Neuschwanstein Castle - winter

Neuschwantstein Castle must be one of the most unmistakeable and most photographed castles in the world. they must do a roaring trade in postcards because it doesn't look like anyone could take a casual snapshot very easily.  The airways around it must be buzzing with helicopters.

Although the castle is of course in Germany, the card came from Russia and was published in Russia.  I like this dramatic winter view.  Six years ago (so long!!) I posted another card showing it with autumn colours on the trees.

Matsue in winter

We are having terrible weather here in the UK: heavy rain causing floods with severe winds only making the problems worse with power cuts and tidal surges.  The saving grace is that it isn't cold so there hasn't been a great deal of snow anywhere.

That may change of course and we may yet see scenes like this one from Japan, though they are unlikely to be so picturesque.  Matsue is a city in the province of Izumo, towards the south of Japan.  A dance called Sada Shin Noh originates in the Shinto shrine of Sada Jinja in Matsue.  The dance has been inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Robins at Christmas

Robins frequently feature on Christmas cards and often on Christmas stamps.  In 2001 the Royal Mail issued this set, here as the PHQ stamp cards.

Robins have been associated with Christmas in the UK ever since the mid 1800s.  Postmen used to have a red uniform (in fact they still do to some extent) and became known as robins.  The robins on Christmas cards symbolised the postmen delivering the mail until they became associated with Christmas in their own right.  I'd be interested to know if other countries also associate robins with Christmas.  I know you have different birds called robins in north America.

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

Ottawa in the winter

It may seem strange to be using a winter scene to illustrate Ottawa but I have to say when I first arrived there it was none too warm.   There were days when the sun did shine and there were warm days but it was predominantly cool and often wet.

This view is of the Parliament of Canada buildings on Parliament Hill.  The conical structure to the right is the library, the oldest and only part of the original buildings to survive a fire in 1916.  It is a beautiful library but I was only able to have the shortest of glimpses inside while on the guided tour of Parliament.

Three from Taos Pueblo

"Often referred to as the world's oldest apartment house, this pueblo is one of the most beautiful examples of pueblo architecture in existence today."  And now Taos Pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A smaller size, vintage postcard, possibly dating from around 1960.

"Shown here are famous Indian baking ovens.  The ladders are used to go from one level to another of the multi-storied pueblo."
Another vintage card of the same era as the previous one.  Both are Petley postcards.

"A winter storm blankets Taos Pueblo."
A modern card now, and one that I love because the snow is so unexpected.  The red colour of the adobe makes me think of scorching deserts, not freezing temperatures.  It's always a learning process, this postcard collection.

See also a previous card from Taos Pueblo.

Still winter

While I have started looking around for signs of spring, people in other countries are still in the firm grip of winter.  Finland will be one of them.  This picture makes it look so very beautiful.

Michigan in the snow

Our snow has gone but this postcard from Michigan brings back memories of how beautiful it looks when it's newly fallen.

The sender tells me that the state was "founded" on farms and barns but that unfortunately they are being destroyed to make way for houses and similar buildings.  Many people are doing their best, though, to try to preserve what they can.

Christmas and/or New Year

The themes of these Dutch cards all look very Christmassy but as you can see from the bottom two, they are in fact cards to greet the New Year.  It's interesting, to me at least, to see the scenes and motifs I associate with Christmas used for New Year.  I don't know if that continues to be the case in the Netherlands but I have been sent New Year's cards from Russia with Father Christmas, sacks of toys and decorated Christmas trees, with the caption "Happy New Year".  The toadstools on the sleigh put me in mind of the card from Estonia on my previous post.  I have never connected toadstools with either Christmas or the new Year.

They all seem to date from the 1930s but I'm sure only of the final one, 1938.  That one has an edging of gold glitter which doesn't show up very well.  The style of the first two make me think they could be later cards but the date is very unclear, apart from the fact that they were posted on 2 January.

A post for Sepia Saturday.  A click on the button will take you to the Sepia Saturday blog where you can find links to all the other people taking part.

Snow and sparkles

A pretty card from Lithuania.  The sender tells they have snowy winters there and that she likes to walk in a nearby forest on sunny and frosty days, when nature looks almost the same as the card.

Looking forward to winter

"Snow and Smoke" is the title of this painting by Rinat Voligamsi.  It appeared, I believe, as part of an exhibition at the Errarta Galleries which had the title of "Conditions of Winter".  Most of his other pictures seem to be much more surreal than this one which I find very atmospheric.

Mir for all seasons

I love postcards which show the seasons but I hadn't anticipated two views of the same castle, Mir in Belarus, one in winter and one in summer.  I imagine the top card is an older one and that the tree seen there has been felled, but I may be wrong.  it may be something to do with the camera angle that has cut it out of the second picture.

The castle dates from the end of the 15th century although, as usual, it has had many later additions, extensions and reconstructions.  It was badly damaged during the Napoleonic Wars but later restored.  During WWII it became a prison camp.  The present restoration started about 30 years ago.  It is a very distinctive castle, built of red brick with white plaster decoration.  It has four towers, all different, and a central tower gate. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Snow in Belarus

I don't know what the words say, but this card from Belarus does look beautiful.  I'm very happy to say the snow we've had for the last week or two has now disappeared and I can once again admire snowy scenes - on postcards.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday hosted on Beth Niquette's blog The Best Hearts are Crunchy.

My first Christmas postcard

From Finland and sent on what was apparently the "official" start of the Christmas season.  It was produced by UNICEF but there isn't any artists's name on it.   I've often bought UNICEF Christmas cards in the past, folded ones, but I've never seen postcards before.  I must look out for them.

A walk in the snow

I would love to walk up this snowy path.  There is no obligation for you to come along with me, but you'd be very welcome if you do.

Snow in Moscow

To get into the seasonal spirit, I've decided on a series of snowy postcards.  I apologise to all you people in warmer countries but in the same way that I associate windmills with the Netherlands, I associate Christmas with snow.  I don't believe I've ever experienced a white Christmas and I'm not sure that I want to, but I do enjoy snowy postcards.

This one shows the Red Square in Moscow at night, under a covering of snow.  The red stars on top of the Kremlin towers aren't Christmas decorations, as I fondly imagined.  I've see them in other pictures.  Nevertheless, it looks very magical and Christmas-like to me.

Snow in Finland

A wintry postcard from Finland with a wintry stamp.

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

Winter in Oregon

The last of the four seasons, or should it have been the first?

From the back of the card:

Snow blankets the ski lodge on the slopes of Mt Hood, making a scene of fantasy through which skiers have made tracks in the 200 inches of snow that have fallen.  The lodge was built during the Great Depression in the 1930s and stands today as a National Historical Site and is the largest wooden structure of its kind.

Kalemegdan

Despot Stefan Tower is part of Kalemegdan in Belgrade, Serbia.  Kalemegdan is the oldest part of Belgrade and for hundreds of years it is where the entire population lived.  The name Belgrade (or Beograd) means white town or white fortress in most Slavic languages. 
Kalemegdan translates, from Turkish, as Fortress Square.

Although the tower was built at the beginning of the 15the century, the fortress dates from the 3rd century and has survived almost 2000 years of battles.

The card has suffered some damage on its way to me, probably because it's much larger than average.  I still love it. :)

The last of the snow

I imagine this village had a bumper year as far as snow is concerned this last winter.  It is Veysonnaz in Switzerland, and is best known for winter sports.  It's part of one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps, Les 4 Vallées, covering Verbier , Nendaz , Thyon and Tzoumaz as well as Veysonnaz.  The idea of connecting all these resorts into one was first conceived in 1970 but didn't become reality until 1983.

The Year of the Rabbit

This romantic looking winter view of the main commercial street, rue Saint Denis, in the Plateau Mont Royal district of Montréal, once a working class area but now considered one of the trendiest and up-market spots in Canada.  Someone on Postcrossing left a comment with the Google map location.  It looks rather different there, though clearly the same place.

I chose this card for Sunday Stamps because it has the first "Year of the Rabbit" stamp I've received.

I did receive a Year of the Tiger stamp from China, last July.

And from there I can easily segue to a number of really beautiful Chinese stamps I've received in the recent past.  Because they are works of art in themselves, I've left the clickable images quite large so that you can appreciate the detail.

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