A Bit More Paris, If You Please

The above postcard is a reproduction watercolor featuring Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. This postcard had the lucky coincidence of going to Mim in Virginia, who has spent lots of time in Paris on artist residencies. Mim writes that the image makes her "homesick." This is another card sent via Juli in Wyoming. I'm sure she picked it from the spreadsheet because it is listed as "artist multiview," and she knows Mim is an artist, however Juli didn't know what the card would look like and how perfect it would be for Mim.

More French Goodness

This beautiful postcard is not part of my project, but one of my frequent readers, and correspondents, sent it to me and after yesterday's post about French pastry, I could not resist adding this postcard today.

Marie writes that a pastisserie is not just for pastries, but for breads, fruits and vegetables, too. Can't you just smell that lovely fresh bread?!

Not only bread, but... chocolate! Yes! For real! Marie also used a chocolate postage stamp, and it still has the hint of chocolate, even after traveling all the way from France. The scan does not do the stamps justice. It is a very realistic image of a piece of chocolate.

Of Eiffel and Pastry

Iconic images like the Eiffel Tower often become so much a part of our impressions of various places that we might discount them as “too touristy” for actual visits. Leah in North Carolina, who adopted this postcard via Juli in Wyoming, writes that visiting Eiffel is definitely not something to be passed up.

Leah recommends going all the way to the top, at night, and not being scared about falling off, because you can’t (she must have read my mind, because that would be JUST what I’d be afraid of) and, the pièce de résistance, crepes at the nearby bakery. Leah had chauxonne aux pommes, which I believe is an apple pastry, every morning. Mmmmmmmmm!

Before We Knew Better

This postcard is listed in my spreadsheet as a Redwood “with tunnel cut before we knew better.” Valentina in Belgium was quite captivated but that title and now that I have the card back, I know why. She is quite the expert on trees!

This tree is called California Tree and it is in the Mariposa Grove at Yosemite. The tunnel was cut in 1895 as a tourist attraction. There was another tree, Wawona, that had also been turned into a tunnel but that tree was not as accessible in the winter snows, thus making it more difficult for tourists.

I learned a lot about the history of National Parks when I watched the PBS special, National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a few months ago. One of the things I learned was that even the most environmentally concerned activists of the late 19th century encouraged mass tourism because they thought that only by getting lots of visitors, by any means, was the only way to convince the government to set the land aside for future generations. This is what led to trees being made into tunnels, which seemed like a good way to get tourists to come visit, and it probably was, but we have learned that there are other ways to promote our treasures and we continue to learn.

Which brings me to Valentina’s message. She writes that trees have a maximum height of 130 m (426.5 feet) because that’s as far as water can be transferred to the top. After 130 m, gravity kicks in and the water can’t go any higher. I’ve simplified the explanation to its bare bones, but the research is out there if you want more science. What all this gets at is that Valentina writes that she is a “tree freak.” I wish there were more tree freaks in our world.

Map Over Tranquility

This lovely card features the Dominican Republic map over a photo of blue seas with tranquil pleasure boats and even a whale’s tail. It was adopted by Dana in Kentucky, via Juli in Wyoming. Dana has been to Dominican Republic many times on mission trips. She writes that the experience is rewarding, but also a challenge.

Snow Covered Flames

This was never meant to be a postcard. I believe it was the cover of a postcard folder, but the picture is so pretty someone removed it from the folder and I ended up with it. It features St. Basil in Moscow, Russia. Such a fairytale confection! Elena adopted this postcard, though she doesn't include a message on the return.

St. Basil was built in the mid 16th century and is unique in Russian architecture. Nothing like it ever existed before, or after. I read that the design represents the flames of a bonfire. I like that imagery, especially with this snow-covered photo.

Flat Biking

Look at all the seagulls! Some people are put off by seagulls, but I rather like them. They are rather childlike in their persistence, and I think they are rather pretty creatures. However, when I lived in coastal Massachusetts, these birds had no charm. It is only that I don't see them daily that they have become special.

Nicole writes that this region of Germany is her summer destination each year and she loves it. One of the best features of this area... it is flat, making biking a joy. I think I would have to agree. Like Nicole, I my home is in a very hilly area and while the uphills are hard, the downhills make me very, very nervous. Flat is good. Below is the thank you postcard I sent Nicole. Not having to wear long, full skirts while biking is good, too!