OFFICIAL Card - Austria

Claudia writes to me saying she visits Vienna a few times a year. While she sent this great map of the subway system or U-Bahn as it is known, she prefers the trams when she is there. Great map card and beautiful stamps too.

OFFICIAL Cards - Germany

Some days you get a card(s)  and the twilight zone coincidences are staggering. These cards are examples of that moment. Birgit lives in Berlin and sent this great card showing  a map of the U-Bahn (subway) in her city. What got me is the very same day I also received a map of the city of Hamburg from Heike. Same country, same day, similar theme and the ID numbers were consecutive too. What are the odds! Great cards from both ladies too!

This is my first The Little Prince stamp from Germany. I have had so many references to this book cross my path lately, I really need to read it. I know, I never have and by the sounds of it that is weird! Have you?

OFFICIAL Card - Germany

WOW! What a subway system! Dajana lives in Northern Germany and has a cousin living in Munich. She writes that she visits him a few times a year. I really like the card she sent. I  just can't get over how big the Munich U-Bahn system must be. I was thrilled to that Darjana used a World Cup Championship stamp for me too.

Direct Swap - Wendy from Mexico

On the Facebook Postcrossing page one day I saw Wendy's offer of this great Mexico City subway map card. By the time I saw it, she had run out but agreed to be in touch when she had more. A short time later I heard from her and we exchanged details. Wendy tells me the Metro system is the main use of transportation in the city and at certain hours of the day it is chaotic. I can imagine it would be, it is huge! I flew into Mexico City once to transfer planes off season on my way to San Jose del Cabo. To this day I can remember that landing - the city went on forever!

 

Direct Swap - Silin from USA

I am totally living the saying "all good things must come to an end". At the end of June, just before my kids were out of school I got myself up to date with the blogging of all my received postcards. I had upwards of 40 odd scheduled posts and a completely clean desk - yeah me! While I have definitely been receiving cards over the summer I didn't even so much as scan one of them. Well, lets just say .....I am feeling it today! I am at the end of my scheduled posts and it is the last week of summer which is usually one of the craziest weeks here trying to cram in the last of all the fun! Add to that the fact I will be going back to work after 11 years and I guess I hadn't fully thought through my new back log. I can already see the pile growing!

My family and I recently went on a long overdue vacation. I arranged this swap with Silin via the Postcrossing Forum. I was super excited as we were travelling to Washington, D.C. the next day and thought it would be a fun and welcome addition to my subway map collection. We did ride the Metro a few times during the trip so even the kids were able to spot certain stops such as our hotel, The Zoo and Pentagon on the map.  The system while very efficient was so totally different than the Toronto system in almost every way. I don't think I could get use to the up lit, concrete look of the stations...ever. Great city, great time spent with my three BFF's and as always lots we didn't see to ensure maybe there will be a next time.

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 - China

This is a very welcome card to my collection. I only wish I had more subway maps, I do find them so interesting. The Beijing Subway came to me from Wang a geology student in Beijing. He chose some great stamps too - birds and Olympics - two of my favourite design subjects! He shared with me that he volunteered at the 2008 Games - fun!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

Anne-Lies might live in The Netherlands but she found and sent this great card showing the map of the Paris Metro to me. I am pretty good at reading a map but wowza that looks a bit confusing!

OFFICIAL Card - Russia

I received this card the same day as the parrot card, however this one took 32 days to reach me. Nastya is 15, lives in Moscow and goes to school. On the card she stapled a ticket stub from a movie she recently saw, a comedy called "Suicide". She wrote it was funny and from watching the trailer I would agree in a twisted sort of way. Nastya, also marked off where she lives on the map - fun!

OFFICIAL Card - Belarus

Liza is a 10 year old girl who lives in Vitebek, Belarus. She is learning English with the help of her Mom and Postcrossing. I love the card she sent me of the Minsk subway system. It reminds me of Toronto's in a way, very straightforward.

Direct Swap - Shelley from Canada

I recently sent a card and Shelley commented that she liked it and had never seen it. As she lives n Toronto, I let her know where I picked it up. We got chatting back and forth and I too wanted to know where she got a particular card. Turns out, a Postcrosser gifted them to her and she offered to send me one, so we exchanged. I sent her one like this and in return she sent me this fun card showing the Toronto Subway system. For most of my life I lived within walking distance to Davisville Station. Shelley had swapped this card with another Postcrosser. While I can't say for sure, I do think they made this card themselves as there is no publisher, etc on the back. Too bad in a way, these would be great cards to send out to people.

OFFICIAL Card - Russia

Kate lives in Magnitogorsk, Russia which is near the Kazakhstan border. She sent the card showing the subway map of St. Petersburg. Funny thing, I can vividly remember riding the subway in Moscow but have no recollection of doing the same in St Petersburg. Any pictures I have we were on the bus/trolley....maybe I didn't. I find these types of maps so interesting when compared to the subway system I know best - the TTC. Such limited routes no wonder people get frustrated with it.

OFFICIAL Card - Ukraine

Svetlana lives in Cherkasy, Ukraine. She describes it as a beautiful, green, small town situated on the banks of the Dnieper River - sounds just lovely! On the map it looks like it might be an hour or so outside of Kiev. This map of the Kiev subway is fantastic. In San Francisco many years ago I took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and I must say going on a train underwater really freaked me out. And this is coming from someone who took the subway daily for the better part of 25 years. I don't have many subway (or Metro) maps and I really do enjoy them, maybe once I finish my US State collection I will focus more on these.

Direct Swap - Andrey from Russia

One of the options in Postcrossing is whether or not you want to participate in Direct Swaps. Sometimes a card you have sent will catch anther users eye and if they collect that image or style they may contact you to trade directly. While I have ones I like I don't think I like them enough that I would go out of my way but will gladly help build someones collection if I can. One rule I have though, I always receive before I send :)

In the middle of January, Andrey had seen a lighthouse card from New Brunswick that I had sent. He asked if I had another and if so could we swap. He had several cards that I could choose from and these are the one I selected.

I love maps of any sort. I also have fond memories of travelling the subways of Mosocw - once all by myself out to the airport and back to the hotel - where was that teacher chaperone!!! Naturally, I jumped at the chance of having this card.

The Hermitage in St. Petersburg (Leningrad when I went there) is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I have ever been. Another card I was delighted to choose and receive in this swap as it brought back so many wonderful memories.

Andrey received both lighthouse cards I sent and he too was happy with our trade.