Familie Hofmann

Tonie sent me this colorful Dutch postcard in exchange for a map card of one of the main islands of the Philippines. Too bad, she didn't tell me anything about the postcard. I wonder who the Hofmanns are. Are they a famous Dutch family?

I so love the interesting stamps that came along with it! The elephant with earphones is so cute!

Wishing you happy journeys...

An entry for Postcard Friendship Friday

Siem Reap's City Temple

I'm sharing two amazing postcards sent by Cheerful of Postcrossing Mom.  The postcards feature the most famous architectural Khmer wonder that is the Angkor Wat.

These amazing captures of Siem Reap's city temple made me reminisce my visit to the Kingdom of Wonder back in 2009.  A Cambodian odyssey, as I refer to it, my trip to the land of the Khmers proved to be truly unforgettable.  (See a few snapshots here.)


The Angkor Wat is truly awe-inspiring and I cannot even begin to tell you how magnificent it is.  You have to go and see it for yourself!  I long to come back and experience being transported back in time.


Thanks Mommy Cheerful for the postcards!  I also absolutely love the stamps that you used.

Wishing you happy journeys…

See more interesting postcards at

The Best Hearts are Crunchy

The Stolen Kiss

Soon, yes, soon, we'll have our chance,

To embrace each other in love's dance.

A dance which I'll take her hand and show,

The love she's yet to know.

And yes, we'll know it with that kiss,

The look of tender bliss.

The hug and warm embrace will say it all,

Fall from the precipice into the abyss,

With that first sweet tender kiss.

~P. Bere

This postcard was sent from Russia.  It features an oil on canvass painting by French artist Jean Honoré Fragonard entitled "The Stolen Kiss".  The artwork, which is said to have been painted for the bailiff of Breteuil, French ambassador to the Order of Malta in Rome, is part of the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

"The Stolen Kiss explores the theme of secretive romance and passionate moments grabbed in a fleeting moment. The painting captures a perfectly frozen moment in time; two lovers caught by the spectator in the act of stealing a furtive kiss while no-one else is looking.

The young maiden is coquettish, leaning in for the kiss while at the same time looking away back towards the other members of the party in the next room over.

The action is stilted, the figures posed in what almost seems to be a caricature of a passionate embrace. In keeping with the frivolity of Rococo style, the young lady's dress is painted with extraordinary attention to detail. The decoration and fashion becomes almost a third character in the scene.

This type of semi-erotic theme was quite popular in the heady days before the French Revolution, particularly with the French aristocracy who slouched fashionably around the halls of Versailles digging up romantic follies and gossip fodder of their own. Fragonard was the favored genius of this genre.

One can almost see in the sly look of the maiden's eyes the knowledge of the coming storm, knowing that the decadence couldn't last; and in this way The Stolen Kiss stands as a historical artifact, transcending the bounds of mere genre eroticism." (Source: artble.com. Read the entire article here.)

Many thanks to Maria for this postcard and the wonderful stamps that came along with it.

Wishing you happy journeys...

This is my share for the Wednesday postcard meme 
hosted by Willa Stock.

Trakai Island Castle

This is my very first postcard from Lietuva (Lithuania)! I got it from a swap with Grazvydas, who asked for a postcard of Coron, Palawan.

I absolutely fell in love with this card when I saw it on her trade album.  Who wouldn't, anyway?


Here are some information I got on the Trakai Castle:

"The centrepiece of the old Lithuanian capital of Trakai is its picture-postcard Island Castle. The painstakingly restored red-brick Gothic castle is perched atop an island on Lake Galvė. It probably dates from around 1400, when Vytautas, Lithuania's Grand Duke of the time, needed stronger defences than the nearby peninsula castle afforded.

A footbridge links it to the shore and a moat separates the triangular outer courtyard moat from the main tower with its cavernous central court and a range of galleries, halls and rooms. Some house the Trakai History Museum (Trakų istorijos muziejus) which charts the history of the castle. The castle's prominence as a holy site is reflected in its collection of religious art on display in a seperate gallery. In summer the castle courtyard is a magical stage for concerts and plays."  (Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/lithuania/sights/museum/trakai-island-castle)

The postcard came with this nice train stamp:

Ačiū for the card, Grazvydas!  Man tai patinka! 

Wishing you happy journeys...

Morris Island Lighthouse

"Quintessential symbols of the romance of the sea, solitary guardians of our coasts, towers standing firm against salt-bearing winds -- lighthouses have always captured our imagination. Whether depicted in popular art or in written accounts of tragic shipwrecks and heroic battles against cruel seas, lighthouses are objects of curiosity and fascination." A line from the video Safe Passage: Aids to Navigation on the St. Lawrence.

I am fascinated by lighthouses. I am intrigued by them. There is something about these solitary guardians of the seas that stirs my emotion.

For me these beacons perfectly illustrate what is meant by sacrifice and selflessness. Isolated. Exposed to extreme weather conditions. Often neglected and forgotten. In the midst of darkness, their lights shine, guiding seafarers safely past dangers and treacherous waters.

Cheaha State Park in Winter

Jamie sent me this postcard of a park near her home. It features the snow-covered
Bald Rock Trail of Cheaha State Park in Alabama.

The card came with these three Liberty Bell forever stamps. The stamps can be used to mail First-Class Mail letter at any time in the future without additional postage, regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change.

Thanks so much, Jamie!

Wishing you happy journeys...