A Postcrossing post card from Vincenzo in Naples, Italy.
The postcard celebrates the 49th International Boat Show in Genoa in October this year.
Thanks for the postcard, Vincenzo!
History in a Wardrobe
In the back of her wardrobe, my mum found some old documents covering a period of almost a hundred years. It’s a bit like taking a visit to Narnia digging around in the back of old wardrobes. Perhaps that’s why C.S.Lewis wrote about them.
Rather than spoonfeed it all to you here, why don’t you take your own trip to Narnia and dig around by clicking on the slideshow and having a look at some of these amazing things.
There’s a picture of my Dad pretending to be a rich oil-sheik, a heart warming anniversary card from my Grandad to Grandma a couple of years before he died, a seaside postcard written by my Aunts shortly after the war, some concert programs from during the second world war, and much more.
I love this stuff. It tells me about life before I was born, before my parents were born, and gives me a sense of being part of an unfolding, fascinating history!
Hall of Great Harmony
A postcrossing post card from Xizhe in Shangai.
Xishe is on vacation at the moment, planning a trip next year to Greece.
The Hall of Great Harmony is part of the “Forbidden City” in Beijing, built in 1406 by the Hongwu Emporer, it served as the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties for almost 500 years.
The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Thanks for the postcard Xishe!
Antwerpen
A postcrossing post card from Judit in Belgium
The ship in the picture is “Carina” (you might be able to see the name КАРИНА in cyrillic on her bow).
Length: 122m, 7600GRT, 328 passengers.
She is currently known as “Rochale One” and operates as a static ship for student accommodation in Amsterdam.
She was built in Nantes, France in 1977 for the then Soviet government and named “Aywasowski”. She operated cruises out of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
She was renamed Carina after she was bought by German company Phoenix Reisen in 1997. She changed hands again in 2000 and was renamed “Primexpress Island”, operating out of Cyprus.
The ship was impounded in the port of Limassol (Cyprus) because of unpaid bills.
She was eventually purchased by a consortium of three Dutch housing companies acquired the vessel, towed it to Amsterdam and configured it for use as hotel accommodation for students.
Her engines are kept in working order, so she is capable of sailing as and when needed.
Thanks for the fascinating postcard, Judit!
Vladivostok, Russia
A postcrossing postcard from Alla who lives in Vladivostok and actually studies at the University of Southern Qld.
Vladivostok is Russia’s largest pacific sea port, and home to the Russian Pacific Fleet. It is located near to the Russian border with China and North Korea.
Among the numerous naval vessels, you can see two cruise ships. The one on the left is Regal Princess, which was renamed Pacific Dawn in 2007. I am not able to name the cruise ship on the right. My friend Geoff from Oz Cruise Club tells me the ship on the right is Norwegian Wind (now Superstar Aquarius), which cruises the Asia Pacific region most of the year.
Thanks for the postcard, Alla!
Slovinski National Park, Poland
Słowiński Park Narodowy (Slovinski National Park)
A postcrossing postcard from Aleksandra in Poland.
Slovinksi National Park is one of only two sea-side national parks on the north coast of Poland.
It’s famous for its moving sand dunes which can reach 30 or 40 metres in height. Surrounded by marshes, peat bogs and forests, it is home to many different types of birds, as well as foxes and elk.
Slovinski National Park is included in the UNESCO world network of Biosphere reserves.
Thanks for the fascinating postcard, Aleksandra!
Polzeath, Cornwall
The Sands and Pentire Point
A postcard from my mate Simon who’s on holidays in England at the moment.
He’s there in the middle of summer and it’s still too cold for him to go swimming, but he had a great time camping.
From what he says, the ice cream and clotted cream is good too.
Sounds like Simon might need to do a lot more jogging when he gets home again!
Thanks for the postcard Simon.
Looking forward to having a few beers with you when you get home!
