Van Gogh's Recollection of Brabant

Van Gogh painted Recollection of Brabant at Saint-Remy, in southern France, in the Spring of 1890, few month before his death.

MF Oberwolfach, Germany

This is my very first 'mathematical' postcard. It came all the way from Oberwolfach, Germany. It surely looks like a cool place to do math.

View of Mercury, NASA

They have a lot of great postcards at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This one is a view of Mercury. The picture was taken in 1974 by the remotely controlled spacecraft Mariner 10.

National Museum of Afghanistan

I picked up this postcard at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, few months after seeing an awesome exhibition, Afghanistan, Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. These ivory statuettes date from the 1st or 2nd century A.D. They were discovered in the 1930's in a palace or treasure store-house at Begram, 60 miles north of Kabul.

The Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was printed by Johann Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, from 1452 to 1455. It is regarded as the first 'mass produced book' in the western world. This postcard depicts a copy held by The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Natterjack Toad

This cute Natterjack Toad postcard was a birthday gift, together with other great postcards. It was printed and sold to support the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Blossoming plum under the moon ...

... is one in a series of thirty beautiful hanging scrolls (Doshoku Sai-e, or Colorful realm of living beings) painted by Ito Jakuchu, a Japanese painter of the mid-Edo period.

Kite Flying

I simply love this card. I have a weakness for kites since Hosseini's The Kite Runner. My friend writes that, in the Korean culture, people believe that bad luck and illness are sent away as kites fly high in the sky.

Views from New York City

These iconic images of NYC are simply lovely.

The Church of the Resurrection, St Petersburg, Russia

This marvelous Russian-style church was built on the spot where Emperor Alexander II was assassinated in March 1881. During the second half of his reign, Alexander II grew wary of the dangers of his system of reforms, having only barely survived a series of attempts on his life, including an explosion in the Winter Palace and the derailment of a train. He was assassinated in 1881 by a group of revolutionaries, who threw a bomb at his royal carriage.

The Statue of Roland, Bremen, Germany

September comes with some great new postcards. This nice postcard represents the statue of Roland ( one of them) in Bremen, Germany. The legend says that Bremen will remain free and independent as long as Roland stands watching over the city. It is alleged that a second Roland statue is kept hidden in the town hall's underground vaults. This can be quickly installed, should the original fall.

Taos Pueblo, NM

Taos Pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. This postcard represents Hlaauma, the main structure North of 'the river'. The buildings are made entirely of adobe, an earth, straw and water mix. The Pueblo looks much like it did when the conquistadors first arrived. The exception is the introduction of doorways. At one time, the only entrance into the homes was by ladder through an opening in the rooftop.

King Solomon's Knot

King Solomon's knot (link rather) is part of the beautiful mosaic pavement in Basilica di Aquileia, Italy, which dates from the 4th century AD.

Najac, France

This is  Rue de la Portete in beautiful Najac, in  South -West France. Najac is an unusual village - it has just one main street running along the top of a ridge, and is towered over by the Najac fortress at the highest point on the ridge.

Chicago, IL

The restless blue waters of Lake Michigan lap at the shores of the city's impressive skyline.

Canyonlands, UT

An afternoon thunderstorm creates a vibrant rainbow above Monument Basin and the surrounding canyons at the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park.

Gliwice, Poland (Postcrossing)

Gliwice is an old city in Silesia, in southern Poland. This postcard depicts the City Hall ( left) and the Gliwice castle ( lower center).

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trial is a marked footpath that runs from Katahdin,  ME to Springer Mountain, GA, a distance of about 2160 miles.

The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia...

...advertises its 11th Annual Empty Bowl Luncheon. I picked up this card from a store in Athens, GA. The one-of-a-kind bowls are created by local artists.

Hangzhou, China (Postcrossing)

 Autumn moon over the calm lake

Hay House, Macon , GA (Postcrossing)

The Hay House in Macon, GA was build in the 1850s in the Italian Renaissance revival style. The 18,000- square-feet mansion spans four levels and is crowned by a three-story cupola. Its amenities were pretty cool for the mid 19th century:  central heat, hot and cold running water, speaker tube system.

Royal Crescent, Bath, England (Postcrossing)

The Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, and it is an example of Georgian architecture. The Royal Crescent Hotel occupies Numbers 15 and 16. The Royal Victoria Park near the crescent is a location for the launch of hot air balloons.

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Chichen Itza is a large archeological site built by the Maya civilization, located in the Yucatan Peninsula. Dominating its center is the Temple of Kukulcan. During the Spring and Fall equinoxes, the north side of the temple is the scene of Kukulcan's descent to Earth. At the rising and setting of the sun, the corner of the structure casts a shadow in a shape of a plumed serpent- Kukulcan.

Arches National Park, Utah

The Balanced Rock and The Windows Section of the park are pictured in this beautiful postcard. Arches Park is a land of pinnacles and sandstone dunes originally deposited by streams and wind. In the background are the snow-covered La Sal Mountains.

Grand Canyon, Toroweap Overlook

This photo of the Grand Canyon is taken from the Toroweap Overlook, at 3000 vertical feet above the Colorado river.

Mikkeli, Finland (Postcrossing)

The local football team is Mikkelin Polloilijat, for which the European  Commissioner  Olli Rehn used to play for 13 years.

The Bode Museum, Berlin (Postcrossing)

The Bode Museum in Berlin, hosts the Cabinet of Coins and Medals, one of the largest collections of its kind in the world, containing half a million items.

Sao Paolo, Brazil (Postcrossing)

Ibirapuera Park  is the main park of Sao Paolo. Along with concerts, playgrounds, museums, there is a free outdoor lending library where you can borrow books and magazines to read for the day.

National Stadium, Beijing, China (Postcrossing)

Built for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the National Stadium, informally known as the 'Bird's Nest', is the largest steel structure in the world.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia, built in the early 12th century for the king Suryavarman II.  Dedicated to Vishnu, it was built as the king's state temple and capital city. It has become a symbol of Cambodia and it appears on the national flag.

Odilon Redon painting

This paiting of Odilon Redon's is part of the Darwin - Art and the Search for Origins in Frankfurt.

This exhibition celebrates Charles Darwin's 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of  Species'.

Grand Canyon

The South Rim is dotted with pinyons and junipers whose dwarfed size belies their true age. This pinyon pine, with its characteristic short needles and twisted trunk, may be over one hundred years old. 

Targoviste, Romania

My aunt sent me this postcard from my home town. Targoviste is a small historic town, with many beautiful churches, few of which are depicted here. The Chindia Tower ( showed in the upper right pic), built in the 1400s,  is a symbol of the town and stands proudly among the beautiful ruins of the old royal court.

Cowboy boots

I have recently bought a book of cowboy postcards. This is one of my favorites.

Euromast, Rotterdam (Postcrossing)

Did you know there is such a thing as the World Federation of Great Towers ? There is, and The Euromast is one of them.

Scottish Kilts (Postcrossing)

A properly made kilt should not be so loose that the wearer can easily twist  the kilt around the body, nor should it be so tight that causes wrinkles of the fabric where it is buckled. When buckled at the waist, the length of the kilt should reach no lower than halfway across the kneecap nor higher than about an inch above it.

Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan

Otaru is a city in the northern Japanese island Hokkaido. A former Ainu community, its name possibly means 'River running through the sandy beach'.

Every year, Otaru hosts Yuki-akari-no-michi, a snow festival during which the city lights up.

View from Finland (Postcrossing)

 My search for Finnish foods brought up this Piparkakut recipe from Kutri's Kitchen.

Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, NYC

Isn't this a beautiful view? I like the greens and the blues and the close by clouds. Even the lady turned green for a better fit :). There isn't too much she can do about it.  It's just her oxidized copper skin. 

St Vitus' Cathedral, Prague (Postcrossing)

Part of Prague Castle, St Vitus' cathedral is the largest cathedral in the Czech Republic. Apart from divine services the coronation of Czech kings and queens also took place here. An important part of the cathedral is the Wenceslas Chapel, which lies above the grave of St Wenceslas. The interior of the chapel is decorated with gemstones and precious painting and  a door leads to the crown chamber, where the Czech crown jewels are kept.

The Capitol Building, Washington DC

There are no skyscrapers in DC. Many believe that this is because of a law saying that the Capitol was to be the tallest in the city. In fact, the fire department put limits on building heights in 1894 because their firefighting equipment wouldn't reach high enough to keep tall buildings safe. In 1989, the Height of Buildings Act was passed, ensuring that the city skyline wouldn't be dominated by skyscrapers.

Mid-Pacific Carnival Posters

Between 1910 and 1917, a large carnival event was held every February in Honolulu, HI, the Mid-Pacific Carnival.  These two postcards depict the  advertisements for the 1915 and 1916 events.

Our Lady's Cathedral, Antwerp, Belgium

Where the cathedral now stands, there was a small chapel of Our Lady from the 9th to the 12th century. During the course of the 12th century it was replaced by a larger church and in 1352 construction was began on a new Our Lady.  170 years later it became the largest gothic church in the Netherlands.

Marseille, France

"The Marseillais is suspected of stretching the truth from time to time, of embroidering and exaggerating. I wonder if this is because Marseille is a fish town, and the environment somehow encourages the natural instinct of the fisherman to improve on nature.Only in the sea around Marseille, so the story goes,  do sardines regularly grow to the size of  young sharks." Peter Mayle, Encore Provence

The Grand Baazar, Istabul, Turkey

The Grand Bazaar  in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world, with over 1200 shops. The Bazaar dates since 1461, when it was build by the order of  Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

Alisal Road, Solvang, California

Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, CA, founded in 1911 by a group of Danish educators who traveled west to escape midwestern winters. The architecture of many of the buildings follows the traditional Danish style. Much of the film Sideways (2004) was filmed in Solvang.