Mykonos

Mykonos is both an island and municipality. As an island, it is the part of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea.
It is an ultimate touristic destination in Greece, famous for its vibrant nightlife. Mykonos town, also called Chora ('town' in Greek) bears a quarter called Little Venice which is said to be the most picturesque spot in the island with its row of old waterfront fishing houses. The famous windmills are defining features of the town's landscape. They were built by Venetians in the 16th century and they remained well kept until today. In the postcard, the Kato Mili, the lower mills can be seen.

This bunch of postcards from Greece is from a friend who lives in Athens and whom I met during Erasmus. I stayed for the whole academic year, while she returned to Greece after the end of the fall semester. We reunited when she came back to Milan and brought me some postcards from her beautiful and ancient country :)

From: I.I.
Date: April 2019

Kos

Kos is the part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The biggest island of the group is Rhodes, Kos is the third, but second most populous. I'm going to mention here only a few of the sights to see in Kos.

No wonder that the island is abundant in ancient cultural remains. The most significant archeological sight is the Asklepieion. In antiquity, it worked as a healing center and it got its name from Asklepios, son of Apollo and protector of health and medicine.

One peculiar sight is the Tree of Hippocrates. It is a platane tree, under which, according to legend, Hippocrates, who is considered the father of medicine, taught his pupils of the discipline. The tree has an enormous crown, 12 meters in diameter, and is said to be the largest in Europe.

Another main sight is Nerantzia Castle, or Castle of the Knights of Malta, is located at the entrance of the port, Kos Town. It was built in the 14th century by the Knights of Saint John, on the site of a former Byzantine fortress.

The Ottoman rule, which spanned for a long period from 1523 to 1911, left its traces in the island, like a number of mosques dots the old town of Kos.

This bunch of postcards from Greece is from a friend who lives in Athens and whom I met during Erasmus. I stayed for the whole academic year, while she returned to Greece after the end of the fall semester. We reunited when she came back to Milan and brought me some postcards from her beautiful and ancient country :)

From: I.I.
Date: April 2019

Pythagorion Samos

Pythagoreion is the main tourist resort on the southeastern part of Samos island.
It was built on the ancient city of Samos which flourished around 530 BC.
Near to Pythagoreion lies a crucial archeological site: Heraion of Samos, a large sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera.

This bunch of postcards from Greece is from a friend who lives in Athens and whom I met during Erasmus. I stayed for the whole academic year, while she returned to Greece after the end of the fall semester. We reunited when she came back to Milan and brought me some postcards from her beautiful and ancient country :)

From: I.I.
Date: April 2019

Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is a port town on the northeastern part of the island of Crete.

Agios Nikolaos means 'Saint Nicholas' in Greek. The saint bears double importance: he is the patron saint of sailors and Greece itself.
There is archeological evidence that the town already existed in the Bronze age, just like Rethymno. An important archeological site can be found nearby, which is called Priniatikos Pyrgos.

This bunch of postcards from Greece is from a friend who lives in Athens and whom I met during Erasmus. I stayed for the whole academic year, while she returned to Greece after the end of the fall semester. We reunited when she came back to Milan and brought me some postcards from her beautiful and ancient country :)

From: I.I.
Date: April 2013

Rethymno

Rethymno is the third biggest city on the northern shores of the island of Crete.

The city was built in the Bronze Age by the Minoan civilization (c. 2700 to c. 1450 BC). Rethymno had its own coins, they minted money on which they used two dolphins in a circle. This depiction became the heraldic symbol of the city.

This bunch of postcards from Greece is from a friend who lives in Athens and whom I met during Erasmus. I stayed for the whole academic year, while she returned to Greece after the end of the fall semester. We reunited when she came back to Milan and brought me some postcards from her beautiful and ancient country :)

From: I.I.
Date: April 2013

A Raven of the Tower of London

The Tower of London keeps the Crown Jewels of England.
Besides this curiosity, it is the only place I've ever seen free roaming ravens in my life. They are residents of the Tower and legend has it that "if the ravens ever leave the fortress the Kingdom and the Tower will fall after."
There are seven ravens living in the Tower at the moment :)

Ravens are highly intelligent birds and capable of mimicing human speech, not surprisingly they are regarded as powerful creatures in mythologies.

Information on the Tower ravens: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-ravens/#gs.w7lqzj

Date: April 2001

Carisbrooke Castle in the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is the largest island of England, exactly in the middle on the southern coastline. Due to its good location, it became a spot for holiday resorts.

The main sight of the island is the Carisbrooke Castle, exactly in the center of the island. Excavation findings suggest that there was already a fortification on the site during the Roman Empire. A remarkable part of the castle is the well-house, operated by donkeys :) Like a hamster in a wheel, a donkey is walking in the giant wheel to make the well work.

In this postcard, you can see the operator guys posing together for a photo :)

Date: April 2001

The Gayer-Anderson Cat

This Bastet statuette is an outstanding example of ancient Egyptian art created around 7th-4th century BC. The delicately elaborated cat is made of bronze, executed by the lost wax technique which was a common method used in the antiquity. The ring ornaments are made of gold. The cat figure sports some symbolic ornaments as well: a scarab bulges on her forehead and a winged scarab is carved on her chest, which connects to the protective wadjet amulet on her neck. Scarabs are the symbols of the Sun God Ra. The statuette itself is 34 centimeters tall and it has a supporting base as well.
Officially, it is called the Gayer-Anderson cat, because it was gifted to the British Museum in 1939 by R.G. John Gayer-Anderson and Mary Stout.

Basic information:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=153429&partId=1&searchText=YCA25417&page=1

Date: April 2001

Windsor

This postcard marks my first major trip abroad without any parental control :)
There were organized school trips every spring to the United Kingdom and when I was 11 years old, my parents sent me to one of these. I was very happy and it became a very sweet memory.
We traveled to England by bus and we visited all the places with the same vehicle. Our accomodation was in the so-called mobile home caravans, which have very thin cardboard walls and the whole thing is very cramped. The only heating is in the living room so you'd definitely freeze all night long. But it has a romantic atmosphere anyways :)

I was not into postcards very much that time, but even though I bought four pieces for myself. One is from Windsor, to where I've returned later. Windsor is a historic market town 35 kilometers from London, famous for the royal residence, the Windsor Castle. It has an adjacent park where you can chill out in good weather. Windsor is a nice little town to walk, it is worth to visit if you happen to be in England.

Clockwise from top left: Swans on the River Thames, Windsor Castle, Windsor Bridge and Saint George's Chapel with guards standing in the foreground.

Date: April 2001

Miskolctapolca

Miskolctapolca is a holiday resort famous for the Cave Bath.

We spent 3 days here at the end of February 2013 with my family :)

Date: February 2013

Miskolc

At the end of the first semester of my Erasmus year, I came home to spend a whole month at home. The winter was very harsh in 2013, it was snowing at the end of February, when we went on a winter vacation with my family to Miskolctapolca, a holiday resort.

Officially, it is part of the regional center Miskolc, which is the fourth-largest city, located in the northeastern part of Hungary. The city is economically important for its heavy industry.
From top to down: Szent István square with a fountain in the foreground, the statue of István Széchenyi, the statue of Lajos Kossuth and the City Hall Square.

Date: February 2013

Chichʼen Itzaʼ

This is my first postcard I've ever received from Mexico, one of my ultimate bucket list places. It's not only a dream coming only from mere sympathy, upon seeing the photos of the beautiful places this country has, it roots in my research on the painter Frida Kahlo, which dates back to my university studies and continued in the very first Frida Kahlo exhibition held in Hungary :)
Kahlo's art is intertwined with Pre-hispanic or Pre-Columbian culture, the era before the European conquest of the Americas. Chichen Itzá is one of the iconic cities of that era in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Chichen Itzá is an ancient Mayan city, established ca. 500 AD. The city's name means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza." It flourished as the regional capital between 800 and 1000, then declined by around 1250.

One of the key sights to see is the El Castillo, or the Temple of Kukulcan, a step-pyramid built to the god Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity. The pyramid was built between from the 9th to 12th centuries. The stepped pyramid base is 24 meters tall and there is a 6 meter tall temple on the top. Plumed serpent sculptures, Kukulkan depictions, run down the sides of the northern balustrade which can be seen on the left detail photo.
During the 1930s, archeological excavations were performed and many religious and sacrificial object were discovered inside the pyramid. Among them, an exceptional Red Jaguar throne was found.

Chichen Itzá is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988 and El Castillo was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

From: P. E.
Date: February 2013

Vintage Balatonfüred

A vintage style postcard of Balatonfüred, conmemorating its first mention in a written record, namely the establishing charter of the abbey of Tihany in 1211. 

So this postcard was originally issued in 2011.

From: P. E.
Date: February 2013

Belgian Beer

Belgian beer is world famous and the culture of beer brewing in Belgium dates back to the middle ages. Beer brewing nowadays are traditionally done by Trappist monasteries and monks.

There are infinite varieties of Belgian beer, I've also tried them myself when I visited the country and at home as well, because they are very popular in Hungary. I prefer the kriek lambic which are fermented with sour Morello cherries :)
Belgian beer culture, deservedly, was acknowledged as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UNESCO in 2016.

From: W. J.
Date: February 2013

Göteborg

Lilla Bomen harbour by night

Göteborg in local Swedish, or Gothenburg in English is the second-largest city of Sweden. It is situated in the southwestern part of the country, at the mouth of the Götä älv, the Götä River, hence its name.
This postcard shows the Lilla Bomen harbour. Lilla Bomen means 'Small Boom' in Swedish.
From left to right: the Barken Viking, the biggest sailing ship ever built in Scandinavia (1906), the eponymous Lilla Bomen post-modern high-rise, referred by the locals as The Lipstick (Läppstiftet) and the Göteborg Opera House.

From: H. Á.
Date: January 2013

Bergamo

Piazza Vecchia and the Campanone

I received this beautiful postcard in the very last days of the first semester of Erasmus. My flatmate and another friend visited Bergamo as a goodbye trip. 

Bergamo is a small city very close to Milano. It has an international airport on which I arrived to Italy a couple of times.

The Piazza Vecchia and the Civic tower – the Campanone, in Italian – can be seen in the postcard. The Campanone is 53 meter-high and provides a nice panorama to the old town. The tower houses the largest bell in whole Lombardy region.

From: K. W., D. P.
Date: January 2013

Verona

Clockwise from top left to right: Lamberti Tower, Piazza Erbe from the Lamberti Tower, the Arena, Ponte Scaligero, Ponte Pietra

A week after the Lake Como excursion, another dear friend came to visit me in Milano. Those days were quite busy :) The city we chose to visit that time was Verona.

Verona is located in the Veneto region of Italy, the city of Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare set his famous play in Verona and the city feeds on its fame until today. 

We visited Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta), which has a romantic balcony. The House is the monument of love, where lovers write their names on the wall, put colourful lockets on the gate to protest their love for each other and even stick chewing gums on the wall – eww. When you enter to the house, there is a nice, lean-figured bronze statue of Juliet, standing in the courtyard. Urban legend has it if you touch the right breast of Juliet, it brings you good luck in love. The statue was placed there in 1972, but thanks to this strange custom, it was necessary to be removed in 2014, due to conservational reasons. (I touched the original breast, yaay!)

I found Verona very charming, its bridges on the Adige river, which we walked along, the Portoni della Bra and the antique Arena, built in the 1st century AD. Due to its high number of historical buildings, the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.

Date: January 2013

Lago di Como

When two friends visited me in Milan, we embarked on an excursion to Lake Como, or how Italians call it: Lago di Como :)

It is famous for the lakeside villas belonging to actors and celebrities such as George Clooney.

It was a very nice and chilly winter day we spent there, the landscape was snowy. We took the funicular to the village of Brunate.

I remember the stunning futurist style World War I memorial by the lakeside, which was designed by Giuseppe and Attilio Terragni, using the original futurist style sketches of Antonio Sant'Elia and it was finally built in 1931.

Date: January 2013

Colosseum

The Colosseum is a building which doesn't need any introduction, it is one of the New7Wonders of the World. One of the most recognized ancient structure, the symbol of Rome. 

Even though, I try to write a few interesting fact about it. 

The construction spanned from emperor Vespasian who ordered its building in AD 72, his son and successor, Titus completed it in 80 and then, Domitian made further modifications between 81–96. All three of these emperors were the members of the Flavian dynasty, so the Colosseum is also referred as the Flavian Amphiteatre. It is believed that its name derives from the colossal, 30-metre high bronze statue of emperor Nero (Colossus Neronis) that stood nearby.

Yes, it is an amphiteatre, the biggest ever built. It was built for Roman citizens to entertain themselves with gladiator combats, naumachiae (staged naval battles), executions and drama plays. The estimated capacity of the building is between 50 000–80 000 spectators.

During the course of history, the Colosseum was stripped of by stone-robbers, its material was reused in bulding palaces, churches and any other edifice of Rome.

I have visited the Colosseum three times and besides its artistic grandeur, I was surprised it is a home to lots of cats :)

From: W. J.
Date: December 2012

Petra

Al-Khazneh, the "Treasury"

Though its name means "Treasury" in Arabic, Al-Khazneh, in fact, is an ancient temple, one of the main tourist attractions of the antique city of Petra. Local Beduins believed it contained treasure, hence its name. More probably, it was the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV, who lived in the first century AD. 

The temple is carved out from a sandstone rock face and its façade bears decorative sculptures and reliefs: eagles, dancing amazons and the sculptures by the entrance of the Dioscuri twins: Castor and Pollux. The urn at the top of the center line connects back to the treasury legend: it is assumed that it was shot numerous times at the beginning of the 20th century by the Beduins who thought it contains treasure.

Petra was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

From: P. E.
Date: October 2012