blog (very nice and creative, I think:) I like to change layouts), bought a lot of postcards for swaps... :)



I received this awesome card from Jane. Thanks a lot, Jane! If you ask me what kind of cards I like the most, I can honestly answer: "Brightful and colourful!" Like this. And yes, one more - green is my favourite colour:)

"First card" again!

I love the days, when I find in my mail-box lots of postcards. But sometimes I receive just one, but awesome. Today is the one of these days. It's a card from Rumiko, my first card from Croatia. I would love to visit Croatia one day, I think it's a wonderful country. If I had time and money, I would like to make a little trip: Hungary-Czech Republic-Croatia. These countries are not so far from Ukraine (well, at least not so far as Japan or Canada - the countries I also want to visit:)), they are very nice, with very interesting cultures. And they are so... familiar. Don't know how to describe my feelings, but... Well, hope you understand:)
Thank you, Rumiko!

Minsk again

This is another nice card from Minsk. Спасибо, Оля! Looks very stylish. I mean, some of our cards are too simple (for me): just photos, without creavity. And I think we must take an example from our neighbours:) On a first sight on this card you see just a photo too, but this is a professional photo. With lights, good coloring. With taste.

Moscow viewcard (finally!)

It's a miracle - I've got card from Moscow:) ! Don't know why, but I have big problems with this: when I send a card to Moscow (without an envelope or even with it), 90% that it'll not find its new home:( Don't know why. My cards to other Russian cities usually come... Usually come:) Maybe Moscow do special face-control to cards from other countries:)?
Anyway, this card is from Kate. Thanks, Kate, for the first (and the only one) my viewcard from Moscow!

A card from Basque Country

This card - from Andoni. The card shows night view of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque Country.

- The Basque Country (autonomous community) (Comunidad Autonoma Vasca, Euskadi, País Vasco or Vascongadas), an autonomous community of Spain, composed with Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa.
- The Basque Country (greater region) (Euskal Herria, País Vasco, Pays Basque), the approximate cultural area of Basque culture and language. It is made up of the Spanish provinces of Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, the Autonomous Community of Navarre, and the French areas (not recognized as administrative regions) of Lower Navarre, Labourd and Soule.
- The Northern Basque Country (Iparralde, Pays Basque or Pays Basque Nord), the northern part of Euskal Herria, in France, with Lower Navarre, Labourd and Soule.

So nice! I like Spanish cards and like nightviews, so it's pleasure x2 for me:))

Hong Kong

This my first (and only one) card from Hong Kong. It's actually a thank you-card from Mandy. I took her address on the official site and wrote that it's my first card TO Hong Kong. And she decided to send me a card back, because she want to send me my first card FROM Hong Kong:) Very sweet:)
Some of my friend think that Hong Kong is the part of China. But it's wrong. Hong Kong officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is a territory in East Asia, located south of Guangdong and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south. Hong Kong is largely self-governing, has its own currency, legal and political systems, a high degree of autonomy in all areas except foreign affairs and defence, and is generally not considered part of mainland China. The name "Hong Kong" in the English language is an approximate phonetic rendering of the Cantonese or Hakka pronunciation of the Chinese name "香港", meaning "fragrant harbour".
More about Hong Kong

Love nightviews.

Waterfire

This interesting card (from Andrea) is from "very pretty event... called Waterfire".
Description on a card: "The ninety-seven bonfires, blazing just above the surface of the Providence River, make up the artistic creation of Barnaby Evans' magnificent WaterFire display. The dazzling brilliance of the bonfires, accompanied by the enchanting blend of world and classical music, make this work of art one of the greatest symbols of Providence's ongoing renaissance".

Queen Victoria and Parlament buildings

And here is a card from one of my most favourite countries:) It's Queen Victoria and Parlament buildings in British Columbia, built in honour of Queen Victoria. The card came to me from Abby. Thanks, Abby!
I said that Canada is one of my favourite countries. Don't remember if I said it before, but my other most favourite countries are France, Portugal, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Yeah:)
It would be interesting to visit Canada some day. It's a very nice country with big Ukrainian diaspora so I think it's a nice place for me to live in:)

Leipzig

I received this nice card from Sandra, we met on Facebook. Thank you, Sandra!
Very good idea - to make a photo from above the street. It's like you are watching on people, cars, umbrellas from the plan or high building. Or like you are a bird and just fly through the street:)

Hida Area

This card is from Saeko (thank you!). She wrote that all Japanese people now enjoing the cherry blossoms. I want too! Do you? Go here. But, of caurse, it's better to do this not on photos:) I wish I go to Japan one day;)

Nightview

These days I received lots of nightview cards. I like them all. I like nightviews. In the night light everything looks specially. I'm looking on this card and I wanna be there - to walk through the quay, to breathe fresh air... And yes, nightviews are so romantic:) How do you think:)?
This awesome card came to me from Atali. Thank you very much!

Berlin

Some of my cards from the capital of Germany, the lagrest city in EU (after London).



This beautiful viewcard - from Sabine.



And this card with well-known building is from Ronald. (You know what is this, yes? It's Reichstag, the top of it)



TV Tower (from Yvonne).




And this awesome viewcard came to me from Helga.

Berlin looks great! I would like to visit it someday. I wanna see all famous places, eat traditional food. Unfortunately, I don't speak German (I have to learn English at first:)), but many of my friends do, so it would be good to make a trip with them:)
And I thought I want a card with the Brandendurg Gate. It looks so majestic, and so magical in night lights...

Portugal rules!

Great card. So... blue. Unforunately I don't know the name of the sender (I know only nickname). But thank you anyway!

P.S. Yeah, looks like I have to clean my scanner:))) *shy*

Norvegian postcards set

These cards are from... Sorry, don't know how to say it right... But it is written "Per Erik Lantz". So it's probably from men:)))
Very nice. To be honest, I like cards from Western Europe the most. It would be nice to receive cards from Sweden and Denmark (I still have no), and from Austria. And more from Switzerland. And yes, from Luxembourg... And... And I'n waiting for European cards:))
Do you know what is "fjord"? It's "a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity". You can see it on a first card. Impressive. And here is a lot of beautiful Norvegian photos. Do you know that Norway is the best country to live in? I heard it on TV. So let's pack our bags and go to Norvay! :)

One of the Holland's cards

I received this beautiful multiview from Petula. That was very nice - I tagged her in ome of the tags and than she immediately tagged me in another tag (maybe because she wanted to send me a card back in that way:)?).
Very nice card. I like it.

And one more first card

And here is my first card from Belarys:) It's strange and funny, but I have just few cards from ex-USSR countries. Hope I'm improving soon:)
And this card is very beautiful. Really. Спасибо, Оля!

Another "map" card

I received this card from Caroline. Well, it's not exectly map-card, it's emblem-card. Very interesting, I think. And it would be great if in our country we also publish cards like this. But, unfortunately, our cards are still too simple (as for me) and the assortment is too narrow.

Yes!

Yes, my first card from Rome! I'm sooo glad! This is my only second Italian card and I don't wanna stop:)) Here is a site with lots os pictures (not only Rome, the whole Italy).
Now I'm thinking about one of my favourite movies, "Roman Hoilday" :) I feel that I need to watch it once agan:) I just want it soo much:)
Grazia Illaria!

Another card from Asia

And this card is from another capital, from Beijing. I received it from Chang (thank you very much!).

"Accummlated Beauty Hill (Dui Xiu Shan) is a little artificial mountain with a cave. It is located to the northeast. Fountains play around it and the Pavilion of Imperial View is on top of the mountain. The Qing Emperors would climb up to the Pavilion on the Double Yang Festival to enjoy the scenery with the royal family".

UNESCO card

This beautiful card shows the Charlottenburg Palace, the largest palace in Berlin and one of the Germany's WHL places. Well, I can't tell you more. Just because I don't think it's wise to repeat everything from Wikipedia:) (personally I don't know anything about this palace, except it's really beautiful:)). So you can (if you want) read about it here.
As always, link to an offisial site.
It's strange, but I can't find the site with more than two photos of this palace... hmmm... But you can do it by yourself. I'm sure you will not be dissapionted, the pakace is really awesome!
I have many Germany's postcards, but this card is probably one of the most "WOW!" I would be happy to receive a nightview card with this palace.

Another "first card"

Woohoo, my first card from Singapore! Thanks, Lee! I like the coloring of this card:)
Here is an official site about Singapore with info for tourists. And, of course, photos. First site...
... and second site (not many, but nice photos).
I read a lot about Singapore and interesting in Singapore culture. For me it's second must-to-visit Asian country (after Japan).
Hope to get more soon:)

YAY!

I was pleased of today's mail:) Well, I'm always pleased of a mail, but today I was especially pleased, because due to illness I didn't go for a walk and stay home. I have a sore throat and, actually, I'm feeling not very good now:( but I received a few very nice cards today and it's made me... well, almost happy:))
I'm very thankful to Heather for this one. My friends know, that I'm a big sports-fan:))) I'm addicted to figure skating, tennis and cycling. And football (soccer). And I know a lot about athletics and swimming. And... I like almost every kind of sport:))
I respect Lance Armstrong very much. He is a Man, a Hero, a True Athlet. I wanted to give you a link on my post (I made a post about Lance in my journal), but oh well, it's on Russian:)) So I'll just post here a link on Wiki. I think, people who don't know about Lance and his story, must know this.

ummm... Does anybody have a card with the Schleck brothers:)))))? If yes - let me know:)

US time

Time to upload US-cards:) This one is from Krista. Very bright and colorful posrcard, I like it.

So, what do I know about Minnesota and Saint-Paul? Nothing:)) Just about University of Minnesota. Does every American state have it's own University? Whe I was younger and if I dreamt about long-time living in another country (in USA, for example), I thought it would be nice to study in Harvard:)))