Sylt, in Germany

Sylt is an island off the coast of Germany in the North Sea.  Historically it was part of the Jutland peninsula which is mainly Denmark.  It is another of those places that has changed nationality a number of times.  There is a unique language, Söl'ring, spoken on the island and it's even taught in primary schools.  It is a North Frisian dialect with a strong Danish influence and with elements of Dutch and, curiously, English.

Malaysia

Songket is a brocade-like fabric woven in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.  It is traditionally woven on a part-time basis by girls and older women.  In Malaysia the main production is on the east coast, not far from from the traditional village shown on the postcard.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"

Rue de Rivoli, Paris

I've loved this card since I first saw it in someone's gallery on Postcrossing but only this week it arrived in my letterbox as a great surprise.

It shows cute little children crossing, "crocodile" fashion, the rue de Rivoli in Paris just opposite the Jardin des Tuileries and the Louvre. It brings back so many memories from the three years I lived in Paris.

A post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted by Beth Niquette on her blog, The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

The horse drawn carriages of Emperor Qin Shihuang

I had heard of the Terracotta Army, I suppose most people have, but I hadn't realised until I received this card that there was much more to it than the name implies - terracotta soldiers.  There is indeed the army of 6000 or so soldiers but that is just in Pit 1 of the excavated sites.  There are three other pits, the second containing cavalry and chariots, and the third is a command post.  The fourth is empty.

It is said that going to China and not seeing the Terracotta Army is like going to Egypt and missing the pyramids.

The card shows one of the two carriages excavated from the site.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Colmar

I've always wished to visit the Alsace region of France and this beautiful postcard from Colmar confirms at least one reason why.  Another reason for visiting could be that Colmar is the capital of the Alsace wine region and is situated on the 170 km long wine route, la Route des Vins d'Alsace.

Colmar, along with much of Alsace, alternated between being French and German through its history. As a result, there are both French and German influences in food, drink, crafts, and even in the spoken language.

Raplamaa

Unfortunately I know little about Estonia and even less about Raplamaa, one of the 15 subdivisions or counties of Estonia. It lies slightly to the west of central Estonia.

A map for Monday.

Autumn

The beautiful colours of autumn on the card please me so much that I have in fact posted it before (two years ago) but Sunday Stamps gives me the opportunity this time to show the stamp.  I'm showing the se-tenant strip because I think it's both attractive and clever.  All four seasons are shown, trees reflecting on water.  Not only that, the names SUOMI and FINLAND are shown in reflection on the two stamps and so too the denominations.

Other seasonal stamps I've found have been mainly mushrooms.

From Poland, the Mushrooms in Polish forests series, issued in August 2012

From Taiwan, the Wild Mushrooms series, issued in March 2010

One of  a set of 4 values showing Edible mushrooms, issued in September 2013

That made my mouth water so I had mushrooms for lunch, but they weren't wild.

This is a post for Sunday Stamps, now hosted by Violet Sky at "See it on a Postcard!"