Private Swap - Luxembourg
Anne sent me super great cars from Luxembourg again! http://tite-roy-gatra-pc.blogspot.com/search/label/Luxembourg Thank you Anne!
Posts
#305 Germany
The Ruhr is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million (2009), it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany. For 2010, the Ruhr region was one of the European Capitals of Culture. ( source ) Thank you Renke!
Private Swap - Italy
The flag of Sardinia , popularly known in Sardinia also as the Four Moors flag is the traditional and officially recognized flag of the island, now an Autonomous Region of Italy. The flag consists of a St George's Cross, with a maure (moor's head) in each quarter. ( source ) Thank you Margherita!
RR #105 Russia
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was one of the largest empires in world history, surpassed in landmass only by the British and Mongol empires: at one point in 1866, it stretched from eastern Europe across Asia and into North America. ( source ) Thank you Julia!
#304 Netherlands
This 3D Birthday card was sent on 28th of November! Took a lot of time to arrive here! Thank you Wendy!
Private Swap - Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America.. Its area is 108,890 km 2 with an estimated population of 13,276,517. A representative democracy, its capital is Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City. Guatemala became independent from Spain in 1821, joining the Mexican Empire. After it became an independent country in its own right, it was ruled by a series of dictators, assisted by the United Fruit Company. The late 20th century saw Guatemala embroiled in a 36-year-long civil war. Following the war, Guatemala has witnessed both economic growth and successful democratic elections, most recently in 2011. ( source ) Thank you Patrick for adding a new country to my collection!
Private Swap - Chile
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation (Greater Valparaíso) and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan. Always a magnet for European immigrants, Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age, when the city was known by international sailors as “Little San Francisco” and “The Jewel of the Pacific.” ( source ) Thank you Noelle!
Private Swap - USA
Queen Silvia of Sweden (1943) is the Queen consort of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Styled Her Majesty The Queen , Silvia is the mother of the heir apparent to the throne, Crown Princess Victoria. Before her marriage to the King of Sweden, Silvia Sommerlath worked at the Argentine Consulate in Munich, was an educational host during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, and served as the Deputy Head of Protocol for the Winter Games in Innsbruck in Austria. She also was briefly a flight attendant. She is a trained interpreter and speaks six languages: Swedish, her native languages German and Portuguese, as well as French, Spanish, and English. She has some fluency in Swedish Sign Language, a national sign language used by the deaf community in Sweden. ( source ) Thank you Richard!
Private Swap - Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe. Its area is just over 160 sq. km, and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan. Liechtenstein is the smallest yet the richest German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. Liechtenstein is divided into 11 municipalities. Much of its terrain is mountainous, making it a winter sports destination. ( source ) It is known as a principality as it is a constitutional monarchy headed by a prince. Hans-Adam II (1945), is the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. On 30 July 1967, he married Countess Marie Aglaë Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau (1940) who, upon her husband's accession to the throne, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Liechtenstein . Their official residence is at Vaduz Castle, which overlooks the capital. ( source ) Thank you Zasa for adding a new country to my collection...
Random Act of Smileness
Seems that I have been selected to receive a Random Act of Smileness! The Bingham Canyon Mine is an open-pit mining operation extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Oquirrh Mountains. It is the deepest open-pit mine in the world. The mine has been in production since 1906, and has resulted in the creation of a pit over 1.2 km deep, 4 km wide, and covering 7.7 km². According to Kennecott, it is the world's largest man-made excavation. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966 under the name Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine. ( source ) Thank you so much Tina (mmtnsage)!
#299 Turkey
Pergamon was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, in Mysia, that became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon during the Hellenistic period, under the Attalid dynasty, 281–133 BC. Pergamon was cited in the book of Revelation as one of the seven churches of Asia. Today, the main sites of ancient Pergamon are to the north and west of the modern city of Bergama. ( source ) Thank you Sezin!