Stuck on Canada

A really funny card from my dear postcard buddy Marie! I visited Canada in the summer so hopefully next time it will be i n the winter, I just hope I don't get stuck like that!

I also love the stamps, in the previous card she sent me you can see some others from the same collection.

Thanks Marie!

Toronto

Another lovely card from Toronto along really lovely stamps!

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe region, which wraps around Lake Ontario from Toronto to Niagara Falls and totals over 8.5 million residents, approximately a quarter of Canada's entire population. Toronto is the fourth largest city and fifth largest urban agglomeration in North America.

Spawned out of post-glacial alluvial deposits and bluffs, the area was populated at different times by Iroquois and later Wyandot (Huron) people. In the 19th century, it grew to become the cultural and economic focus of Canada. Owing largely to the country's liberal immigration policies starting in the 1960s, and the region's strong economy, Toronto has, in recent decades, been transformed into one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the world. More than 80 ethnic communities are represented, and over half of the city's residents were born outside Canada.

As a result of this cultural mosaic, Toronto is home to many ethnic festivals throughout the year.

*Source

Thank you Marie!

Snail-mailers around the globe: Canada

Here's our Snail-mailer for June, Fiona! She is a really lovely Brit who's living in Canada and not only she answered this interview but she also shared some photos you'll get to see at the end.

In what snail-mailing activities do you take part?

Penpalling and card swapping. 

How did you became a snail-mailer? 
Another fellow Brit who also lives in Canada mentioned it one day, a few weeks later in one of my "I'm bored, what can I look at" internet moments I found the site and that was it... hooked.

For how long have you been doing this? 
Just over 1.5 years

Can you show me 3 of your favorite postcards and make a little explanation on why you like them? 

Russian blue kittens- I'm a crazy cat lady, what more can I say!

I love this card from Bulgaria, the shape, the colors and all the different snippets of Bulgarian life.

This card is from Lichtenstein and the ref number is 234, so not many cards from this country have been sent. This was a "WOW" just because where it's from. The country is 26 km long and 10 km wide and it only takes 30 minutes by car to cross the country.

How much does it cost to send a postcard in your country? 
$1.10 to USA and $1.80 to the rest of the world. 

Do you have any theme collections? If you do, why are you collecting them? 
When I first started I only thought there was "tourist" type cards, I was amazed there were so many other types and styles. Over the year and half my wish list has got longer and longer at the type of cards I like, all due to ones that I have received. I love skiing & winter so anything to do with that. Russian Blue cats - mine sadly died last year so my aim is to get lots of these and get them framed up as one big picture as a momento to her. My husband loves the pin up style girls so he is kept happy! Anne Taintor - I love the humour.

If you are into pen-paling, from which countries do you have pen-pals from? 
England, Netherlands, Czech Republic, USA, Germany & Russia.

Have you discovered any destination you'd like to travel to thanks to a postcard? 
Neuschwanstein Castle & Burg Eltz Castle (Germany)

Please share a few facts about other countries you've learned thanks to postcards or letters:

• Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi, Finland 
• Washington is known for its apples
• I found out what Luminarias (small paper lanterns) are 
• Tomsk in Siberia can get up to 35ºc (I always imagined Siberia to be freezing cold and covered in snow) 

A few fun/strange/surprising facts you'd like to share about your country? 

• Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world at 243,977 kilometers – 151,600 miles.
• The longest highway in the world is the Trans-Canada Highway which is over 7604 kilometers (4725 miles) in length.
• About 90% of Canada’s population is concentrated within 160 kilometers (100 miles) of the Canada/US border.
• Canadians like to finish a sentence with the word eh. 
• The CN Tower in Toronto was the world’s tallest free standing structure until 2007.
• A black bear cub from Canada named Winnipeg (or “Winnie,” for short) was one of the most popular attractions at the London Zoo after it was donated to the zoo in 1915. Winnie became a favorite of Christopher Robin Milne and inspired the stories written by his father, A.A. Milne, about Winnie-the-Pooh.

In your opinion, what is it that makes sending postcards and letters through snail-mail special?
It's a dying art, no one seems to want or have time to sit and write a letter, its all rush rush rush, now its just quick text messages or emails.  Its wonderful to receive a card from some far flung place in the world, a little snippet of someones life. 

Someone cares enough to go out and buy a card, write it & post it - which isn't cheap! I love sending cards as I hope that I can make the receiver smile.

And Fionna was nice enough to share some photos! 

"This one is the lovely ladies Margo and Andrea at Little Britain Post Office. Margo thinks its so cool seeing postcards from all over the world turning up."

"This is Little Britain Post box"

Thank you very much Fionna! 

Canada

 Lovely canadian map!

Canada is by size, the largest country in North America, second in the world overall (behind only Russia). Renowned worldwide for its vast, untouched landscape, its unique blend of cultures and multifaceted history, Canada is one of the world's wealthiest countries and a major tourist destination.

It's a land of vast distances and rich natural beauty. Economically and technologically, and in many other ways she resembles her more powerful neighbour to the south, the United States, although there are significant differences between the two countries. 
Canada has always been heavily influenced by immigrants from two European nations, the British and the French. 
Domestically, the country has displayed success in negotiating compromises amongst its own culturally and linguistically varied populations, a difficult task considering that language, culture, and even history can vary significantly throughout the whole country. Canada considers and defines itself a mosaic of cultures and peoples. Canadians are used to living and interacting with people of different ethnic backgrounds on a daily basis and will usually be quite friendly and understanding if approached in public. 

I visited Canada in 2008 and I really want to go back! 

*Source

Thanks Marie!

Niagara Falls

This card came from my lovely swap buddie Marie and as always she included a special stamp, that happens to be one of my favorite stamps and a special postmark that has my birthday date!

In 2008 I went on a trip around Canada and Niagara falls were the last part of my tour, I took the Maid of the Mist boat, a helicopter ride over the falls, had lunch at Skylon tower, so many good memories are coming to my mind right now!

Niagara Falls, Ontario, along with with its sister city Niagara Falls, New York, is the self-proclaimed "Honeymoon Capital of the World." For hundreds of years the grandeur of the Falls of the Niagara River have attracted many to this destination.

Mainly a tourist destination, the main attraction has always been Niagara Falls, which brings hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city. Now tourism plays a major part in the economy of the region. Increasingly, visitors seeking more natural settings are finding the Niagara River to be a great place to hike and visit downstream from the Falls where the majority of visitors go.

The Maid of the Mist is one of the biggest attractions, it's a boat that takes tourists to the foot of the falls, where you can better appreciate their thunder and spray. Runs April-October. Boats depart every 15 minutes and the ride is 30 minutes. 

*Source

Thank you very much Marie! 

Yonge-Dundas Square

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe region, which wraps around Lake Ontario from Toronto to Niagara Falls and totals over 8.5 million residents, approximately a quarter of Canada's entire population. Toronto is the fourth largest city and fifth largest urban agglomeration in North America.

Spawned out of post-glacial alluvial deposits and bluffs, the area was populated at different times by Iroquois and later Wyandot (Huron) people. In the 19th century, it grew to become the cultural and economic focus of Canada. Owing largely to the country's liberal immigration policies starting in the 1960s, and the region's strong economy, Toronto has, in recent decades, been transformed into one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the world. More than 80 ethnic communities are represented, and over half of the city's residents were born outside Canada.

As a result of this cultural mosaic, Toronto is home to many ethnic festivals throughout the year.

*Source

Thank you Marie!

Ottawa

This lovely card came from my swap buddy Marie, the card itself is great and it brings back a bunch of nice memories from a trip I made to Canada 3 years ago, it has really cool stamps and even a cool postmark! It's from Saint-Valentin's post office which is quite famous, you can read a bit more about it and the Love post office in Saskatchewan here 

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The city is situated along the Ontario side of the Ottawa River, is currently the fourth largest city in Canada, and the second largest in Ontario after Toronto. 

Unique as a North American capital, the city is bilingual. English is the first language of a majority of the population, but French is the first language of a significant number. Staff in most stores and restaurants speak both well and, in general, bilingualism is common.

Today, the major economic sectors are the public service, travel and tourism and the high-tech industry. Ottawa has proudly remained a green city and is situated at the confluence of three rivers (Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau) as well as the Rideau canal. Many national attractions are located in Ottawa: Parliament Hill; the National Library and Archives; the National Gallery; as well as the Museums of Civilization, Contemporary Photography, Nature, War and Science & Technology.

*Source

Thank you Marie! 

Postcrossing meet-up!

This is a postcard from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Ingersoll, Ontario on July 21, 2012.
It's one of my favorite cards because I think Postcrossing meet-ups are great and the card they made for this meet-up is gorgeous!
Plus the different signatures on the back are just so cool!

Thank you so much Lynda for sending the card and thanks to everyone who signed it!