SWITZERLAND ~Basel~

...A beautiful panoramic view of the historic Old Town with the river Rhine flowing right through the city!(CH-106295) Thanks a lot Alina!!

no stamps...:(

Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany.
The city is among the most important cultural centres of Switzerland and comprises a large number of theatres and many museums, including the Museum of fine arts.

SAMOA ~Aquatic Centre~

Received this nice card from a new place ...A view of the Samoa Aquatic Centre, a world-class facility built especially for the South Pacific Games. The completion of the structure saw Samoa move to have the only other certified aquatic centre, outside Australia, in the Pacific region.(It was the venue for the 2007 Oceania Swimming Championships, and the 2010 Oceania Swimming Championships.) Thanks Rod!!

With two nice stamps! A $2 overprinted millennium stamp and a church stamp of a set of twelve stamps features the Churches of Samoa.

Samoa consisting of 10 islands, in the hart of the Pacific Ocean below the equator, the islands are half between New Zealand and Hawaii. From 1962 to 1997, the nation was known as Western Samoa, until it dropped the title ‘Western’ from its name to become the Independent State of Samoa.

Interesting to know is that Samoa switched time zones on December 29, 2011!!When the change occurred in December Samoa skipped Friday December 30 entirely and begin the following day as Saturday, December 31.

IRELAND ~Dublin~

My first official postcard from Ireland(IE-34452)...A wonderful river view... For me a city on a river has always a special charm and beauty... Thanks Melissa!

From the back of the card:
Dublin city is spread over the broad valley of the river Liffey, with the Wicklow Hills sheltering it on the south. In addition to its splendid public buildings. Dublin is particulary rich in domestic architecture of the 18th century, it is one of Europe's most beautifully situated capitals with pleasant beaches and mountains only a short journey away.

UKRAINE ~Kiev-St. Sophia Cathedral~

Lovely cathedral view from Kiev(UA-256018) a popular tourists destination... Thanks Julia!

With nice stamps.

Kiev's St. Sophia Cathedral is an important historical and cultural structure. The church originally dates from the 11th century and was built under the reign of Yaroslave the Wise, and it is in this church Yaroslav is buried.

~Republic Sprska - Prijedor ~

It's always fantastic and special... the first postcard from a new place to enlarge my collection... Thanks Jasmin for this lovely multiview!:D

With nice Europa stamp, Scouting 2007.

Prijedor is part of the Republika Srpska entity and is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region.Prijedor is the second largest municipality in the Republika Srpska entity.

Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Constitution of Republika Srpska defines it as a territorially unified, indivisible and inalienable constitutional and legal entity that independently performs its constitutional, legislative, executive and judicial functions. The National Assembly and the Government of Republika Srpska are based in Banja Luka, although Sarajevo remains the official capital.

GERMANY ~Heidelberg~

Many wonderful views from Heidelberg (DE-1331415)... It seems to be "a jewel" among German travel destinations...As Germany being one of my closest neighbours (distance between Brussels and Heidelberg about 350km-217miles)its maybe a good idea for a visit this summer!:DThanks a lot Klaus!!

Heidelberg is a city in the state of Baden-Württemberg located in the Neckar river valley right where the legend-rich Odenwald (Forest of Odes or Odin) opens up towards the plains of the Rhine Valley.
The name of Heidelberg stands not only for our world-famous castle, for Germany’s oldest university and for lanes steeped in history in the Old Town but also for a modern scientific and economic location with an international reputation and a most lively and varied cultural scene. This attracts people from all over the world, some 3.5 million guests per year.

NETHERLANDS ~Overijssel~

Lovely panaoramic view of an old dutch farmhouse...and ofcourse with their famous dutch cows!!(NL-1153623).The beautiful environment is excellent for making varied bicycle or walking tours. Thanks a lot Sake!

With nice Europe Stamp, the water theme of Amsterdam, which symbolizes the position and attractiveness of the Netherlands as wetlands.

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede.

FINLAND ~Northern Lights~

Great wintery scene with one of the most amazing natural wonders of the world... "Aurora Borealis"!(FI-1396819) Thanks Eeve!:D

And again with the very cute Easter stamp!

The Northern Lights are created when charged particles from solar wind hit the atmosphere of the earth.The most common colours of the Northern Lights are greenish-yellow and red.

There have been many myths about the Northern Lights.The people of Norway thought the lights were dead warriors fighting.The Vikings thought they were female messengers of the God Odin, to mark those to be killed in battle. The people of Laps and Finland believed they were messangers of God. The Nothern Lights were one of the last unsloved mysteries of the natural world!

GERMANY ~Bayreuth-Old Castle~

Great castle view form Germany (DE-1328205)...It looks really big and I love the colors of it...But the city is best known for its association with the composer Richard Wagner, who lived in Bayreuth from 1872 until his death in 1883.Thanks Anke!!

Bayreuth is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Frankish Alb and the Fichtelgebirge.
The Hermitage is also known as the Altes Schloss, or Old Castle. It was constructed between 1715 and 1718 as a birthday present for Margravine Wilhelmine. It was later enlarged, adding a music room and other areas to the palace. Other parts were added by Joseph Saint-Pierre. In the gardens, which are laid out in a traditional style, you will find an orangery. The palace and grounds are open to the public.

POLAND ~Nysa~

Nice multiview postcard (PL-409855)...With views of:
St Jacob and Agnes Church (1401-1430)
Church Bell tower (1474-1516)
Town scales house (1604) and buildings in the centre of the town... Thanks Matros, especially for all the great information on the card!:D

And I do love the stamps too!!

Nysa is a 788 years old town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Nysa County. It is the largest city in Poland that is not located in a strictly "urban" commune.

FINLAND ~The Arctic Circle-Lapland~

Lovely views of the famous "Arctic Circle" Lapland... Land of the Northern Lights...unspoiled nature...border of the daylight zone...Santa Claus... Thanks Pirjo!! (FI-1392089)

With nice Europa stamp 2011 from a set of two self-adhesive stamps.

Lapland is a region largely within the Arctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line that marks the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice (usually 21 June) and does not rise on the the day of the winter solstice (usually 21 December). North of this latitude, periods of continuous daylight or night last up to six months at the North Pole.
The Arctic Ocean is the centerpiece of the Circumpolar North. Lands bordering this region include those of Alaska, Canada, Greenland/Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

CANADA ~Niagara Falls~

Wonderful nature view of the most famous falls in the world (CA-237693)...
~~~~~ A rainbow appears over the American and Canadian Falls~~~~~
...A double-decker bus takes you (a 20minute ride)as close up to the Falls as you can get without swimming..The boat stops and lingers at the foot of the Falls, 170 feet (52 meters) below the brink...Be prepared to get wet; fortunately, disposable rain ponchos come with admission...Must be a great experience!!:D:D Thanks Shelley!!

With nice but really tiny stamps!!

The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.The Niagara Falls consist of two different falls: the 49 meters high Canadian Fall, also called Horseshoe and the American side of the falls, where the water rushes 51 meters into the depth.
The word "Niagara" alludes to the Indian Word for "thundering water".

BELARUS ~Mogilev~

Lovely streetview of Mir Avenue and Pershamaiskaya street (BY-409036)Thanks Juliya!!

Mogilev is the administrative centre of Mahilyow voblast and the third largest city in Belarus.

PORTUGAL ~Porto-Casa da Musica~

An interesting and great building arrived today from Portugal (PT-230762).When I first looked at it I didn't know if I liked it...It made me think of a star ship that seems to take off.:D:D But the more I see it, the more I like it... and it must be wonderful to go there for a concert!!! Thanks a lot Miguel!!

Love the stamp too!
Casa da Musica or House of Music is a very well-known concert hall in the city Porto. The hall is a cultural institution and has three in-house orchestras namely: Orquestra Nacional do Porto, Orquestra Barroca and Remix Ensemble.
Designed by Rem Koolhaas, an architect from the Netherlands, the Casa da Musica in Porto was built in 2005 as a part of the works done to welcome the European Culture Capital initiative and soon enough became an iconic city symbol.
It is the first building in Portugal entirely dedicated to music and built in a complete new concept, Box in the Box construction method, for the best results, of acoustic performance.

FINLAND ~Happy Easter~

Received a sooooo "cute" Easter postcard (Fi-1385413) Thanks Matti
I wish all my postcardfriends and blog visitors een "VROLIJK PASEN" or "HAPPY EASTER"

With lovely matching Easter stamp!!

FRENCH POLYNESIA ~ Huahine ~

This is my second card from French Polynesia and I must say the first card is one of my all time favorites (a whale card) but this is almost as great and I think it looks amazing!:D:D According to the internet the island is the most picturesque and one of Polynesia's best-kept secrets....It just looks such a peaceful and relaxing place!
...“A Beautiful Slice of French Polynesian Heaven”... Thanks a million Rod!!

With lovely stamps and postmark. The ´MS Hanseatic´ was commissioned by Hapag-Lloyd in 1993, and is classed as a luxurious cruise ship and one of the finest expedition vessels.!!

Huahine itself is actually 2 islands known as Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti (Big Huahine and little Huahine). Interconnected by a bridge.
With steep mountains descending into protected bays of azure blue and emerald green colors, the island is also one of the more geographically diverse of the Society Group.
Also known as "The Garden Island" due to its abundance of lush green tropical foliage and wild jungle-like scenery, Huahine is one of the more interesting of the Society Islands to explore.

POLAND ~Coats of Arms~

Today I received my first round shaped great map postcard and it came from Poland (PL-403034).The back of the card looks almost as nice as it front whith all those wonderful stamps...Thanks a lot Magdalena!!

The territory of Poland is divided into voivodeships (provinces).The current system was introduced in the Polish parliament in 1998, and came into effect on 1 January 1999. Previously (in the period from 1975 to 1998) there had been 49 smaller voivodeships. The reform created 16 larger voivodeships (largely based on and named after historical regions) and reintroduced powiats.

RUSSIA ~Tyumen-Siberia~

Received a lovely panoramic nightview from a city located in the heart of Siberia (RU-8193559)...Thanks a lot Sandra!!But I must say the postcard looks much nicer than it shows on my blog...

Tyumen is situated in West Siberia, 2144 km from Moscow. Sometimes it is called the Dallas of Siberia. It is the administrative centre (the capital) of the Tyumen region and is rich in gas and oil. The climate is continental, with rapid changes of the weather.The city stands on the Tura River.
It is the oldest city of Siberia (founded in 1944). Tyumen is rich in cultural, historical, and architectural monuments. It doesn’t appear ancient of foreboding. It doesn’t look like a museum but on the contrary it is a young vivacious city that is modern and overwhelming with energy.
Stretching from the Arctic Ocean coasts to the steppes of Kazakhstan, the territory of the Tyumen region is the largest in the Russian Federation.