USA - Michigan - Mackinac Island

Greetings From Mackinac Island.

Sent by Eliana from Grand Rapids in Michigan, USA.

Mackinac Island (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə; French: Île Mackinac; Ojibwe: Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; Ottawa: Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering 4.35 square miles (11.3 km²) in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was long home to an Odawa settlement and previous indigenous cultures before European colonization began in the 17th century. It was a strategic center of the fur trade around the Great Lakes. Based on a former trading post, Fort Mackinac was constructed on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the northern border was settled and the US gained this island in its territory (read more).

United Kingdom - Scotland - Sanday, Orkney

Sanday, Orkney

Sanday is the largest of the North Isles and is low-lying with many lovely sandy beaches and dunes. The island is famous for its archaeology and wildlife. Quoyness chambered cairn and Start Point lighthouse are two man-made attractions. The local inhabitants are known as Grulie Belkies, a somewhat derogatory term meaning, Fat Bellies.

Sent by Emma who lives in Orkney, Scotland.

Sanday (/ˈsændiː/, Scots: Sandee) is one of the inhabited islands of Orkney that lies off the north coast of mainland Scotland. With an area of 50.43 km² (19.5 sq mi), it is the third largest of the Orkney Islands. The main centres of population are Lady Village and Kettletoft. Sanday can be reached by Orkney Ferries or by plane (Sanday Airport) from Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. On Sanday, an on-demand public minibus service allows connecting to the ferry (read further).

United Kingdom - Scotland - Isle of Skye

M24 NEIST POINT

Sent by Team Loch Bay in Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom. Thank you very much.

Tripadvisor Top Ten Restaurants in Isle of Skye : Loch Bay Restaurant.

The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. Although Sgitheanach has been suggested to describe a winged shape, no definitive agreement exists as to the name's origin (read further).

Laos - 4,000 Island

4000 Islands - LAOS

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Si Phan Don (Lao: ສີ່ພັນດອນ; meaning '4,000 islands') is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern Laos. Si Phan Don is part of Khong District, including the islands and part of the mainland in the east. Si Phan Don is dotted with numerous islands, half of which are submerged when the Mekong River is in flood. The principal islands of Si Phan Don are Don Khong (the largest), Don Som (the second largest), Don Det and Don Khon. Si Phan Don borders Cambodia and historical and cultural ties link the people on both side of the border. Pakse is the closest of the bigger cities in Laos to the area (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Havelock Island

Elephant Beach in Havelock Island, in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

I went to this island on 2nd January 2025 by cruise ship from Haddo Jetty in Port Blair. Bought this postcard and others and got the stamps cancelled at the Havelock Island's Post Office.

Havelock Island, officially known as Swaraj Dweep (transl. Self-Rule Island), is one of the largest islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, to the east of Great Andaman within the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city, Port Blair (read further).

United Kingdom - England - Lundy Island

This is my second postcard of Lundy Island. What made this one is so special? It was sent by Ash and the team who are part of the 28 populations in Lundy Island. And the special stamp of Lundy Island.

My previous postcard of Lundy Island is here. 

Russia - Karelia Republic - Chapel Of The Three Saints

Kizhi. Chapel of the Three Saints from the village Kavgora. The second half of the 18th century.  Sent by Stanislav, a Postcrosser from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Chapel of the Three Sanctifiers, also known as the Chapel of the Three Saints or Prelates, is an old wooden chapel on Kizhi Island in Russia. The island is part of the Kizhi Pogost, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Italy - Ponza Island

PONZA
Chiaia di Luna and characteristic views.

Sent by Gennaro who lives in Ponza Island, Italy.

Ponza (Italian: isola di Ponza [ˈiːzola di ˈpontsa]) is the largest island of the Italian Pontine Islands archipelago, located 33 km (21 mi) south of Cape Circeo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is also the name of the commune of the island, a part of the province of Latina in the Lazio region (read further).

Russia - Primorsky Krai - Russky Island

Russky Island Primorsky Krai

Sent by Irina who lives in Russky Island in Primorsky Krai in Russia.

Russky Island (Russian: Ру́сский о́стров, lit. 'Russian Island') is an island in Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan, in Primorsky Krai, Russia. It is the largest island in the Eugénie Archipelago, separated from the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula immediately to the north by the Eastern Bosphorus, and is one of the four islands in Primorsky Krai that are permanently inhabited, with a population of 5,360 (2010) (read further).

India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Street Market

Port Blair is known for its cuisine. Influences flow like spices from India's north and south, Burma and China.

Sent by myself from Port Blair during my vacation on 31st December 2024 to 4th January 2025. 

The beautiful stamps were postmarked at the counter of Port Blair's Post Office (Head Office).

Postcard from RAMOLON. The only place where I found postcards in Port Blair.

India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Port Blair's Night-Market

Port Blair's vibrant night-market is more reminiscent of South East Asia than India.

Sent by myself from Port Blair during my vacation on 31st December 2024 to 4th January 2025. 

The beautiful stamps were postmarked at the counter of Port Blair's Post Office (Head Office).

Postcard from RAMOLON. The only place where I found postcards in Port Blair.

Croatia - Krk Island

Multiviews of Krk Island.

Sent by Tomislav, a postcrosser from Zagreb, Croatia.

Krk (pronounced [kr̩̂k]; German: Vegl; Latin: Curicta; Italian: Veglia; Vegliot Dalmatian: Vikla; Ancient greek Kyrikon, Κύρικον) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county.

Krk has for many years been thought the largest Adriatic island, with an area of 405.78 km² (156.67 sq mi), although recent measurements now give the neighbouring island of Cres an equal surface area. Krk is also the most populous island, with numerous towns and villages totalling 19,286 (2011). (read further)

Japan - Ogasawara Islands

Nakayama Pass, Chichi Pass, Ogasawara Islands.

Sent by Miki, a postcrosser who lives near Tokyo, Japan.

This is from UNESCO : The Ogasawara Islands are located in the North-Western Pacific Ocean roughly 1,000 km south of the main Japanese Archipelago. The serial property is comprised of five components within an extension of about 400 km from north to south and includes more than 30 islands, clustered within three island groups of the Ogasawara Archipelago: Mukojima, Chichijima and Hahajima, plus an additional three individual islands: Kita-iwoto and Minami-iwoto of the Kazan group and the isolated Nishinoshima Island. These islands rest along the Izu-Ogasawara Arc Trench System. The property totals 7,939 ha comprising a terrestrial area of 6,358 ha and a marine area of 1,581 ha. Today only two of the islands within the property are inhabited, Chichijima and Hahajima.

The landscape is dominated by subtropical forest types and sclerophyllous shrublands surrounded by steep cliffs. There are more than 440 species of native vascular plants with exceptionally concentrated rates of endemism as high as 70% in woody plants. The islands are the habitat for more than 100 recorded native land snail species, over 90% of which are endemic to the islands.

The islands serve as an outstanding example of the ongoing evolutionary processes in oceanic island ecosystems, as evidenced by the high levels of endemism; speciation through adaptive radiation; evolution of marine species into terrestrial species; and their importance for the scientific study of such processes.

Croatia - Korčula

CROATIA
Korčula

Sent by Estela, a postcrosser from Spain.

This is from Wikipedia : Korčula (Greek: Κόρκυρα Μέλαινα, Latin: Corcyra Nigra, Korkyra Melaina, Old-Slavic Krkar, Venetian and Italian Curzola) is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county of Croatia. The island has an area of 279 km2 (108 sq mi); 46.8 km (29.1 mi) long and on average 7.8 km (4.8 mi) wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 (2001) inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The population are mainly ethnic Croats (96.77% ).

The island of Korčula belongs to the central Dalmatian archipelago, separated from the Pelješac peninsula by a narrow strait of Pelješac, between 900 and 3,000 metres (3,000 and 9,800 ft) wide (illustration, right). It is the sixth largest Adriatic island with a rather indented coast. The highest peaks are Klupca, 568 m (1,864 ft) above sea level and Kom, 510 m (1,670 ft) high. The climate is mild; an average air temperature in January is 9.8 °C and in July 26.9 °C; the average annual rainfall is 1,100 mm. The island is largely covered with Mediterranean flora including extensive pine forests.

The island also includes the towns of Korčula, Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and Račišće, and in the interior Žrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and Čara. The main road runs along the spine of the island connecting all settlements from Lumbarda on the eastern to Vela Luka on the western end, with the exception of Račišċe which is served by a separate road running along the northern coast. Ferries connect the city of Korčula with Orebić on the Pelješac peninsula and Drvenik on the mainland (near Makarska). Another line connects Vela Luka with Split and the island of Lastovo. Fast passenger catamarans connect those two ports with Split and the islands of Hvar and Lastovo. The main Adriatic ferry line connects Korčula with Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Rijeka and in summer there are direct ferries to Italian Adriatic ports. The island is divided into Korčula, Smokvica, Blato and Lumbarda municipalities.

Russia - Vasilyevsky Island (2)

Panoramic view of Vasilyevsky Island. Sent by Ann from Novomoskovsk in Russia.

This is from Wikipedia : Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from South and Northeast, and by the Gulf of Finland from the West. Vasilievsky Island is separated from Dekabristov Island by the Smolenka River. Together they form the territory of Vasileostrovsky District, an administrative subdivision of Saint Petersburg. The population was 202 650 in year 2002.

Situated just across the river from the Winter Palace, it constitutes a large portion of the city's historic center. Two of the most famous St Petersburg bridges, Palace Bridge and Blagoveshchensky Bridge, connect it with the mainland to the south. The Exchange Bridge and Tuchkov Bridge across Malaya Neva connect it with Petrogradsky Island. Vasilievsky Island is served by the Vasileostrovskaya station of Saint Petersburg Metro.

Geographically, the island consists of two main parts. The south and east of the island are old, with buildings mostly from the 19th century. The southern embankment has some of the oldest buildings in the city dated from 18th century. That part of the island is notable for its rectangular grid of streets (originally intended to be canals, like in Venice), with three prospects - Bolshoi (Big), Sredniy (Middle) and Maly (Small) - going roughly from east to west, and with 30 Liniya (Line) streets going perpendicularly from south to north.

The easternmost tip of the island, called Strelka (Spit, literally Arrow), features a number of museums, including the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange (Bourse) as well as two Rostral columns, and is a popular tourist attraction. The edifices lining the Universitetskaya Embankment along the Bolshaya Neva include the Kunstkamera, Twelve Collegia, Menshikov Palace, Imperial Academy of Sciences, and St. Andrew's Cathedral - all dating from the 18th century. Another notable attraction is an animated musical fountain located just off the Spit.

The western part of the island was developed much later, in the late Soviet times, and has mostly typical Soviet apartment blocks. In contrast with the beautiful Neva embankments in the historical center, the sea coast in that part of Vasilievsky island is still an uncultured wasteland that is not easy to walk on, even despite the fact that the fully populated multi-story apartment blocks are about 100 meters from the shore. A monument to Vasiliy, a legendary peasant after whom the island had been named, was opened in 2003.

The principal buildings of Saint Petersburg State University are located on the island and include the Twelve Collegia by Domenico Tresini (1722-44) and the former palace of Peter II of Russia.

Russia - Vasilyevsky Island (1)

A panoramic view of Vasilyevsky Island in St. Petersburg. Sent by Marylend who lives there.

This is from Wikipedia : Vasilievsky Island is an island in Saint Petersburg, bordered by the rivers Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva (in the delta of Neva) from South and Northeast, and by the Gulf of Finland from the West. Vasilievsky Island is separated from Dekabristov Island by the Smolenka River. Together they form the territory of Vasileostrovsky District, an administrative subdivision of Saint Petersburg. The population was 202 650 in year 2002[1].

Situated just across the river from the Winter Palace, it constitutes a large portion of the city's historic center. Two of the most famous St Petersburg bridges, Palace Bridge and Blagoveshchensky Bridge, connect it with the mainland to the south. The Exchange Bridge and Tuchkov Bridge across Malaya Neva connect it with Petrogradsky Island. Vasilievsky Island is served by the Vasileostrovskaya station of Saint Petersburg Metro.

Geographically, the island consists of two main parts. The south and east of the island are old, with buildings mostly from the 19th century. The southern embankment has some of the oldest buildings in the city dated from 18th century. That part of the island is notable for its rectangular grid of streets (originally intended to be canals, like in Venice), with three prospects - Bolshoi (Big), Sredniy (Middle) and Maly (Small) - going roughly from east to west, and with 30 Liniya (Line) streets going perpendicularly from south to north.

Aerial view of the Spit of Vasilievsky IslandThe easternmost tip of the island, called Strelka (Spit, literally Arrow), features a number of museums, including the Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange (Bourse) as well as two Rostral columns, and is a popular tourist attraction. The edifices lining the Universitetskaya Embankment along the Bolshaya Neva include the Kunstkamera, Twelve Collegia, Menshikov Palace, Imperial Academy of Sciences, and St. Andrew's Cathedral - all dating from the 18th century. Another notable attraction is an animated musical fountain located just off the Spit.

The western part of the island was developed much later, in the late Soviet times, and has mostly typical Soviet apartment blocks. In contrast with the beautiful Neva embankments in the historical center, the sea coast in that part of Vasilievsky island is still an uncultured wasteland that is not easy to walk on, even despite the fact that the fully populated multi-story apartment blocks are about 100 meters from the shore. A monument to Vasiliy, a legendary peasant after whom the island had been named, was opened in 2003.

The principal buildings of Saint Petersburg State University are located on the island and include the Twelve Collegia by Domenico Tresini (1722-44) and the former palace of Peter II of Russia.