200 years since the first balloon flight Maxicard 1984 - McLean, Virginia

The picture depicts the first manned balloon ascent in Austria, which was carried out by Johann Georg Stuwer (1732-1802).

On July 6, 1784, Johann Georg Stuwer ascended a hot-air balloon of his design from his fireworks display, marking the beginning of manned aviation in Austria. Instead of a basket, Stuwer had a "large wooden ship" attached. On board, along with Stuwer, were his son Kaspar, his assistants Michael Schmalz and Johann Hiller, and the architect Daniel Hakmillner. 15,000 spectators watched the spectacle. After the successful ascent, the balloon was pulled down again and the evening concluded with the allegorical fireworks display "Monument of Honor to the Invention of Mr. Montgolfier."

 

#74 GF - Magong, Taiwan

The Penghu or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately 50 km west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Channel. The archipelago collectively forms Penghu County of Taiwan and is the smallest county in Taiwan. The largest city is Magong, located on the largest island.

 

Yellow plane - Vilnius, Lithuania

Lynx have a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large, padded paws for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. Under their neck, they have a ruff, which has black bars resembling a bow tie, although this is often not visible.

EUROPA stamp 2021 - "Endangered national wildlife"

 

#63 FOTW - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). 

The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities. 

The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers.

 

Columbia River Gorge - Seattle, Washington

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 1,200 deep, the canyon stretches for 130 km as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south.

 

#49 GF - Himanka, Finland

Moomin's daddy grows tobacco, and Snufkin in the original, Finnish version, is literally called "Tobacco Freak"! Moomin's name comes from the term used by the writer's uncle when he threatened her with the little trolls living in the kitchen.

 

#33 FOTW - Aberdeen, Scotland

The most infamous Scottish dish is haggis, usually made from sheep's offal (heart, liver, and lungs), shredded with onions, porridge, spices, and salt, mixed with food, and traditionally cooked in the animal's stomach for about an hour.

Haggis can be a very ancient European recipe. Although it is unknown where it comes from, a similar dish was mentioned in Greece about 2,500 years ago.

 

Gyeongbok Palace - Seoul, South Korea

Royal residence located in the northern part of Seoul, built at the end of the 14th century, destroyed two hundred years later (Japanese-Korean War), rebuilt in the 19th century, and destroyed again during the Japanese occupation, now reconstructed.   

Japan flag with map - Kobe, Japan

The flag of Japan shows a red disk on a white background, which symbolizes the rising sun. The sun has significant religious and mythological significance in Japan. According to native beliefs that make up the shintō, the sun goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami is the direct ancestor of the emperors, which gives them the right to rule.  

Map of Korea - Asan, South Korea

South Korea has a mild climate, mountainous landscape, and great economic contrast to its northern neighbor. The country belongs to highly developed countries, its economy is developing at a fast pace.   

Blue van - Jersey City, New Jersey

Volkswagen Transporter II was presented for the first time in 1967. In 1979, the production of T2 in Germany was discontinued and production was moved to Mexico, and in 1997 it was moved again to Brazil. In 2006 the car was restyled - "Flower Power". Production of the Volkswagen T2 finally ended on December 20, 2013. 

Large Letter Reprint - Manchester, New Hampshire

Nicknames: the Granite State, the White Mountain State.

Motto: "Live Free or Die".

It is one of the most libertarian states in the US.  Freedom is firmly rooted in today's state culture, although it may take an incomprehensible and strange form. For example, motorcyclists don't wear helmets, and people over 18 don't have to wear a seat belt.

Worth seeing: Mount Washington Auto Road, The Mount Washington Cog Railway, Castle in the Cloud in Moultonborough.

*this postcard is mailed from Boston, MA - but Massachusetts one is from Manchester, NH*

Summer - Orissaare, Estonia

Estonia has the largest number of meteorite craters in the world per square kilometer. The Kaali Crater in Saaremaa is what is left of the last giant meteorite that hit an inhabited area. It fell to Earth over 4000 years ago with the power of an atomic bomb.  

In Estonia there are 1,500 islands, 1,000 lakes, and 7,000 rivers.

#2 FOTW - Canada

The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates to the early 18th century.

The Canadian music industry is the sixth-largest in the world producing internationally renowned composers, musicians, and ensembles.

ICONS - Tokyo, Japan

On ICONS postcards you can see a bunch of characteristic things about particular countries. It's a nice way to learn something about these countries.
Tokyo 東京 都 - the capital and largest city of Japan. Until 1868 the city was called Edo.

                                       

Piccadilly Circus metro station - London, England

London Underground station located in the City of Westminster.

It currently does not have an above-ground building (it was demolished in the 1980s).