Keep Calm Christmas Is Coming

Illustration from Mauri Kunnas' book Joulupukki, Santa Claus. Otava 1981

The whole family bakes Christmas pastries and gingerbread cookies.  

I received this card in 1981 and it was sent by my niece

Delicious Christmas pastries are filled with plum jam and covered with powdered sugar when they have cooled off. But the scent of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg is inseparable from Finnish Christmas. It comes from baking gingerbread cookies. The dough is delicious by itself, especially if you ask your children. Gingerbreads can be different shapes like hearts, stars, trees or pigs.

Gingerbread pig illustration Katja Saario

Gingerbread tree for birds, illustration Omppu Omenamäki

Our gingerbreads will be boys, girls, moon and Samoyed dog :)

Tiramisu

Delicious tiramisu sent by Elena, Smolensk, Russia

travel time 14 days

distance travelled 1,050 km

 received on 20 Nov, 2017

Warm and Cozy

Teddy, warm and cozy. Artist: Daria Bogdanova

travel time 71 days

distance travelled 1,196 km

received on 14 Dec, 2016

sent by Maria, Podolsk, Russia

In winter, the weather can be cold and grey, it is dark the whole day long.  When I'm feeling the chill and blues of the season, a dose of hygge helps - candle lights, a hot cup of "glögi", woolly socks and a good book.  

"Glögi", a type of mulled wine, is a favorite hot drink at Christmas time. It is usually made of red wine or red juice of some sort, mixed with spices like cardamon and cinnamon, then served with raisins and almonds.

The noun hygge includes something nice, cozy, safe and known, referring to a psychological state. Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word which can be described as a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. 

With Warm Greeting - Let's Hygge!

Postcards for the weekend 62: Books/reading/authors

Dressed Cats by Eugen Hartung

  Eugen Hartung (1897–1973) was a Swiss painter. He is well known for his paintings of anthropomorphic cats. These postcards normally illustrate settings that are filled with action, often with a minor disaster just about to occur. While the dressed cats were by far the most popular and most plentiful cards, Hartung also painted other dressed animals - primarily mice, dogs, and hedgehogs. 

These cards were sent to me by sister in 1989

Sleeping cat and Cat Lady

Christmas and New Year,  drawing by Yuri Vasnetsov, Russian artitst

travel time 15 days

distance travelled 1,171 km

received on 22 Nov, 2017 

sent by Yulia, Moscow, Russia

"Mellow season"  Art by Anna Silivonchik, 2014, Belarus

travel time 11 days

distance travelled 1,171 km

received on 22 Nov, 2017 

sent by Olga, Moscow, Russia

Pumpkin Cats

Maria Kloss,  Pumpkin Cats
My Naïve art collection

Maria Kloss, born 1940 Ronsperg/Bohemia, is one of the most important naive painterand sculptor in Germany.

Florist Cat

The owner of bouquet by Maria Pavlova.

Travel time 13 days

Distance travelled 3,463 km

Received on 9 Oct, 2017 

Sent by Mariya, Russia

Painting by Maria Pavlova – beautiful still life of bouquets of wild flowers, cats, and birds. According to the artist, she creates paintings which would decorate any wall.  Her art credo: “Art should cause only positive emotions”. 

Beverages

travel time 47 days

distance travelled 2,987 km

 sent on 5 May, 2017 to Roman, Siberia, Russia

travel time 9 days

distance travelled 8,293 km

received on 3 Oct, 2016 from Ana, California, U.S.A

travel time 39 days

distance travelled 1,478 km

sent on 8 Mar, 2015 to Tatiana, Russia

Would you rather drink beer or wine, or maybe  an elegant cocktail?

Postcards for the weekend 61: Food & beverage

Tatra Mountains

The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra, are a mountain range that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains. 

Beautiful mountain flowers ( Rosebay Willowherb, Fireweed - Chamerion angustifolium)

 High Tatras, Slovakia
National Park High Tatras (Vysoke Tatry) is situated in the north of Slovakia, shared partly with Poland. The only mountains of Alpine type in the whole Carpathian Mountain range are often called "the smallest alpine mountains in Europe".

travel time 9 days

distance travelled 1,530 km

 received on 27 May, 2016
sent by  Daša, Slovakia

 Crocuses in the Chocholowska Valley, Tatra mountains, Poland

travel time 14 days
distance travelled 1,437 km
received on 4 Jul, 2016
sent by Ivona, Poland

The Valley of Five Lakes, Dolina Pięciu Stawów, Tatra National Parks, Poland

 travel time 8 days
distance travelled 1,442 km
received on 16 Dec, 2014
sent by Magda, Poland

Tatravuoret sijaitsevat Slovakian ja Puolan rajalla. Tatravuoret muodostavat Karpaattien korkeimman vuoriston.

Today's mail

 Classroom. Photo Christopher Lefebure, France

French language lesson
Ranskan kielen oppitunti

travel time 5 days

distance travelled 172 km

Received 16 Nov, 2017

Sent by Merja, Finland

 Niagara Falls.  Majestetic Canadian Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls, also known as Canadian Falls, is the largest of the three waterfalls which collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada-US Border.

Niagaran putoukset on kolmen vesiputouksen muodostama ryhmä Niagarajoessa, Yhdysvaltojen ja Kanadan rajalla itäisessä Pohjois-Amerikassa. Putouksista suurin eli Horseshoe Falls on jaettu maiden kesken, kaksi muuta ovat Yhdysvaltain puolella.

travel time 10 days

distance travelled 6,371 km

 Received 16 Nov, 2017

Sent by Diana, Canada

Venetsianov Alexei (1780-1847 ) Reapers. Elonkorjaajat 1820

Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov was a Russian painter, renowned for his paintings devoted to peasant life and ordinary people.

Aleksei Gavrilovitš Venetsianov oli venäläinen taidemaalari, joka on parhaiten tunnettu hänen talonpoikaiselämää ja tavallisia ihmisiä kuvaavista teoksistaan.

Received 16 Nov, 2017

travel time 9 days

distance travelled 8,104 km

Sent by Gala, U.S.A

Wartburg castle in winter. Eisenach, Germany

The Wartburg is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a 410 meters precipice to the southwest of, and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. In 1999, UNESCO added Wartburg Castle to the World Heritage List.

Wartburgin linna on eräs Saksan kuuluisimmista keskiaikaisista linnoista. Se sijaitsee Thüringenissa Eisenachin kaupungissa 410 metrin korkuisella kukkulalla. Wartburgin linna valittiin vuonna 1999 Unescon maailmanperintökohteeksi.

travel time 4 days

distance travelled 1,825 km

Received 16 Nov, 2017

Sent by Dagmar, Germany

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, U.S.A. UNESCO World Heritatge

travel time 22 days

distance travelled 8,663 km

 received  on 9 Oct, 2017
sent by Alix, U.S.A

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States

Mesa Verden kansallispuisto

Colorado, USA

Mesa Verden kansallispuistossa sijaitsee lounais-Coloradossa. Puisto on tunnettu erityisesti muinaisten pueblointiaanien rakentamista taloista ja kylistä. Kuuluisimmat näistä ovat luoliin ja kallionkielekkeiden alle rakennetut rakennukset. Kansallispuistossa sijaitsee Yhdysvaltain suurimmaksi oletettu ”kielekerakennus” Cliff Palace.  Mesa Verden kansallispuisto valittiin 1978 Unescon maailmanperintöluetteloon. Unescon mukaan Mesa Verden muinaisjäännös todistaa pohjoisamerikkalaisten intiaanien muinaisisesta perinteestä.

Cathedrals

Winchester Cathedral

travel time 4 days

distance travelled 8,197 km

 received 9 Nov, 2017

Sent by Lin, Taiwan, 

card sent from United Kingdom

Winchester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. Dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and before the Reformation, Saint Swithun. The cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately to the north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971.

Gloucester Cathedral 

Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, 

Gloucester, England

travel time 7 days

distance travelled 1,869 km

received 7 Dec, 2015 

sent by Steph, Gloucester, United Kingdom

The Cathedral stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter. 

Yuso Monastery

Yuso Monastery 

Monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla. UNESCO World Heritage Site

travel time 40 days

distance travelled 2,717 km
received on 13 Oct, 2017
sent by Carmen, Spain

The monastic community founded by St Millán in the mid-6th century became a place of pilgrimage. A fine Romanesque church built in honour of the holy man still stands at the site of Suso. It was here that the first literature was produced in Castilian, from which one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today is derived. In the early 16th century the community was housed in the fine new monastery of Yuso, below the older complex, it is still a thriving community today.

San Millán on kahden luostarin paikkakunta Riojan alueella Espanjan pohjoisosassa. Luostareista tuli pyhiinvaelluskohde 500-luvun puolessavälissä. Suson luostarin sanotaan olevan paikka, jossa espanjan ja baskin kieliä on ensi kerran kirjoitettu. Susossa on jäljellä romaanista tyyliä edustava kirkko tuolta ajalta. 1500-luvulla lluostarin veljestö muutti uudempiin tiloihin Yuson luostariin, alamäkeen edellisestä luostarista. Yhteisö on oedelleen elinvoimainen. Luostarit ovat UNESCOn maailmanperintökohde esimerkkinä puolitoista vuosituhatta jatkuneesta luostariperinteestä, ja eräänä espanjan kielen kehittymisen ja vaalimisen tyyssijana.

Reflections

Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord, by Adolph Tidemand and Hans Gude. 1848

Travel time 16 days

Distance travelled 796 km

Received on 17 May, 2017 

Sent by Sissel in Tromso, Norway

Adolph Tidemand ( 1814 – 1876) was a noted Norwegian romantic nationalism painter. Among his best known paintings are The Haugeans, 1852 and The Bridal Procession in Hardanger,1848.

Hans Fredrik Gude (1825 – 1903) was also a Norwegian romanticist painter is considered  to be one of Norway's foremost landscape painters. He has been called a mainstay of Norwegian National Romanticism.  Tidemand and Gude collaborated on several other paintings, all of which featured people in boats and Norwegian nature.

Cesar Buenaventura.  (1922-1983) Nipa Hut, 1940, UST Museum Manila

Travel time 27 days

Distance travelled 8,998 km

Received on 25 Aug, 2017

Sent by Kirsten, Philippines

Cesar Buenaventura was a Filipino painter known throughout his home country for his vibrantly colorful and thickly painted depictions of landscapes and people of the Philippines. Buenaventura often depicted farmers plowing fields or fisherman coming back from the sea, focusing on quiet scenes of everyday domestic and agrarian life. 

The Nipa hut is a type of stilt house indigenous to the vast majority of lowland Austronesian cultures of the Philippines. It often serves as an icon of Philippine culture or, more specifically, Filipino rural culture.

For more postcards, check Maria's  Postcards for the weekend 60: Reflections

Pearl Islands/ Las Perlas

Fishermen and Pearl Island,  Panama

travel time 87 days

distance travelled 9,721 km
received on 30 Oct, 2017
sent by Javier, Panama

The Pearl Islands is a group of 200 or more islands and islets (many tiny and uninhabited) lying about 30 miles (48 km) off the Pacific coast of Panama in the Gulf of Panama. Earlier the Islands were always reserved for the rich and the famous and mostly inhabited. Until recent years a direct ferry from Panama City to the Pearl Islands could take you their for a affordable price. Las Perlas is now opening its unexplored nature for tourist all around the world. Recently, the Pearl Islands have been featured in three seasons of the reality-TV show Survivor.

Coffee break

 Henri Meunier Belgian (1873-1922)  Rajah Coffee, 1900

Henri Meunier was a Belgian Art Nouveau lithographer, etcher, illustrator, bookbinder and poster designer of the Belle Époque.

My art collection. 

Ladies on a coffee break, writing letters and talking on a telephone.

 Travel time 20 days

Distance travelled 14,789 km

 Received 31 May, 2017 

 Sent by Rosie, Australia

Photobaristas / Espresso Bar, 2010

Travel time 119 days

Distance travelled 1,582 km

Received 8 Nov, 2017

Sent by Raymonda, Netherlands. 

This is her second card, the first one didn't arrive.

Dreaming girl
minorpostcards. Finland

travel time 4 days
distance travelled 169 km
 Received 3 Oct, 2014

Sent by Mari, Finland

Papercutting / Scherenschnitte

Papercutting / Scherenschnitte

travel time 23 days

distance travelled 2,061 km

received on 9 Oct, 2017
sent by Veronique, Switzerland

Scherenschnitte is the traditional craft of cutting paper with scissors or a knife. It often features a silhouette or a scene using a delicate and intricate process requiring an immense skill and meticulous attention to detail. 

It is told that paper cutting spread in rural Switzerland, as this hobby helped filling long winter nights. Cutting then was performed with scissors, knifes and even sheep shears. The designs featured landscapes of cows, goats and herdsmen and illustrated the movement of animals up to the mountain pastures and back.