The Birth of Venus

Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

25 May 2015 | From Nicol of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

The Birth of Venus is undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous and appreciated works of art. I actually even have a cross-stitch version of it I made years ago. The Birth of Venus is probably Botticelli's most famous painting. Painted between 1482 and 1485, it has become a landmark of XV century Italian painting, so rich in meaning and allegorical references to antiquity. The picture hung in the country villa of the Medici along with "Primavera", indicating that the work was commissioned by the Medici family.

The theme comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a very important oeuvre of the Latin literature. Venus is portrayed naked on a shell on the seashore. Venus rises from the sea, looking like a classical statue and floating on a seashell, in what is surely one of the most recognisable images in art history. On Venus' right is Zephyrus, God of Winds, he carries with him the gentle breeze Aura and together they blow the Goddess of Love ashore. The Horae, Goddess of the Seasons, waits to receive Venus and spreads out a flower covered robe in readiness for the Love Goddess' arrival.

Source: Italian Renaissance Art

Pathway through the heart

To Find the Heart

25 May 2015 | From Irene of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Since I'm no good with love, and at some point I don't even believe in love - this is something I am having a hard time writing about. I always say that love is just a game played upon us mere mortals. As George R.R. Martin puts it, 'Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same.'

So let me just share to you something I have found several years ago - written on a pages of a book I have borrowed on our local school library. I don't know who wrote it. What drove him or her to write such words...  but somehow it caught me...

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. you build up a whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, No different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life. You give them a piece of you. they didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. it eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness. So simple a phrase like 'maybe we should just be friends' or 'how very perspective' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul hurt, a body hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love.

Say Cheese!

Hoorn Cheese Market

6 May 2015 | From Anja of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

There are currently four cheese markets in the Netherlands, in Alkmaar, Edam, Gouda and Hoorn. The cheese market of Gouda still is a trade market for the cheese makers and the wholesalers from the region. The other cheese markets are touristic demonstrations and reconstructions from former times. During the market it is possible to sell some cheese by one of the street stalls.

The Cheese market in Hoorn opened in 2007 on the Roode Steen square, this reproduction cheese market takes place between 28 June and 20 September on Thursdays between 12:30 and 13:45 and 21:00 and 22:15. There are live commentaries on the whole process of carrying in the cheese, weighing, and negotiating in both Dutch and English.

Holland in Blumenschmuck

Colorful Bulbfields

24 Apr 2015 | From Anke of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

This postcard came inside a handmade envelope from an old book. The envelope shows a mill. Anke shared that in the past, mills are used to pumped the waters away as Netherlands are below sealevel. Inside is also a mini banner that she made. It reminds me of the banderitas we have here.

In the postcard, you can see women wearing traditional dutch clothes. In the springtime, most Dutch villages are surrounded with beautiful and colorful bulbfields. A lot of tourists visit these friendly village just to see and smell the tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.

Flowers and especially tulips are inextricably linked to the Netherlands. Flowers are the things that add color to the typically Dutch landscape. Bulb fields, long narrow ditches and green strips of grass create a colourful palette, especially in the provinces of Noord-Holland and Flevoland. Flowers are not only one of the main export products of the Netherlands, they also attract many tourists from all over the world, year after year.

Something vintage and flowery

Tulip fields

24 Apr 2015 | From Nathalie of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Here is one real vintage postcard. It is old, yellowish, and creased - and its journey from the Nethelands to my mailbox here in the Philippines added more charm to its already unique personality. Though its a rather typical touristy postcard, I like it because it is really old and it's really amazing to think that these little pieces of paper have lasted years.

I wonder how old the postcard is and where it is from. Where is this village drawn in the postcard and the church that can be seen from the distance. It holds so much story and histiory, and gives us a glimpse into the past.

Dutch Wooden Shoes

Klomp

10 Apr 2015 | From Emma of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

A klomp (plural klompen) is a clog from the Netherlands. Klompen are whole feet clogs. They are sold throughout the Netherlands. A large part of the market is for tourist souvenirs. Most Dutch people don’t wear clogs anymore. The only group of people that still wear them are rural workers. Clogs keep your feet dry, are very safe and wearing them is even considered to be healthy. 

The traditional all-wooden Dutch clogs have been officially accredited as safety shoes with the CE mark and can withstand almost any penetration including sharp objects and concentrated acids. They are actually safer than steel-capped protective shoes in some circumstances, as the wood cracks rather than dents in extreme accidents, allowing easy removal of the clog and not continued pressure on the toes by the (edge of the) steel nose.

Klompen can be made from willow or poplar.

The South Park animated series

Kyle Broflovski

25 Feb 2015 | From Marianne of Netherlands 

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude language and dark, surreal humor that satirizes a wide range of topics. The ongoing narrative revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their bizarre adventures in and around the titular Colorado town. Much like The Simpsons, South Park utilizes a very large ensemble cast of recurring characters.

Shown in the postcard is Kyle Broflovski (sometimes spelled Broslovski, Broslofski, Brovlofski or Broflofski), the main character in the animated series. He is voiced by and loosely based on co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters. Kyle is a third- then fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town life in his fictional hometown of South Park, Colorado. Kyle is distinctive as one of the few Jewish children on the show, and because of this, he often feels like an outsider amongst the core group of characters. His portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically, and has elicited both praise and criticism from Jewish viewers.

According to Mr. Garrison, the 4th Grade teacher at South Park Elementary, Kyle is a "smart" and "A+" student. Also Kyle, along with the other boys, is portrayed as having multiple useful and trivial talents. However, at rare times, like most of the children, he is also portrayed as being ignorant. Kyle has extremely strong beliefs, and when forced to question them, he becomes very upset and has somewhat of a short temper

Typically, Kyle wears a greenish lime ushanka, a bright orange jacket, dark green pants, and lime-green mittens. Underneath his hat, he has red hair, much like his mom's in Spanish culture Jews such as Judas Iscariot were depicted with red hair. 

Message in a bottle

Special Delivery

3 Dec 2014 | From Poli of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

The photograph in the postcard, titled 'Special Delivery', was taken in Burbank, California in 1959 by Allan Grant. Allan Grant (October 23, 1919 – February 1, 2008) was an American photojournalist for Life magazine. He had the last photo shoot with actress Marilyn Monroe and took the first photos of Marina Oswald, Lee Harvey Oswald's wife, following U.S. President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

It would be quite interesting to find or discover such messages in a bottle. I'd like to learn about the bottle's journey, what is written inside, and who wrote the message - what his or her feelings were. One of the oldest found message in a bottle was from a 20-year-old German hiker who put a message in a bottle and then set it adrift in the Baltic Sea in 1913. It has been found 101 years later not far from where it was first launched. The message asked the finder to send the postcard back to the author's home address in Berlin. With the name illegible, researchers did the next best thing. 

A message in a bottle is a form of communication whereby a message is sealed in a container (archetypically a glass bottle, but could be any medium, so long as it floats and remains waterproof) and released into the sea or ocean. Among other purposes they are used for scientific studies of ocean currents. The first recorded messages in bottles were released around 310 BC by the Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus, as part of an experiment to show that the Mediterranean Sea was formed by the inflowing Atlantic Ocean.

Indian Hand Tattoos

Mehndi

24 Nov 2014 | From Maaike of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Mehndi is a tradition observed in the East for centuries. It is a temporary form of skin decoration. The patterns and designs are very different in terms of their cultural meanings. Mehndi is the local variant of henna designs in the Indian sub-continent. Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Sri Lankan women use mehndi for festive occasions, such as weddings, religious events and traditional ceremonies.

Mehndi or Henna is a paste that is bought in a cone shaped tube and is made into designs for men and women. It is also derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. There are many variations and types in Mehndi Designs which are categorized such as Arabic Mehndi Designs, Indian Mehndi Designs, Pakistani Mehndi Designs. Women usually apply this all variations of Henna or Mehndi Designs patterns on their hands and feet.

Wind mill in the ramparts

Herdentorsmühle in den Bremen Wallanlagen

28 Oct 2014 | From Saseendra of India

SURPRISE POSTCARD | SENT FROM INDIA

Saseendra surprised me with this beautiful wind mill postcard. He must have a lot of unwritten postcards from Netherlands as this is the second time I've received such from him :)

The postcard shows the Herdentor Mill on the former city ramparts of Bremen. Until the middle of the last century, the Bremen ramparts were home to six windmills that supplied the population with many varieties of flour. Only one survived: the “Ansgaritorsmühle” – also called "Herdentorsmühle” or “Mühle auf der Gießhausbastion“.

Bremen is the 10th biggest city of Germany. It is a modern city featuring a great combination of history, culture, economy, sports and science. Diversified cultural life is made possible by museums, art galleries, opera and ballet as well as regular concerts and festivals.

Umbrella Beauties

Women rocking the Ostsee

10 Oct 2014 | From Margot of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

A friend, who's also a postcrosser, received the same postcard months before I received this one. She got hers from swap, and it used to be one of my favourite postcards in her collection. Now, I have exactly the same postcard that I've received through the official Postcrossing track - a lovely addition to my umbrella-themed postcards.

This postcard is actually a part of the Rocking the Ostsee Postcard collection. I have checked the other postcards and I just love the vintage vibe it gives. The setting is set in the Ostsee. Ostsee is German for the Baltic Sea, a mediterranean sea located between Central and Northern Europe.

The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish inland seas by area. The Baltic Sea occupies a basin formed by glacial erosion during the last few ice ages.

A cow farm

Holstein Friesian cattle

4 Oct 2014 | From Annerie of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

This is a vintage postcard showing a farm with some cows. Annerie wrote that views like this are very common in the area where she live. The cows are of the Holstein Friesian cattle breed. Often shortened as Friesians in Europe, and Holsteins in North America, this breed of cattle is known today as the world's highest-production dairy animals.

Originating in Europe, Friesians were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland, and northern Germany, more specifically what is now Schleswig-Holstein Germany. Holsteins have distinctive markings and outstanding milk production. They are large, black-and-white marked animals that vary from mostly black to mostly white, or they can also be red and white.

A green view

 

Green fields

4 Oct 2014 | From Anneke of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

I love nature, I love the trees, and I love the color green. This postcard is just right for me. Though simple, there is something calming and relaxing about the picture. Somehow it refreshes my mind. It makes me wanna grab a book and just be perfectly away in that spot - read, take a nap, stare at the skies or a falling leaf, listen to some music

That will be something new out of my routine. Something I will definitely do if given the chance especially after a long and tiring work-week. You'd just wanna lay down and rest. If only I could find a secret place like that.

Dutch Barrel Man

Tattooed guy in a barrel

26 Sept 2014 | From Bertie of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

This postcard actually reminded me of the barrel man souvenir figurine of Baguio, Philippines (see photo below). The Barrel Man is probably the most famous and iconic wood carving one can buy in Baguio City. As Wikipedia defines it, "A barrel man is a souvenir doll or statuette popular in the Philippines. The statuette usually consists of a crude male figurine carved out of wood, partially hidden inside a round wooden barrel. When the barrel is taken off, the male figure inside is revealed, sporting a prominent phallic protrusion in the lower part of the figure's anatomy."

We may have such a figurine displayed in our home before. I do remember seeing one when I was younger. We would always spend our summer in Baguio and definitely we wouldn't miss buying one. But the item in question has long been gone :p

The postcard also reminded me of my long forgotten plan of getting my third tattoo. Well, there is still plenty of time. Hmm so what tattoo will it be? Definitely not a barrel man :p

Photo from www.baguiocitypeople.com

Flaming Heart

The Flaming Heart

12 Aug, 2014 | From Gerrie of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Thinking of what to write in here, I came across this poem by Richard Crashaw (1613~1649). Richard Crashaw was an English poet, styled "the divine," and known as one of the central figures associated with the Metaphysical poets in 17th Century English literature.

I thought I'd share some lines from the poem. Here's how it goes.

The Flaming Heart

(excerpt)

....

O heart, the equal poise of love’s both parts,

Big alike with wounds and darts,

Live in these conquering leaves; live all the same,

And walk through all tongues one triumphant flame;

Live here, great heart, and love and die and kill,

And bleed and wound, and yield and conquer still.

Let this immortal life, where’er it comes,

Walk in a crowd of loves and martyrdoms;

Let mystic deaths wait on ’t, and wise souls be

The love-slain witnesses of this life of thee.

O sweet incendiary! show here thy art,

Upon this carcass of a hard cold heart,

Let all thy scatter’d shafts of light, that play

Among the leaves of thy large books of day,

Combin’d against this breast, at once break in

And take away from me my self and sin;

This gracious robbery shall thy bounty be,

And my best fortunes such fair spoils of me.

O thou undaunted daughter of desires!

By all thy dow’r of lights and fires,

By all the eagle in thee, all the dove,

By all thy lives and deaths of love,

By thy large draughts of intellectual day,

And by thy thirsts of love more large than they,

By all thy brim-fill’d bowls of fierce desire,

By thy last morning’s draught of liquid fire,

By the full kingdom of that final kiss

That seiz’d thy parting soul and seal’d thee his,

By all the heav’ns thou hast in him,

Fair sister of the seraphim!

By all of him we have in thee,

Leave nothing of my self in me:

Let me so read thy life that I

Unto all life of mine may die.

A woodblock print by Kawase Hasui

Yuhi Waterfall in Shiobara

4 Jul, 2014 | From Hans of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Hasui Kawase (May 18, 1883~November 7, 1957) is a prominent Japanese painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and one of the chief printmakers in the shin-hanga ("new prints") movement. In the West, Kawase is mainly known as a Japanese woodblock printmaker.

Kawase worked almost exclusively on landscape and townscape prints based on sketches he made in Tokyo and during travels around Japan. However, his prints are not merely meishō (famous places) prints that are typical of earlier ukiyo-e masters such as Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Kawase's prints feature locales that are tranquil and obscure in urbanizing Japan.

As Hans wrote, the woodblock print shows a few autumn leaves falling, like thoughts popping up in one's mind and fading, over a stream coming off a dark cliff. Only a rock can alter the course of the water or a man who dares to step into it. He compared the stream with destiny, and a man can change it if only having the courage.

Source: Wikipedia

The Muppets

Kermit and Miss Piggy

4 Jul, 2014 | From Anne-lies of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

The Muppets are a group of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque and self-referential style of variety-sketch comedy.

Kermit the Frog is perhaps the most famous from all of the Muppets. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Another famous character is Miss Piggy, a pig, specifically, a mangalitsa who is convinced she is destined for stardom, and nothing will stand in her way. Miss Piggy began as a minor character on The Muppet Show TV series, but gradually developed into one of the central characters of the show.

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are a love item. Kermit is often the target of Miss Piggy's alternating anger and affection. But eventually, their love affair has finally reached marriage :) Wonder how would their child look like?

Source: Mirror

Santa's little assistants

Zwarte Piet

28 May, 2014 | From Mitchell of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

Zwarte Piet is the companion of Saint Nicholas in the Dutch folklore or folklore of the Low Countries. The Zwarte Piet character is part of the annual feast of St. Nicholas, usually celebrated on the evening of 5 December (Sinterklaasavond or the St. Nicholas' Eve) in the Netherlands, when sweets and presents are distributed to children.

Patterns in Nature

Rock Lines

5 May, 2014 | From Marscha of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

I am not so sure if the picture shown in the postcard is a sand dunes or some rock formations and structures. But I think it's the latter. I love the lines and patterns formed in these miles of rocks. Straight lines, dashed lines, curved lines, strange patterns, difficult locations - they all seem interesting works of nature.

An Emilia Dziubak illustration

Bison

5 May 2014 | From Vinishia of Netherlands

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

A bison is a large, hairy and shaggy-mained animal that has a big head and short horns. They belong in the genus Bison within the subfamily Bovinae. They are related to the cattle, gaur, kouprey and yaks.

I just love this little illustration. I love how the girl exudes an air of mystery - calm and cool. And don't you think the bison fur makes one cool cloak? But I'm not encouraging you you hunt down a bison for their fur, or even buy one. Some of the bison species are already endangered.