Postmarked from Moominvalley in Finland

Today I also received some postcards postmarked from Moominvalley! Tampere has a postoffice that postmarks with the special stamp as shown below. I received an aurora borealis card and a moomin card from Marko. They are a great addition to my postcard and moomin collection! Thanks a lot, Marko!

View card from Morocco

Today I received a wonderful view card from Rabat, Morocco. Morocco is located in northern Africa, right next to Algeria. Its capital is Rabat and it is the second most populous city followed by Casablanca. Thanks for the wonderful card, Sophie! Hope to swap with you again!

Milk maiden postcard from Nigeria

Hello everyone!

I am excited because I received a card from Nigeria. Pictured are milk maidens in traditional wear. The stamp is also very lovely! I am glad to finally have a card from another Africa. Thanks, Ahmed!

After what seemed like endless waiting, it is over! Card from Mexico

Hello, everyone!

If I link you to my blog, it is because we swapped or I just want to share my card collection :D

Anyway, with those people I arranged a swap with while in Mexico, I am happy to announce that after 3 1/2 weeks of waiting, the card I sent myself has finally arrived! I also killed two birds with one stone because I didn't have a postcard from Mexico (used to have a pen pal long ago) AND Chichen Itza is now off in my collection of the 7 world wonders.

I met up with someone I got into contact with in the big postcrossing group, Wendy. We met up in Mexico City and she also showed me around her neighborhood in Xochimilco. She was very kind and also led me on a mini tour around the Postal Palace (the postmark is pictured below), and I was able to get cheap postcards as well as another cool postcard (I will write about my Mexican adventures in another upcoming post). It would've taken me forever to find the places she took me to, so I am grateful I had a tour guide! Thanks again, Marilu!

Typical folk wear from Estonia

I am very excited to have gotten my first card from Estonia! This is a map, and it includes all the folk wear of different regions. I like the card because it is very colorful. Estonia is a former eastern bloc country, neighbors to Finland, and a developing hub for technology. Thanks, Maili!

Cat card from Luxembourg

I received another card from Luxembourg, and it's such a cute cat card! This comes from Ivana. It is an adorable multi-view card. Luxembourg is one of the richest countries in the world, according to per capita.

French cat and champagne

Well, here is yet another card for my cat collection, or do they collect me?
This comes from the Champagne region in France, where my friend Katie spent a few days during her vacation. Thanks, Katie!

Russian royalty cat

Can you believe this is an actual painting? When I first saw it, I thought it was a fun painting, but it's actually hanging at the Hermitage in Russia. Very cool piece of history!

Owl-oween greetings from Germany

Since it is October, I started getting more in the Halloween spirit and added some more cards to my Halloween collection. Here is a cat from Germany. I got this wonderful card from Lidia. The cat looks very maniacal and mischievous. Danke, Lidia!

Beautiful temple from Malaysia

Hello!

I have many cards from Malaysia, but for some reason I have not written about them! I recently got this card from a swap on facebook. It was such a beautiful card, that I had to have it. This is a picture of the Thean Hou temple, dedicated to the goddess of mercy. It is a six-tiered temple located just south of Kuala Lumpur, and it has its own marriage registry office. It is also popular in wedding photography. Thanks, Yih Ling!

Teas

Another vice of mine is tea. I like it better cold, since it's so humid in Houston most of the year. This card has many different types of tea, along with some coffees.

Cambodia

A friend of mine travels for adventure and business, and she is kind enough to send me cards from where she goes. She traveled to the Cambodia, located in southeast asia near Vietnam. Thanks, Sandra!

Belgian Beers

As much as I like coffee, I enjoy a good beer as well. The Belgians are also well known for their breweries and love of fine beers. I like this card because it shows the different types of belgian beers, along with their corresponding drinking glass. Cheers!

Taiwan Starbucks ad card

I received this lovely ad card from Taiwan. It caught my attention because of the cultural influence, and because Starbucks postcards are seldom seen. I love coffee, so this is a great addition to my collection. Thanks, Patty!

Postal greetings from Macedonia

I was finally able to get Macedonia into my collection! I really liked this viewcard because it gives you the aspect of what Macedonia is like. Ohrid is on a Lake Ohrid, is the 8th largest city with a population of 42,000, and Ohrid is notable for once having had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, and has been referred to as a "Jerusalem (of the Balkans)". Thanks for the swap, Anita!

A little piece of the Berlin Mauer

In tourist shops in Berlin, they sell "pieces" of the Berlin wall as souvenirs. It's sort of a broken reminder of what once divided a nation, now commercialized as Germany moves forward with the future. They do sell postcards with a little piece of the wall attached! My friend Tricia was kind enough to pick one up for me while in Berlin. I did buy one while there, but I honestly don't know where it is. This one has traveled by post, though!

Hello Kitty from Croatia

I received this cute Hello Kitty card, and it's a tourist card to boot! It was very cute, so it caught my attention. Thanks, Agi!

Wales

While setting up swaps, user Anu contacted me for a swap. Just yesterday, the postcrossing website did a feature about her, so I am glad to get to know her a little better! She sent me a card from Wales (although I usually want them from the country of origin, Wales is part of the the UK and uses the same stamps as the other kingdoms (or countries). This card is a lovely landscape of the shores of Wales. Thanks, Anu!

Taj Mahal, India

Continuing my collection of the the 7 wonders of the world, I was able to get a big sized card of the Taj Mahal. It is a mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its name is persian and arabic meaning "crown of palaces."

Greetings from Panamá

In my big batch, I also received two lovely cards from Panama. The first is a map of Panama, where the Panama canal is located. The provinces and regions are each color coded on the map. The second is a the typical dress of Panama. Blanca tells me that the dresses are very elaborate and can cost hundreds or even thousands to make, as well as a long time. Thank you, Blanca!

Back from my travels

Hello everyone!
Get ready for a big bunch of updates! I just came back from Mexico and of course, set up some swaps for cards sent from there. I did send one to myself, so hopefully it will come in any day now.

I was able to add a few countries to my collection, and had a few surprises come in while I was gone.

First up are two Guernsey cards I received. One I set up for a swap, and another from official Postcrossing! Thank you Kathy and Jill!

3D card from Japan

I received this 3D card from Japan. It is absolutely adorable! I really like the little bunny at its restaurant. This was sent to me by an American currently teaching English in Japan. She is actually from one state over, Louisiana. Thanks, Victoria and good luck this new school year!