USA: Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, USA.

For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it.

Postcrossing Forum - 2018 March 50 RR [uconn]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/12 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Netherlands: Haarlem

Some ideas of what to do if you decide to visit this beautiful city in the Netherlands:

1) Grote Markt
At the historic heart of Haarlem, this vast square is located underneath the imposing Grote Kerk, and is the image of the city that many people will recognize. Hosting regular festivals, concerts and markets, the Grote Markt is the hub of daily life in Haarlem and just happens to be one of the prettiest city squares in the country.

2) Frans Hals Museum
Golden Age portrait painter Frans Hals is one of the Haarlem's most famous sons, and his legacy can be seen all over the city. Nowhere more so than at the Frans Hals museum, a large gallery dedicated to Golden Age art and Hal's portraiture.

3) Hidden Courtyards
Haarlem is a city known for its Hofjes, and there are beautiful green spaces tucked away behind many unassuming street, most dating back to medieval times. There are 21 main public hofjes in Haarlem, spanning from the ancient to the very modern.

Source: https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/plan-your-trip/day-trips/haarlem/haarlem-top-10
Postcrossing ID: NL-4052998
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/11 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong: Weather Phenomena [天氣現象] (FDC)

Weather Phenomena - Official First Day Cover 2014-03-27 [Hongkong Post]

$5 -Typhoon (Miniature Sheet)
A typhoon is a classification of tropical cyclone with wind speeds near its centre reaching hurricane force. The stamp sheetlet showcases the satellite image of Typhoon Vicente when it approached Hong Kong in July 2012 and the Hurricane Signal No. 10 was issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.


Source: Back of Envelop
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/10 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italy: Maiori

Maiori is a town and comune on the Amalfi coast in Italy. It has been a popular tourist resort since Roman times, with the longest unbroken stretch of beach on the Amalfi coastline.

Postcrossing ID: IT-443122
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/09 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malaysia: Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT Line

The MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line is the ninth rail transit line and the second fully automated and driverless rail system in the Klang Valley area, Malaysia after the Kelana Jaya Line. The line is part of the Greater KL/Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. The line is numbered 9 and colored green on official transit maps.

Phase 2 between Muzium Negara and Kajang was opened on 17 July 2017, as a free shuttle service, by Malaysian Prime Minister in a ceremony at the Tun Razak Exchange station.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungai_Buloh%E2%80%93Kajang_MRT_line
Direct Swap [walkaround99]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/08 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malaysia: 2017 Southeast Asian Games

The 2017 Southeast Asian Games (Malay: Sukan Asia Tenggara 2017), officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The was the sixth time that Malaysia hosted the games. The games were held from 19 to 30 August 2017. Around 4646 athletes participated at the event, which featured 404 events in 38 sports. It was opened by the King of Malaysia, Muhammad V at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Southeast_Asian_Games
Direct Swap [walkaround99]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/06 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Czech Republic: Frýdek-Místek

Frýdek-Místek is a city in Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic.

Postcrossing ID: CZ-1351803
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/05 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ukraine: Maiden Nezalezhnosti

Maidan Nezalezhnosti, literally Independence Square, is the central square of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. The square has been known under many different names, but often it is called simply Maidan.

Since the start of Ukraine's independence movement in 1990, the square has been the traditional place for political rallies. Maidan is also a regular site for non-political displays and events.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidan_Nezalezhnosti
Postcrossing ID: UA-1635756
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/04 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong: Weather Phenomena [天氣現象] (FDC)

Weather Phenomena - Official First Day Cover 2014-03-27 [Hongkong Post]

Situated in the subtropical zone, Hong Kong has a humid climate with fog and drizzle in spring. Summer, also a typhoon season, is hot with occasional showers and thunderstorms. Autumn normally brings pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Winter becomes cloudier, with occasional cold fronts crossing the territory, bringing frost at times. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Observatory, Hongkong Post introduces seven common weather phenomena in Hong Kong under the theme of "Weather phenomena" to help the public understand the changes in our weather.

$ 1.7 Rainbow
It is an optical phenomenon.The stamp illustrates a double rainbow in the sky over the urban area of Hong Kong. When sunlight passes trough water droplets and gets reflected twice, two rainbows are developed.

$2.2 Frost
It forms when water vapor freezes into ice crystals. The stamp portrays frost formed on the surface of a plant in cold weather in Hong Kong

$2.9 Cloud
It is formed when water vapor rises through the atmosphere and cools. The stamp shows lenticular clouds in the sky over an urban area of Hong Kong. As air rises on the lee side of a mountain, water vapor condenses into water droplets, which accumulate and develop into lenticular clouds, taking the shape of a lens

$3.1 Lightning
It is an atmospheric electric discharge phenomenon. In an unstable and moist atmosphere, water droplets and ice pellets in clouds will become electrically charged in a convective motion. When the building up of charges reaches a certain threshold, discharges take place between clouds or between clouds and the earth's surface.

$3.7 Fog
It refers to tiny suspended water droplets near the ground. Under light wind, stable and humid conditions, when the air near the ground cools down sufficiently, the water vapor in the air condenses into tiny water droplets and fog is formed.

$5 Rain
It is a natural phenomenon of precipitation. Water droplets in the clouds will come down as rain when they accumulate to a certain weight. The stamp features Chek Lap Kok Airport in the rain.


Source: Back of envelop
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/03 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong: The New Yorker

Postcrossing Forum - 2018 March 50 RR [vinchm]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/02 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Switzerland: Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetrical pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps.

Sometimes referred to as the Mountain of Mountains, the Matterhorn has become an iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and of the Alps in general.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matterhorn
Postcrossing Forum - 2018 February 50 RR [thubcabe]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/06/01:: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Germany: Market Church St. Nicolai

Market Church St. Nicolai is located in Hamelin, Germany. It is the second oldest church in Hamelin.

Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of about 56,000. Hamelin is best known for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marktkirche_(Hameln)
Postcrossing Forum - 2018 February 50 RR [cateye]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/30 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkey: Karaağaç railway station

Karaağaç railway station or before 1971 Edirne station was the name of the former railway station in Edirne. Currently, it houses Trakya University's Faculty of Fine Arts. Opened in 1998, the Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum are located next to the former railway station.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaa%C4%9Fa%C3%A7_railway_station
Postcrossing Forum - 2018 February 50 RR [purusha]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/29 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

USA: Hanauma Bay, Hawaii

Hanauma Bay was declared a protected marine life conservation area and underwater park in 1967. Formed within a volcanic cone, today Hanauma Bay offers a pristine marine ecosystem after the City and County of Honolulu laid out a plan in 1990 to restore the "curved bay" after years of use from the millions of visitors who visit and love to snorkel Hanauma bay.

Source: https://hanaumabaystatepark.com/
Postcrossing Forum - 2018 February 50 RR [akm]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/28 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong: Festive Customs [節慶民間習俗] (FDC)

Festive Customs - Official First Day Cover 2018-02-27 [Hongkong Post]

Despite being a fast-paced, modern city that constantly keeps abreast of the times, Hong Kong attaches great importance to its traditional culture and preserves many unique folk customs. The city celebrates an array of colorful traditional festivals, with many festive customs and traditions deeply rooted in the heart of the community. Hongkong Post issues a set of six special stamps on the theme of "Festive Customs" to showcase these customs and traditions with their strong local flavors.

$2  - Putting Up Spring Festival Scrolls 貼揮春
It has been identified as one of the intangible cultural heritages of Hong Kong. It has became a tradition for people to decorate their homes and shops during Chinese New Year with Spring Festival scrolls that are inscribed with auspicious phrases such as "Wishing you safety wherever you go" so as to pray for blessings and fortune in the coming year.

$2.6 - Throwing Wishing Placards 拋寶碟
It is a time-honored custom which is considered to have originated in Lam Tsuen, Tai Po. People write down their name and wishes on wising placards and toss them onto the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees. It is believed that the higher the wishing placards land on the tree, the greater the chance the wish will come true.

$3.4 - Offering First Incense in Chinese New Year 上頭炷香
It refers to worshippers making their first offerings of joss sticks to the deities immediately upon the arrival of the Lunar New Year.

$3.7 - Spinning Wheels of Fortune 轉風車
It is a popular custom practiced on the third day of the Lunar New Year. This day is known as "chi kou", literally "red mouth", and it is said that arguments are more susceptible to arise on the day. So instead of visiting friends and family, people normally prefer to wish for luck by spinning the wheels of fortune in Che King temples. By tradition, spinning these wheels of fortune will bring good luck in the coming year.

$4.9 - Drawing Chinese Fortune Sticks 求籤
It is a common ritual in local Chinese temples. In performing this ritual, people have to kneel in prater in a designated area of the temple and shake a fortune stick holder until a stick falls out. they can then collect the corresponding oracle in verse from a stall outside the temple or ask the fortune-teller in the temple for an interpretation.

$5 - Unicorn Dance 舞麒麟
It is a form of traditional folk performing art usually practiced during festivals and celebratory occasions. It is listed as part of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. The unicorn dance is performed by two dancers who move the head and body of the unicorn respectively to the rhythm of the music, and is believed to bestow blessings and ward off evil.

FDC of the stamps version is also available:
http://walagemini.blogspot.hk/2018/04/hong-kong-festive-customs.html

Source: Back of FDC
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/27 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taiwan: Air Mail Stickers

Postcrossing ID: TW-2468140
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/26 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Australia: Eta Carinae

The image shows Eta Carinae, the bright star at the center of the Carina Nebula. Eta Carinae is a supergiant (roughly a hundred times the mass of the Sun and a million times brighter) and one of the most massive stars in the galaxy.

Postcrossing ID: AU-598585
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/25 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

United Kingdom: Newquay

The popular resort of Newquay, as well as having an abundance of excellent beaches and fine cliff scenery, has a picturesque harbor providing sage anchorage for small pleasure craft and facilities for shark fishing.

Direct Swap [cyberpunk]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/24 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canada: Map of Canada

Sent from my dear friend Crystal who lives in Toronto, Canada
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/23 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

United Nations: United Nations Headquarter

United Nations is headquartered in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan.

Although it is situated in New York City, the land occupied by the United Nations Headquarters and the spaces of the buildings that it rents are under the sole administration of the United Nations and not the U.S. government. They are technically extraterritorial through a treaty agreement with the U.S. government.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headquarters_of_the_United_Nations
Sent from Jordan who lives in New York City
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/22 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Germany: Sanssouci

Sanssouci is the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, in Potsdam. It is little more than a large, single-story villa. Containing just ten principal rooms, it was built on the brow of a terraced hill at the centre of the park. Sanssouci and its extensive gardens became a World Heritage Site in 1990 under the protection of UNESCO. These palaces are now visited by more than two million people a year from all over the world.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanssouci
Postcrossing ID: DE-6997675
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/21 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Malaysia: Animals With Various Special Roles - Working Dogs (FDC)

Animals With Various Special Roles - Working Dogs - Official First Day Cover 2018-01-18 [POS Malaysia]

Left: General Purpose Dog
Dogs are often used in crime prevention efforts. It is one of the initiatives and efforts of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) team. PDRM usually uses two dog breeds for this work, the German Shepherd and Labrador breeds because of their intelligence, strength and obedient nature. these crime prevention dogs carry out various tasks such as tracking people or things, finding criminals, controlling crowd and helping other PDRM units.

Right: Drug Detection Dog
in 1979, PDRM established a drug detection dog unit to empower the fight against drug crimes. Dogs in this unit sniff out and detect any drugs that criminals try to conceal. In addition, PDRM also has a specialized unit of dogs to detect firearms and explosives, This unit is often deployed to monitor and detect harmful substances in an area of place, especially where important events will be held.


Direct Swap [walkaround99]
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/20 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

USA: Tiger (San Diego Zoo)

Some interesting facts about tigers:

1) The tiger is the biggest species of the cat family.

2) A group of tigers is known as an "ambush" or "streak"

3) Tiger cubs leave their mother when they are around 2 years of age.

4) There are more tigers held privately as pets than there are in the wild.

Source: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/tiger.html
Postcrossing ID: US-5177012
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/19 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Netherlands: Bengal Cat

The Bengal is a domestic cat breed developed to look like exotic jungle cats such as leopards, margays and clouded leopards. Bengal cats were developed by selective breeding from hybrids of the Asia leopard cat.

Bengal cats are generally a bright orange to light brown color, although pale or off-white "snow" Bengals also exist, and are popular among owners.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_cat
Postcrossing ID: NL-4049331
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/18 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Netherlands: Winter in Holland

Postcrossing ID: NL-4050378
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/17 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Germany: Greetings from Würzburg (Unofficial GF)

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia, northern Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia.

Würzburg lies about equidistant from Frankfurt am Main and Nuremberg. Although the city of Würzburg is not part of the Landkreis Würzburg, it is the seat of the district's administration. The city has a population of around 124,000 people.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C3%BCrzburg
Postcrossing ID: DE-6990124
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/16 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Austria: Belvedere, Vienna

The Belvedere is a historic building complex in Vienna, Austria. It consists of two Baroque palaces, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the third district of the city, on the south-eastern edge of its centre.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvedere,_Vienna
Postcrossing ID: AT-375159
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/15 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweden: Greetings from... Sweden

Another Greetings from... card added to my collection :)

Some fun facts about Sweden for you
Enjoy :)

1) Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave - and of those, 60 days are reserved for the father. In 2012, dads used 24% of the total parental leave.

2) An average of 1,836,000 meatballs are eaten daily in all of IKEA's 313 stores worldwide. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943 by Ingvar Kampard.

3) The Swedish three-point seatbelt is claimed to have save 1 million lives. It was launched by Volvo in 1959 and is found in 1 billion vehicles worldwide.

4) The pacemaker, ultrasound, safety math, astronomical lens, marine propeller, refrigerator, and computer mouse are all famous items that were invented in Sweden or by Swedes who weren't living in Sweden.

5) Sweden has won 625.5 Olympic medals in total. 475.5 are from the Summer Olympics (one gold is shared with Denmark), and 150 are from the Winter Olympics.

Source: https://www.factretriever.com/sweden-facts
Postcrossing ID: SE-146123
----- :: WalaGemini 2018/05/14 :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------