Berry Me

I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of cards from Finland. No one likes postcards more than the Finns. There are roughly half the numbers of Finns participating in Postcrossing than US citizens, but the Finns send far more postcards. They really like their postcards.

They also like their berries. One of the berries featured on this card is called a “swamp berry.” Sabrina assures me they are delicious.

What Words Does This Picture Speak?

Slovenia, the Julian Alps. The back of this card has a lovely postage stamp featuring a fairy-like creature in blue. Not much else, though. Joze is a man of few words.

Of Coves and Pubs

I’m ready to hop on one of those boats and head out to explore Cadgwith, which the caption notes “could well be said to be in the heart of the smuggling country.” The caption also notes the “sinister” names of some of the caves; Lions Den, Devil’s Frying Pan, Dolor Hugo. Dolor Hugo? That is sinister? Hmmm..must be an inside story.

Rose recalls a perfect night in Cadgwith that included attending an outdoor production of Midsummer Night’s Dream and then to the local pub for some singing that “rival[ed] the best of choirs.” There is also a wonderful Lady Jane Grey postage stamp on this card…she looks like she has never spent the evening watching a play and singing in a pub, though.

Map Redux

Mapcards. I really love mapcards. Can’t follow a map for the life of me, but I do enjoy the challenge.

Nürnberg means, according to Nobi, “bratwurst, gingerbread, an impressive fort, train museum and a fine Tucher beer.” Sounds like the makings of a lovely holiday, except for maybe the bratwurst. I suspect there isn’t a vegetarian-friendly form of bratwurst. It may even be sacrilegious to suggest such a thing.

One Belfry, No Bats

Another card adopted by Tricia! She visited Brugge in 1990, as a carefree 20-something year old. She remembers riding bikes on bumpy cobblestone streets, the aroma of roasting chicken and the trucks in the market square.

I visited Brugge in 2000 and remember wishing I could live in one of the houses along a canal so I could wave to tourists on the little canal tour boats.

The view in this photo is from the top of Belfort, one of the 33 belfries in Belgium and France that are on the UNESCO World Heritage list. I also remember climbing that tower and there were two Japanese girls behind me. I had a smattering of Japanese and mentioned that I thought the hike up was “kowaii” which is “scary.” Fast forward to the early 21st century and the Japanese word “kawaii,” which means “cute,” is part of the American vernacular. I am not a fan of the "kawaii" obsession in the US... it seems incredibly silly and environmentally nasty (all that plastic!). I’ve often daydreamed about some silly kawaii-obsessed American telling a Japanese mother her child is “kawaii” but pronounce it wrong and actually telling the mother the child is scary. Maybe that would dampen the enthusiasm.

Island Hopping...and Hoping

Ooooo…Terry has been to this area! She says the Arctic is “absolutely beautiful.” Ooooo…I would love to visit. I would bring lots and lots of writing supplies and my camera and books and a map to trace my travels.

Live It While You Got It

Bill Bryson wrote a book a few years ago called A Short History of Nearly Everything. In it he writes about the very real possibility of Yellowstone, a supervolcano, erupting pretty much any day. I admit, I did move the site to the bottom of my “to see” list, but have since reconsidered. Can’t not cross the street because a car might hit me. Likelihood of a car hitting me is probably many times greater than being in Yellowstone when it erupts.

Tricia returned this lovely view of Mammoth Hot Springs. She worked at Yellowstone in 1985. I have met lots of people who worked at National Parks in the course of my postcard exchanging years. Must be some sort of correlation there.