Cape Verde

So far this year, I really seem to be on a role... getting postcards that don't count from countries that would have otherwise been new additions to my collection! Nauru a few weeks ago, Paraguay before the weekend, and now this lovely card from Cape Verde that was sadly sent from France. Not that I'm not appreciative, of course, of every single card that people take time to send me. It's just a bit of a crestfall to get a new country and then have to manage expectations after flipping it over. But, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Card show "Pistol Mouth" Harbour in the fishing village of Ponta do Sol, on the northwestern island of Santo Antão.

Previously featured green Mariane leaf stamps.

Paraguay

Postcard from Paraguay showing a traditional dancer wearing ñandutí, Paraguayan embroidered lace. The name means "spider web" in Guaraní, the official, indigenous language of Paraguay. My many thanks to Devin for sending me this card. Devin, a Peace Corps volunteer, explains that the the money from sales of this postcard go to fund a photography programme for Paraguayan youth. Some of their work can be seen here.

Postcard did not come with a normal stamp but rather a "Taxe perçue" postage paid stamp and what I assume to be the postmark. Perhaps the post office had ran out of stamps that day. My hunt for a stamped card sent from Paraguay continues!

Nauru

A card from the tiny, isolated South Pacific country of Nauru, the world's third smallest and second least populated country. The country is famous, or more aptly infamous, for the terrible environmental impact phosphate mining has wrought on the small coral island. Phosphate was strip mined from the centre of the island, leaving behind a scorched and lifeless moonscape that can barely support the 9000 people who call Nauru their home. Seen here are the cantilevers used to deliver phosphate to cargo ships.

Many thanks to Hsiang-chi who very kindly agreed to swap cards with me. 謝謝你!

No stamp on this postage prepaid postcard, so unfortunately my hunt for a stamped card send from Nauru continues. Coat of arms of Nauru is shown, with the alchemical symbol for phosphate in the upper section.

Oman

Postcard showing a view of the Omani capital of Muscat. With archaeological dating as far back as 6,000 BC, the city has always been an important trading post between East and West. Controlled by a number of regional powers through its history, by the nineteenth century Muscat and Oman had itself become a regional power, spreading its control over much of the Persian Gulf, southern Arabia, and the east coast of Africa. The capital of Oman was even moved to Zanzibar, in modern-day Tanzania, at one point, but was moved back to Muscat following a split in the royal family in 1856.

Many thanks for this card to Yoann who was in Oman on holiday.

Sadly, the card was not sent from Oman but France and features the French permanent rate, self adhesive stamp. The hunt for a stamped card sent from Oman continues!

United States of America – New York IV

Postcard of Boldt Castle in the picturesque Thousand Islands region of the Saint Lawrence separating New York state from Ontario. The Castle was built by wealthy hotelier, George Boldt, at the start of the 1900s. The lavish contrustion was not to be outdone by it's boathouse on the island opposite, which has doors 20 metres high to allow his yachts to enter with mast standing.

Postcard sent from across the river in Canada. Previously featured stamp on the left of blue-flag irises from 2004 series on flowers and a 2006 stamp from a set of two featuring the Snowbirds, the Royal Canadian Air Force's air show flight demonstration team. Stamps were cancelled by hand instead of Canada Post's usual, unlovely dot matrix printer cancellation – a nice added bonus!

Nicaragua

I was very excited when a coworker friend announced he was going home to Nicaragua on holiday, as it's been a hard country to crack for my collection. Unfortunately, the postcards were sent in an envelope, so my search for a stamped card sent from Nicaragua continues, but certainly very sincere thanks to Carlos for taking time out of his holiday to track down some postcards for me.

The first card shows the crater of Masaya Volcano, an active volcano not far from the nation's capital, Managua. It was added to the World Heritage Tentative List in 1995 as the Volcán Masaya National Park.

Multiview card of Granada, founded in 1524, ostensibly making it the first European city in mainland America. Built on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, the "City of Granada and its natural environment" was added to the World Heritage Tentative List in 2003 because of its rich colonial heritage and the exceptional natural heritage of the lake.

Card shows the Park entrance, the Cathedral and Independence Square, mango-pickers in the park, and some of the Islets of Granada, an archipelago in the lake formed when a nearby volcano erupted 20,000 years ago.

Multiview showing a scarlet macaw, the Presidential Palace, the Islets of Granada, and another shot of the crater of Masaya Volcano.

Uzbekistan

Postcard from the UNESCO World Heritage city of Samarkand showing the Registan complex, a public square flanked by monumental Islamic buildings. Construction of the buildings was begun Emperor Tamerlane in the fifteenth century. Shown here is the Sher-Dor Madrasah, or Islamic school, which cemented Samarkand's role as a centre of learning in Central Asia.

Many thanks to Dela who was travelling in the region! 

The card was sent from Kazakstan with the Kazakhstani coat of arms stamps featured in a previous post. My hunt for a stamped card sent from Uzbekistan continues! 

Guernsey

Card showing Saint Peter Port, the capital and main city of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, off the coast of Normandy, that has been settled since pre-Roman times. Saint Peter Port was home to Victor Hugo after his exile from France for publishing political treatises against Emperor Napoleon III.

The card was, unfortunately, not sent through the Guernsey postal system, but rather the UK Royal Mail, and sports an unglamourous postage meter stamp.

Honduras

Las ruinas de Copán, Honduras, C.A. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980.