Chrissy's birthday cards

My american friends made me really happy this birthday :)

Chrissy sent me a great envelope with a birthday card and these postcards missing in my collection.

Thank you so much Chrissy.

The Rotunda and The Lawn at the University of Virginia. The Rotunda was built between 1823 and 1826 and is a half-scale interpretation of the Pantheon in Rome. This "temple of knowledge", as designer Thomas Jefferson called it, is the most majestic building in the Academical Village.

The university has an honor system which was created in 1842 after the murder of a professor by a masked student on The Lwan. Under the system, students pledge not to lie, cheat or steal.

Designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785, the Virginia State Capitol was the 1st building in America constructed in the style of classical temple. It houses the oldest lawmaking body in the Western Hemisphere, the 1st in the world to function under a written constitution of a free and independent people.

Carol's birthday card

Carol also wanted to celebrate my birthday and sent me this card of the Saguaro National Park, also missing in my collection.

Carol had a knee surgery yesterday, i hope she's ok.

Get better soon and thanks Carol.

"Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States national park system.

Saguaro National Park is divided into two sections, lying approximately 20 miles (32 km) east and 15 miles (24 km) west of the center of the city of Tucson, Arizona. Total area in 2009 was 91,440 acres (37,000 ha) of which 70,905 acres (28,694 ha) is designated wilderness. There is a visitor center in each section. Both are easily reached by car from Tucson, but there is no public transport into either section. Both sections conserve fine tracts of the Sonoran Desert, including ranges of significant hills, the Tucson Mountains in the west and the Rincon Mountains in the east. The park gets its name from the saguaro cactus which is native to the region. Many other kinds of cactus, including barrel cactus, cholla cactus, and prickly pear, are also abundant in the park. One endangered animal, the Lesser Long-nosed Bat, lives in the park part of the year during its migration, together with one threatened species, the Mexican Spotted Owl.

The park was established as Saguaro National Monument on March 1, 1933, and changed to a national park on October 14, 1994.

Facilities in the park include 150 miles (240 km) of well marked and maintained hiking trails, and shorter walking trails with interpretative information available. Hiking is not advisable during the hot summer months." - in: wikipedia

Kentucky - USA

Ben asked me my address because he wanted to surprise me and he surprised me by sending this card missing in my USA collection.

Thanks a lot Ben.

I already had cards from Kentuchy but didn't have cards from its capital.
"Frankfort is a city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population, it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States." - in: wikipedia

The cards shows the Vietnam Memorial, a floral clock and the State Capitol.

Charlotte's birthday card

Charlotte also sent a 2nd card for my birthday. Last summer she went to Italy on holidays and she sent me a card she brought from there.

Thank you Lotte :P

"Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo.

The city, 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of Appenini and the Adriatic coast. It is indeed one of the few places where you can reach, both the sunny beaches of the Adriatic sea and the 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) covered by snow Appenine peaks, in less than half an hour from the city centre. The town is by the confluence of the Vezzola and Tordino rivers.

One of the main monuments of the city is the majestic Cathedral of San Berardo, built in 1158 by bishop Guido II, in Romanesque style. Noteworthy is the great portal in Gothic style, finished in 1332 by the Roman master Deodato di Cosma. It houses a precious silver paliotto by Nicola of Guardagriele (with 35 scenes of the life of Jesus) and a polyptych by the Venetian artist Jacobello del Fiore depicting the Incoronation of the Virgin. Annexed is a 50 m bell tower." - in: wikipedia

Valérie's birthday card

Besides the Paris Meeting card, Valérie also sent me this unesco card from Vietnam missing in my unesco wishlist. Valérie has been helping me a lot with this collection. Merci beaucoup :P

"Mỹ Sơn is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century A.D. by the kings of Champa. The temples are dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva as he is known under various local names, the most important of which is "Bhadresvara."

Mỹ Sơn is located near the village of Duy Phú, in the administrative district of Duy Xuyên in Quảng Nam province in Central Vietnam.The temples are in a valley roughly two kilometres wide that is surrounded by two mountain ranges.

From the 4th to the 14th century A.D., the valley at Mỹ Sơn was a site of religious ceremony for kings of the ruling dynasties of Champa, as well as a burial place for Cham royalty and national heroes. It was closely associated with the nearby Cham cities of Indrapura and Simhapura. At one time, the site encompassed over 70 temples as well as numerous stele bearing historically important inscriptions in Sanskrit and Cham.

The Mỹ Sơn temple complex is regarded one of the foremost Hindu temple complexes in Southeast Asia and is the foremost heritage site of this nature in Vietnam. It is often compared with other historical temple complexes in Southeast Asia, such as Borobodur of Java in Indonesia, Angkor Wat of Cambodia, Bagan of Myanmar and Ayutthaya of Thailand. As of 1999, My Son has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site." - in: wikipedia

Birthday Cards

November 23rd is my birthday and like always, my postcrossing friends spoiled me. I've received a lot of cards to celebrate my birthday. It was great to check the mailbox and find greats cards from great friends all over the world.

An huge thank you to all of them.

These are some of the birthday postcards i've got the last 2 weeks and they have been sent by: Essi "hadassah" from Finland; Laura "lauraarual" from the Netherlands; Cristina "Kryx87" from Portugal; Chrissy "vagirl" from USA; Charlotte "purple_girl" from UK; Joaquim "kosta28" also from Portugal and Valérie "octabis" and the participants at the Paris Postcrossing Meeting.

It was great to turn 29 :D

November RR - V

This is the 5th group of cards from the November RR.

Katy "katyC" sent be this beautiful Colorado landscape, the scenic splendor of the Trappers Lake in the White River National Forest.

This is also a beautiful view. I love the autumn colors.
Rocky Board River at Chimney Rock, Blue Mountains Ridge.
The card was sent by Monica "atotalnobody".

These lovely 19th century windmills are located in Pyrohiv, originally a village south of Kiev, now a neighborhood in the southern outskirts of the Ukrainian capital city. It houses an outdoor Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.

"Founded in 1969, the museum contains over 300 pieces of folk architecture brought here from all parts of Ukraine and carefully reassembled. The picturesque hill with several windmills is the museum centrepiece and the entire territory of the museum is divided into sectors, each representing the folk architecture and life of a specific Ukrainian region.

Commoner's homes, buildings of small trade, commerce and local administration, and old wooden village churches contain authentic items that represent the everyday lifestyle of Ukrainian villagers and townsfolk. Local volunteers and modern Ukrainian artisans selling their wares dress in old-style clothes and demonstrate the use of authentic everyday items to visitors." - in: wikipedia

The card was sent by Irina "mindanao".

Ari "AKS", from Finland, sent this card of Jean-Sibelius house in Järvenpää.

"Jean Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity.

The core of Sibelius's oeuvre is his set of seven symphonies. Like Beethoven, Sibelius used each one to develop further his own personal compositional style. Unlike Beethoven who used the symphonies to make public statements, and who reserved his more intimate feelings for his smaller works, Sibelius released his personal feelings in the symphonies. These works continue to be performed frequently in the concert hall and are often recorded.

In addition to the symphonies, Sibelius's best-known compositions include Finlandia, Valse Triste, the violin concerto, the Karelia Suite and The Swan of Tuonela (one of the four movements of the Lemminkäinen Suite).

Jean Sibelius married Aino Järnefelt (1871–1969) at Maxmo on 10 June 1892. Their home, called Ainola, was completed at Lake Tuusula, Järvenpää in 1903, and the two lived out the remainder of their lives there. They were married for 64 years and had six daughters: Iva, Ruth, Kirsti (who died at a very young age), Katarine, Margaret, and Heidi." - in: wikipedia