Vietnam

 Saigon : VIETNAM .

 A card from my great friend in Vietnam.!!  A surprise  envelope with many cards and surprises . Thank you so much my dear Trang  I loved all this when I opened the  envelope. Thank you for all your kind thoughts and cards .

This card shows the monument of Ho Chi Min in The Ninh Kieu Park in  Can Tho. Thank you Trang
Posted Saigon :10 December 2022 : Arrived Sydney 04 January 2023: Traveled 24 dqys

France .

 FRANCE: 
  Lighthouses are anotherfavourite of mine mainly because they are never the same, This is a special lighthouse card as it is a UNESCO world Heritage site.  Thank you   Merci Beaucoup  Morima for this great card choice.  This is a Postcrossing card and This  active lighthouse is the Cordouan and is located in South Eastern  France .
 Posted France 24 August : Arrived Sydney 19 September : Traveled 16928 kilometers in 25  days.

 Cordouan Lighthose : Is an operating lighthouse that is located 7 kilometers  ( 4.3 miles ) out at sea near  the mouth of The Gironde Estuary , at a height of 67.5 metrs high ( 22 feet ) it is the tenth highest "traditional "lighthouse in the world. The Courduan light house was a listed as a National Monument in France in 1862 and recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2021.
 Thank you Wikipedia for information.

United States of America.

 Providence  RI  USA.
  This is an image that we all have come to know  !!  This is another of the many cards that John has sent that are all great cards  . This card shows  The National September 11 National Memorial and Museum located at the World Trade Centre  Site  in New York City ., that will remember and Honour the nearly three thousand  victims that were killed in the terrorists attacks on September the 11th  2001 and February 26th 1993 document the events of the 9th of the 11th and educate for a bteer future !
Posted Providence RI November 27 :Arrived Sydney 19 December :Traveled 23 days..Thanks John!

United States of America

 San Antonio TEXAS .:USA.

Hey thanks Staff!  nice to hear you are having a good time down there in San Antonio.. Boy ..long time since I was there..A great pic of "The Alamo"  and a place that Im sure we all know of.. Many thanks also for the Hard Rock Cafe pin from there as when I was there I did not get one ..another one in the collection.. thanks mate for taking the time out really appreciate it  take care and enjoy youtr trip.!
 
 "THE ALAMO"  Originally known as The Mission de San Antonio de Valero formerly a Roman Catholic Mission  and fortress compound . Now a Museum in San Antonio,

Posted San Antonio :22 July : Arrived Sydney 21 August : Traveled 30 days.! Thanks mate.!

Ireland

 Cork,  IRELAND :

 I have just received this most wonderful card. !! I saw this card o my :"Surprise cards" site and mentioned how much I loved it ..and WOW  here it is .!!.  Thank you so much dear Paula for sending me this card . This is one of the most heart warming  cards showing this amazing monument to  Ireland and its people  that I have  seen. !
  This card shows the  Large outdoor Stainless Steel  "Feathers" sculptured monument to the Peoples of Ireland that suffered from the great Famine  and was donated by the Native American "Choctaw Tribe " in  1847  of "The great Hunger" despite The Choctaw peoples themselves suffering great hardships ..and poverty on their reservation.. it is estimated that this donation would be  around $20.thousand  dollars in todays valaue.This Monument can be found in Ballick Patk in Middleton County  Cork...
  Thank you so much Paula for this lovely card .. 

 On my last vist to The USA  I vited Oklahoma and also The Choctaw and Chickishaw Native People s Reservation.. This was a most interesting place tovisit and witness the peoples amazing culture  and history of their  hardships and their life today where they are.. Thank you Stafford for making this visit possible..  also the rest of what we did and where we went in Oklahoma.

Posted Cork . 15 April.: Arrived Sydney 26 April. Traveled 11 days..  fast in todays mail. 

United States of America

 Boston. MAS  USA.

 This is a card that I recently came across amongst some souvenir cards that I had gotten during my vist to the The Boston National Historical Park   with a great mate who tok me there on a day out  to originally see the USS Constitution..  also this is a wonderful Naval and Nautical Museum at this same location.  This particular  ship is the USS Cassin Young ( DD 793 ).a World War II Destroyer and a survivor of many fierce battles in the western Pacific.. She is typical of the modern warships built at The  Charleston Navy Yard .. Thank you again Vinnie for this great day out . This was also a great visit to also go aboard The USS Constitution The Oldest fighting vessel in The US Navy.
   These are some pics of my visit to The USS Constitution  Naval Museum.

Germany

 Berlin .: GERMANY : 

 This is a Postcrossing card that came today and is a lovely ornate card showingthe Brandeburg gate  (Brandenburger Tor ) in Berlin .  This view of the gate is from The pariser Platz on the east side.Thank you Pauline and Mimi for this nice card that hasgreat memorise for me.
Posted Berlin 06 March 21 : Arrived Sydney 22 April: Traveled 16,277 kilometers in 46days.

 I must say that I enjoyed my stay in Berlin visiting a friend on my "Around the World" by train journey..and was just so nice to be able to visit many venues i the City with the help of my friend as there is nothing like "local knowledge " when visiting a strange city. So much history and great sites to visit..of course the Reichstag.  theBrandenburg Tor , The olympic Statdium for the 1938 Olymics. of course The Berlin Wall and many others to mention.. Thank you Birgitte for making this possible.

The Brandenburger  Gate. Berlin .:
  This The Brandeburger Tor is a neo classical monument in Berlin built on the orders of The Prussian King  Frederick William II  after the temporary restoration of order after the Batavian revolution. This is one of the best know landmarks in Germany and was built on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the  road from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel which used to be the Capital of the Margriviate of Brandenburg.,  and is located in the western part of  the city centre of Berlin at the junction of " Unter den Linden and  Ebertstrasse immediately west of  The Pariser Platz. and one block North stands the Reichstag Building  which houses the German Parliarment ( The Bundestag ).
    The Gate is the Monumental entry int Unter den Linden ..a boulevarde of "Linden" trees  that led diectly to the Royal City Palace of The Prussian Monarchs.
  The Brandenburg Gate was privately refurbished on the 21st December 2000 at a cost of six million Euros and was the main venue for the  20th Anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall or "The Festival of Freedom" on the evening of the  9th of  November 2009.
Thank you ..info coutesy of Wikipedia..

Turkey

 Istanbul TURKEY : 

A great "Surprise" card sent by a fellow member of the group..  a wonderfully interesting card of ancient site in Turkey..  The  cards shows 'The Mifas Monument"  a "Phrygian"  rock cut Tomb  dedicated  Midas  The Phrygian King.( 700 BCE ).  Thank you Boran for this nice card  and also your kind message.  This is incredibly interesting history !
Posted Istanbul. 17 March : Arrived Sydney 14 April. Taveled  28 days .. Thank you Boran.

The Midas Monument .

In the 8th Century The Phrygians started some of the very earliest "Rock Cut Momuments" such as The Midas Monument  (700 BCE) dedicated to the famous Phrygian King..
 The most prominent part of the Midas Monument is The high rock cut facade with an incised decoration apparently showing a pedimented temple front with " acroteria"  faced with terracootta and  a niche at the bottom centre. The niches walls bear graffitti readin" MATAR  (MOTHER (ie. The Godess of Cybele") and then most likely held a statue of Cybele.
   The Monument carries a dedication in "Old Phrygian" by Ates son of Ark.. to MIDAS  and probably dayes from the 7th or 6th Century ( BCE ). The inscription mentions Midas with his titles MIDAI  LAVAGTAEI  VANAKTEI.  and probably means : Leader of the people and the ruler.
 Info courtesy ofWikipedia.:

      

United States of America

UTAH  USA.

  Thank youArnold for this great historical Postcard swap..  The card shows the meeting of the trans National Railway and Commemorates The joining of the two  ends of the 1,912 mile Trans Continental Railroad in 1869 which linked The Eastern and Western Rail networks of the United States. This site is locted in Promotory Summit Utah the site of The Golden Spike !great stamps !

Posted Houston. : 09 November : Arrived Sydney 02 December. : Traveled 23 days. Thanks Arnold.!
 

United States of America.

 New York.: NEW YORK.: USA

 An interesting black and white card from a fellow Postcrosser in New York .  Thank you so much Sam for this nice card that shows a few of the most popular recognised sights in New York..  Thank you for your kind message Sam and like many you mention that you workk from home now and miss the city and its buildings..  Hopefully soon this year will be but a bad memory for most of us..!!  take care there.
Posted New York:29 October: Arrived Sydney 22 November : Traveled 16,026 kiometers in 24 days.

Nepal

NEPAL.:

Thank you Poonam for yet another great card.. This is from your recent trip to Nepal and thank you so much for thinking of me.. This card shows many and varied colourful National Monuments of Nepal.. Thank you so much again Poonam.
Posted India  23 July : Arrived Sydney : 18 August traveled 22 days.. lovely card and stamps..

United States of America

Nevada. USA.

Thank you Mel and Boyd for once more thinking of me on your travels .. this card from Nevada shows The Cold War National Memorial to the silent heroes of the cold war.at Spring Mountains National Recreational Area.
The Silent Heroes of the Cold War National Memorial honours thousands of individuals that worked covertly for the United States of America's government to ensure the ongoing security of the United States during the cold war. Many of these people paid the ultimate price with their lives
Thank you both for this card .and trust that this trip for y'all was a fun one..
Posted Las Vegas 20 July : Arrived Sydney 29 July .:Traveled 9 days..

Portugal

Lisbon : PORTUGAL.:

Thanks Molly for this E card that you have sent from your recent visit to Portugal  a nice photo taken in front of this National monument to the many Portuguese sailors, discoverers ,and adventurers. Thank you for this card and am sure that you are enjoying this wonderful city of Lisbon.

United States of America

Washington DC .
 
Thank you Elena for this joint card swap of the Centennary of  WWI. this was a joint swap between friends to commemorate the service of our nations in this horrendous conflict. The card shows the Executive Office Building in Washington DC adjacent to the White House this building once housed the offices of the State, War Department , and the Navy and was formerly known as the State,War  and Navy Building .The former office of the seretary of the Navy has been occupied by every US Vice President since 1960.President Bill Clinton renamed the building The Dwight D Eisenhower Executive Office Building at a ceremony on the 9th of November 1999.Mark Twain called it the ugliest building in America.!
 Nice Armistiice day / Veterans day stamps. Thanks again for this kind swap Elena.
Posted Boiling Springs Station:10 November : Arrived Sydney 23 November : Traveled 13 days.

Egypt

CAIRO. EGYPT.

Thank you Honglin for remembering me...This is a lovely multi- view card card of this Unesco World Heritage Site and Wonder of the World showing The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.and a map of Egypt.also a nice scene of The Pyramids at sunset.. a surprise card that you have sent to me from your visit...Xie Xie... This is a place I so would like to visit...thank you..
Posted Guangzhou : 18 June : Arrived Sydney :09 July.: Traveled 21 days...Xie  Xie  Honglin..

United States of America

San Diego CA...USA.

A lovely colourful card showing this old historic lighthouse.That is a National Monument today. The  Loma Lighthouse located at "Old Point " in San Diego California.The old Lighthouse  was erected in 1855 and was in operation until 1891..From this vantage point on the lighthouse one has a magnificent view of the Harbour. Thank you Ruby for this and many other wonderful lighthouse cards..
 Posted Texas :07 November 2017 :Arrived Sydney 20 November : Traveled 13 days..

United States of America.

Black Hills : SOUTH DAKOTA :  USA

 Wow,, What an amazing sight this must be to see .. The Mount Rushmore Memorials located in The Black Hills of South Dakota..This is a National Memorial with four of the most prominent United States Presidents profiles are carved out of the mountain...amazing !!!Thank you Arnold for this great card.and the great train stamps. This is definately on my "must see and do list "
Posted Houston :22 October : Arrived Sydney :02 November : Traveled 11 days.

MOUNT RUSHMORE :  A National Memorial: is a tribute to the greatness of America and its leaders.,for millions of visitors a year this granite sculpture represents the growth of a nation and an understanding an appreciation of its heritage..

United States of America.

Washington DC..USA.

 A nice card of this popular memorial in Washington DC and is the memorial to Thomas Jefferson.  The Thomas Jefferson Statue is located inside the Memorial and faces towards The White House and was built to represent the age of enlightenment and of Jefferson who was a philosopher and a statesman. The Bronze stattue is 19 feet tall and weighs five tons. Thank you Arnold for this swap.and also the nice stamps... I visited this monument when I was in DC..and it has an interesting history..
Posted Houston.13 October : Arrived Sydney 30 October : Traveled 17 days.

United States of America.

Arizona Memorial:  Pearl Harbour: Hawaii.:

What a great card Thank you so much Arnold for this swap...I have visited here twice and is an amazingly solemn place..This is a wonderful dedication to all those who were killed here on the attack on Pearl Harbour December 7th 1941. bringing  the USA into the world conflict of WWII..

The interior marble wall of the USS Arizona Memorial contains the names of 1,177 of Arizona crewmen.and stands firm and solid in rememberance to those who lost their lives during the Japanese aerial attack on the morning of December 7th 1941 " A day that will live in infamy "
Posted : 26 August : Arrived Sydney 25 September : Traveled 30 days.thanks again Arnold.

Turkey

Canakkale :  TURKEY.:

A card just received from Turkey showing the  Canakkale Martyrs Memorial is a War Memorial commemorating the service of 253,000 Turkish soldiers who participated in The Battle of Gallipoli that took place from  April 1915 to December 1915 in The First World War and is located in the Gallipoli  Peninsular Historical  National Park on Hisarlik Hill on Porto Bay at the southern end of The Gallipoli Peninsular in Canakkale Province Turkey. Thank you Munevver for this card..
Posted Ankara :19 February : Arrived Sydney 15 March : Traveled 24 days.