Postcards for the weekend 57: Anything you wish

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from North Houston, Texas
Sent 2 Dec 2013, Traveled 13,241 km in 10 days

For our theme this weekend, anything you wish, I'm sharing an anecdote, facts, and trivia about the United States of America and the states that I'm visiting during this 3-week business trip.

CA-669234, Sent from Montreal, Quebec
Sent 11 Oct 2016, Traveled 14, 644 km in 15 days

According to a report published by Instituto Cervantes, the United States of America has more Spanish speakers as compared to Spain. My first conversation after getting out of my 13 hours flight from Tokyo to Washington, DC was with a gentleman, whom I asked for directions. My un poquito Español was put to the test. Good thing some Spanish words are incorporated in my native tongue, Filipino. Evidently, one needs more than English to efficiently get by in the USA.

RU-1711183, Sent from Yekaterinburg, Russia
Sent 29 Apr 2013, Traveled 6,872 km in 37 days

My flight from Tokyo (I flew in first from Singapore to Japan) landed at Washington Dulles International Airport. I wish I budgeted a couple of days for sightseeing. I could have seen the Lincoln Memorial in the capital. 

Direct Swap, Sent from Vienna, VA
Sent 22 Nov 2016, Traveled 15,685 km

From Washington DC, I flew here to Cleveland, Ohio. This is my first main destination for my 3-week business trip here in the USA. When I came to the office yesterday, I was given a goodie bag, containing several items and a paper with a Did You Know? header. As you can imagine, it's the inspiration for my choice of postcards for this post. I learned that Ohio is the Birthplace of Aviation, as the Wright brothers were born in Dayton, Ohio.

TW-1056264, Sent from Taiwan
Sent 25 Oct 2013, Traveled 1,171 km in 13 days

On Sunday, I will fly from Cleveland to Seattle, with a connection via Chicago. The Ferris wheel was invented in Chicago in 1893.

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sent from Seattle, WA
Sent 19 June 2015, Traveled 12,970 km

The state of Washington is my second and last main destination for this trip. Washington state produces more apples than any other states. I'm pretty curious if I'll have the chance to see apple orchards while I'm there. Moreover, I also hope to see one of our blogging friends, John.

Happy weekend everyone,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 51: Start of year 2 !!!

Congratulations to us blogger friends, you know who you are! And, congratulations to readers and followers of Postcards for the Weekend. We are now in our second year!

In the end, I decided to do another year as the joy of sharing postcards and providing a community venue for other collectors who want to share their postcards in a community-like fashion are more reasons enough than the pressure that comes from hosting this linky from time to time.

For this first weekend of our second year for the linky and with the theme Anything you wish, here are postcards from the country I have recently visited:

Direct Swap, Sent from Zwolle
Sent 8 Nov 2015, Traveled 10,377 km

Gouda, tulip fields, and the Dutch bonnet -- these are among the most iconic representations of the Netherlands. I came back to Singapore with a ball of gouda to share with friends. Regretfully, not as huge as this one in the postcard though!

NL-1525406, Sent from Flevoland
Sent 3 Nov 2012, Traveled 10,383 km in 12 days

Windmills -- probably the most iconic Dutch representation. I only saw one at Delft. I wish we could have gone to Kinderdijk. Perhaps next time ...

I'm waiting for my linkytools subscription to be renewed. The payment has gone through but I'm not sure why the subscription status is yet to be updated.

For those who are linking up this weekend and the linky isn't available for this post, please leave the link for your posts in the comment section for the meantime. 

Apologies for the inconvenience,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 47: Bridges

CN-2086490, Sent from Hangzhou
Sent 17 Nov 2016, Traveled 3,621 km in 90 days

Nedi, the sender of this postcard wrote: This picture is the seventeen-hole bridge. It's one of the famous scenes at the Summer Palace in Beijing. 

I love this scene captured during the golden hour.

DE-5986656, sent from Leipzig
Sent 15 Feb 2017, Traveled 9,998 km in 12 days

Here's a winter view of Blick vom Johannapark, at the Leipzig city center. I must admit, finding bridges within city parks & gardens always thrills me. There's that adrenalin rush of getting from one side to the other, regardless how relatively small of an accomplishment it might seem.

Friendship Gift Postcard, hand-delivered

Now, this last postcard means so much to me. It was hand-delivered to me by a colleague when she came back to the office from her Australia trip. At the back was written, "Sometimes people need to fall apart, to realize how much you need to get back together. You just need to believe that everything happens for a reason and God has bigger plans for you! Hang in there!!" This postcard was pinned to my office cubicle where I can see it every day while facing my laptop screen. That year, 2014, was tumultuous, to say the least -- this postcard was one of my links to sanity.

I'm sure you folks have noticed the delay in my weekend posts. It's been a real challenge for me these couple of weeks with responsibilities at work. At the moment, I'm finally on my last week of a 3-week series of trips from Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, and now here in Jakarta (moving to Malang on Wednesday!). After that, I'm back to Singapore for 1 week and then I''m off to the foot of the Alps, for a 2-week break. I'm hesitant about this, but I really need a time off from electronics & gadgets so I decided that for 5 & 12 August, I won't be hosting the linky. However, if someone would want to substitute for me on those 2 weekends, please let me know in the comment and I will pass the HTML codes for the link-up platform.

Hope you're all having a free & easy weekend,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 30: Cambodia

Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sent 4 Oct 2015, Traveled 1,148 km

Our theme for this weekend is a country that you would want to live in if you have the choice/chance.

To be honest I have several countries in Europe that I've always dreamed about for this theme. However, since my partner moved to Cambodia, I've been moving a lot back and forth. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my flight to Phnom Penh when I started writing this piece.

Cambodia gained more international attention since portions of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider were shot in several of its temple ruins. A couple of the filming locations can be seen in my previous posts: Angkor Thom and Bayon. These locations are in Siem Reap, approximately 6 hours away by bus from Phnom Penh, the capital. The latter is where my third home and most of the business & central government offices are located.

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

There isn't much touristic sites here in Phnom Penh. There is however, a captivating good mix of Khmer and French architecture. Here are some of the distinguished buildings, standing out from the rest of the concrete structures. 

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

When Siem Reap offers beautiful temple ruins, the buildings in Phnom Penh complete the storytelling about the tumultuous history of Cambodia. The country has many stories to tell from being once a powerful religious kingdom, a French protectorate, the Khmer Rouge, alliance with the Vietnamese, its rise from the conflicts and wars, and the journey towards stability. On the postcard below: The Cambodia-Vietnam Monument, The Independence Monument, The Choeung Ek Genocidal House, Leader of Cambodia Buddhism - Samdech Choun Nath, the Knotted Gun Monument.

 

One of the choice of postcards sent out to friends around the world

In addition to the monuments, one of the places that draw the curiosity of visitors to the capital is the Royal Palace. The complex serves as the resident of the royalty and also houses a collection of precious items that are distinctively Khmer. 

Postcard sent to self from Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sent 18 Oct 2016, Traveled 1,148 km

Life in Phnom Penh is more relaxed and slower than Singapore. There is however, no established proper mass transportation system which I found annoying at times. There are no trains nor buses to go around quickly from one place to another around the city. For most of the residents, they own a scooter and the more affluent has huge big cars (always fascinating to watch this contrast while on the road). There is also of course the tuktuk, their local variation of the motorized rickshaw. A comprehensive guide of moving and living in Cambodia can be found on the same link for the tuktuk. I would say that it's a nice country to live in for a couple of years if you're curious about discovering more about its history & culture and mixing with a population on its journey towards globalisation. One needs an open mind though as the daily local life is totally different from the experiences of being a tourist. I really wouldn't mind completely relocating. I need huge savings though in order to do so as local employment doesn't pay too much in order to keep a lifestyle as in Singapore!

This is probably one of my longer entries for the linky party by far ... I hope it isn't a tedious read for the weekend.

Cheers from Phnom Penh,

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 28: Japan

The theme for this weekend is from a country you have visited or a favorite place in your country that you have visited. I'm sharing postcards for the former.

Last November 2016, I traveled to Japan with my partner and four other friends. Our first destination was the old capital of Japan, Kyoto.

Postcard sent to self from Kyoto, Japan
13 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

I would admit that I was faked in a kinda ignorant way by women walking around in kimono. I thought these are real Japanese women who roam around as part of their local tourism board initiatives. But then, I came to a realization that many of them are tourists who have rented a kimono for the day. Many boutiques offer such experience including photo shoots.

JP-905949, Sent from Saitama, Japan
Traveled 5,368 km in 17 days

I can still remember how delighted I was when I received this postcard and the explanation behind the photo back in December 2016. This was one of the fishes we were wondering about the name when we're in our Japan holiday. It's a narrow and long fish with not much flesh but very tasty. It was explained by the postcard sender that this fish is locally called as autumn sword fish or sanma. Its common name is Pacific saury.

Postcard sent to self from Nikko, Japan
16 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

Nikko, our second destination in Japan is a town renowned for lavishly decorated shrines and temples. On this postcard is the heavily decorated Yomei-mon Gate at the Toshogu Shrine. It was under renovation and covered by scaffolding and while plastic drapes when we were there. Nonetheless, the rest of the place was equally astonishing. More details about this UNESCO WHS can be found here. 

Postcard sent to self from Tokyo, Japan
20 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km

Our third and final destination was the bustling and busy capital city of Tokyo. The atmosphere was a stark contrast with that of Kyoto and Nikko. Tokyo was a maze of tall buildings, colorful neon lights at night, and people on the go regardless of the time of the day. 

Japan was a balance of relaxation with the charm of the old world in Kyoto and Nikko, and adventure with the action-filled urban atmosphere of Tokyo.

Happy weekend everyone! Looking forward, as always, to see the postcards you're sharing for this weekend's theme.

~maria

Postcards for the weekend 13: Museum/university/library

For the theme this weekend, the only postcard I have for a university was featured last year. Here are two postcards instead that talk about universities:

DE-5634232, Sent: 11 Oct 2016
Traveled 10,346 km in 8 days

The sender wrote that Freiburg City, where she lives is an old university town in Black Forest Area of Germany, close to France and Switzerland. I think she's mostly referring to the 500-plus years old Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg. It is in the top 5 oldest universities in Germany along with Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, University of Leipzig, University of  Rostock, and University of Greifswald. When I look at this card, I crave for a slice of Black Forest cake, given the colors of the costume the woman & children are wearing and the name of the area.

Direct Swap: Sent: 6 June 2015
Traveled 9,981 km in 20 days

The multi-view card shows places of interest in the university town of Plzn. For this card, the sender wrote about the degree she's studying at the University of West Bohemia. It's called Faculty of Philosophy, International Relations, British and International Studies. I wish I was able to keep it touch. She seems to be a perfect person to speak with about the Brexit and the results of the recent USA elections ...

Sadly, I don't have any library card to share, but I have at least one museum postcard.

Friendship Gift Postcard: Sent: 3 June 2016

Have you ever experienced receiving a postcard in the mail and exclaiming out loud or in your mind, "Oh! I've been there!" -- this postcard is one of those cards for me. Well, except of course those postcards that I sent to myself whenever I travel. 

This postcard came to me 2 months after I was there in Acropolis. It's an understatement to say how grand is their collection, given the rich cultural history of the place. I would love to go back to get lost once again into a different age while viewing their displays.

Happy Thanksgiving to readers & participants who celebrate and to everyone, I wish us all a good rest this weekend!

~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

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

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

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

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

K is for Klodzko's Architecture, Poland

I've always dreamed of visiting Poland. A dream that is yet to come true. In my postcards collection, Poland is in the top 5 country from where I have the most nicest cards from.

Coming from another country that was badly damaged during WW2, I am curious how Poland was able to retain its culture and rehabilitate from the war.

For letter "K" --

Direct Swap, Sender: Joanna Hellman
Sent: 27 Aug 2012 from Katowice, Poland
Received: 10 Sep 2012, Traveled 9,583 km in 11 days

Klodzko, stare miasto. Old Town. These are the descriptions at the back of the card. The sender wrote:

Klodzko, due to the unusual architecture is called "small Prague.". It is one of the most picturesque Polish towns.

Did you notice it looks like there's a cat coming out from the window of the pink house on the right? Is it just me and my imagination?

~maria

J is for Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, Brunei

For letter "J" --

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque is the largest mosque in Brunei. It is know locally as Kiarong Mosque. Impressive on the outside with its golden domes, I've read that the interior is even more jaw-dropping.

This is another postcard that I couldn't caption. It was hand-delivered by the same friend who gave me the Cambodia postcards that were featured for letters A, B, and C.

~maria 

G is for Gothenburg, Cathedral

For letter "G" --

Direct Swap, sent by Iwona Miazek
Sent: 17 Oct 2013 from Salzgitter, Germany
Received: 07 Nov 2013, Traveled 10,108.2 km in 21 days

Gothenburg Cathedral is a church that was burnt down and rebuilt twice. The current building is of classicist style, designed by Gothenburg's first city architect, Carl Wilhelm Carlberg.

It would probably be one of the places I'll try to see for my touristic side trip. I'll be traveling to Gothenburg very soon for work. I am currently researching for a few touristic places which are not too far from the city center to see in the evenings. Any suggestions?

~maria

V is for Vienna, Austria

Friendship Gift Postcard, Sender: Sensei
Sent: 9 October 2013 from Vienna, Austria
Received: 17 October 2013, Traveled 9,880.5 km in 9 days

Vienna is a city I dream I can be based in for work. It's such a lofty dream but as the saying goes, "the future is made of the dreams you make today".

Aside from professional aspirations, I feel being in Vienna will make me happy . The place will strike a balance for doing a technical job and living in an artistic environment!

The historic center of Vienna was inscribed to the UNESCO WHS list in 2001.

~maria

U is for Undulating Lines of Gaudi, Spain

ES-198134, Sender: Jordi
Sent: 15 Dec 2012 from Catalunya, Spain
Received: 16 Jan 2013, Traveled 11,188 km in 32 days

The works of the Spanish Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudi are famous for their undulating structure. They are outstanding examples of 20th century building typology.

One of his major projects is the La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, shown in the postcard. It was declared as a UNESCO site in 1984.

~maria

T is for Taj Mahal, India

Facebook Swap, Sender: Oskat
Sent: 3 Sep 2012 from India
Received 28 Sep 2012, Traveled 4,752 km

The sender wrote:

The Taj Mahal is also known as the "Crown of Palaces". It is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. It was declared a UNESCO site in 1983.

~maria

S is for Sucevița Monastery, Romania

Facebook Swap, Sender: Mircea
Sent: 22 Oct 2012 from Focsani, Romania
Received: 12 Nov 2012, Traveled 9,137 km in 20 days

Sucevița Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox convent. It is known for the mural paintings on its outer walls. It was included in the UNESCO WHS list in 2010. It is one of the eight Churches of Moldavia built from 15th to 16th centuries. 

Another one of those churches is the Moldovita Monastery below. It's striking resemblance made me mistake if for Sucevița.

Facebook Swap, Sender: Danut
Sent: 14 April 2012 from Ploiesti, Romania
Received: 11 May 2012, Traveled 9,243 km in 27 days

This monastery church is also known as the Church of Annunciation. 

The UNESCO WHS description says that these structures undergone no significant alteration since the time they were built.

~maria

L is for Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Facebook Swap, Sender: Dany
Sent: 31 July 2012 from Cuxhaven, Germany
Received date not stamped on card, Traveled 10089 km

L is for Leaning Tower of Pisa and for Last Week of Lent this year.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a UNESCO WHS that I've always dreamed to see for real since I was in grade school. While working for my masters degree, I thought of applying for a short training course in Italy so I can make a side trip to this attraction. This site has been on the list since the year I was born. So perhaps I should imagine for a monumental year to visit this, say when I turn 30? Ah, sounds like a plan!

Lent, as we know is a Catholic event on its last week for this year. I haven't been a devout and observant Catholic but I am hoping to be able to reflect and meditate more before the season is over. A lot of overwhelming changes are happening lately due to life changing decisions I've made at the start of this year. I know I need to slow down and have some time to look deeper inside myself. 

But my oh my, it's Monday! Gotta stop being pensive for now and F-O-C-U-S. There are so many things to learn and get accomplished in a little time.

I wish all of us a great week!

~maria

J is for Japan's Saihō-ji Temple, Kyoto

JP-426642, Sender: blue-dream
Sent: 21 Jul 2013 from Tokushima, Japan
Received: 30 Jul 2013, Traveled 2,557 km in 9 days

Blue-dream filled me in about the details of the place, with her writing at the back of the card:

The picture is Saiho-ji temple, which is famous for its moss garden. So another name is The Moss Temple.  It is registered as a UWHS (in 1994), as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. 

Furthermore, she wrote:

By the way, you look like Japanese actress Akiko Hinagata. Please check her on the internet!

I did check on her but there isn't much resemblance. But thanks to Blue-dream, she gave me the confidence I got the looks for TV!! Haha, I can dream. After all, it's a dreamy day today -- Friday and I'm dreaming it's already Saturday :p

Aside from the A-Z April Challenge, I am also sharing this postcard for the Postcard Friendship Friday linky of my dear blogger friend Beth. Check out her page for more beautiful postcards! :)

~maria