vintage and contemporary postcards and stamps from around the world


25 April 2024

10 minutes

This is a 'cable car', though not quite what I was thinking of, but it still fits the theme.

I was thinking more along the lines of this, the Singapore Cable Car Sky Network ride from Singapore to the island of Sentosa.  It was the first ropeway system to span a harbour.  It is $3 (sgd) for locals and $15 (sgd) for tourists for the almost 15 minute ride, though I gather the cars look a little more modern now.


One cable car that doesn't look any different from the original - in fact it is the original - is this 110 year old aero car that takes you on a 10 minute ride over the Niagara Gorge and the Whirlpool Rapids. There's no disembarking.  You get the thrill of the views, riding on an antique cable car, and because of the flow of the Niagara River you cross the international boundary four times.  All for $19.00 (cad)


Or, how about this aerial tramway.  It is in fact, the world's largest rotating tram car according to their website.  During your 10 minutes of travel, the cars rotate slowly, "offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below".  All for $30.95 (usd)

Sometime though, these things are called a 'gondola', as is this one in Banff with views of the Rockies that takes you up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain.  This ride is slightly less than the others, at 8 minutes.  It is also the most expensive, at $60 (cad)

Cable Cars, Gondolas, Aero Cars, Aerial Tramways
plus this one, posted earlier

21 April 2024

to slay or not to slay

April 23rd is St George's Day.  I couldn't find a stamp featuring that particular saint, but I do have a rather miserable looking St Augustine holding a model church

maybe he was wishing he had a dragon to slay

like this colourful creature, a Year of the Dragon stamp from Hong Kong

18 April 2024

travel on three wheels

A tuk tuk is a three wheeled bicycle with a seat in either the front or back for passengers, and an awning or umbrella for cover.

 

at some point, motorized tuk tuks arrived, making the trip much easier on the driver.

I've now exhausted my tuk tuk cards, so you all will be relieved to know this is a one off theme!


14 April 2024

the tree of life

 

a magnificient baobab that can grow up to 100 feet with a massive trunk that stores water from the rainy season.
for Sunday Stamps, an endangered tree that has been around for thousands of years

11 April 2024

touring in colour

 

Glasgow Corporation Transport
yellow cabs of NYC

  a cream coloured tram in Germany
truly a reason to visit Wuppertal!  it began operation in 1901

and, not to ignore the buses...

this "fall fantasy" is one of four seasonally decorated trolley buses from Dayton, Ohio.  

below, with a ubiquitous Mountie and a few tulips, is one from Ottawa.


some ways to get around the city for Thursday Postcard Hunt

10 April 2024

maamoul

melt in your mouth cookies stuffed with a delicious walnut, pistachio, or date filling.  2024 edition of Eid stamp

07 April 2024

return of the sun

We are in the exciting grips (and endless media coverage) of Eclipse fever in my part of the world and are praying for a clear day - or at the very least, a clear hour between 3 pm and 4 pm tomorrow!

this is called 'return of the sun' by Inuit artist Kenojuak (1980)



and below, we have the Europa 'flaming sun' from 1972


showing the sun over Niagara Falls, Hopewell Rocks, and Spillars Cove in Newfoundland and Labrador
I have my glasses ready!  Happy viewing to anyone who is in the path of totality, or even in the outskirts (sorry, Eva!)

04 April 2024

on the water

 

from China

and a ferry from Hong Kong

or, for something a little more away from it all, a boat in cottage country

or, even more bucolic, an early sunrise in a canoe


31 March 2024

easterly things

I have shown this before, but as we have new people to our group, it is worth showing again.  This is a huge Pysanka sculpture.  It is 31 feet long and three and a half storeys high.  A colourful roadside attraction in Alberta.

For our food category this anniversary stamp for Nutella is most delicious
I thought I might be at risk of endlessly repeating myself, but then I found this Easter lily from Barbados

 

 

Happy Easter to all who celebrate


28 March 2024

crowning glory

 A rather unique style, Frida Kahlo was often seen with flowers in her hair as a symbol of fertility and her Mexican heritage.


Anna Pavlova

Here she is Princess Aspicia in the Pharaoh's Daughter for the Moscow Ballet, 1908

24 March 2024

colours

uniforms were much more colourful and elaborate in days of yore
 

There was a time I was deeply into Gilbert & Sullivan.  I could probably still sing along to most of their songs.

some uniforms for Sunday Stamps

17 March 2024

snakes

this blue racer can only be found on Pelee Island (Lake Erie), which is the most southern point in Canada, but it can also be seen in the US in parts of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa.  

It is described as a the most graceful and swiftest of Ontario's snakes

 

I am not a collector of snake stamps, but I am a collector of Lunar New Year Stamps, so...

this is one from 2013

and 2001


14 March 2024

paris, texas

street wear for Thursday Postcard Huntfrom a 1977 photograph by Garry Winogrand, Texas

10 March 2024

dawn chorus

It is coming to that time of year when the songbirds arrive and I managed to find four examples singing their little hearts out

Latvia's bird of the year (2023), a nightingale,  and a white throated sparrow

northern cardinal





willow warbler

a different kind of music for Sunday Stamps

click on the bird name to hear a sample of their song.