Russia

RU-3666864

Russian Empire

This card came along with these wonderful stamps inclduing a stamp of Soviet/Russian soprano opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya

Slovakia

SK-51411

Prešov

This card is my first official Postcrossing card from Slovakia.  During much of the 20th Century, Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia.  Prešov is the third largest city in the country.

The sender of the card remarks that if you followed the street down past the arch you would come to where they attended high school.

Czech Republc

Humpolec

Various views of Humpolec, Czech Republic

Portugal

PT-399161

Sintra

Palacio da Pena, Sintra, Portugal

The Pena national Palace is located near the Portugese capital of Lisbon and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal!

Turkey

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

This card, sent by my Turkish friend Leslie, is of the creator of the modern Turkish state, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (May 9 1881 ?  – November 10, 1938)

She jokes in the card "and here I was thinking that puppies made everyone happy!!"  

Germany

DE-4153653

Ich liebe meine matratze.

There are a few things going on in this card.  First, it is an advertisement card (or "ad card" for short).  It is an ad for a German mattress company called Matratzen Direct.  Hence the writing on the front "Ich liebe meine Matratze" or, in English "I love my mattress!"  

But this card doesn't just show a mattress.  It shows a man and a women (presumably topless or naked under the sheets).  

According to the sender of the postcard, there is another, more hidden double-entendre/word play going on with this card.  According to the sender, "Now, a mattress is also a girl with very much intercourse (to sleep on her)."   

Whoever said postcards weren't educational?!  You get to learn how German slang, though apparently it also is English slang dated to at least 2004 according to Urban Dictionary which gives the definition: "A sexually available girl who has many partners."

Germany

DE-4192211

This postcard of a painting of a pin up girl with setting down to a bright summer's picnic with a dog is really quite lovely, and makes me wish for the warmer days of summer.

Russia

RU-3535060

Romanovs: Emperor Nikolay II with the heir czarevich Alexey.

I love this card for a few reasons.  I love royalty cards.  I had studied Tsar Nicholas II in some of my history classes in university.  The user also put a mark on the card thanking (in Russian and English) " Thanks Mr. Postman!"  The card also comes from Yekaterinburg, the city where Tsar Nicholas, the last Tsar, and his family were murdered.  

Plus, this card was my first card with the Russian Official Postcrossing stamp view-able below on the left-hand side of the below picture.

Taiwan

TW-1487181

The Office of the President, 1975-1980

This card is of a painting housed at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.  The building was built in 1919 by the Japanese according to the Postcrosser.  

Germany

DE-4070616

Grüße aus Schwanstetten

This card comes from Schwanstetten, Germany.  It is actually this Postcrosser's first ever postcard sent!  That's always a wonderful thing to read in a postcard!  

The card also comes with these wonderful stamps.  This stamps of Panoramic Dresden, Germany.

USA - Illinois

American Gothic, 1930

Grant Wood's (American, 1891-1942) infamous painting of a couple of farmers is an iconic image that has been copied time and time again.  

The painting is of an actual house in Eldon, Iowa.  The models for the artist and spinster daughter were of Wood's dentist and sister.  The painting won a bronze medal at the Art Institute of Chicago and a $300 prize.  The Art Institute purchased the painting and it is now probably one of the Institute's best loved American pieces of work along with Nighthawks. 

USA - Oklahoma

Robert Doisneau

This direct swap card of Robert Doisneau's famous photo, Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Town Hall) is one of my favorite photographs!  I was very happy to hear that postcrossing user Chelea_girl was willing to swap a card with me for it!  

Belarus

Zubr

This card, of a European Bison, is the second time I've received this card!  I first received it on March 31, 2015 and now again on May 2, 2015.

France

Souvenir de Paris 1990

Paris la Tour Eiffel

This card is of the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris and is a reproduction of a photo from the year 1900. 

This card was sent to me by my friend Diana from her trip to Paris in the summer of 2015.  

The attacks in Paris on Friday, 13 November 2015 were absolutely horrid.  As someone who sends and collects postcards, I've gotten to know a number of French Postcrossers.  I hope that all of you and all of your friends and family are safe.  

Taiwan

TW-1399967

This card of an old map of what appears to be an old, walled city came from Taiwan.  It includes a number of stamps.  The stamp on the right hand with the three people is, according to the card, a limited edition stamp from 1984!  It was 30 years old when it was mailed in 2014.

Netherlands

NL-2934367

De denker, circa 1910.

The Thinker

The Postcrosser gives wonderful advice in her card: "Create everyday a wonderful memory."

Russia

RU-33517130

The Scream, 1893

This card of Norwegian Artist Edvard Munch's recognizable painting The Scream comes from Russia. 

South Africa

ZA-69834

Buildings on Kaiserstrasse, Windhoek

This card is really cool.  First, it is a Maxicard (notice the stamp featuring an identical or related image to that of the main part of the postcard.)  Secondly, it was originally made in 1985 (as on can tell from the marking of June 6, 1985 on the front.

Finally, while this card was mailed from South Africa and carries a South Africa Postcrossing number (ZA-69834), it comes from the former country/area of South Africa known as South-West Africa (then part of the nation of South Africa), currently known as Namibia.

The user writes in Afrikaans "Ek hoop jy genniet jou somer." or "I hope you enjoy your summer"...a very fitting message for a card sent in early March 2015.

Poland

PL-1059943

Bielsko-Biała

This postcard from Poland is a reproduction of an old postcard circa 1905 of Bielsko-Biała, which then was known as "Little Vienna."  At the time this image was made, Poland did not exist on the map, having been occupied and taken over for over 100 years by the neighboring empires of Austria-Hungary, Prussia, and imperial Russia, known as the Partitions of Poland.  

Bielsko-Biała was in the part of the country that had been partitioned by Austria. 

Germany

DE-4028026

Berlin, 10. November, 1989

This card of a photo of the Berlin Wall taken on November 10, 1989, the day after the Wall began to fall.  The photo was taken 26 years ago today.

USA - Washington

Leave Me Alone, I'm Having a Crisis

This cute card of a dog laying down (possible a white Maltese!) comes from my friend and fellow Postcrosser Val.  She found it randomly mixed in with regular tourist postcards at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle.

USA - Ohio

from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo by the Japanese artist Hiroshige (1797-1858).

This card, purchased at the Dayton Art Institute, is of a picture housed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art according to the postcard.

Netherlands

NL-2978857

Golfer

Germany

DE-4162093

lache nie über einen Verrückten, er könnte einmal dein Chef sein.

This card appears to be part of a set of cardsby Hermann Scherer.  It translates (via google translate) as "never laugh at a crazy, he could be your boss again."

United Kingdom

Claypotts, Castle, Broughty Ferry

This direct swap card comes from my friend Hannah. 

Turkey

Meryem Ana - Efes - Izmir

This card, sent by my friend Neslihan is of a statue of Mother Mary in Izmir.

Netherlands

NL-2724826

Alfa Romeo

This reproduction advertisement postcard for Alfa Romeo features stamps of the Flinstone's Fred and Barney. 

 The user also carefully included stamps fro a few other places that she got at work.  From left to right the stamps are from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.  I've not gotten a postcard from either Saint Vincent or Vietnam.  Saint Vincent has only sent 20 official postcrossing cards while Vietnam has sent just over 400 at the typing of this blog entry in early 2015, so my chance of getting an official card from either location is fairly low!.  

China

CN-1480614

This card features a peaceful scene marked as "Baiquan at Hui County."  The card also features two pretty stamps (including what appears to be one pre-printed stamp of the same card and a cute drawing of a panda bear by the sender!

USA - Arizona

US-3355082

Ger your fill on...Route 66

USA - Nevada

A view of the Las Vegas hotel Caesar's Palace from the beautiful pool.

I stayed there for a convention a few years back.  It was a beautiful hotel.