Ladies First!

...that is the title for it I've found on a single web-site depicting this card...I thought at the first glance this was a car, but is indeed a tandem motorcycle. 'The Parisian motorbike La Jumella in 1922, with trailing and leading arms suspensions , front and rear dampers.' Lovely photo, merci Eva :)

Get Packed And...

I have no idea what make this car this but isn't it cute? I'd appreciate any hints...that front longitudal line looks very familiar for some reason. In any case its a romantic notion to ride around my country in it, though it must be an older model---its just small enough and of the right colour :) Spasibo Elena :)

Edit: as Ramón kindly informed me (gracias!), this is one of the ZAZ Zaporozhets,  rear-wheel-drive superminis designed and built from 1958 at the ZAZ factory in Soviet Ukraine - different models of the Zaporozhets, all of which had an air-cooled engine in the rear, were produced until 1994.
The name Zaporozhets translates into a Cossack of the Zaporizhian Sich or а man from Zaporizhia.
 

La Mouche Advertisement

An Art Nouveau poster, whats not to like..?! La Mouche is a car produced by a French company Teste et Moret at the penultimate turn of the century. Only about 300 of these were made (in the 1898-1903 period) and seven are still known to exist. 

I often wonder how exciting the life was in those golden times of inventions...

Love this, and the stamp too, thank you Inez!

Jeepney Of The Philippines

Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture and art. Jeepneys were originally made from U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II - when American troops began to leave the Philippines hundreds of surplus Jeeps were sold or given to the Filipinos, who stripped them down and altered locally.

A dear friend is travelling the world with her work and surprises me with postcards - like this one :)

 

Long-Ears Riding A Citroën

While digging out the treasure from the times past, here is a cutie in a classic french car Citroën 2CV which was manufactured from 1948-90. The level of technology in the 1948 2CV was remarkable for a car of any price in that era, let alone one of the cheapest cars on the planet. After 52 years the model finally succumbed to customer demands for speed and safety.

And how did they fit the poor donkey into it? No idea! I hope i was with a help of sweet temptation, like carrots or corn :) Thanks penny!

Oh yes, a fantastic stamp too - a former art deco swimming pool (!), now a museum.

 

Maltese Buses

A typical Malta Bus was used both as a public transport and a tourist attraction, notable for  a unique colourful appearance. A major restructure of the bus service in Malta took place in 2011, when new buses were introduced - and that is when this set of stamps  was issued to commemorate the oldies. I have to say a year and a half ago when I was there I could hardly spot any of them...but they say the whole transport system benefited greatly from the restructure.

Topic for today's Sunday Stamps is cars. Yes I do realise these are buses, not cars :) But as I figured, there will probably never be a 'buses' theme because the field is too narrow, and on the other hand 'transport' is too broad cos we can divide it into cars(!), trains and plains. Buses somehow get stuck...I may be mistaken, but nevertheless, here they are - I hope you will forgive us for playing intruders xD

You can see the whole set here (thank you Malta Post for making them cheap!)

And here you can see cars of every built and shape (and I may post about a few other postcards with actual car stamps, as I have managed to dig out a few ;)

                                        

Maori War Canoe, New Zealand

In Māori tradition, Ngātokimatawhaorua was one of the great ocean-going, voyaging canoes that was used in the migrations that settled New Zealand. Its name means 'the Adzes which shaped it twice'. This is the world's largest war canoe, built in 1940 for the centennial commemoration of the Treaty of Waitangi. 

The 35-metre canoe carries a crew of 90 paddlers.

Thank you Sue, and for the fantastic Hobbit/Gandalf stamp! :))

Native People Of Vietnam

In a short-lived RR that I once joined, we had to send two written&stamped postcards to the group members - I was in a group with a lovely postcrosser Jo :) She sent me two beautiful postcards showing people in everyday situations, and great variety of stamps.

Many people in Vietnam use cyclos or cycle rickshaws to do their everyday errands. The youngsters of H'mong ethnic group, in the mountainous north-western SaPa district, are having a meal or a snack - am curious what exactly! Thanks so much Jo, love these cards :))

Travelling Wales...Again, Yes!

So you get on the cool Garratt steam locomotive train and watch the Cnicht mountain of the Moelwynion range pass by, then do some serious trekking thru magnificent Snowdonia and catch a bus to your camping site in wonderful little village of Carrog on the river Dee....what do you think? :D

Thank you Anu, I enjoy travelling through your cards ;)

UNESCO - Mountain Railways of India

Originally it was only  the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway that was inscribed as an Unesco site (1999), but in 2005  the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was added as an extension. The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train (photo) covers a distance of 41.8 km and travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges from Mettupalayam to Ooty station.

Thank you Nagi for offering this card in the Unesco tag, and using a variety of stamps -  I esp like the one with Devika Rani, the star of the early Indian movies :))

UNESCO - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, India

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly known as Victoria Terminus) is a historic railway station and also headquarters of the Central Railways in Mumbai, built in 1887 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The name was changed in 1996 to commemorate the great Maratha king.

In recent history the station was widely seen on the big screen, in 2008 hit Slumdog Millionaire. Sadly, in the same year we could see it on the small screen as well, in the news about bomb attacks killing 58 and injuring 108 people...

Thank you Nagi for another swap and new stamps from India :)))

Metro Multiview, Russia

This winter I have hosted three groups in Vacation RR, for Morocco, Regensburg Germany, and Malta. Each time I asked for my favourites (this may sound picky but if you check my favourites you'll realise there is an above-average lot to choose from..!) and each time I got a card that has nothing to do with it. Oh well. In this case all was rectified with the supercute stamp of a bunny that I haven't seen before or since!

The Carts Of Paraguay

It was only when I've stamped these postcards that I realised that I could have gone for diversity rather than the same theme! I suppose a part of the reason remains the fear that the cards wont reach me via postal system...Which doesnt seem to happen to me that often..! (3x knock) So I should take more risks in the future, or simply buy two of the same cards :) On the other hand, I've wanted to send a card of Encarnación, and the horse cart was the prettiest one they had :D Both cards sent from Concepción from the lovely lady's office.

Lately I'm becoming to question my love for carts...they do represent something quaint and traditional in most of cases, but when I see them 'in person' there is this feeling of discomfort, as some of the animals are underfed, dirty or simply constrained...but such is the way of the world, and never simply black or white :(

Old Train Station In Asunción, Paraguay

Former train station in Asunción, nowadays serving as a rail museum.

We did not go straight for Asunción, but it was the 1st place I found postcards...We spent some days further north prior to, in a small town on Rio Paraguay called Concepción, which for certain had boats going up the river :) But the tickets for cabins were sold out and we had to book them for next week - i was actually happy about that cos otherwise we might have spent less time in this awesome country! There were no real postcards (we were shown a local photo-shop to buy some, but they only sold their photos as postcards!), BUT a very friendly lady at the local PO who sold me different stamps and chatted about Paraguay :D
Edit: this may possibly be an Unesco tentative site, under the 'Carlos Antonio López Railway System'.

Russian Sea Transport

Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine 'Akula'

Bogatyr-Class Protected Cruiser 'Pamiat Merkuria'

First Launched in 1902.



The 1st looks so powerful, the 2nd is so vintage..!

Thank you both Natalia/Anitra and Ekaterina/Nabu for these great cards :)

Ship Götheborg, Stockholm, Sweden

Another lovely card from Katja/lellykate for the RR :)

I really enjoy this view of the East Indiaman Götheborg, the world's largest operational wooden sailing vessel. It is actually a replica of the 18th-century vessel that sank in front of its harbour Gothenburg, returning from its third voyage to China. The remnants were found in 1984, and the replica was launched in 2003. Two years later it sailed the route to China, visiting many harbours on the way. The ship is still cruising the northern seas, so there still might be a chance to watch it glide thru the water :)

Australian Train From Switzerland

s_unn_y organised a great bday project for her inmate friends, and i was so happy to participate :)) I got this card for exchange, which i thought was Swiss but even better - the photo was taken on a trip thru Australia and made into a postcard! It is the best self-made card i ever got :)

Thank you Diana, and wishing you all the best on your travels, many great themes for more great  postcards..!

UNESCO - Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes Between The Mountain And The Sea, Brazil

The site consists of an exceptional urban setting encompassing the key natural elements that have shaped and inspired the development of the city: from the highest points of the Tijuca National Park’s mountains down to the sea. They also include the Botanical Gardens, established in 1808, Corcovado Mountain with its celebrated statue of Christ, and the hills around Guanabara Bay, including the extensive designed landscapes along Copacabana Bay which have contributed to the outdoor living culture of this spectacular city. Rio de Janeiro is also recognized for the artistic inspiration it has provided to musicians, landscapers and urbanists.

I believe these are my 1st cards of Rio! I was happy to do a swap with Cristina, she has such beautiful postcards :) And the stamps are great too, and the cancellations..!

I love it on the first card how the statue of Cristo Redentor 'embraces' the city. It really looks like he's watching over everything and everyone :) In 2007 it was listed as one of the New Seven  Wonders Of The World - it is the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the world's 5th largest statue of Jesus Christ, with the height of 39.6 meters and the massive weight of 635 tonnes. It is situated on the Corcovado mountain, 700m high.

I hope to see the city and the statue 'live' one day...

as well as ride the only streetcar still active in the city, the beautiful La Vereda.

The Rio neighbourhood Santa Teresa has the only active tram line  in the city, which passes its winding, narrow streets and the colonial aqueduct. Santa Teresa is nowdays considered an artistic hotspot, dotted with many galleries and museums. Sounds like a 'must'!

Golden Spike Locomotives, USA

     Locomotives at the joining of the transcontinental rails reenactment at

Golden Spike national Monument, Promontory Summit, Utah.

Old locomotives are sooo cool :))) Vacation RR - big thanks to Tina/mmtnsage :=D

Train Running Through Cherry Blossom Forest, Taiwan

Kim is a wonderful teacher/postcrosser who's been arranging swaps from all over the world for her students :) Everyone is just so happy to participate in her project cos there's a lot of good vibe going on..!

In the 2nd round i've swapped with Howard - it was great to read his neat writing and that there were questions for me to answer (my card is on its way now). I really REALLY like this card with the combination of the cherry blossoms and the train in motion! And the stamp with the dragonfly of course :)))