Monaco II

Cliff-top photo of the Principality of Monaco showing Monte Carlo, its harbour and the Prince's Palace set on the rocky outcrop in the background. Almost the entirety of the country's two square kilometres can be seen here. Only Fontveillie, located behind the outcrop, is out of view. Monaco must surely be one of the few countries photographable in a single frame!

Engraved definitive of Prince Albert II, who is, of course, the eldest son of Princess Grace. She met Prince Rainier while in Monaco filming To Catch a Thief with Carey Grant. Very lovely hand cancellation quite in contrast to the rather unlovely dot matrix one on my previous Monaco card.

Romania II

Sibiu is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and, in tandem with Luxembourg, it was designated a European Capital of Culture for the year 2007. Formerly the capital of Transylvania, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's eighth most idyllic place to live" by Forbes Magazine. Piaţa Mare is the city's central square. On Romania's Tentative List for World Heritage status as "The Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Ensemble of Squares".

Stamp from a 2009 set of six commemorating early electric trams. Seen here is the inauguration of Vienna's  electric tram line in 1897.

San Marino

Sorry for my hiatus from the blogosphere; I've been on belated Summer vacation.

I start up again with a lovely postcard from the world's oldest surviving sovereign State, San Marino, founded in way back in 301! The country's constitution, enacted in 1600, is also the world's oldest written constitution still in effect. Seen here is eponymous capital city and its fortification on Mount Titano, which allowed the city to defend its independence over the many centuries it's been around. Part of the San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano World Heritage site.

Stamp commemorating the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where San Marino sent a total of four athletes, two of whom were swimmers.

Thailand IV

Postcrossing card from Ubon Ratchathani in eastern Thailand. It shows the city's famous Candle Festival, which had been celebrated the day prior to the postcrosser sending the card. The Candle Festival is a traditional festival to mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent. Monks retreat to their quarters to meditate, and laypeople donate items for their personal use, in particular candles to help them dispel the rainy season gloom of their quarters and of the wat. In Ubon Ratchathani, giant candles representing the city's various temples are now paraded through the streets. Thanks to Aey for the card!

Two lotus stamps are 2011 definitives. Two stamps on the right are from a 2008 set of four commemorating World Environment Day, drawing attention to the issue of global warming and climate change. Bottom stamp commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Asian-Pacific Postal Union, a regional organisation founded in 1962 to spread, facilitate and improve postal coorperation and relationship among Member States.

Yugoslavia

A special blast-from-the-past postcard that I dug out of my archives from the no longer extant country of Yugoslavia. It was sent to me by a Serbian friend I met when I lived in China. The card features some of the Belle Époque windows gracing the buildings of the capital, Belgrade. Many thanks to Vesna for this slice of history in my collection!

Left and centre stamps are from a 1996 series on monasteries, thirteenth century Sopoćani Monastery and fourteenth century Bogorodica Ljeviška Monastary, respectively. Stamps on the right featuring manuscript illustration are from 1997.   

Albania

Postcard showing Albania beach resort of Vlorë on the Adriatic Coast. It was founded as an ancient Greek colony in the 6th century BC and, as such, is one of the oldest settlements in the country. It is also the place where Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared in 1912.

Stamp shows Osum Canyon in the centre of the country, a deep canyon with many waterfall that is a popular place for whitewater rafting.

United States of America – New York III

Multiview of New York City showing famous sites of the city, namely the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Centre, the Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building, Times Square, the World Heritage listed Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. Special thanks to James who was visiting for work.

American Forever stamps issued in February this year from a set of four featuring the American flag.

This is my 100th blog post, so a big thank you to all those who stop by! Here's to the next 100.