San Fermin 3D

This card is not blurry is actually on 3D! So get your glasses on, I've talked about the San Fermines in this other card so you can read there about the festivity, I really love the style of Kukuxumusu and this card is just really fun! 

Muchas gracias Sonia!

La Rioja

La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province in Spain, located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. 

It covers part of the Ebro valley towards its north and the Iberian Range in the south. The community is a single province, so there is no County Council and it is organized into 174 municipalities. It borders the Basque Country to the north, Navarra to the northeast, Aragón to the southeast and Castilla y León to the west and south.

The region is well known worldwide for its wines. 

Gracias Natalia!

El Camino de Santiago

I got this postcard the day after the accident so I would like to take the chance to wish a fast recovery to all the injured people of the train accident in Santiago de Compostela and a lot of strength to those who lost friends and family. 

Moita forza Galicia! 

The Way of St. James (Spanish: El Camino de Santiago) is one of the most important Christian pilgrimages, with Santiago de Compostela, Spain as the final destination.

The pilgrimage goes to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. Legend has it that St. James' body was taken to Galicia by boat from Jerusalem and carried inland to where Santiago de Compostela is now located. The pilgrimage is believed by some to be one of three pilgrimages for which the sins of the pilgrim will be forgiven. There are several routes that can be taken, the most popular being the Camino Francés, which begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France.

To earn the compostela (certificate of accomplishment) one needs to walk a minimum of 100 km or cycle at least 200 km. While many pilgrims only do that final portion of the route, there are great rewards for starting much further away. Some Europeans walk from their homes, following one of the many routes from virtually all corners of central and western Europe. 

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Gracias Natalia!

Logroño

A really lovely (and long) postcard from Logroño showing the towers of La Redonda (The Cathedral) and Portales street 

Logroño is located to the North of the centre of La Rioja, by the Ebro’s riverside, 386 metres above sea level. The St. James's Way crosses the city.

Logroño has proudly conserved its historical past without restraining its future development. Together with the renovated ancient city centre, its modern layout has large streets, avenues, parks and gardens. In addition, it is a city of great services and many possibilities for leisure and free time.

Today it is delightful to walk up and down the Calle Portales, that since its remodelling and pedestrianizing in 1995 has recovered the vitality and charm of past times where you can enjoy a relaxed shopping. In this traditional Logroño street the most typical city shops can be found in perfect coexistence with the most modern establishments.

The people of Logroño are proud to have a great number of restaurants, all of great quality. Besides, the "chiquiteo" (drinking chiquitos, small glasses of wine from bar to bar with a group if friends), one  of the most attractive customs for the visitor you can to the most varied and succulent "pintxos" (appetizers) in town.

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Gracias Conchi!

Pamplona

Pamplona (Basque: Iruña) is a city in Navarra, Spain. With a population of nearly 200,000 inhabitants and an overall metropolitan population of 320,000 it is the capital of the region of Navarra. 

Most famous world-wide for its San Fermín festival each year from July 6th to 14th, "The Running of the Bulls" features a daily bull run or encierro in Spanish. This festival was depicted in the writings of Ernest Hemingway. 

Pamplona is a green city. There are many interesting things to do and explore in Pamplona for the traveler since it is the first main city on the route of St. James (Camino de Santiago). Furthermore, Pamplona has a beautiful medieval city centre, several museums, an impressive citadel, great gastronomy and wines and lots of parks. The Arga River runs through it. There city has two universities: Universidad Pública de Navarra (Public) and one of the four Universidad de Navarra (private) campuses.

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Gracias Sonia!

Zaragoza

Great to see some different spanish stamps!

Zaragoza is a warm and inviting city strategically located between Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and Toulouse. In people's haste to see the big cities, this gem is often passed without so much as a second look. The city welcomes visitors with its rich culture, shopping, eating, and sightseeing. Its more than 2,000 years of history makes the city one of the greatest historical and artistic legacies in Spain. Zaragoza is the capital city of the Zaragoza province and of the autonomous community of Aragón, Spain. It is situated on the Ebro river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, near the centre of the region, in a valley with a variety of landscapes, ranging from desert (Los Monegros) to thick forest, meadows and mountains.

The city is famous for its folklore, a renowned local gastronomy, and landmarks such as the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafería Palace. Together with La Seo and the Aljafería, several other buildings form part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fiestas del Pilar are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain.

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Gracias Eva!

Spanish flag

I really like this card and it's really cool to see some different spanish stamps, however for some reason they were not postmarked...

Since I already featured some info about Spain in another postcard, let's get into some vexillology (the study of flags).

The flag of Spain (colloquially known as "La Rojigualda"), as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe. Traditionally, the middle stripe was defined by the more archaic term of gualda, and hence the popular name rojigualda (red-weld).

The origin of the current flag of Spain is the naval ensign of 1785, Pabellón de la Marina de Guerra under Charles III of Spain. It was chosen by Charles III himself among 12 different flags designed by Antonio Valdés y Bazán (all projected flags were presented in a drawing which is in the Naval Museum of Madrid). It was until 1843 that Queen Isabella II of Spain would make the flag official.

Throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, the color scheme of the flag remained intact, with the exception of the Second Republic period (1931–1939); the only changes centered on the coat of arms.

The Spanish coat of arms symbolizes the country, the old kingdoms of Spain, the Royal Crown, the Imperial Crown, the Constitutional monarchy, the Spanish national motto: Plus Ultra, and the Pillars of Hercules with the Spanish geographic situation.

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Gracias Gabriela! 

Pens

This card is one of those that's very simple but really lovely! I really liked it and it features some of the basic tools for us snail-mailers: pens!

Plus that I need Spain stamp that I like very much

Gracias Ari!

Madrid

The capital of Spain, located in the heart of the peninsula and right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level, has a population of over three million. A cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Most of its industry is located in the Southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered. Madrid is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife.

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Gracias Ana!

Basque country

The home of  some of the world's finest food, beaches in natural settings, avant-garde architecture... 

This area in northern Spain is the ideal place for an all-round visit. If you go to the Basque country you absolutely have to try the famous pintxos : miniature morsels of  haute cuisine which you’ll see displayed in all their glory on the counters of numerous bars. You'll also find several restaurants run by some of the standard-bearers of the new Spanish cuisine. And if you'd like something delicious to drink, why not try any of the wines from the Rioja Alavesa region?

Also worth a special mention are its beautiful coastal destinations with such well-known places as San Sebastián, Zarautz and Getxo, as well as inland cities such as Vitoria and Bilbao. This last location is home to innovative buildings as the Guggenheim Museum, which has received international acclaim, or the spectacular Vizcaya suspension bridge, with the UNESCO World Heritage designation. Culture lovers are well advised not to miss the famous San Sebastián International Film Festival.

And added to all this, the Basque Country has a range of spectacular natural resources (both nature reserves and biosphere reserves) which make this the perfect place for sports, and offer yet another good reason to set out on the popular Way of Saint James pilgrim route which passes through this part of Spain.

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Gracias Natalia!

Euskal Herriko Festagileak

This card came from my swap buddy Natalia and I like it very very much!

It has the folklore characters from the Basque Country (Spain). The only two I know about are number 22, La Marijaia (I actually  received a postcard with her that you can see here) and number 44, El Olentzero who basically has the job of Santa Claus in the Basque Country (By the way you can click on the image to make it bigger) I've been trying to find out more about the rest but so far I haven't been that successful.

Muchas gracias Natalia!

San Ferfin

I really love this card and again the I need Spain stamp!

The card refers to San Fermín, one of the most famous festivals in the world and probably what comes to mind to most people when they hear the word Spain.
Festival of San Fermín. July 6 - July 14. The city festival of Pamplona. The festival begins with the txupinazo: a rocket fired from the city council's balcony at 12 PM of the 6th. A large street party ensues that night and for the rest of the week. The best-known feature is the encierro (running of the bulls), which is done every day at 8 AM (from July 7 to July 149. 6 bulls run through the town center towards the plaza de toros (bull ring); the adventurous and foolhardy run in front of them.

And as you can see the card says San Ferfin instead of Fermín, that's a game with the words playing with the fact that in 2012 the world was supposed to end and in spanish the word "fin" means end, you get it now? I thought it was a pretty clever and funny concept.
The postcard was designed by Kukuxumusu, a spanish company that makes all this funny designs.

Muchas gracias Sonia! 

Barcelona

Another lovely card from Barcelona! (In my life there's no such thing as too much Barcelona...)
This is the city I currently dream of visiting and is everything goes according to plan I'll be able to go there soon, in the meantime receiving cards from Barcelona always means joy! :)


Barcelona is Spain's second largest city and the capital and largest city of Catalonia. This city, located directly on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain, has a rich history dating back at least 2,000 years.
In 1992, Barcelona gained international recognition by hosting the Olympic games which brought a massive upturn in its tourism industry. This had the effect of changing the city in ways that are still felt today with neighborhoods renovated (and in some cases leveled) and the intense focus of modern design permeating all aspects of life in Barcelona from public buildings to something as simple as a park bench or an event poster. For visitors, this has translated into the very modern, yet incredibly old city you see now in the 21st century, where the new elements work to both preserve and celebrate the ancient.
This beautiful city is full of what European cities are known for (outdoor markets, restaurants, shops, museums and churches) and is fantastic for walking with an extensive and reliable Metro system for more far-flung destinations. The core center of town, focused around the Ciutat Vella ("Old City") provides days of enjoyment for those looking to experience the life of Barcelona while the beaches the city was built upon provide sun and relaxation during the long periods of agreeably warm weather.

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Muchas gracias Luis! 

Madrid

I really like the sky in this postcard and I love the I need Spain stamp. 

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain, as well as the capital of the autonomous community of the same name (Comunidad de Madrid). The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million with a metro area population of almost 6.5 million. Madrid is best known for its great cultural and artistic heritage, a good example of which is the El Prado museum.
Madrid is located just northeast of the geographical center of the Iberian Peninsula, in the middle of the Spanish central Castillian plateau (Meseta central), at an average altitude of 650m. Nearly all of the most famous tourist areas are located in the center of the city including Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, and Plaza de Colón. The major streets in Madrid include the Gran Via, Alcalá Street, and Paseo de la Castellana.
Madrid’s calling cards are many: astonishing art galleries, relentless nightlife, its transformation into Spain’s premier style city, an exceptional live music scene, a feast of fine restaurants and tapas bars, and a population that’s mastered the art of living the good life.

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Gracias Melita!

Spain

 I really like this colorful Spanish map! 

Spain is a diverse country sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the country with the second-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, after Italy, and the largest number of World Heritage Cities.
Spain is considered an exotic country in Europe due to its friendly inhabitants, relaxed lifestyle, its cuisine, vibrant nightlife, and world-famous folklore and festivities. Among many places worth visiting are Spain's thriving capital Madrid, the vibrant coastal city of Barcelona, the famous "Running of the Bulls" at Pamplona, major Andalusian cities with Islamic architecture, like Seville, Granada and Córdoba, the Way of St. James in Galicia and the idyllic Balearic and Canary Islands.
A country of large geographic and cultural diversity, Spain is a surprise to those who only know its reputation for great beach holidays. There is everything from lush meadows and snowy mountains to huge marshes and deserts in the south east.

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Gracias Claudia! 

Casa Comalat - Barcelona meet-up 2!

I was lucky enough to get another postcard from the postcrossing meeting in Barcelona with Paulo and Ana! (You can see the other one here) 

This one features an example of that beautiful and unique style of Catalan architecture.

Like a tribute to Gaudí, the Casa Comalat contains many elements of Gaudí’s architecture, and is one of the most original examples of home-grown art nouveau in Barcelona: modernisme.

The architect Salvador Valeri i Pupurull worked on the Casa Comalat from 1909 to 1911, and was clearly influenced by Gaudi’s organic forms. Dating from the final phase of the modernista era, this is a highly original building comprising two façades with a common element: the Gaudiesque curve. The main façade, which overlooks Barcelona's Avinguda Diagonal, is made of stone and is more symmetrical and regular in shape. At street level, there is an interesting wrought-iron doorway and, above it, a central gallery surmounted by a pinnacle. At the top, a series of openings cut into the façade and surrounded by stone garlands jut out above the remaining curved balconies with their floral motifs.

The building is surmounted by a turret in the shape of a harlequin’s hat clad in glazed green ceramics. This colorful element dominates the rear façade of the building which overlooks Carrer Rosselló, and is freer and more informal in style. The irregular wooden galleries give the façade a dynamic look, and the ceramics that decorate the entire façade lend a splash of colour. The parabolic arches over the doors on the ground floor give the building its Gaudiesque feel, and are just another example of the beauty of this unique building.

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Muchas gracias Luis!

Barcelona postcrossing meet-up!

On February 10 of this year there was a Postcrossing meet-up in Barcelona and some of my spanish friends were there along Paulo and Ana (the bosses of Postcrossing!!!) so I got this beautiful card with the signatures of some spanish postcrossers plus Paulo & Ana as a lovely surprise courtesy from my awesome friend Marta who always sends me surprises that make my day.

On the card we can see Barcelona's Cathedral.

Barcelona Cathedral (also known as La Seu) is a celebrated example of Catalan Gothic architecture dating from the 14th century. Its graceful spires can be seen from throughtout the Gotic quarter of Barcelona. 

The elevated site occupied by the cathedral has always been the spiritual center of Barcelona. First it was a Roman temple, then a Mosque and then a church, it's construction began in 1298 and was completed in 1448.

The crypth beneath the high altar contains the sarcophagus of Santa Eulalia, patroness of the cathedral and co-patroness of the city.

Probably the best part of the cathedral is the 14th-century cloister, which historian Cirici called "the loveliest oasis in Barcelona". Its vaulted galleries overlook a lush garden filled with orange, medlar and palm trees and a mossy central pond. Unusually the cloister is home to a gaggle of white geese whose ancestors have lived here for five centuries, how they originally arrived remains a mystery and various legends have it that they represent the virginity of St. Eulalia or the former splendor of Rome.

On the northern side is the chapter house, which contains a small museum of religious artifacts. 

An elevator ride to the roof provides a fine view of Gothic Barcelona.

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Muchísimas gracias Marta!

Snail-mailers around the globe: Spain

After a short break, here's the third interview and we have Arianne who is venezuelan but lives in Spain right now. I met her via the Postcrossing forum and it's been great to get to know her because she's really cool and really nice. 

In what snail-mailing activities do you take part? 

Postcard swapping. 

How did you became a snail-mailer?

I discovered a friend from El Salvador was swapping postcards. She uploaded to Facebook a lot of beautiful images of those postcards, so I asked her about them and she explained to me what Postcrossing is and then I decided to register on the website. 

For how long have you been doing this?

A year and a half.

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

My very first postcard from Postcrossing. It came from Poland, but it took so long that I believed I was never going to receive my first postcard. The sender explained to me that he asked for the address and then forgot to send my card. Weeks later he realized this and sent it, 50 days later I found the postcard in my mail-box. 

Another special postcard from the official website. It's from Nepal, the most exotic country I've received so far... and the sender was a little girl. 

Last but not least , I'm a huge fan of manga and anime since I was a child. Saint Seiya (Also known as Knights of the Zodiac/ Los Caballeros del Zodiaco) is one of my favorite anime series of all times, and one day a girl from the Postcrossing forum saw my avatar (which was one of the characters of this series) and she wrote me a u2u (message) because she is a fan too, but she's from the very own country of Saint Seiya: Japan, waaaaaa! We had long conversations via u2u about the series and other anime and manga, we swapped some postcards and she sent me this one. I could barely believe it when I saw the postcard in my hands.

How much does it cost to send a postcard in your country?

Through Spain it's 0.37 €, to Europe 0.75 € and to the rest of the world 0.90 €

But every year the postal rate increases 1 cent (inner rate) and 5 cents (the other two), so in two years we'll be paying 1 € to send a single postcard outside of Europe.

In fact, those rates are for 20 grams, that means I can send three regular postcards in an envelope for the same price as a single postcard stamped.  

Do you have any theme collections? If you do, why are you collecting them?

I'm not a big collector, but there are certain postcards that I like more for no particular reason. Those postcards are lighthouses, dragons, fairies, angels, butterflies, anime/manga and Hello Kitty.

It's weird because when I started in Postcrossing I didn't know that I was going to like lighthouses or Hello Kitty that much, but here I am now collecting them.  

If you are into pen-paling, from which countries do you have pen-pals from?

In the past (like 10 years ago) I used to write greeting cards for birthdays and Christmas to some fellow friends that I made on internet forums. Most of them live in your country (Mexico) and others in Argentina, but right now I'm not writing to anyone.  

Have you discovered any destination you'd like to travel to thanks to a postcard?

Not yet, but I'm afraid that some day I'll receive a lovely postcard from some amazing place in the world and I will never rest until I go there.

However in my first visit to The Netherlands something really weird happened to me. I was in Den Haag (The Haag/La Haya) visiting the Parliament and I saw the Ridderzaal (The Knight's hall) and it was like a deja-vu because weeks before that I had received a postcard with that building on it but I didn't knew where it was located. 

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

• My address includes a "ñ" so I realized that in all the postcards I receive from countries with cyrillic alphabet they write with a different character instead the ñ, I think it's related with the codification they use in their computers. 
• I've learned that some countries have "Poste restante" on their post offices, that way people who are moving to another place or maybe going on vacation can receive all their mail in certain post office if they write Poste restante and the address of that office on the mail. 

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

Spain is not my homeland, I wasn't born here. I moved from Venezuela to Spain five years ago but one of the things I enjoy the most of Spain is the great culture they have around food and spending time with family or friends around the table talking about sports, politics, gossip, etc. It's amazing. 

Also I love the "siesta". Siesta is an institution in Spain and it's the time you use after lunch to take a nap for 20 or 30 minutes.  

In your opinion, what is it that makes sending postcards and letters through snail-mail special?

To me is special because in this time of fast technologies developing, writing by hand sounds like something anachronistic. It's not the same as writing an e-mail, at least I need to be in the right mood to write. It's like a ritual to me to find the mood and then sit to write using different colored pens.

I think we aren't special because we are writing by hand but because we are keeping alive "ancient" ways of communication. Also I love to see different types of handwritings from all over the world.

Muchísimas gracias Arianne!

Vitoria

Alava is one of the provinces that make up the Basque country in Spain, Vitoria-Gasteiz is it's capital. 

Vitoria-Gasteiz itself is a very small city. Virtually everything you will want to see is reachable on foot. The city has an ancient town center where most of the streets still have the medieval name of the jobs that was used to be in each one of the streets (Herrería, Zapatería...) In the Town Center you can find the Cathedral of Santa María, that is one of the most important attractions of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Situated in the south of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz is a city without sea. To the North, at only 66 km is the city of Bilbao, and at 114 km the beautiful city of San Sebastian. 

Vitoria-Gasteiz has been the political capital of the Basques since the 20th May 1980.

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Gracias Natalia!  

La Marijaia

La Marijaia is the symbol of "La Semana Grande de Bilbao" (which is the main festivity in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain), it was designed by the artist, Mari Puri Herrero in 1978.
The basque name Marijaia would mean "Lady of the parties" in spanish and it tries to portrait a woman with the traditional basque look, her arms are up in signal of optimism and dance.
Every year a Marijaia is elaborated and during the whole week of the festivities she's located on the balcony of Teatro Arriaga. On the last day she's burned as a way to saying good bye to the festivities after nine days.

It definitely sounds like a lot of fun!

Gracias Benjamín!