Direct Swap - Nastia from Moldova

Another great connection made through Facebook, this time with Nastia. She lives in Moldova, another new country to add to my collection. Looking through each others swap album must have been tough as we both decided on two cards. I equally love the sheep she sent showing the countryside and the alphabet card. Kind of makes me do a double take when you see a watermelon beside the letter "H".  Great swap, thanks Nastia!

Greetings from Sweden - Direct swap with Jarmo

I honestly thought trying to find someone to swap the Greetings from Sweden card sent from the country was going to be a needle in a haystack. I was thrilled when it turned out to be one of the easier ones! I connected with someone on Facebook who pointed me in the direction of Jarmo. He was keen to swap as he needed the Canadian card. So nice when it works out like that. The stamp and postmark he selected for me is icing on the cake. The Europa stamps are from 1998 and the theme that year was festivals and national celebrations.

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Henneke took a day trip to Arnhem the week before she sent this card to me. She writes that it is a nice place for a day trip to see a museum. Sadly, it suffered much destruction during World War II. She chose a Europa stamp for me which is always a nice surprise to receive.

Direct Swap - Ondrej from Czech Republic

Ondrej and I had a successful swap last year. Awhile back he posted in the Forum offering cards of the Prague Metro. As this was a city I was missing I was happy he needed some of the UNESCO cards I had to offer. He wrote telling me there is a "D Line" planned. So much more progressive than the Toronto Subway. Another great Europa stamp too!

 

OFFICIAL Card - Germany

Daniela lives in Bavaria and found this beautiful Fall scene of sheep grazing. One of my first Europa Stamps for 2014 too!

Lottery Win - Maria from Russia

To celebrate her 35th birthday, Maria held a lottery in the forum and had a whopping 35 winners! I was one of the lucky group. She sent me two wonderful cards. Since the day I started Postcrossing I wanted to receive a card with Matryoshka dolls so was thrilled when this arrived for me.

Meet-Up Card - Dublin, Ireland

Kodzos was offering cards from a meet-up in Dublin, Ireland he was attending in November. Never one to turn down a swap for a meet up card I responded to him. Funny thing, he never got back to me with his address or read the acknowledgement I sent him. Hope he is OK.

OFFICIAL Card - France

Nathalie chose this card for me because it shows some symbols of France, namely the Chateaux of the Loire Valley. She writes that her favourite is the castle in Chambord and asks me which one mine would be. I don't think I could pick just one they are all beautiful for different reasons.

Direct Swap - Nicole from Netherlands

At the end of the summer Nicole was offering arty alphabet cards to swap through the form. I was happy to hear the "S" was available and we agreed to a swap. She was looking for stamps showing cats and/or dogs. I was lucky to still have some of these stamps promoting pet adoption. My card arrived shortly after with another great Europa stamp. So far I have never heard from Nicole to see if my card arrived. I've sent a few messages and they have not been read nor responded to. I can assume she has or she would have been in touch. How long would you wait before you "close the file" so to speak?

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

This card was one I had in my favourites, at the time I honestly didn't know what it was exactly, just letters and pictures. I was glad Henny had one and sent it to me. I know know it is a Leesplankje or reading board. It was used in the Netherlands to teach children phonics and how to read. She included a great assortment of stamps and translated the words on one of them. Keep this up and I may actually be able to say something in Dutch!

Lottery Win - Sweden from Tiina - Part IV

Tiina wrote "it is never to early for Christmas" and I happen to agree. She found this card in "Old Town" (I am guessing that is an area of Stockholm). The stamps she used too are wonderful. I love seeing different Christmas stamps from around the world.

The big brown building on the right is the Royal Palace. Tiina writes that she {loves} Stockholm. On this card she sent me a souvenir sheet of Sweden's Europa stamp for 2013. You can learn more about these issues here.

A great view of one of Tiina's favourite places - Old Town, Stockholm. Another wonderful stamp celebrating the King of Sweden's 40th year.

The arrival of this card was bittersweet. Like all good things, Tiina's vacation had come to an end. This card shows a typical Kraftskiva or crayfish party. It is an outdoor party held every August. It is so important there is a special stamp issued. Looks like fun!

I cannot thank Tiina enough for sharing her vacation with me. The cards, the stories and her extreme generosity will be treasured for a long time - thank you!!!!

Lottery Win - Estonia, Latvia and Sweden from Tiina - Part I

Overall, most days I do consider myself a lucky person. I enter almost every contest that interests me and for the most part have had some pretty good wins. The lotteries section of the Postcrossing Forum is no exception. I have won some great cards just by being lucky. In August, Tiina was hosting a lottery promising at least 5 cards from her upcoming vacation. To say I hit the jackpot with this win is an understatement!!! 19 wonderful postcards with incredible stamps from three countries. It was the next best thing to being on vacation with her. I am going to split the cards up over a few posts as they really deserve their own spotlight. Thank you Tiina once again - you were so descriptive with your messages I felt like I was there with you.

From Parnu, Estonia her hometown, it is known as Estonia's summer capital.

Next from Riga, Latvia a big Christmas Tree. Tiina writes Latvians believe they were the first to bring trees at home. She also writes she has heard the same thing in Tallinn.

Card 3 is a map of the area she visited that day, Hunnebostrand, Sweden. The stamp is beautiful!

Card 4 is also from Hunnebostrand and Tiina writes about the hike they took to the hightest mountain in the are as seen on the card. Another super snowflake stamp too!

Next came a card from Ulebergshamn which Tiina describes as a lovely little harbour with white houses. They were intrigued on their walk that day to discover "what's behind the next cliff?"