Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): YU-YUAN HSU from TAIWAN

This postcard was sent to us from Taiwan. It was sent by Yu-Yuan Hsu, who lives in Taipei, 10925 kilometers away!

The card was written and sent just before the winter holidays, so Hsu decided to send us a Christmas card, with good wishes for the season and the present 2017.

On the back, Hsu tells us a bit about his country and its traditions (and its wonderful cuisine!) and suggests we wouldn't regret visiting Taiwan. We take your word for it!!

谢谢, Yu-Yuan Hsu!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): OLGA from RUSSIA

This postcard was sent to us from Russia. It was sent by Olga, who lives in Moscow, 3585 kilometers away!

On the card we can see a wonderful view of the Peterhof Palace, the Russian Versailles that was built under the reign of Emperor Peter the Great. More specifically, the card shows us the 'Great Cascade' and the Samson fountain.

On the back, Olga recommends our visiting the place and includes some nice stamps, one of them also a view of St. Petersburg. It is clear she likes the old capital, even if she lives in Moscow.

Спасибо, Olga!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): ALEXANDR from RUSSIA

This postcard was sent to us from Russia. It was sent by Alexandr, who lives in the city of Orel, 3474 kilometers away!

Alexandr is a great traveller (he tells us in the back that he has been to Spain, and includes some Spanish words). The picture on the card is a pop-art like rendition of different stills with Yuri Gagarin, the famous cosmonaut and first man in space.

The back of the card is also very colourful, with different coloured inks. Alexandr likes Spain so much that he decided to make 'something special' for us. It includes stickers, Spanish phrases and lovely stamps, too, with the Patriarch Tikhon and two of the most famous kremlins (fortified old towns) of Russia: the one in Moscow and the one in Kazan.

Спасибо, Alexandr!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): HANRAY from MYANMAR

This postcard was sent to us from Myanmar, previously called Burma. It was sent by Hanray, who lives in Mandalay, 9507 kilometers away!

Mandalay is world-famous for its Buddhist monasteries and architecture. In fact, Hanray's postcard includes the picture of one of them, the pinkish-coloured Me Nu Okkyaung Monastery (you can read a little about it here).

On the back, Hanray tells us about the things she does for learning English, and includes some very lovely stamps along with it.

ကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ်။ Hanray!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): CHERRY from HONG KONG

This postcard was sent to us from China. It was sent by Cherry, who lives in Hong Kong, 10727 kilometers away!

On the card we can see a lovely see view, with the waves beating upon a rocky shore, and the foam forming a mantle on top of them. This is probably some place os the South China coast, I presume.

On the back, Cherry tells us about how long she has been learning English, and the advantages that knowing this language can produce. At the bottom there are some lovely flowers, and the stamp conmemorates the Year of the Ram (was it last year? This year is the year of the Rooster, I think).

唔該, Cherry!!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): ALYA from RUSSIA

This postcard was sent to us from Russia. It was sent by Alya, who lives in Saint Petersburg, 3248 kilometers away!

On the card we can see a picture of a very famous landmark of her city: the winged lions (or griffins) with gilded wings that crown the abutments of the Bank Bridge a 25-m-long pedestrian bridge crossing the Griboedov Canal near the former Assignation Bank. Like other bridges across the canal, the existing structure dates from 1826.

On the back of the card, Alya tells us that she loves history and art (as we can see from the card she chose for use), as well as some good wishes for our studies.

Спасибо, Alya!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): TUULA from FINLAND

This postcard was sent to us from Finland. It was sent by Tuula, who lives in Helsinki, 2980 kilometers away!

In the last postcard we received we had a bird. In this one we have a completely different animal: a bear! He doesn't look very big or threating, but I sure wouldn't want to be near it when it is hungry.

The text of the card informs us of the cold Finnish autumn (it starts to snow in November!) as well as about one of the activities that Tuula does: she has a theatre workshop for elderly people.

Kiitos, Tuula!