GB-202695

And this was the second Art Nouveau card received officially - absolute surprise! :) And also - the first official from Great Britain.

It is Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Eugenia Primavesi.

Bieres de la Meuse

This superb Art Nouveau poscard - an advertisement of Bieres de la Meuse, by E. A. Bastard. I received it in US to the world tag from jtills

And there are also absolutely unusual stamps - I never thought I could get some like these! :)

California map card

A card for my collection of United states - with a map of California - came from Ex-USSR countries to the world Tag, from huladoll714.

Kem', Karelia

This card was in my favourites, and redlynx sent it to me in the Group 11 of Choose a Country RR. I like such winter pictures.

And the stamps are also new for me. :)

Map of Singapore

Choose a Country RR, Group 9, from Sybones. 


First postcard from Singapore - and it is its map! The coloured lines are the metro system.


Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a city-state island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, in Southeast Asia. It is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre and a cosmopolitan world city, playing a key role in international trade and finance. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world.

^{And also two very beautiful stamps}

Goirle, the Netherlands

Choose a Country RR, Group 11, from Tsukihime.

Goirle is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.
 

Views of Melbourne, Australia

Choose a Country RR, Group 3, from Aussiebear. Several views of Melbourne, Victoria - Arts Centre Spire, Rialto Tower and Crown Casino.

San Francisco

I received this postcard as Another country Tag, from Claire2107 from Great Britain. It is an amazing view of San Francisco, quite original.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza, Spain

This card came from hebilla0, from Zaragoza, as Churches, Cathedrals, Temples etc. Tag.

The Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar (in Spanish Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a Roman Catholic church. The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Our Lady of the Pillar praised as Mother of the Hispanic Peoples by Pope John Paul II. It is reputed to be the first church dedicated to Mary in history.
Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain attributing to an apparition to Saint James the Great, the apostle who had brought Christianity to the country. This is the only known apparition of Mary to have occurred before her Assumption.

Many of the kings of Spain, many other foreign rulers and saints have paid their devotion before this statue of Mary. Saint John of the Cross, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and Blessed William Joseph Chaminade are among the most outstanding ones. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar is one of two minor basilicas in the city of Zaragoza, and is co-cathedral of the city alongside the nearby La Seo Cathedral. The architecture is of Baroque style, and the present building was predominantly built between 1681 and 1872.

Istanbul, the mosque of Sokullu and Ataturk bridge

Another card from luiseme from Spain with mosque of Istanbul. It came from Churches, cathedrals, temples etc. Tag. This time it shows the mosque of Sokullu and Ataturk bridge.

The Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmet Pasha (husband of one of the granddaughters of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, Princess Esmahan). Its building took place from 1571 to 1572. The mosque is officially named after Princess Esmahan, but is more commonly known for its association with her far more famous husband.

Cazin, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Choose a Country RR, Group 14, from Jasmin.

11 postcards in my box yesterday! And several new for me countries. This one came from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ostorozac Castle in Cazin, located on an elevation on the left bank of the Una river is mentioned for the first time in 1286 as the property of th Dukes Babonic of Blagaj. It is located 10-15 minutes drive from Jasmin hometown - Bihac, in the north-west of Bosnia. It is really very beautiful!

DE-834652

And finally - my first postcard of Alphonse Mucha, one of my favourite painters.

Alphonse Mucha, Reverie, 1897

Cologne, old city

Another view of Cologne from Catty412, this time - old city with cathedral and Rhine-bridges. It is a part of Choose a country RR and the Group, which I host there - #11.

Istanbul

This postcard came by Churches, cathedral etc tag from luiseme, from Spain. It shows Istanbul, precisely - St. Sophia and the Bleue Mosque in the old city.

Lunen, Germany

This card came from Germany, by the Germany to the world Tag, from nearlyperfect

Smolny Monastery, St.-Petersburg

UK & Ireland Round Robin x other countries RR, Group 240, from irishkirche. It is the Smolny Monastery in Saint-Petersburg.

Novodevitchiy Monastery

Just Viewcards RR, Group 72, from funtik.
A splendid view of Novodevitchiy Monastery.

Mamayev Hill

Just Viewcards RR, Group 72, from Olma.
It is a view of the Mamayev Hill in Volgograd.

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

China meets the world tag, from Ch3rry.

It is from Hong Kong, and shows Victoria Harbour viewed from Lugard Road, the Peak.

US-995743

Minnesota's Twin Cities

 It is a new official postcard from the USA. It shows Minnesota's twin cities - Minneapolis and St. Paul. The people, who sent me this card - Greg and Amy - live in St. Paul, a few blocks from the capital building.

And these two big stamps are so beautiful. And absolutely new for me :) They are two parts of Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest set of 10 stamps. Date of issue - 1 September 2010. 

Featuring a Hawaiian rain forest, the 2010 Nature of America issuance is the 12th stamp pane in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal communities in the United States.

The setting for the colorful acrylic painting on the stamp pane is a rain forest on Hawaii’s largest island, which is also named Hawaii.

Red poppy

Any country tag from nearlyperfect

"Red poppy", painted by Antje Kratz
 

Basilica de Covadonga

Churches tag, from veryhappy

Demon Seated by Mikhail Vrubel

This gorgeous postcard was sent to me by Mapache from Moscow, by WIll you send me... tag.

This is one of the most famous paintings by Mikhail Vrubel, the large painting of Seated Demon (1890) that brought notoriety to Vrubel. Most conservative critics accused him of "wild ugliness", whereas the art patron Savva Mamontov praised the Demon series as "fascinating symphonies of a genius" and commissioned Vrubel to paint decorations for his private opera and mansions of his friends. Unfortunately the Demon, like other Vrubel's works, doesn't look as it did when it was painted, as the artist added bronze powder to his oils in order to achieve particularly luminous, glistening effects. Now it is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Puerto Rico

Choose a Country RR, Group 11, from chocolattkato.

This card came from Puerto Rico, and shows the El Conquistador Resort on this island.

Puerto Rico is a 40 by 110-mile tropical island, located in the eastern Carribean, and a Commonwealth of the United States.