Taiwan: Yilan

This card was sent all the way from New Taipei City, Taiwan by Tina:

Tina said it shows an abor in Luodong Sports Park, Yilan, and that she thinks it's very special even though it is not a historically important spot.

Luodong is a town in Yilan county, that is mainly known for this beautifully landscaped sports park. The name of the town is derived from a word meaning "monkey", and is a reference to the fact that about half a century ago, there was a very large population of monkeys in that area.

Yilan county is in the northeast corner of the country and gets its name from the aboriginal Kavalan tribe. Pin It

China: art

I received this colorful art card from Riddle who lives in Shanghai, China

Unfortunately, the card was sent without a message, and there is no description on the back of the name of the painting or who painted it. I would've liked to know more about it.

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Netherlands: dachshund

From Carla who lives in Raalte, the Netherlands:

This is an adorable card, and combines my love of dachshunds with something typical for the country: the wooden clogs or "klompen" as they call them in Dutch. Since I have two dachshunds myself, it's not that hard to see why I love the dachshund in the card, but it's great to see the combination with the more artistic clog.

Clogs are wooden shoes, and are found in many different countries in Europe (the Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and several more). The exact origin of these shoes are hard to determine, because wood eventually rots so there aren't that many clogs found in excavations. Plus clogs that were no longer fit to be worn, were oftentimes just used as firewood.

The oldest wooden footwear that still exist today, are found in the Netherlands and date back to the 1200's. They look surprisingly similar to the style that they still around today, even though most people no longer wear the wooden clogs in everyday life. It has become more of a traditional thing now. Some exceptions are farmers and gardeners, but mainly people have replaced them with the more lightweight leather or synthetic ones.

In the Netherlands, the "klompen" have officially been accepted as safety shoes as an alternative to the steel capped boots. They are effective against sharp objects and some concentrated acids, but since wood cracks rather than dents, they are actually safer than the steel capped variety since they don't have the risk of putting a lot of pressure on the toes in case of a serious accident. It also makes for easier removal of the shoe.

Well, I never thought of clogs doubling as safety shoes, but there you have it...  Until next time!


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Lithuania: sand dune

From Almis in Vilnius, Lithuania:

             The card shows some sand dunes with the setting sun creating light patterns on the sand.

I love the playful patterns of light on the sand! So pretty...

Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic States. These are three territories that gained independence from the Russian empire after WWI, and the other two territories are Estonia and Latvia. It borders Latvia, Poland, Belarus and a Russian enclave. Vilnius is the capital of the country, as well as the largest city in Lithuania. The first time Vilnius was mentioned as the Lithuanian capital was in 1323.

The Lithuanian lands were united in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1253, which was the largest European country during the 14th century, including present-day Ukraine and Belarus, as well as parts of Poland and Russia. For a while, Lithuania and Poland formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, until 1918, when Lithuania became a sovereign state again.

During the 1940's, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, with the Soviet Union occupying them again after the war. Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare its independence in 1990. They are a member of NATO, the European Union and the Council of Europe. They are also listed as "Very High Human Development" on the Human Development Index of the United Nations.

Vilnius is known for its Old Town, with beautiful architecture, which was classified as UNESCO World Heritage in 1994. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture.                                                                         Pin It

Brazil: food

Today's card is from Flavio from Ribeirao Preto, Brazil

Just looking at it makes me hungry :)  The text on the card reads:

A melhor carne. o melhor trigo, os melhores recheios. Esfihas ou kibes, de todos os tipos e sabores. Venha saborear nossas delicias arabes feitas com carinho para voce e sua familha!

 According to Google translate (and a little bit of my own common sense) it translates to:

The best meat. the best wheat, the best toppings. Sfiha or kibes of all types and flavors. Come taste our delicacies Arabs made ​​with love for you and your family!

 "sfiha" and "kibe" are Arab dishes that have made it to the Latin American countries during the early 20th century.

Sfiha is a pizza-like dish. Traditional sfiha are open-faced meat pies made with ground mutton. In Brazil, they are often folded into triangular pastries.

Kibe is made of burgul (crushed grains), minced onions and ground red meat, usually beef, lamb or goat. Most often they're in the shape of a torpedo and fried, but they can come in ball shapes or patties as well. It's one of those dishes that come in several variations.

I guess I might need to try some new dishes, from the pictures it sure looks good! Pin It

Poland: puppies

These really cute puppies were sent by Natasha from Gdansk, Poland:

I'm not sure of the breed of Bonnie and Clyde, but they look adorable!

Gdansk is the most important seaport in Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province.

Settlements in this area date back to the 7th century, possibly earlier. In 980 they built a stronghold there, connecting Poland to the trade routes of the Baltic Sea.

In May 1457 the city got the Great Privilege, meaning they were granted autonomy within the kingdom of Poland. This gave them independent jurisdiction, legislation and administration. In return, they had to allow the king to stay there for 3 days a year and allow him to choose a permanent envoy from eight councilmen they proposed.

The main industries are shipbuilding, food processing, and chemical industries. Since most of the world's amber deposits are along the Baltic coast, amber processing is also a big part of the local industry.

During the summer, the area is a big tourist destination. Some of the main sights are the city gates, the prison tower and torture chamber, Long Street and Long Market, and some historical churches.

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Finland: cute dog

From Riita, living in Kajaani, Finland:

It doesn't show in the picture, but the card sparkles, and it adds to the cuteness.

There's not much I can really tell about this card, so I'll focus on the place it was sent from.

Kajaani is the capital city of the Kainuu region, and one of the cities founded by the Governor General of Finland in 1651. In those days, the area was very rich in wood, and so the main industry was tar derived from pine woods.

Until the Russians blew it up in 1716, there was a castle in the city called Kajaani castle. It functioned as the administrative center, military stronghold and prison. The best known prisoner of this place was Johannes Messenius, who was accused of, and charged with, conspiring with king Sigismund and the Jesuits. He was so known for writing the Scondia Illustrata (detailing Sweden's history) while he was imprisoned. You can still see the ruins on the island. It's listed as the smallest stone-castle in Europe, as well as the northernmost castle in the world.

Nowadays the important industries are sawmill and lumber. The paper industry used to be a third big one, but since it was no longer profitable, the paper mill closed in 2008. The military base Kainuu Brigade is the largest garisson in Finland and also a big employer. Pin It

Spain: Palma de Mallorca

Back to the sun: a card from Elaine who live on the island of Mallorca:

I like how with this nightview you can see all the reflections in the water. The big building is the cathedral of the city Palma de Mallorca. According to Elaine, it sits right by the water so it can be seen from the beach.

The full name of the city is Palma de Mallorca, but it often gets shortened to just Palma. It is the major port on the island, as well as the capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. These Balearic Islands (an archipelago just east of the peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea) form a province of Spain. The 4 main islands are Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The two main languages are Catalan and Castilian Spanish.

Palma was founded (together with Pollentia on the other side of the island) as a Roman camp where there used to be a Talaiotic settlement, and saw several Vandal sackings, was reconquered by the Byzantine, colonized by the Moors and finally incorporated under the Crown of Aragon by James I.

Now the 4 big islands are popular tourist attractions, but there are a lot more very small islands surrounding these bigger ones. The huge rise in tourism though has equally brought a rise in immigration. The number of visitors grew from 500,000 in 1960 to more than 19,200,000 in 2001 (not counting the 1.5 million that came by boat rather than plane).

One of the biggest factors for tourism is the nice temperatures year round: on average 16C (60F) in winter to 29C (85F) in summer.

Next to the obvious attraction of the beach, some of the main sights are of course the cathedral, the Placa d'Espanya, the Old City and the Banys Arabs (Arabian Baths) Pin It

Belarus: Minsk

Another country to add to my list :) Today's card is from Andrew, who lives in Minsk, Belarus:

The card shows the sculptural composition "Independent Belarus" at Nezalezhnasti square. In the image on the right you can see the sculpture and its surroundings, the picture on the left is a close-up of the sculpture that shows the inscribed plaque on it. Nezalezhnasti square translates to Independence Square.

Unfortunately I don't read Russian, so I'll trust Mr. Google  on trying to find out more. Which turns out to be extremely limited. I finally got a vague description that says it's a text praising Lukashenko.

Lukashenko refers to Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, who has been serving as the President of Belarus since July 1994. According to Wikipedia, there's been some issues with his government when it comes to International Law and Humand Rights, and is under sanctions from the European Union for Human Rights violations. Belarus is referred to as "the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe."

After he won the elections back then, he tried to reunited the Slavic states and create the Union State. After a referendum in 1996, the Constitution was changed, giving Lukashenko a lot more power and in effect turning the presidency into a "legal dictatorship". The U.S. and the European Union refused to accept the legitimacy.

He got re-elected in 2001, and during this term a referendum was passed that eliminated the limit on presidential terms, so he got to run for president again afterwards. The country grew economically, but that was largely due to importing Russian oil cheaper than market prices, and refining and selling it to Europe.

In 2005 he ran again for president, and opposition groups wanted one candidate that everyone could rally behind to create a stronger opposing force. Lukashenko threathened everyone going to opposition rallies would have their necks wrung. Of course he won again, and all 25 European countries declared these elections fundamentally flawed. Russia however claimed they were biased. Lukashenko admitted that he had rigged the elections against himself to show a result that seemed more western (as in: not as obvious that everyone voted for him, but making it look like the opposition actually had a decent amount of votes.).

You know, this gets quite repetitive, he did the same things in the next elections, and won again. Some of his opposition candidates were under media attacks from Russia, and two actually got beaten by police officers, and then abducted from the hospital they were receiving care at.

So as of January 2011, he's under a travel ban, meaning him and a bunch of his associates are not allowed to travel to European countries.

As I see these facts here in front of me, I've decided that's all I'm going to say on the subject. They're the facts I got off Wikipedia. I have a feeling adding personal feelings and opinions to this mix can only mean trouble and that's not what I want for my blog (if anyone even reads my ramblings that is).

Until next card




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Germany: Wehr

Moni from Stuttgart, Germany sent me this card from her hometown Wehr in the Black Forest region here in Germany:

WEHR- suedlicher Schwarzwald 290 - 900 m. Erholungsort zwischen Hotzenwald und Dinkelberg am Augsgang, des nach Sueden offenen, romantischen Wehratales - mit Stausee. Sportflugplatz Huetten im Bild rechts oben.

According to Moni, this town is on the southern edge of the Black Forest, very close to France and Switzerland.  The picture looks like it was taken from a plane, but if I imagine being closer to the ground, it reminds me a bit of where I am living here in Bavaria. There's still a lot of open fields and trees around here as well. That's one thing I love about living here: the balance between towns and nature. Towns are clearly defined, and around them there's fields and trees and wildlife still. Not like so many places where everything's been built full to where you can't tell where one town ends and the next begins if it weren't for the city limit signs.

Wehr and Stuttgart are in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, with Stuttgart being the capital of the state. Some other bigger and well-known cities are Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Freiburg.

There is one lake in this state, Lake Constance or in German it's actually called the Bodensee. It was formed during the Ice Age by the Rhine Glacier. This lake is the connecting point between Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was first mentioned by a Roman geographer around 43 AD. He saw that the Rhine flows through two lake and named them Lacus Venetus (Obersee, or upper lake) and Lacus Acronius (Untersee or lower lake). Later it was named Lacus Brigantinus for the Roman city of Brigantium, which is now known as Bregenz.

When I was about 18 (give or take a year or two, I don't remember exactly), my parents took me and my brother to this lake on one of our summer trips. I still think back on that trip with very fond memories (but to be honest I treasure all of my memories of our trips). We were staying on the German side, in a city named Lindau. It's actually a peninsula jutting out into the lake.

One of my favorites memories from that trip, is one night that me and my dad were walking along the lake, and I know he treasures that moment just as much as I do. It was just him and me that night, my mom and brother decided to stay behind as it was getting late and we were actually walking back to our hotel. My dad and I decided to go up the path along the lake just a short while and then turn back. At one point we looked out over the lake and were amazed by the way it looked. Neither one of us knows the exact circumstances that triggered it, be it the way the moonlight shone down on the water or something else, but the whole water surface looked like a shimmering rainbow, extremely pretty. We told my mom about it when we got back to where she was waiting and actually went back up that path a few nights while we were there, but we never saw those colors on the water again.

My second favorite memory of that trip was going to the town of Salem (no, not the witch hunt one, that one's in the U.S.). There's this park there (for lack of a better word) called Affenberg. It's a wooded area of about 20 acres, with only an outer fence spanning the perimeter. Nothing unusual, until you learn that there's about 200 monkeys (Barbary apes) who have free range of the terrain. No fences, no ditches and no cages. You can walk on a path through this woods and actually touch the animals. Or sit on a bench watching a small group of monkeys a little ways out, only to realize that one of their fellow monkeys decided to come sit next to you. At the entrance as you start your tour, you get a big handful of specially prepared popcorn that you can feed to the monkeys. It was definitely a highlight of out trip!!





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