Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): CHANTAL from LUXEMBURG

This postcard was sent to us from Luxemburg. It was sent by Chantal, who lives in Luxemburg, 1375 kilometers away!

On her card we can see some of the sights and views of her city, the capital of one of Europe's smallest states, and a key defensive position in the past (nichnamed, in fact, the 'Gibraltar of the north'). Today its fortresses have just an aesthetic value, and it remains a European crossroads, where France, Germany and the Low Coutries exert a multiple and poliphonic influence.

On the back, Chantal gives us some interesting facts about her country (population, size, form of government).

Merci, Chantal!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): AURÉLIE from FRANCE

This postcard was sent to us from France. It was sent by Aurélie, who lives in Westhouse, 1421 kilometers away!

Her town (or village) is in the French region of Alsace, so she has sent us a postcard with the main sights in that area: lots of quaint, German-styled villages and the Strasbourg Cathedral.

On the back, Aurélie briefly describes that card's pictures for us and sends us some greetings.

Merci, Aurélie!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): BETTY from GERMANY

This postcard was sent to us from Germany. It was sent by Betty, who lives in Reutlingen, 1545 kilometers away!

On the card we can see what looks like a mural painted on a house, with a woman in a window looking through a telescope; at her feet there is some type of creature laughing.

Betty's handwriting is a bit difficult to decipher; I think she talks a bit about the area in which she lives (which she describes as 'a small village near a mountain area'). In the stamps we can see a beautiful flower (I think it is the wild saffron you can see in our own forests) and a German breed of pig.

Danke, Betti!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): ANASTASIA from RUSSIA

This postcard was sent to us from Russia. It was sent by Anastasia, who lives in Vladimir, 3768 kilometers away!

On the card we can see a samovar; these are the traditional instruments used in Russia and Eastern Europe for heating water (whether it be for tea or any other uses). 

On the back Anastasia informs us that it was very cold in Russia when she wrote us, even though it was spring! She was hoping the recent snowfall would be the last of the season. Very different from our weather!

Спасибо, Anastasia!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): MARY from RUSSIA

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

On the card we have a lovely view of some of the most famous monuments in the city: from left to right we can see the Trinity Cathedral, the Admiralty building and St. Isaac's Cathedral. You can learn more about the in the hyperlinks.

On the back, Mary tells us about how much she loves her city, and a little bit about the weather when she wrote to us: it was spring, but a bit cold.

Спасибо, Mary!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): SONGRYU from SOUTH KOREA

This postcard was sent to us from Korea. It was sent by Songryu, who lives in Seoul, 10029 kilometers away!

On the card we can see some Korean writing (it is called, I believe, hangul); I can't read it, but it looks like a poem, along with some plum blossoms.

On the back, Songryu very briefly (a lot of space is occupied by stamps and address) gives us his /or her) best wishes for our studies, including a Spanish quote: 'Sin prisa pero sin pausa'.

감사합니다 , Songryu!

Stop 56 - Perm

Our last postcard was sent to Perm, in Russia, 4704 kilometers away!

The postcard was sent to Olya. It was sent by Jesús Martínez (I think), a Basic 2 student who wrote on a postcard featuring an old and quaint view of the Praza do Curro choke-full of people, stalls and even trucks!.

Thanks, Jesús!

Stop 55 - Kiel

Our last postcard was sent to Kiel, in Germany, 1887 kilometers away!

This postcard was sent to Melanie. It was sent by Lorena Costoya, an Advanced 2 student who already wrote a postcard last year (it was then sent to China, if I remember well). In this one we can see the painting 'Eterna' by local artist Alfonso Costa in what looks like a stylized representation of the figures at the foot of a medieval pillar.

Thanks, Lorena!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): MERI from TURKEY

This postcard was sent to us from Turkey. It was sent by Meri, who lives in Izmir, 3056 kilometers away!

On the card we have a lovely view of the inside of a cafeteria, called FABBRICA, along with its stone walls and a bowl of oranges on a table, a very Mediterranean touch.

On the back of the card we learn that the café is Meri's favourite one is Istambul, which is were she used to live. She also tells us that she is a pharmacist and that she has moved to the city of Izmir some three months ago.

Teşekkür ederim, Meri!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): FANNY from MALAWI

This postcard was sent to us from Malawi. It was sent by Fanny, who lives in Kabula, 7904 kilometers away!

On the card we can see some of the typical animals of Africa and Malawi, animals that are sadly in danger of extintion as of 2016: we have rhinos, zebras, lions, buffaloes, elephants... . And at the bottom of the card, we can see their local, Chichewa names.

On the back we have some warm, lovely words from Fanny, along with some nice stamps that show Christmas trees.

Zikomo, Fanny!

Postcrossing Meetup (Received Cards): RAMEN from CHINA

This postcard was sent to us from China. It was sent by Ramen, who lives in Wuhan, 10007 kilometers away!

On the card we can see two very famous Chinese landmarks: one of the are the Gansu Dunhuang Mogao grottos, a series of caves in the northwest of the country, with hundreds of years old works of art of Buddhist inspiration. On the right we have a picture of the Hangzhou West Lake area, a region that was once the heartland and capital of China and full of temples, museums and lovely sights.

On the back, the writer tells us about his or her hobbies briefly; a lot of space is occupied by extra information about the landmarks and a very big stamp of some children climbing a mountain.

谢谢, Ramen!

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!