Croatia Statistics Postcard

Did you know that the official flower of Croatia is the Iris? No? Well, if you had this Croatia Statistics Postcard, you would have known that fact and much more! I'm a big fan of stats and facts, so this card was very interesting to read.

Big thanks going out to Nives for tracking down one of these hard-to-get cards for me. I appreciate it very much. :)

Loving this colorful stamp!

Istra Peninsula Postcard

In early autumn, this beauty arrived from Nives.
It's got all kinds of lovely mini-views on the front! Love the unusual shape and all the pics!

Istra is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. It is shared by three countries, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. (89% lies within Croatia)

Such a beautiful stamp that goes perfectly with the card. :)
Thanks so much, Nives!

Malinska Postcard

Sunset in Malinska. Ahhh, the colors, the setting, it's just beautiful. Malinska is on the island Krk in Croatia. It lies on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Lucky Nives visited here not long ago, and chose this beauty to send my way. :)

Love this stamp!
Thanks, again, Nives. :)

Professor Balthazar Postcard

WHERE did the time go?!
Here is the 3rd of the three goodies from Nives that I had intended on posting in a much more timely manner than this. Ugh.

So, this cute postcard features Professor Balthazar, a well-known, born in Croatia, cartoon character. BUT, there's more, so much more to this card than you may realize. It is also hinting at a legend of the origin of the name Zagreb and also of the name of Mandusevac Fountain on Zagreb's Central Square.  If Nives hadn't gone above and beyond to explain it all to me, I would have never known!

Thanks again, Nives, for this group of 3 terrific postcards! :)

Ilica Street, Zagreb, Croatia Postcard

I have some goodies to share from Croatia the next few days!

First up is a street level view of Ilica Street, the longest street in Zagreb. I really like the angle of this shot. I can imagine myself there, being a goofy tourist standing in the middle of the street to take a gazillion once-in-a-lifetime pics like this!

Thanks so much, Nives, for this wonderful card showing Ilica Street from such an interesting perspective! :)

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia Postcard

This is the 2nd awesome card from Nives. It is a multi-view of Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. She wrote that it is a UNESCO site. No surprise there. :) It is stunningly beautiful. Look at those waterfalls!

I read more about it online and found out that it is one of the oldest national parks in Southeast Europe and is the largest national park in Croatia. 

Thanks so much, Nives, for sharing more of your wonderful country with me. :)

St. Markos Church, Zagreb, Croatia Postcard

It's been a long time, a REALLY long time, since I've shown off a gorgeous Croatian postcard from Nives. So today, just call me a big show off. :) BECAUSE, I'm happy to say that I have recently received not one, but TWO cards from her!
This first card shows St. Markos Church. The very unusual roof displays Zagreb's coat of arms, and also, Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. The building to the right is where Croatian government meets.  Gorgeous card! Second card tomorrow. :)

Stamps, stamps, stamps! Love 'em!

Big thanks, Nives! :)

Ilica Street, Zagreb, Croatia Postcards

Last year, Nives had sent me a lovely card of Radiceva Street in Zagreb. This year, she kindly sent me TWO cards of Ilica Street, the longest street in Zagreb!

Roads and highways are a favorite postcard topic of mine, so I really, really enjoy seeing the contrasting views of this particular street. Thank you times two, Nives!

Fun stickers and gorgeous stamps! Love that red color....it reminds me of my St. Louis Cardinals team color. :)

B&W Rovinj, Croatia Postcards

I had just posted about 2 map cards that I sent to Adi in Croatia. Here are the two cards that he sent to me in our swap.

He sent greetings from Rovinj, a small coastal town on the Adriatic Sea. And said that this tram no longer exists.

In this second black and white photo from 1905, Adi said that the small church in the background is no longer there.

Thanks, again, for the swap, Adi!

Bottle-shaped Postcard From Croatia

I love all postcards, but it was a whole lotta fun finding a card like this in my mailbox not too long ago! And how appropriate that the beautiful Malinska photo is of boats! (You know, like a ship in a bottle?)

Sending another big bottle-shaped thank you to Nives for this terrific card, and for making sure that the post office put a nice, big, clearly legible postmark on the stamp. : )

Krk Bridge, Croatia, Postcard

Not too long after I made an "I Love Bridges" post, this beauty arrived in my mailbox!  Love it!

Once again, I'm sending out a big THANK YOU to Nives. Your postcards always brighten my day!

Seahorse Postcard

Guess who sent this wonderful seahorse postcard? Nives! That's who!  Months ago, she had mailed another one just like it, but unfortunately, it took a detour and never arrived.

Now, as we all know, seahorse postcards are a rare thing, especially in Croatia. So, when she happened to find yet another seahorse postcard, she kindly sent it to me again.

Operation Seahorse Replacement Postcard successful!
Thanks very much, Nives, for being so persistent :)

Zagreb Croatia Postcard on Steroids

Nives sent this beautiful gigantor postcard to me, recently. I got my daily workout pulling, and pulling, and PULLING it out of my mailbox! Surprisingly, there were no rips on it at all, just a few creases.

And look at this...a really nice variety of stamps! I haven't seen the black stamp in so long, that I'm kinda missing it now ;)  Thanks, again, Nives!

Zagreb, Croatia Postcard

Way back in May (I'm catching up!), my postcard pal, Nives, sent this lovely view of Radiceva Street in Zagreb. She wrote that the photo was taken at the street's beginning on the central square.

With the way the shadows are angled, looks like the sun was setting when it was taken. Very nice!  I, also, like the white border, it gives it that elegant postcard look.  .

Thanks, again, Nives!

Umbrella Postcard from Croatia

Razglednica kišobrana! (Not sure if this is correct or not.) Just trying to say "Umbrella postcard!"

Nives sent me this really unique card. It took a whopping 30 days to get here, but arrived in excellent condition!






 


And as if that wasn't enough of a fun surprise, it had two great stamps on the backside. The larger, multi-colored stamp has a heart shape perforated on the inside, so it can be pulled out or left as is.

Lots of things to like about this card! Many thanks again, Nives.  : )

Goli otok Postcard

BIG THANKS to Nives in Croatia for this multi-view postcard of Goli otok. I don't think she thought I would find it all that interesting, but after reading her comments about it, plus reading about it on Wikipedia and also here: Hell in tourists paradise, I found it to be fascinating, and educational, too.

The focal point of the postcard, however, really turned out to be these colorful and very cute cat stamps! They were quite a surprise and a nice change from the black stamp that Nives' local post office seemed intent on using on all of her postcards! : )

Zadar, Croatia Postcard

This fun card was sent by Nives in Croatia. It sure did make me smile when I came home to find it waiting for me after a long week on the road.

She said that Zadar is a town on Croatia's Adriatic Sea. It looks beautiful.

As unusually shaped as the card is, hard to believe it arrived with no rips or tears at all, only a few slightly bent edges!

And here's something else to smile about... NO black stamp! Turns out that Croatia DOES have other stamps besides the popular "black" stamp! Ha ha!

I like that it has a nice crisp, legible postmark on it.

Thanks very much, Nives!

Postcards from Croatia

This is the postcard version of GPS. It says "I'm here!" and points to Croatia. It's very cool, and was sent by my friend, Nives.

 And this sweet donkey is also from Nives. Looks like he's packed and ready to go on a picnic. Makes me look forward to warmer days. Thanks, again, for both cards!

Varazdin, Croatia Postcard

This beautiful aerial view of Varazdin, Croatia, was sent to me by Nives this past fall/autumn. It is now winter, I'm a little late in posting.

Thanks very much, Nives!

Gaz Island, Croatia Postcard

This surprise card came from Nives.

Technically, it's Gaz, one of a group of islands making up the Brijuni Islands National Park in Croatia.

But to me, it's a really cool fish-shaped island postcard that looked great sitting in O'Neal's mailbox and even better when it joined O'Neal's fabulous postcard collection!

And, umm, Nives, here is the pretty black stamp again ; )
I really like when the cancellation is clear and legible.
Thanks very much for the nice surprise!