Remodeling

I finally decided to get this blog on my new blogger account. Now, it is time for some remodeling!

From: North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom (GB-5396)

Postcrossing card GB-5396:

About the postcard

Sender:	Bob (golfnut)
Posted:	21-02-2006 (requested)
Registered:	14-03-2006
Travelled:	8476 km (5627 mi)

About the origin

Location:	North Wales, Wales, United Kingdom (Unknown city)
Language(s):	English, Welsh
Tidbit:	According to Wikipedia, the primary industry in North Wales is tourism, while the average income in North Wales is the lowest in the UK.

From: Lahti, Finland (FI-11566)

Postcrossing card FI-11566:

About the postcard

Sender:	Teija (teritokazama)
Posted:	2006-03-04 (requested)
Registered:	2006-03-15
Travelled:	8962 km (5569 mi)

About the origin

Location:	Lahti, Finland
Lat, Lon:	60° 58' N, 25° 40' E
Population:	98,349 (2005)
Language(s):	Finnish, Swedish
Tidbit:	Lahti is home to the Sinfonia Lahti which hosts the International Sibelius Festival.

From: Lapua, Finland (FI-12665)

Postcrossing card FI-15046:

About the postcard

Sender:	Kristiina (laitikr)
Posted:	2006-03-15
Registered:	2006-03-24
Travelled:	8701 km (5407 mi)

About the origin

Location:	Lapua, Finland
Lat, Lon:	62° 57' N, 23° 0' E
Population:	14,002 (2003)
Language(s):	Finnish
Tidbit:	Lapua is known for the Lapuanliike ('Lapua Movement'), an anti-communist turned facsit movement in Finland during the 1930s.

From: Finland (FI-15046)

Postcrossing card FI-15046:

About the postcard

Sender:	Hannele (Haneski)
Posted:	2006-03-23 (requested)
Registered:	2006-03-30
Travelled:	?

About the origin

Location:	Unknown (I have yet to determine the sender's location)
Lat, Lon:	?
Population:	?
Language(s):	?
Tidbit:	?

From: Budapest, Hungary (XR-0601)

Private Exchange XR-0601:

This is the first private swap card I received. I love interesting architecture, and we don't have many old buildings here in the USA. Many thanks to Kriszti!

About the postcard

Sender:	szirmaik
Received:	Unknown
Travelled:	10034 km (6236 mi)

About the location

Location:	Budapest, Hungary
Lat, Lon:	47° 30' N, 19° 5'E
Population:	1,695,000
Language(s):	Hungarian
Tidbit:	The Hungarian Parliament Building (pictured, center left) is one of the largest parliament buildings in the world: 268 m x 123 m, 96 m tall, with 691 rooms! Construction started in 1885 and was completed in 1904, but not before the architect went blind.

To: Helsinki, Finland (US-20009)

Postcrossing card US-20009:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Satu (Santsa)
Posted:	2006-03-11
Registered:	2006-03-18
Travelled:	9020 km (5605 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Helsinki, Finland
Lat, Lon:	60° 10' 32'' N, 24° 56' 3'' E
Population:	559,046
Language(s):	Finnish, Swedish
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: Some widely renowned bands originate from Helsinki, including Stratovarius, HIM, The Rasmus, and The 69 Eyes. Eek! I've never heard of any of these. *goes to become more musically literate*

To: Schalkhaar, Netherlands (US-20008)

Postcrossing card US-20008:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Jeanine (LD)
Posted:	2006-03-11
Registered:	2006-03-18
Travelled:	9070 km (5636 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Schalkhaar, Netherlands
Lat, Lon:	52° 16' N, 6° 12' E
Population:	Unknown
Language(s):	Dutch, Frisian
Tidbit:	He he, another city stumps Wikipedia. But I did find a page about the province (Overijssel), which has a river named IJssel. This river is a branch of the Rhine, and ' [t]he name IJssel is thought to derive from the Germanic i sala, meaning "dark water".'

To: Singapore, Singapore (US-17137)

Postcrossing card US-17137:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Adeline (evilsatan22)
Posted:	2006-02-20
Registered:	2006-03-04
Travelled:	13999 km (8699 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Singapore, Singapore
Lat, Lon:	1° 17' 35'' N, 103° 51' 21'' E
Population:	4,425,720
Language(s):	Malay (National), English, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: The name Singapore was derived from the Malay word singa (lion), which itself is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह siMha of the same meaning, and the Malay word "pura", also derived from the Sanskrit word पुर pura (city) [1]. Hence, Singapore is also known as the Lion City. The naming is attributed to a minor prince named Sang Nila Utama, who according to lore, saw a lion as the first living creature on the island and decided to name it Singapura as a result.

To: Santa Iria da Azóia, Portugal (US-16962)

Postcrossing card US-16962:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Maria (mariadocostume)
Posted:	2006-02-18
Registered:	2006-03-01
Travelled:	9204 km (5720 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Santa Iria da Azóia, Portugal
Lat, Lon:	38° 51' N, 9° 5' W
Population:	Unknown (102638, Lisbon area)
Language(s):	Portuguese
Tidbit:	You can visit Maria's weblog: http://quanto-a-mmmim.blogspot.com (as-mmmy-concern) (in Portuguese, so I can't read it!)

To: Hürth-Efferen, Germany (US-13899)

Postcrossing card US-13899:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Kaija (kaneli_oon)
Posted:	2006-01-27
Registered:	2006-03-10
Travelled:	9181 km (5705 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Hürth-Efferen, Germany
Lat, Lon:	50° 52' N, 6° 52' E
Population:	54,568 (Hürth, 2003)
Language(s):	German
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: In former times, the Eifel aqueduct, a Roman aqueduct which supplied the city of Cologne with drinking water, went through Hürth. A couple of springs and streams in today's municipal area were used for that purpose before the Eifel aqueduct was built. Remnants of the aqueducts can still be found in the underground of the city.

My postcrossing history: at two months

I have been very busy at work so I have much updating to do, but for now I'll just add my new history map. More postcards to be posted soon!

To: Frechen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (US-15929)

Postcrossing card US-15929:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Nienchen (rabbits)
Posted:	2006-02-13
Registered:	2006-02-20
Travelled:	9175 km (5701 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Frechen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Lat, Lon:	50° 55' N, 6° 49' E
Population:	47,796
Language(s):	German
Tidbit:	This was the first card I sent to a rabbit.

To: Brasília, Brazil (US-14751)

Postcrossing card US-14751:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Maurício (mauriciounb)
Posted:	2006-02-02
Registered:	2006-02-17
Travelled:	9415 km (5851 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Brasília, Brazil
Lat, Lon:	15° 47' S, 47° 55' W
Population:	2,200,000 (2004 approx.)
Language(s):	Portuguese
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: One aspect that is usually unknown by visitors to Brasília is that it has attracted many members of offbeat religious sects and esoteric cults that have come here in what they see as the anticipation of the dawn of a new age — sects that embrace reincarnation and universal oneness, academics and sci-fi enthusiasts who associate Brasilia with ancient Egypt or the lost city of Atlantis. Land was given to almost any religous group that was legally constituted so many non-mainstream groups were able to built their temples or churches at low cost and exempt of taxes. This is something I never knew about Brasilia. It is quite interesting that so many different obscure religions call the same place home.

From: Kuopio, Finland (FI-7721)

Postcrossing card FI-7721:

A very pretty card indeed! Doesn't it make you wonder who was walking there, and make you envious of them? Thanks to Jenna.

About the postcard

Sender:	Jenna (JMH)
Posted:	Unknown
Registered:	2006-02-13
Travelled:	8821 km (5481 mi)

About the origin

Location:	Village near Kuopio, Finland
Lat, Lon:	62° 54' N, 27° 41' E
Population:	90,000 (Kuopio, approx.)
Language(s):	Finnish, Savo (dialect)
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: Kuopio is known for its association with a national delicacy, Finnish fish pastry (Kalakukko), and the dialect of Savo, as well as the hill of Puijo and the Puijo tower. Kalakukko is a traditional Savonian food made out of fish baked inside a bread. Traditionally, Kalakukko is prepared with rye flour, although wheat is often added to make the dough more pliable. The filling consists of fish, pork and bacon, and is flavoured with salt (unless the pork is already salted). After being baked for several hours, kalakukko looks much like a large loaf of rye bread. If prepared correctly, kalakukko will keep for a long time.

From: Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands (NL-3535)

Postcrossing card NL-3535:

The first card sent to me through postcrossing...this card feautres Eusebiuskerk, a church dedicated to St. Eusebius.

About the postcard

Sender:	René (tremor)
Posted:	Unknown
Received:	2006-02-11 (registered 2006-02-14)
Travelled:	9062 km (5631 mi)

Note about this card:
This was actually the first card sent to me through postcrossing. However, the delivery was delayed due to the fact that a small area on the back of the card peeled off, taking the zip code along with it. You may know how painfully long it takes to get mail that has an incorrect or missing zip code! Anyway, many thanks to René.


About the origin

Location:	Arnhem, Gelderland, Netherlands
Lat, Lon:	51° 59' N, 5° 55' E
Population:	141,320 (2005)
Language(s):	Dutch, Frisian
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: In World War II, during Operation Market Garden (September 1944), the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were given the task of securing the bridge at Arnhem. The units were parachuted into the area on September 17 and later. The bulk of the force was dropped rather far from the bridge and never met their objective. A small force of British 1st Airborne managed to make their way as far as the bridge but was unable to secure both sides. The Allied troops encountered stiff resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions, which had been stationed in and around the city. The British force at the bridge eventually surrendered on September 21 and a full withdrawal of the remaining forces was made on September 26. These events were dramatised in the movie A Bridge Too Far. As a tribute, the bridge has been renamed 'John Frost-bridge' after the commander of the paratroopers. The church shown on this card was badly damaged durning the battle, and was restored during the years 1946-1961. For more info on the church, see here.

From: Selm, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (DE-11807)

Postcrossing card DE-11807:

A custom photo postcard. Thanks Claudia!

About the postcard

Sender:	Claudia (holle77)
Posted:	2006-02-03
Received:	2006-02-10
Travelled:	9169 km (5697 miles)

About the origin

Location:	Selm, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Lat, Lon:	51° 42' N, 7° 28' E
Population:	56585 (approx. within 7 km radius)
Language(s):	German
Tidbit:	According to Claudia, her region is famous for castles surrounded by water, like the one shown. She took this photo herself and turned it into a postcard. She has kindly given me permission to post her lovely photo. Thanks again, Claudia!

To: North Point, Hong Kong, China (US-13447)

Postcrossing card US-13447:

About the postcard

Recipient:	Eddy (eddylamhk)
Posted:	2006-01-24
Registered:	2006-02-10
Travelled:	11534 km (7168 mi)

About the destination

Location:	North Point, Hong Kong, China
Lat, Lon:	22° 18' N, 114° 12' E
Population:	7,012,738 (Hong Kong, 2005)
Language(s):	Min Nan, English, Chinese
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia North Point is famous for its concentration Shanghainese and Fujianese-speaking population, and is called Little Shanghai and Little Fujian of Hong Kong. When the Guinness Book of Records was first published in the 1950s, North Point was listed as the most densely populated place on earth.

To: Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom (US-14702)

Postcrossing card US-14702:

About the postcard

Recipient:	John (Cucu)
Posted:	2006-02-02
Registered:	2006-02-10
Travelled:	8773 km (5452 mi)

About the destination

Location:	Stevenage, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Lat, Lon:	51° 55' N, 0° 13' W
Population:	80,000 (2004 approx.)
Language(s):	English
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: The pedestrianised town centre [of Stevenage] was the first traffic-free shopping zone in Britain, and was officially opened in 1959 by the Queen. I really wish more cities in the U.S. were pedestrian zones. :(

From: Jyväskylä, Finland (FI-7879)

Postcrossing card FI-7879:

I especially love the stamp on this card!

About the postcard

Sender:	Elina (kiraffi)
Posted:	2006-02-03
Received:	2006-02-09
Travelled:	8840 km (5493 mi) in 6 days.

About the origin

Location:	Jyväskylä, Finland
Lat, Lon:	62° 14' N, 25° 44' E
Population:	83,582 (2004)
Language(s):	Finnish
Tidbit:	From Wikipedia: A number of firsts in Finnish education have taken place in Jyväskylä: The first Finnish-speaking Lyceum (High School) (1858) The first Finnish-speaking teacher training college (1863) The first Finnish-speaking school for girls (1864) Finland's first Summer University (1914) Due to this, among other things, the city earned the nickname Athens of Finland.