COOK ISLANDS ~Rarotonga - Avatiu Harbour ~

...Beautiful postcard nr2 from David showing  a tropical paradise.... I can't thank you enough David for making the effort to send so many gorgeous postcards...and to see the postoffice HERE from where it was sent makes it even more special... ㋡

© Photo: Noel Bartley
Rarotonga is the capital island of the Cook Islands. It is the largest and youngest island (named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770). Rarotonga is almost completely encircled by reefs, creating beautiful safe lagoons. This island of volcanic origin rises 600 meters (2000 feet) and is inhabited only around the coastal belt.

Avatiu is the only port and main harbour in Rarotonga, near the main town of Avarua.

Stamps:

Tourism - Island Views
(Issued 22-07-2011)

USA ~Kauai - Hawaii ~

..Lots of wonderful views of the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago...a tropical paradise and
 nature lovers dream...Thank you so much Andron for thinking of me on your vacation!!✈ (♥‿♥)

Kauai is an island in the mid-Pacific, part of the Hawaiian archipelago and is Hawaii’s fourth largest island.

It's nicknamed "the Garden Isle" thanks to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface. The dramatic cliffs and pinnacles of its Na Pali Coast have served as backdrop for major Hollywood films (Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, George of the Jungle..) while 10-mile-long Waimea Canyon and the Nounou Trails traversing the Sleeping Giant ridge are hiking destinations.



Clockwise, from top to left:
Yellow hale plumeria
Bali Hai
Wailua Falls
Nā Pali Coast

Stamp:
 "The Moon" Global Forever stamp
(Issued 22-02-2016)

CROATIA ~ Krka National Park Waterfalls ~

... New great National Park to add to my collection...beautiful impressive waterfall view...you can even swim in these waterfalls ㋡...Thank you very much Agi!! ♥

Krka National Park is one of the 8 Croatian national parks. The park is named after the river Krka that it encloses. It is the seventh national park in Croatia and was proclaimed a national park in 1985.

Krka is a river in Dalmatia with a length 72.5 km. In the parts of the course where the Krka flows through marly soils, certain extensions are created. In limestone it forms a narrow and deep canyon (up to 200 m), flowing over travertine (a form of limestone) barriers and creating waterfalls.

Stamps:

Easter
(Issued 08-03-2016)

International Children's Festival
(Issued 14-02-2011)

ITALY ~ Palace of Venaria - UNESCO ~

...Beautiful winter scene of one of the largest royal residences in the world... a great Baroque estate restored (the largest restoration ever undertaken by the EU to conserve cultural property) to its former glory and with breathtaking gardens... Thank you very much Gian Luca and Raffaella!! ♥‿♥

The Palace of Venaria  is a former royal residence located in Venaria Reale, near Turin, in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, included in the UNESCO Heritage List in 1997.

 The Palace was designed and built from 167, commissioned by duke Charles Emmanuel II, who needed a base for his hunting expeditions in the heathy hill country north of Turin. The name itself derives from Latin, Venatio Regia meaning "Royal Hunt".

It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, included in the UNESCO Heritage List in 1997.

Stamp:

Pope Francis
(Issued 07-12-2015)

KIRIBATI ~ Tarawa ~

...Postcard coming  from a tropical island that also saw some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II and remnants of that war are still all around in Tarawa as shown on this great card... Thanks so much David!!♥ (check out his amazing blog here)

Kiribati is an island group in  Micronesia, comprises 33 coral atolls stretching along the equator.
The Republic of Kiribati is particularly concerned about global warming. It is thought that climate change will see the disappearance of the low-lying islands. Two of the uninhabited coral reefs have already been submerged by rising sea levels.

Tarawa is an atoll located  southwest of Hawaii. It consists of a series of coral islets. The military importance of Tarawa lay in its strategic location at the gateway of the US drive through the central Pacific towards the Philippines.

During the Second World War Japanese troops occupied the Gilbert Islands. Fierce fighting took place in Tarawa between the Japanese and US troops.

Stamps:

Definitives - Ships and Boats
(Issued 05-10-2013)

ITALY ~ Milan - Duomo Cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ~

...Beautiful view of the impressive cathedral....Duomo  is the symbol of Milan...it is among the largest churches in the world, and took nearly six centuries to build...Thanks Salvatore!!

Milan  is the second-most populous city in Italy and the capital of Lombardy. Milan is the main industrial, commercial, and financial centre of Italy and a leading global city.

Milan Cathedral is the cathedral church of the city. Dedicated to St Mary of the Nativity, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the world's oldest shopping malls.

Stamps:
The Woman in Art
(Issued 01-03-2002)

The 100th Anniversary of the Golf Acquasanta Circle
(Issued 05-04-2003)

EGYPT ~Sphinx - Giza - UNESCO ~

...Wonderful postcard of probably  the most famous monumental statue in the world and an iconic symbol of Ancient Egypt...and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that is still standing... Thanks once more Karolin!!

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx (a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head) that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza.

It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558–2532 BC). It is the largest monolith statue in the world,  a massive 73,5m long , 2o,22m high and  6m wide.

This site was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979.

Stamps:

Egyptian Art
(Issued 25-05- 2002-2005)


Definitives - Pharaohs
(Issued 07-10-2013)

SRI LANKA ~ Adam’s Bridge Marine National Park

...Fantastic new national Park for my collection...according to Ravindra is this the first of a series of 4 cards celebrating  the World Wetlands Day 2016...with great matching stamp...Thanks a lot for once more making my mailbox and me happy!! ♥‿♥

Adam's Bridge Marine National Park  is a national park surrounding Adam's Bridge (Rama's Bridge) in northern Sri Lanka. It became a national park on 22 June 2015 with an area of 18,990 ha.

Many migratory birds follow the Pamban Island-Adam's Bridge-Mannar Island route when flying to/from Sri Lanka.The sand dunes of Adam's Bridge are also used as breeding grounds by birds. Numerous varieties of fish and sea grasses thrive in the shallow waters Adam's Bridge. Sea life found around Adam's Bridge include dolphin, dugong and turtle.

The Caspian Tern is the largest tern in the world. Its large coral red bill makes it one of the most easily identified terns throughout its worldwide range.

Stamp:

World Wetlands Day
(Issued 02-02-2016)

ANGOLA ~ 5 Years of Peace ~

...New  African country... one more off my "missing list"...this lovely postcard was issued to celebrate 5 years of peace (2007)  following a 27-year civil war...the signing of an accord on April 4 2002, between the government and Unita rebels drew the line under a conflict that left half a million people dead and wrecked the infrastructure of a country that only won independence in 1975...Thanks Tian!!

Angola is a country in Southern Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa, and is bordered by Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest city  is Luanda.

Stamp:

The 50th Anniversary of OPEC
(Issued 01-10-2010)

SRI LANKA ~Yala National Park - Leopards ~

...Beautiful animal in its natural habitat...this park is one of the most famous places in the world to spot leopards in the wild... a safari  here must be awesome (although I read that is is a bit overcrowded due to is popularity)... but would love to go anyway(◕‿-)... with great matching leopard stamp....
✺Ayubowan  Ravindra and thanks a lot!!✺

Photo: Chitral Jayatilake
Photo is from a book : "Â Moments of Truth in the Wilderness" and  is an exciting journey through the dry zone forests of Sri Lanka.

Yala National Park is one of the largest national parks in the country located on Sri lanka's South Eastern Coast where you are surrounded by plains, forests, lagoons, coastline, a diverse range of animals and an abundance of bird life.

 With over 35 leopards, Yala West has one of the world’s densest leopard populations.

Stamp:

Kumana National Park, leopard
(Issued 26-01-2016)

TURKMENISTAN ~Izmukshir Fortress - Dashogus Region ~

...Fantastic start of the week...great postcard coming from an unexplored part of Central Asia... a country  still hard to get in and mostly cut off from the rest of the world....Thank you very much Matthew!!¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Turkmenistan (formerly Turkmenia) is bounded by the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan. About nine-tenths of Turkmenistan is desert, chiefly the Kara-Kum, it is  one of the world's largest sand deserts.

Not far from Dashoguz city in a desert there are ruins of ancient fortress city Izmukshir (Zamakshar), surfaced with sands. The fortress ruins are located in the territory of the historical and cultural reserve museum Kunya-Urgench, the ancient capital of Khorezmshah's State.  The fortress is dated from III century B.C- III century A.D.

In front of Izmukshir kala there is a fortification moat (Turkmens call it "Gara Garymy" or "Gala Khendegi"). The moat of Turkmen fortresses amount to 1-16 meters in the depth, and in its width -2-15 meters.

Stamp:

Gasmain Turkmenistan-China
(Issued 01-07-2010)

Postcard mailed at Turkmenbashy city (on the Caspian Sea).

USA ~ Crater National Park - Wizard Island - Oregon ~

...More of Earth's natural beauty ♥... great new National Park to ad to my collection...snow-trimmed Crater Lake reflects Wizard Island with the most amazing shades of blue....Thanks Beckie!!

Crater Lake National Park is  located in southern Oregon. Established in 1902, this National Park is the fifth oldest national park in the US and the only national park in Oregon. The park includes the caldera of Crater Lake, a remnant of a destroyed volcano, Mount Mazama, and the surrounding hills and forests. The crater lake is 1943 feet deep about 592 meters, it is the deepest point which makes it is the deepest lake in the USA and 7th deepest lake in the world.

Wizard Island is the well-known cinder cone that rises out of the waters on the west side of Crater Lake. It was formed long after the original eruption of the former Mount Mazama.

If the volcano has been dormant for a long time, the water can be extremely clear because no river or streams flow into with sediment deposits.

Stamps:

Botanical Art
(Issued 29-01-2016)

CANADA ~Hello from Ontario's Wildlife ~

...a great variety of wildlife...must be a fantastic place for animal and nature lovers... big Thanks Andron for this lovely surprise in my mailbox!(✿◠‿◠)

Photos: ©Travelpic Ontario is one of the ten provinces of Canada. It  is bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson Bay and James Bay to the north, Quebec to the east, and to the south by the US states.  It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the most populous city, Toronto.

Ontario's varied climate and geography support habitat for more than 3,600 species of plants, 154 species of fish, 50 species of amphibians and reptiles, 483 species of birds, and more than 81 species of mammals.

Stamps:

Canadian Photography
(Issued 13-04-2016)