Turin is an industrial, European city, which enjoys state-of-the-art technology and architectural developments. The city has a rich culture and history, and is known for its numerous art galleries, restaurants, churches, palaces, operahouses, piazzas, parks, gardens, theatres, libraries, museums and other venues. Turin is well-known for its baroque, rococo, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture. Much of the city's public squares, castles, gardens and elegant palazzi, were built by Sicilian architect Filippo Juvarra, who modelled these  buildings on the Baroque and classical style of Versailles.

Turin is sometimes called the "cradle of Italian liberty". The city currently hosts some of Italy's best universities, colleges, academies, lycea and gymnasia. Prestigious and important museums are also found in the city. Turin's several monuments and sights make it one of the world's top 250 tourist destinations, and the tenth most visited city in Italy in 2008. It is often referred to as "the Capital of the Alps". Turin is also known as "the Automobile Capital of Italy" or the Detroit of Italy; in Italy it is also called "[La] capitale Sabauda".

And more of Turin, just go HERE... the stamp in the card was issued in 2010, printed in Roma named as "XXI Giochi Olimpici Invernali - VANCOUVER 2010"

The stamp dedicated to the 21st Winter Olympic Games “Vancouver 2010” shows a skier in action during a performance; top right are the five Olympic rings. The words «XXI GIOCHI OLIMPICI INVERNALI “VANCOUVER 2010”» (21st Winter Olympic Games “Vancouver 2010”) “ITALIA”and the denomination “€ 0,85” complete the stamp. Design by Angelo Merenda and was issued last February 12, 2010.

Sharing a postcard from a friend send to me while he's having his "grand trip" in LAO after visiting me here in Phnom Penh and going to Siem Reap...thanks Mark for this beautiful card, my first LAO card, very much appreciated.

Anyway, the card shows that every morning, hundreds of monks from the various monasteries walk through the streets collecting alms. It starts as early as 6am and the colourful procession only lasts for an hour, when all the alms bowls as filled, the monks disappear as quickly as they appeared!

Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about 425 kilometers (264 mi) north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province. The current population of the city is about 103,000. The city was formerly the capital of a kingdom of the same name. Until the communist takeover in 1975, it was the royal capital and seat of government of the Kingdom of Laos. The city is also notable as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The main part of the city consists of four main roads located on a peninsula between the Nam Khan and Mekong rivers. The city is well known for its numerous Buddhist temples and monasteries. One of the major landmarks in the city is a large steep hill on which sits Wat Chom Si.

And this beautiful tradition that Mark showed to me was one of the things I want to see, maybe we can visit Lao someday!

Beautiful card comes with two beautiful stamp...the first one is the Styrax Tonkinensis, a flower that I used at Sunday Stamp two weeks ago, while the second one was a 25th SEA Games Vientiane, Laos 2009 was issued last December 9, 2009 that comes into two face value 7000k and 5000k, it is printed at Thai British Security Printing in Thailand and the designer is Mr. Vongsavanh Damlongsouk

Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914. Its inauguration was held in 1883.
A postcard send by Ana of Romania...she said this is a Peles Castle which is an important Romanian historical monumnet, it's Neo-Renaissance castle built between 1873 and 1916. The castle was made after King Carol I plans, but built by German architects. The inside is really gorgeous according to her and everytime she will visit the castle, she always feel like a princess.

And this postcard comes with a beautiful stamp from Romfilatelia, the specialized company in editing and trading Romanian postage stamps, introduces in the postal circuit the stamps issue ROMANIAN POTTERY - Peasant dishes (III) that was issued last August 3, 2007; she send me with a face value of 0.80 L (romanian lei) is illustrated a peasant dish made in Luncavita - Tulcea.

The terracotta vessel depicted on this stamp imitates a leather or cloth model. The deformation on the shape of a leather or cloth vessel brought about by the weight of its content is imprinted in the clay in an impressive manner. The vessel was found in the tomb of a big cemetery of the Early Bronze Age (2400-1900 B.C.) on the site of Vounous of Bellapais. It is kept at the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.

And it comes from this set that the Department of Postal Services will issue a series of four commemorative stamp issues, one every year, entitled "Cyprus through the Ages" to be completed in 2010, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Cyprus. This year's issue consists of eight 25 cents stamps. The stamps of this series, as well as the Definitive stamps of 2007 are the first to be denominated in dual currency, i.e. in Cyprus pounds and euro.

And for more information about this set of stamp and FDC, you can visit Philatelism... anyway, thanks to Viridian's Postcard Blog for hosting this meme and for letting us choose what we want to share!

Sharing a postcard of Ben Thank Market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam...I've been to the city once but unfortunately I wasn't able to see this market inside but I saw the outside building because we went around the area and the tour guide doesn't bring us there.  

Ben Thanh Market is a big marketplace in the downtown area of HCMC, it is located in District 1 and we just stayed in Majestic Hotel in District 1. In Vietnamese langauge Ben means "wharf", and Quy Thanh means "turtle citadel" and it is one of the earliest surviving structures in Saigon. Today is considered one of symbols of HCMC, popular with tourists seeking local handicrafts, textiles, áo dài, and souvenirs, as well as local cuisine.

It is started as an informal markets during the early 17th century street vendors that are gathering around the Saigon river, so the market was developed and formally established by the French colonial powers after taking the Citadel of Saigon in 1859. Unfortunately, the market was destroyed by firs in 1870 and rebuilt to become Saigon's largest market. Unril it was moved into its new building in 1912 and they called it New Ben Thanh Market to distinguish over its predecessor and in 1985, they renovated the building.

I wish I was able to see the market inside and I am sure there will be a lot of good buy. Well, hope to visit the place again someday and if that happen, I will make sure to go inside the market and go shopping, hehehe, after all it is just 6hours away by bus from Phnom Penh.

Anyway, are you busy making eggs for Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow? I am and also doing some preparation for tomorrow's Easter Sunday, we will just have it in our house in the morning then off to some Australian-way Eastern Celebration at Cambodiana Hotel in the afternoon, which is organized by the Australian business community...must be fun. We are all excited!

Also, this is the last card that a friend Zarah of Postcards Crossing scanned, thanks to her kindness...postcards and stamps that I've shared from April 2, 2011 until this one was done by her and it is very much appreciated!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Sharing with you a card from Dominik of Switzerland, he send me this traditional village from Ticino---the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. He said that if a classical wooden chalets are quite common on the north side of the Alps, the south side rather has such stone houses.

Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language. Ticino borders the Canton of Uri to the north, Valais to the west (through the Novena Pass), Graubünden to the northeast, Italy's regions of Piedmont and Lombardy to the south and it surrounds the small Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia. Together with areas of the canton of Graubünden it makes up the so-called Italian Switzerland.

For more information about Ticino, you can go HERE, and it comes with a beautiful stamp.

An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler (tuk-tuk, trishaw, auto, rickshaw, autorick, bajaj, rick, tricycle, mototaxi, or baby taxi in popular parlance) is a motor vehicle and a mode of transport for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional rickshaw or velotaxi, a small three-wheeled cart operated by a single individual, and is a 3-wheeled cabin cycle. Auto rickshaws can be found in many developing countries.

Well, I never tried the one in Thailand, Kent don't like us to try it when we were there because he is saying its faster and not so good for kids because its passing major roads!

The Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand. It is a "potent religio-political symbol and the palladium of Thai society". It is located in the historic centre of Bangkok (district Phra Nakhon), within the precincts of the Grand Palace.

The main building is the central ubosoth, which houses the statue of Emerald Buddha. The legendary history of this Buddha image is traced to India, five centuries after the Lord Buddha attained Nirvana, till it was finally enshrined in Bangkok at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in 1782 during Rama I's reign (1782–1809). This marked the beginning and raise of the Chakri Dynasty of the present Kingdom of Thailand (the present head of the dynasty is King Rama IX. The Emerald Buddha, a dark green statue, is in a standing form, about 66 centimetres (26 in) tall, carved from a single jade stone (Emerald in Thai means deep green colour and not the specific stone). It is carved in the meditating posture in the style of the Lanna school of the northern Thailand. Except for the Thai King, no other person is allowed to touch the statue. The King changes the cloak around the statue three times a year, corresponding to the summer, winter, and rainy seasons, an important ritual performed to usher good fortune to the country during each season.

While legend traces this statue to India, its rich historical records dates its finding in Cambodia in the 15th century, moved to Laos in the 16th century and then to Vientiane where it remained for 215 years, and finally to Thailand in the 18th century. Considering the long history and Nagasena's (a Brahmin who became a Buddhist sage and lived about 150 BC) prophesy that the Emerald Buddha would bring "prosperity and pre-eminence to each country in which it resides", the Emerald Buddha deified in the Wat Phra Kaew is deeply revered and venerated in Thailand as the protector of the country.

And more about the temple, just go HERE...

Last January 2010 we was able to visit the place and its so huge, lots of people (both tourist and locals) beautiful and an amazing place to see! I'm glad we did went to the temple and the experienced was great!

Paphos sometimes referred to as Pafos, is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos and New Paphos. The currently inhabited city is New Paphos. It lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km (31.07 mi) west of the Limassol (the biggest port in island), which has a A6 highway connection. Paphos International Airport is the country's second largest airport.


Near Palaepaphos (Old Paphos) at the seaside of Petra tou Romiou is the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty and the founding myth is interwoven with the goddess at every level, so that Old Paphos became the most famous and important place for worshipping Aphrodite in the ancient world. In Greco-Roman times Paphos was the island's capital, and it is famous for the remains of the Roman governor's palace, where extensive, fine mosaics are a major tourist attraction. The apostle Paul of Tarsus visited the town during the 1st century AD. The town of Paphos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world's heritage.

Paphos enjoys a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate, with the mildest temperatures on the island. The typical summer's season lasts about 8 months, from April to November, although also in March and December sometimes there are temperature above 20 °C (68.0 °F).

And more of Paphos, Cyprus...just go HERE!

Thanks to my sender Nasia, she said that Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Muflon is their national animal, Olive Tree is their national tree and Cyclamen is their national flower...together with this lovely card was a two beautiful stamp that I will share more on my next post...

The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage basin. Some of the largest reservoirs in the world can be found along the Volga. The river has a symbolic meaning in Russian culture and is often referred to as Volga-Matushka (Volga-mother) in Russian literature and folklore. And for more about the Volga River please go HERE...

Sveta send this in an envelope together with Russian money, she send 10 rubels for my son CJ---he is collecting banknotes and he is happy with its growing numbers! 10 rubels is 1/3 of a dollar there in Russia. Again, thanks so much for the lovely card and for sending something for my son, too, very much appreciated!

Wishing everyone a great week...and its Holy Monday today!

I thought I was not joining this week, just because I couldn't find any stamp related with religion on my hard drive...I don't even have Easter card but when I searched over postcards from my little box, was able to see religious related stamp...so just take a photo of those stamp to get in, I hope this will pass with our Sunday Stamp theme.

The stamp was from Brazil that was issued last year send by a fellow postcrosser Vivian and it is a Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedict is a church catholic located in Cuiaba , the state capital of Brazil from Mato Grosso.

The church is one of the landmarks of the founding of the city of Cuiaba, having been built in architecture of land around 1730 , near the waters of the stream of Prainha, in whose waters Miguel Sutil discovered the gold mines which would boost the region's colonization. Its facade, of great simplicity, is typical of colonial architecture and decor hides the Baroque - Rococo in the altars of the interior, with rich gilt and silver , with only those details in the country. It was first built with the technique of rammed earth has gone through several reforms, including one that turned its facade in a neo-Gothic , between the 1920 and 1980 , when it was reformed and redeemed colonial architecture. Listed in 1975 by IPHAN in 1987 by the Cultural Foundation of Mato Grosso tumbled and included in the perimeter of the Historic Center of Cuiabá in 1993, hosts the Feast of St. Benedict , the longest religious festival in the state. (Source: Wikipedia)

And also would like to share with you a Weichnachten stamp that was issued last 2003 by Deutschland and was send by Jannette...Weichnachten is the German observance of what is commonly known in English as Christmas Day and they issued  a stamp of "Feast of Nativity" that refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts that was celebrated every 25th of December.




While in lieu with the Easter celebration...I was able to find a stamp of a European Hare (Lepus europaeus)  from Belarus that was issued in 2008 send by Natali of Minsk, Belarus.

The European Hare or Brown Hare or Eastern Jackrabbit or Eastern prairie hare (Lepus europaeus) is a species of hare native to northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia. It is a mammal adapted to temperate open country. It is related to the similarly appearing rabbit, which is in the same family but a different genus. It breeds on the ground rather than in a burrow and relies on speed to escape. (Source: Wikipedia)

So, let me greet you a Happy Easter from my family to yours...God bless us all!

Another card from Finland, the land of Santa Claus, sauna, midnight sun, thousands of lakes and Moomins...yes, Moomins---a characters in a series of book and comic strip and here's one of the eighteen character of Moomin, a Moomintroll boy from the set called "Summer Moomin Valley"

Moomintroll is an agreeable fellow interested in everything he sees, for him the world is full of exciting things to investigate, but Moomintroll particularly loves collecting rocks and shells...he also loves the sea, as does the whole Moomin family. Here he is...

The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses. The carefree and adventurous family live in their house in Moominvalley, in the forests of Finland, though in the past their temporary residences have included a lighthouse and a theatre. They have many adventures along with their various friends. In all, nine books were released in the series, with five picture books and a comic strip being released between 1945 and 1993. The Moomins have since been the basis for numerous television series, films and even a theme park called Moomin World in Naantali, Finland. (Source: Wikipedia and for more just go HERE...)

And this funny and cute postcard comes with a matching stamp, same stamp as the card. The stamp was issued in 2007 in Suomi, Finland...

I received few more Moomins characters card and will be sharing it someday, this one is from Irene of Hattula, Finland...thanks so much for this cute card and it is my first Moomin card!

Hi there, I am linking with Postcard Friendship Friday for for the second time and thanks to  The Best Hearts Are Crunchy...for hosting this meme!

Two days ago, I just posted another card from Głubczyce as my entry for Postcard Perfect and for Postcard Friendship Friday meme, I am posting another one from that place that comes from a dear friend Bernadeta, this is the last card out of eight cards that she send to me, isn't she generous for sending me a lot and everything was stamped and not in an envelope! Thank you very much and I do appreciate your kindness!

Well, again,  Głubczyce is a town in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech. It is located approximately 62 km (38 mi) from Opole, and just northwest of Ostrava on the Psina River. It is part of Opole Voivodeship, and is the seat of Głubczyce County. The card comes with beautiful stamp that was a work of Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929) and a sticker which Bernadeta put on all the cards that I got from her!



Anyway, today is the second day of Cambodian New Year celebration and they are calling it as a Virak Wanabat. People contribute charity to the less fortunate by helping the poor, servants, homeless, and low-income families. Families attend a dedication ceremony to their ancestors at the monastery.

So, wishing everyone a Happy Cambodian New Year! 

Kazimierz Dolny is a small town in Central Poland, on the right (eastern) bank of the Vistula river in Puławy County, Lublin Province.


It is a considerable tourist attraction as one of the most beautifully situated little towns in Poland. It enjoyed its greatest prosperity in the 16th and the first half of the 17th century, due to the trade in grain conducted along the Vistula. It became an economic backwater after that trade declined, and this freeze in economic development enabled the town to preserve its Renaissance urban plan and appearance. Since the 19th century it has become a popular holiday destination, attracting artists and summer residents.

First picture from left top to bottom left: Market Square and Parish Church, Barn at the Crane (hotel), Barn Kobiatki (monument),  Youth Hostel in Wianuszkami (hotel), and Old Granary. For more information about Kazimierz Dolny, please go HERE...


This beautiful card comes with an equally beautiful stamp and as Bernadeta's trademark, a sticker and this is the 7th card our of eigth card that she send! Thanks again dear friend...

Głubczyce  is a town in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech. It is located approximately 62 km (38 mi) from Opole, and just northwest of Ostrava on the Psina River. It is part of Opole Voivodeship, and is the seat of Głubczyce County.


Another one from Bernadeta of Poland, sixth card out of eight cards that she mailed to me...these time the care is showing the most beautiful monuments and places in her town---thanks so much for sharing your lovely town with me, with us!

Rumcajs - the title character from the novels Václav Čtvrtka and Czechoslovakian animated series for children, directed by Ladislav Čapek titled Rumcajs highwayman. The creator of the graphic image of the robber is a painter Radek Pilař . The cycle consists of eight volumes of novels, of which in Poland has been issued so far only four of them - the first, fifth, sixth and seventh series has 39 episodes.

Rumcajs came from Jičín and was by profession a cobbler , a robber was of vital necessity. He had a wife, Hanka (in the original Czech Mank) and Cypiska son, did not part with a characteristic gun. All three lived in a cave in Rzaholeckim Forest. Rumcajs enemies were Mr. Duke and Duchess of you, this conflict was fought around the fairy story. The Polish version was narrated by Boguslaw Sochnacki . (Source: Wikipedia)

Also comes with a beautiful stamp and a butterfly sticker...thanks Bernadeta for this 5th card out of eight card that I received from you!

Back with the postcards from Bernadeta of Poland...the 4th of eight cards that she send to me. This time will be sharing a beautiful sunset view in Pogorzelica in Poland...I love this card, I really enjoyed sunrise and sunset so, this one makes me smile!

Pogorzelica is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rewal, within Gryfice County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) east of Rewal, 22 km (14 mi) north of Gryfice, and 84 km (52 mi) north-east of the regional capital Szczecin.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany. The village has a population of 104.

Postcard comes with lovely stamps and a beautiful butterfly sticker!