Postcrossing Meetup Wuxi and Singapore - Singapore

Singapore has the second highest population density of any country in the world, although there are numerous green and recreational spaces due to urban planning. With a multicultural population and in recognition of the cultural identities of the major ethnic groups within the nation, Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. 

Wuxi is a historically and culturally prominent city and has been a thriving economic centre since ancient times as a production and export hub of rice, silk and textiles. In the last few decades, it has emerged as a major producer of electrical motors, software, solar technology and bicycle parts. The city lies in the southern delta of the Yangtze River and on Lake Tai, which with its 48 islets is popular with tourists.

 

#71 GF - Seoul, South Korea

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.

 

Postcrossing Meeting in Kassel - Kassel, Germany

Kassel is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, in central Germany. The former capital of the state of Hesse-Kassel has many palaces and parks, including the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kassel is also known for the Documenta exhibitions of contemporary art. 

 

#71 FOTW - Moscow, Russia

At the time of Alexander III of Russia, the official interpretation was as follows: the white colour symbolizes nobility and frankness; the blue for faithfulness, honesty, impeccability, and chastity; and the red for courage, generosity, and love. A common unofficial interpretation was: Red: Great Russia, White: White Russia, Blue: Little Russia.

The federal constitutional law of the Russian Federation only says that the colours of the flag are "white", "blue" (синий, or dark blue, as Russian has two colours that are called "blue" in English), and "red". The Federal Constitutional Law on the State Flag of the Russian Federation does not specify which shades the colours should be. 

 

Roman Holiday poster - Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Roman Holiday is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance; the story and costume design also won.

 

Large Letter Reprint - Saint Louis, Missouri

Nicknames: Show Me State, Cave State and Mother of the West

Motto: Let the good of the people be the supreme law

In 1860, a line was launched from St. Joseph in Missouri to Sacramento in California, the "Pony Express" courier route - riders covered a distance of 3,000 kilometres in 10 days. km.

Although Mark Twain described the Mississippi River in his books, his hometown lies on the Missouri River. A museum is dedicated to him in the house in Hannibal, where he spent his childhood.

 

Madeira map - Funchal, Madeira

The wine culture appeared during early settlement, through the incentives from Henry the Navigator. By 1455, the Venetian navigator, Luís de Cadamosto, on visiting Madeira, referred to the excellence of the Madeirense wines, principally the Malvasia castes from the island of Crete, which were being exported in greater numbers. By the end of the 16th century, the celebrated English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, cited the important export and notoriety of the Madeiran Malvasia castes: in Richard III the Duke of Clarence, the brother of King Edward IV selected a death by drowning in a barrel of Madeira.

 

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"

 

#70 GF - Poznań, Poland

Masuria is an ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. The Masurian Szczytno-Szymany International Airport gained international attention as press reports alleged the airport to be a so-called "black site" involved in the CIA's network of extraordinary renditions.

 

Dahlia "Punkin Spice" - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This beauty boasts glowing orange blooms, some with raspberry undertones and others with hints of gold and red. Petals are laciniated at the tip, giving the flowers an almost fuzzy quality. Their lush growth requires extra support. Dahlias don’t unfurl much once they’ve been harvested so it’s important to not pick them too early. Harvest when blooms are three-quarters of the way open, but not overly ripe.

 

#70 FOTW - Leszno, Poland

The national flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colours are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colours. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white fess is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a white eagle is used as the naval ensign of Poland.

White and red were officially adopted as national colours in 1831, although these were associated with Poland since the Middle Ages and were emphasized on royal banners. They are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures (colours) of the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (i.e., the White Eagle of Poland, and the Pursuer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a white knight riding a white horse), both on a red shield.

 

Poppy seed flowers - Kurume, Japan

Kurume is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579.

Traditional products of Kurume are kasuri, or woven indigo-dyed cloth; tonkotsu ramen (pork-bone broth noodles); and trays and bowls made from rantai shikki, a composite made from lacquered bamboo.

 

Lantern Press 1120 - San Francisco, California

Boeing Field was Seattle's main passenger airport from its construction in 1928 until Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) began operations in the late 1940s, except for its use for military purposes during World War II. The Boeing Company continues to use the field for testing and delivery of its aeroplanes, and it is still a regional cargo hub. It is used by Air Force One when the President of the United States visits the Seattle area.

 

Salento - Bari, Italy

"Lu Salentu, lu sule, lu mare, lu ientu!" - Salento is beautiful thanks to its sun, sea and wind!

Salento also known as Terra d'Otranto is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Puglia in Southern Italy.

 

Varkala Beach - Thiruvananthapuram, India

High cliffs border this excellent South Indian beach. Mineral water springs gushing out from these cliffs are well known for their medicinal property. These cliffs are of tertiary sedimentary formation and are named by geologists as Varkala Formation. They are a geological monument as recorded by the Geological Survey of India.