Just between the two of us, France

The stamp was issued in 24 October 2011. I was curious with the signature "Ben" and upon reading further, I found out that the designer's name is Benjamin Vautier. According to Google, "He is also active in Mail-Art and is mostly known for his text-based paintings".

~maria

Colourful HDB Flats, Singapore

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: My twin (bestfriend)
Sent: 4 Nov 2013 from Singapore
Received: 11 Nov 2013, traveled 2,391 km in 8 days

One-week shy of the anniversary when this card was sent to me. That was also the period when I seriously considered making Singapore, my second home.

Few words to share for this post, in response to Wordless Wednesday, also hosted @ image-in-ing.

~maria

Cambodia in my mind

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: My twin (bestfriend)
Sent: 25 June 2015 from Phnom Pehn Airport

Should / If you have / had the time to check out my previous posts about Cambodia, you know that Cambodia was just a dream back in 2009.

Fast forward to this year, 2015 -- my mind has been constantly wandering into being back to that country. The possibility to witness the above with the magnificent silhouette of Angkor Wat during sunrise in Siem Reap is slim. But I would be happy, even just with the sunrise in Phnom Pehn, seen in this photo below. The photo is also from "my twin". He captured this while we're having breakfast on a wooden boat, cruising along the Tonle Sap River.

Check out an amazing collection of photos from around the world, by clicking here.

~maria

Taal Volcano, Philippines

Sent to Mircea in Romania

I am just back here in Singapore from a 10-day vacation in my home country, Philippines. I did a Manila-Ilocos-Manila-Tagaytay-Manila tour; basically north of the country. In Ilocos, I visited the old Spanish town in Vigan, "rollercoaster-ed" and surfed on the sand in Paoay. I wanted to share a Vigan postcard but I realized that the one I had was posted here in my blog, 3 years ago.

In Tagaytay, for the third time - I climbed to the crater of Taal Volcano. The trail wasn't that difficult and there's a majestic view on top. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to get out of Manila just for a day. It's 2-hour away by bus and the entire boat ride on the lake and trek up to the rim of the crater takes a total of just 3 hours.

~maria

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Jay Tio
Traveled 1,611 km

This card is a souvenir from a friend who went to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) back in 2011. The previous weekend, I flew to HCMC and had the pleasure to actually see this hotel in person and the other two that I was only seeing in postcards back in April.

Ho Chi Minh City has the busiest yet most fluid road traffic I've seen so far in my travels. It also has some of the best dishes I've tried in my Asian gastronomic trips. Curious? You may find some of these dishes that I had in my instagram posts, shared on the upper left corner of this page.

I definitely recommend this city to any traveler who wants to have a Southeast Asian adventure -- both on the palate and on the road!

~maria 

Say it with flowers

My penpal, Tuija from Finland is ever so sweet. She loves sending me matching stamps and envelopes since we started writing to each other back in 2011.

This envelope was received in 09 Sep 2011. The Lilac stamp on it was issued back in 1 March 2006. Lilac is a common garden plant; well-loved due to its attractive and fragrant flowers.

The flower featured on this envelope received in 22 June 2011 on the other hand is a rare plant. Mountain everlasting or pussytoes belongs to the sunflower family but thrives in cooler temperature. 

For more flowers seen on stamps, hover your mouse & click here.

~maria

Typical Houses in Aveiro

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Anacrobat
Sent: 8 June 2013 from Tabua, Portugal
Received: 25 June 2013, Traveled 11,947 km in 17 days

While enjoying the long weekend (just this most recent one!) in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam -- I had an interesting discussion about the adventures of traveling brought by differences in languages. My bestfriend / travel buddy and I have agreed to travel around South-east Asia first before going somewhere else farther.

For Europe though, I mentioned that Portugal and Spain are on the top of my list. Considering that I came from a country that was a Spanish colony for 300 plus years, I'm keen to see what cultural similarities we have with them. I am interested with Portugal because during my visit in Macau in 2009 -- the country being a former Portuguese colony, I saw a lot of striking similarities between Macau and my home country. 

I was digging for a postcard from Spain in my collection but couldn't get my hand on one right away ... so here's one from Portugal, instead. The label at the back of the card says that these are typical houses in Aveiro. I can't really pinpoint any similarity with the houses that we have back home and in Macau with these ones but the one in the middle is perfect for Sally's Blue Monday link-up. 

I hope at least you enjoyed the postcard ;-)

~maria

Wings from Finland

This stamp from Finland, issued on 4 May 2010 is entitled simply as "Wings". I like the artistic design with coiled ends of the curve on this stamp. The monochromatic theme is also very gentle to the eyes. 

I have been absent from Sunday Stamps for such a long time! It's now being hosted at See it on a Postcard.

~maria

Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Sent: 20 May 2015 from Yangon International Airport, Myanmar
Received: 9 July 2015, Traveled 2,563 km in 50 days

I thought this postcard would never arrive at all! I was in Myanmar prior to my Japan trip. My postcards from Japan came last month, way ahead of this one.

While in Myanmar, I had the pleasure of experiencing a quick tour of the Shwedagon Pagoda. The whole pagoda complex was fantastic! At night, the temples were literally glowing gold. My room window at the Best Western Green Hill Hotel had an excellent view of this Myanmar architectural treasure. I had lovely evenings just watching the glow from afar.

This is a post I'm sharing for Our World Tuesday. Through my bloghop for this link-up, I discovered the lovely blog -- A Hole in My Shoe -- by travel enthusiasts, Lyn and Steve. They're running a #TheWeeklyPostcard Link-up. I'm not very sure whether my posts would qualify since I'm not able to talk extensively about my travel details here, but well -- let's try :)

~maria

Minato Mirai 21 - Day & Night View

I was sorting out my recently received postcards last weekend and I had a pleasant surprise! I noticed the postcard that my colleague sent to me from her Yokohama trip back in April is the day time view: 

Sent from Yokohama, Japan, Traveled 5,291 km

...of the postcard I sent to myself when I went there in May:

Sent: 30 May 2015 from Yokohama, Japan
Traveled 5,291 km

One striking difference between the two postcards though is the presence of the Cosmo World Ferris Wheel on the night view postcard. It was for a time considered one of the biggest clocks in the world. It was mesmerizing to watch with all its magnificent changing bright lights!

I very much wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel as I haven't experienced this at all! We didn't have enough time so perhaps I'll try the one here in Singapore.

Have you experienced riding a Ferris Wheel? Was it fun?

~maria

A blogger friend from England

My postcards and blogging hobby have rewarded me with many friends from all over the world. From the recent April A-Z Blogging Challenge that I participated this year, I met a few more new friends. One of them is Hilary, author of the page Positive Letters ... Inspirational Stories.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Hilary
Sent from East Sussex, England

Hilary wrote about Aspects of British Cornish for the April challenge. We followed and cheered each other all throughout those 26 days and in the end -- we both survived! What I'm sharing for today is a well fitting contribution for Postcard Friendship Friday. I'm so pleased to receive from Hilary after we finished the challenge, a multi-view postcard that shows some of the places featured on her A-Z posts. For example, Z is for Zennor, with the view found on the upper left of the postcard.

Blame my memory lapse! I promised to send her a card from my Japan trip. I'm not sure if I actually was able to send her one or not. But then, I wish the Singapore Skyline that I sent her way and recently shared here in my blog made her smile :)

I wish we're all remembering our friends (both near and far) each step of the way and keeping the promises we made to them. We might have been delayed in fulfilling a promise, but better delayed than nothing at all! Have a nice weekend ahead, blogging folks!

~maria

Singapore, my second home

Postcard sent to Eastbourne, England

I caught myself in a surprise this morning. I was booking for a round-trip flight to my home country. And as everyone is probably aware (or unaware) of, when we're on a task -- there's also this endless internal chatter that we do with ourselves.

Then before I knew it, I was referring to Singapore as my second home. I think it's just timely now, being here for a year and a half. I had been thinking of being here for the interim but now I'm starting to actually build a life here. 

I am eager and excited for the future; more interesting days are yet to come ;-)

For more photos of our world, click here.

~maria

Blue Lake Inle from Myanmar

Souvenir postcard, not sent over the mail
(c) Win Kyaw Zan, Myanmar Travel Photography

I was in Myanmar one month ago, before my trip to Japan. The postcards that I sent to myself from Japan arrived last week. But, the postcards I sent to myself from Myanmar hasn't arrived until now. I'm glad that I kept 3 postcards with me; hence, I still have a souvenir from that trip. One of the postcards is of Lake Inle, shown above. 

Yes, you read it right. I send postcards to myself whenever I am traveling. The very first one was from 2012 during my first trip to UK. That postcard could be found here. Some people find it weird. My rationale behind it is these would be nice souvenirs of my younger years. I keep my postcards in albums. I would love to flip through the pages when I'm old. I also write to myself on the back of the card -- simple things that I want to remember from the trip.

Since I'm traveling a lot more now because of work, I dedicated a new label for postcards from my trips that I share here on my blog. These postcards would be grouped under the "travel diary" label. 

Are you curious on what exact details I tell to myself on my postcards? I'd be happy to share, all you have to do is ask :D

Happy Blue Monday and I'm rolling over this post for Tuesday's Our World blogfest.

~maria

Our World and Grati - Tuesday!

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Renz & Raqz
Sent: 14 Jul 2013 from Narita Airport, Japan
Received: 19 Jul 2013, Traveled 3,040 km in 6 days

I was continuously on the go; traveling overseas and really committing my time and energy for the new job lately. Being back here in Singapore from a trip in Japan, I have this intense need to just slow down, breathe, and meditate. At the same time, I am anxious about getting my ducks in a row after being overseas for 3 weeks, understanding the roles and responsibilities for my position and structuring the objectives and goals moving forward.

Since writing has always been an effective strategy to calm my nerves, I decided it would be inevitable for me to keep on trying to draw a clear line between simply sharing straightforward facts and interesting information about the postcards and stamps I post here on my page and the blog being a live journal. Oh well, no one really said I shouldn't mix the two, right? I reckon, it's probably nice for my blog visitors too to read on how I'm able to relate or on why a postcard or a stamp is significant for me. So from now on, this page will no longer be so trying hard to stay with a rigid writing format :) I think it's easier that way.

Last month, I was invited by Darla, a co-participant to the April A-Z Blogging Challenge to sign-up for another linky party. I didn't have the time to find out more until today and the linky @ The Writer's Retreat has since closed up. There's a linky party though on Vidya's page that is refreshed every month! Hurray! Vidya is Darla's inspiration for Grati-Tuesday. I believe the gratitude posts are consolidated at Vidya's page via the Gratitude Circle. 

And so now, for my much needed pause from the hustle and bustle of life, here's a 5-point gratitude list from the first 6 months of this year:

1. For a chance to explore roles and responsibilities for a technical position in an inter-national level for a biomedical testing and measurement manufacturing company. Two years ago, it was just a dream to be in this position.

2. For people who are confident in my capabilities to carry on with a position that I had no experience in an inter-national level. These people are also supportive; guiding and teaching me how to navigate the complexities and struggles with this new position.

3. For my first trip to Europe! For a little brown girl from a small island in the Philippines, that was such a big dream came true!

4. For an experience to party until early in the morning. I've always been the "kill joy" and it's nice to learn how to step out of my comfort zone in regards with socializing. I'm glad that despite staying out late under the influence of alcohol, I didn't go overboard; being dead drunk, wild, and crazy.

5. For being able to fly out of Yokohama, Japan area safe and sound after experiencing 2 earthquakes in a period of 4 days. That was my first trip to Japan and I want to keep good memories from that one.

I'm smiling after creating this list. It helps put things in life on a better perspective. 

The modern Tokyo postcard is my contribution to Our World Tuesday. 

The list is for my sanity and the Gratitude Circle ;-)

~maria

Greetings from Washington!

I like vintage! Several friends told me that I should have been born in an earlier era. This is because I am old-fashioned and I have affinity for old-school stuff. So thanks so much John for sending me this neat postcard:

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: John
Sent: 4 May 2015 from Seattle, WA
Received: 13 May 2015, Traveled 12,980 km in 11 days

John writes at John's Island. He has an amazing collection of vintage memorabilia featured on his page. I reckon we've been visiting each other's page even before I took a break from blogging for the past 11 months. I'm happy to refresh the friendship through the recent A-Z April Challenge. He's among the blogging friends who cheered me on to continue writing an entry for each letter of the alphabet for the entire month of April. Thanks to blogging friends like him, my hobby ("ies" -- collecting postcards and writing about these cards and stamps) is so much more fun!

 It's quite interesting to note that sending a postcard was so inexpensive during the printing of this card. But I think I really couldn't say, perhaps 1 cent was worth a lot too at that time!

There's a linky party @ Beth's for Postcard Friendship Friday, come hop on here!

~maria

Blue forget-me-not blooms

I got this postcard while shopping for souvenirs during my recent trip to Gothenburg, Sweden. The postcard is quite pricey and I am looking to have it swapped for a USA state map postcard for my collection.

The designer is French Marie Cardouat. I really like her designs and this is just 1 of the 4 cards I bought. I wish her cards are available in bookstores here in Singapore. I have to check! For the meantime, I'll delight myself to the different pics posted for Blue Monday @ SmilingSally's.

~maria

Friday Reflection

I wanted to post a comprehensive entry for "Reflections" for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge that I just completed very recently, but I am just very tired.

Here's a postcard featuring a very nice reflection, though. I am simply happy and thankful that I was able to finish from A-Z! Now, I could publish my blog entries in a more relaxed pacing. The challenge was like racing through the days but it's super fun, too! Thanks to the hosts and co-hosts!

Direct Swap, Sender: Eugenia
Sent: 03 Oct 12 from Ontario, Canada
Traveled 11,830 km

Thanks to all the bloggers who visited my page throughout the challenge. Thanks for reading my entries and leaving your comments. Thanks to the challenge for making me meet new friends here in blogland. Most of all, it's super cool when these new friends support my postcards hobby! A new friend Terra and John sent me postcards! I am still waiting for John's to arrive. Terra's card came before the challenge ended. The card she sent me can be found here.

Hope all of us are looking forward into a relaxing weekend.

Join me in checking pretty postcards roll from the Postcard Friendship Friday.

~maria

Wordless Wednesday - Gigantic & Ancient Redwood Trees

Friendship Postcard, Sender: Terra
Sent: 18 Apr 2015 from Santa Cruz, CA
Received: 28 Apr 2015, Traveled 13,645 km in 10 days

Last month, I participated (and completed, wooohooo!!) the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge. I posted about Buildings and Structures on Postcards. I met Terra thru the challenge and she sent me a postcard! ;-)

~maria

Z is for Zamek Książ, Poland

The A-Z Challenge ends today. I feel accomplished for being able to finish! Some letters were really challenging for my chosen theme.

For letter "Z" --

FB Postcard Swap, Sender: RPPostcards
Sent: 09 Aug 2012 from Wroclaw, Poland
Received: 7 Sep 2012, Traveled 9,684 km in 28 days

I am pleased to share this zamek or castle postcard shown on twilight colors. I think the colors are fitting as a closing for my April postcards roll. According to its official website, the castle given it's size and location, is very rare in Europe.

That's it for now! It's been great sharing postcards everyday for 30 days! For new followers of my blog, it's been very nice to know you and visit your pages, too! Same goes to my existing followers even before the challenge, it's been nice catching up with your pages too after my absence here in bloggers world for almost 1 year. You are all welcome to continue sharing my journey of connecting with the world even after this April Challenge has ended ;-)

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone!

~maria

Y is for "Your Mind Afloat" with Gothenburg's Opera, Sweden

For letter "Y" --

"Your mind afloat" is the vision of the architect Jan Izikowitz for the Gothenburg Opera. He said:

The building should be possessed by an airiness that sends your mind soaring 

across the meandering landscape like wings of seagulls.

I sent this postcard design to several people (including myself) while I was in Gothenburg last week. Now I am excited to receive it from the post.

Do you think the architect was able to realize his vision with this work?

~maria

X is for Xanthic Roofs in Forbidden City, China

For letter "X" -- 

Friendship Postcard, Sender: Daphne
Sent: 31 Mar 2015 from Beijing, China
Received: 15 Apr 2015, Traveled 4,469 km in 16 days

I almost posted this entry for "X" as the letter being a prohibitory sign representing the word, "forbidden". I was lucky though to bump with the word xanthic, which is relating to the glazed yellow brick roofs on this postcard of the Forbidden City. 

And ooops, I realized that yellow could have been a perfect entry for the next letter of the alphabet, "Y". We'll find another building/structure on postcard for that. For now, let me share a trivia for this word and color. 

Xanthic is an adjective, from Greek, xanqo's yellow. Yellow is a color widely used in Chinese imperial buildings. It means respect in their culture. It's also a representative color of the element, earth. With the elements: metal, wood, fire, water, and earth -- earth is the central element. The ancient Chinese believed that the emperor is the center of the universe. Hence, earth/yellow on the roof of the imperial palaces is a royal emblem. 

~maria

W is for Warwick Castle, England

So many things to do, so little time. That's what I am feeling right now when I am about to fly out of Stockholm. It reminds me of another trip where one full day wasn't enough to experience everything the place has to offer.

For letter "W" --

Sent: 31 May 2012 from Southampton, UK
Received: 19 Jun 2012, Traveled 10,880.8 km in 20 days

If you happen to remember the entries I had for letters "D" and "E", this postcard is from that same visit to England. A tour of the castle and its grounds was probably the most jampacked day from that trip. I am not complaining though; the activities were well-organized and there's so much to discover about the place.

Are there any Merlin TV Series fanatics here? Warwick Castle has a special tower for you. It's called the Dragon Tower where you could enjoy a magical experience with the characters from the story.

~maria

V is for View from Below - Eiffel Tower, France

For the most number of postcards received for a single famous landmark, Eiffel Tower would be on top in my collection. So far there are two shared here in my blog from the titles: We'll Always Have Paris, and Paris and Its Wonders.

Direct Swap, Sender: Ulla
Sent: 26 Nov 2012 from Marly, France
Traveled ~10,900 km

For letter "V" of the A-Z April Challenge I am participating with for this month, let me treat you all for a view from below of this magnificent architectural wonder.

To be honest the stems of those trees are kind of creeping me out! It doesn't change the fact though that it offers a rare view of the tower. Do those stems creep you out, too? Do you think the postcard would have been nicer if these stems aren't there?

~maria

U is for University of Oxford, England

It's a challenge for me to find a postcard to share for this letter. Hence, for the very first time I am putting up one for a second feature on my page. It is from a multi-card post from 2013.

For letter "U" --

Bloggers Postcard Swap, Sender: Anne
Sent: 11 Sep 2013 from Swindon, UK
Received: 24 Sep 2013, Traveled 10,838 km in 13 days

The original post does not contain any information about the cards. So for this card at least, here's an interesting fact. It is unknown when Oxford University was established. Teaching though was known to have existed since more than 900 years ago.

Aside from that fact, there are still way too much impressive information about this university. More details could be found from an Uncle Wiki's page.

The long and full week is ending, I am tired and sleepy ... but before we take a rest, let's first check out my friend Beth's page for Postcards Friendship Friday hop.

~maria

T is for Tilburg Places of Worship, Netherlands

If you missed my "S" post, it was also about a place of worship.

For letter "T" --

NL-1921426, Sender: Joannes
Sent: 17 June 2013 from Tilburg, The Netherlands
Received: 29 June 2013, Traveled 10,431 km in 11 days

The sender of the postcard was very nice to give me a detailed description. He wrote:

On this card you can see almost all places of worship in Tilburg. The Hasselt Chapel (1540); a lamp in the Suleymani Mosque, St. Dionysius Church by daylight and festively illuminated; Jewish synagogue, Trappist monastery and brewery "de Koningshoeven"; former Hasselt church, now cultural center, St. Joseph Church with Sacred Heart statue in front at "de Huevel, the mosque, this time from outside the Norbertijnerpoort in Goirkestraat, again Hasselt chapel synagogue and mosque, the Cenacle former convent, the water tower in the Bredaseweg = road to Breda.

A bit of a challenge, but with persistence, you'll be able to identify which is which!

~maria

S is for Spas-Na-Krovi, Russia

From a city that also starts with "S", here is a postcard from St. Petersburg.

For letter "S" --

RU-2118338, Sender: Alya
Sent: 25 Oct 2013 from St. Petersburg, Russia
Received: 3 Dec 2013, Traveled 8,648 km in 39 days

Spas-Na-Krovi or Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood is a stunning church covered by mosaics in both the interior and the exterior. While reading the details at the back of the card, I was a bit puzzled by the detail "A. Parland". Thanks to Google, I was directed to a page for Alfred Parland, the lesser known architect of the church. Uncle Wiki says that this church is the life of A. Parland since it took a quarter century to finish and after that, he was responsible for maintaining the place.

If you would dedicate your life into a project, what would it be?

~maria

R is for Riverside Shophouses, Singapore

It's a bit amusing that I am posting about Singapore when I am not there. 

For letter "R" --

Friendship Postcard, Sender: Princess Rin
Sent: 30 Aug 2013 from Singapore
Received: 6 Sep 2013, Traveled 2,392 km in 7 days

Riverside shophouses are of pre-colonial design. They have been restored and now are restaurants and entertainment spots along the Robertson, River, and Clarke quays. The shophouses create an interestingly good contrast between the taller and newly-designed skyscrapers behind them. Tourists and locals alike can enjoy sightseeing from Singapore River aboard a wooden boat similar to those two on the postcard, operated by the SRC. I've taken the river sightseeing tour twice and wouldn't hesitate to do it again to accompany a friend who will visit SG.

Have you taken a river tour before? On which river was it? The other two river tours I've had besides from Singapore River were: (1) Thailand's Chao Phraya River Tour which offered view of majestic golden temples at night, and the (2) Cambodia's Mekong Delta / River Tour on which I had a breakfast aboard a wooden boat while watching the sunrise. It's quite difficult to choose a favorite from these 3, as each river tour was a unique experience by itself.

~maria

Q is for Queen's Islet Palace, Sweden

While researching for my Sweden trip, I was treated to a pleasant surprise at the Visit Sweden website. The photos on the page could be sent over as an e-postcard! Kudos to technology, even postcard delivery now has been automated. So I tried and sent myself one.

For letter "Q" --

E-Postcard from Visit Sweden Website, Sender: Myself
Sent: 9 April 2015 via email, Photo: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se

According to Uncle Wiki, "Drottningholm" in the name Drottningholm Palace literally means "Queen's Islet". The palace is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am hoping for nice weather this coming weekend so I could take at least a nice view of this palace from Gamla Stan. It would be a bit far from me if I travel all the way to Lovon where it is located. So a panoramic view from a nearby island would be enough I think. :)

~maria

P is for Petronas Tower, Malaysia

Being in elevation of around 40,000 ft for the past 10 hours or so, it's but most appropriate for me to share this postcard today.

Sent: 13 March 2015 from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Received: 25 March 2015, Traveled 350 km in 12 days

For letter "P" --

Petronas Tower is the tallest twin towers in the world. It stands at around 1,400 ft. I was definitely in awe and felt super small when I saw it in Kuala Lumpur early last month (March). I was only able to view it from the ground, feeling like a worm. I didn't go up cause there's a fee and I was stingy. 

What are the tall skyscapers that you've visited before? We're you able to experience going up that tall building?

~maria

O is for Olsztyn Castle Ruins, Poland

As mentioned in my "K" post, Poland is a country I really wish to see.

I don't know yet when I could go but while researching for "things to do" in Poland, I found out about the Trail of the Eagle's Nest. It is a marked trail with 25 medieval castles. It is considered the best touristic trail in Poland.

For letter "O" --

Direct Swap, Sender: Magda
Sent: 01 June 2012 from Zabrze, Poland
Traveled 9,613 km

Olsztyn Castle Ruins is one of the castles in the trail. It was considered as a royal castle for a settlement back in the 14th century. After several wars and transfers of ownership, Olsztyn is simply considered now as a village. The biggest attraction in the area that was once the castle, has the prison tower as its most impressive feature of the ruins.

Check out Beth's page to see more for Postcard Friendship Friday.

~maria

N is for New Swanstone Castle, Germany

For letter "N" --

Direct Swap, Sender: Mark Winchester
Sent: 27 Jul 2012 from Ostfildern, Germany
Traveled 10,300 km 

New Swanstone Castle or Neuschwanstein in German is famous for being the prototype of the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty. The sender of the postcard wrote:

Schloss Neuschwanstein, built for the "mad king Ludwig of Bavaria". 

He had 4 castles built, each one better than the last. 

Thanks to his obsession for romantic beauty though! Now Germany has this structure that drives in a lot of tourism for that part of the country.

~maria