Egypt - Saint Catherine

EGYPT

Sinai : Saint Catherine

I bought this postcard during my trip to Egypt in early September 2025. Due to my tight programs, and the unavailability of stamps at some Post Offices, I did not mail any postcards from Egypt.

Saint Catherine (Egyptian Arabic: سانت كاترين, pronounced [ˈsænte kætˈɾiːn]; Greek: Αγία Αικατερίνη; also spelled Saint Katrine) is a town located in the South Sinai Governorate of Egypt, situated at the foot of Mount Sinai. The city is the site of Saint Catherine's Monastery.

The city is 1,586 metres (5,203 ft) above sea level and is 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Nuweiba. In 1994, its population was 4,603 people. In 2002, the Saint Catherine area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During Egypt’s Pharaonic Era (3200-323 BCE), although Saint Catherine was not yet established as a city, the area was part of the Egyptian Empire in the province of "Deshret Reithu."

In the 16th century BCE, the Egyptian pharaohs built the way of Shur across Sinai to Beersheba and on to Jerusalem. The region provided the Egyptian Empire with turquoise, gold, and copper. Well-preserved ruins of mines and temples are found not far from Saint Catherine at Serabit el-Khadim and Wadi Mukattab, the Valley of Inscription. They include temples from the 12th Dynasty, dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love, music, and beauty, and from the New Kingdom dedicated to Sopdu, the god of the Eastern Desert (read more).

Egypt - Dahab

EGYPT

The Red Sea : Dahab

I bought this postcard during my trip to Egypt in early September 2025. Due to my tight programs, and the unavailability of stamps at some Post Offices, I did not mail any postcards from Egypt.

Dahab (Egyptian Arabic: دهب, romanized: dahab, lit. 'gold', IPA: [ˈdæhæb]) is a small town on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, approximately 80 km (50 mi) northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Dahab can be divided into three major parts. Masbat, which includes the Bedouin village of Asalah, in the north; Mashraba, south of Masbat, and Medina in the southwest. Dahab is mentioned in Deuteronomy as דִ֥י זָהָֽב (dî zāhāḇ), and in the Septuagint translation as Καταχρύσεα. Gesenius exegetes as, “I have no doubt but that it is the same place as that now called Dehab on the western shore of the Ælanitic gulf, where there are many palms.” Dahab is known as the "diving capital" of South Sinai, and one of the most famous diving destinations in the world, thanks to a number of unique sites that suit all levels of diving enthusiasts.

Dahab attracts large numbers of tourists. It is world-renowned for its windsurfing (read more).

Egypt - The Red Sea

A man sitting on a camel, which is a common mode of transport and tourist activities in the Red Sea region.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Egypt in early September 2025. Due to my tight programs, and the unavailability of stamps at some Post Offices, I did not mail any postcards from Egypt.

The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lies the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez, which leads into to the Suez Canal. It is underlain by the Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley.

The Red Sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km² (169,000 sq mi), is about 2,250 km (1,400 mi) long, and 355 km (221 mi) wide at its widest point. It has an average depth of 490 m (1,610 ft), and in the central Suakin Trough, it reaches its maximum depth of 3,040 m (9,970 ft).

The Red Sea is quite shallow, with approximately 40% at less than 100 m (330 ft) deep, and approximately 25% at less than 50 m (160 ft) deep. The extensive shallow shelves are noted for their marine life and corals. More than 1,000 invertebrate species and 200 types of soft and hard coral live in the sea. The Red Sea is the world's northernmost tropical sea and has been designated a Global 200 ecoregion (read more).

Egypy - Smoking Chicha

Man smoking Chicha in Aswan, Egypt. Aswan, is a UNESCO World Heritage site named Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Egypt in early September 2025. Due to my tight programs, and the unavailability of stamps at some Post Offices, I did not mail any postcards from Egypt.

The Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae lie in the Governorate of Aswan. It is a serial property of ten component parts covering 374.48 ha: Abu Simbel, Amada, Wadi Sebua, Kalabsha, Philae (Island of Agilkia), Old and Middle Kingdom Tombs, Ruins of town of Elephantine, Stone quarries and obelisk, Monastery of St. Simeon, and the Islamic Cemetery. The first five component parts contain temples moved during the UNESCO International Campaign from 1960 to 1980 to save them from flooding by the Nile and Lake Nasser because they were recognised as internationally significant by the international community. The remaining five cover antiquities of the Aswan area.

This stretch of the Nile from Aswan in the north to the Sudanese border in the south is an archaeological haven. Home to temples ranging from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, as well as early Coptic sites and villages, the region’s monuments represent the breadth of Nubian cultural articulations, and the various influences shaping the culture over time (read more). 

Egypt - Bedouin Woman

EGYPT

Sinai : Bedouin Woman

I bought this postcard during my trip to Egypt in early September 2025. Due to my tight programs, and the unavailability of stamps at some Post Offices, I did not mail any postcards from Egypt.

The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (/ˈbɛduɪn/ BED-oo-in; Arabic: بَدْو, romanized: badw, singular بَدَوِي badawī) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq/Kuwait). The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Arabian Desert but spread across the rest of the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa after the spread of Islam. The English word bedouin comes from the Arabic badawī, which means "desert-dweller", and is traditionally contrasted with ḥāḍir, the term for sedentary people. Bedouin territory stretches from the vast deserts of North Africa to the rocky ones of the Middle East. They are sometimes traditionally divided into tribes, or clans (known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir; عَشَائِر or qabāʾil قبائل), and historically share a common culture of herding camels, sheep and goats. The vast majority of Bedouins adhere to Islam, although there are a small number of Christian Bedouins present in the Fertile Crescent.

Bedouins have been referred to by various names throughout history, including Arabaa by the Assyrians (ar-ba-ea), being a nisba of the noun Arab, a name still used for Bedouins today. They are referred to as the ʾAʿrāb (أعراب) "aɛrāb" in Arabic. While many Bedouins have abandoned their nomadic and tribal traditions for a modern urban lifestyle, others retain traditional Bedouin culture such as the traditional ʿašāʾir clan structure, traditional music, poetry, dances (such as saas), and many other cultural practices and concepts. Some urbanized Bedouins often organise cultural festivals, usually held several times a year, in which they gather with other Bedouins to partake in and learn about various Bedouin traditions—from poetry recitation and traditional sword dances to playing traditional instruments and even classes teaching traditional tent knitting. Traditions like camel riding and camping in the deserts are still popular leisure activities for urban Bedouins who live in close proximity to deserts or other wilderness areas (read more).

Germany - Baden-Württemberg - Hohenzollern Castle

Hohenzollern Castle seen from the Raichberg.

Sent by Joachim from Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Hohenzollern Castle (German: Burg Hohenzollern [bʊʁk hoːənˈtsɔlɐn]) is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern. The third of three hilltop castles built on the site, it is located atop Mount Hohenzollern, above and south of Hechingen, on the edge of the Swabian Jura of central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name derives from Söller (terrace) from Latin solarium.

The first castle on the mountain was constructed in the early 11th century. Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne. This castle was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege by the free imperial cities of Swabia.

The second castle, a larger and sturdier structure, was constructed from 1454 to 1461, and served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century it was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings.

The third, and current, castle was built between 1846 and 1867 as a family memorial by Hohenzollern scion King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Architect Friedrich August Sterreicher based his design on English Gothic Revival architecture and the Châteaux of the Loire Valley. No member of the Hohenzollern family was in permanent or regular residence when it was completed, and none of the three German Emperors of the late 19th and early 20th century German Empire ever occupied the castle; in 1945 it briefly became the home of the former Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, son of the last Hohenzollern monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II (read more).

Italy - Lazio - Rome

ROME

Forum Romanum, Colosseum,

St. Peter's Square, Navona Square,

Spanish Steps, Fountain of Trevi,

St. Angel Castle.

Sent by my best friend Roberto from Rome, Italy.

Rome is the capital city and most populated comune (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special comune named Roma Capitale with 2,746,984 residents in 1,287.36 km² (497.1 sq mi), Rome is the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, with a population of 4,223,885 residents, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber Valley. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geography, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be one of the cradles of Western civilization and Western Christian culture, and the centre of the Catholic Church.

Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for over three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. The city's early population originated from a mix of Latins, Etruscans, and Sabines. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first-ever Imperial city and metropolis. It was first called The Eternal City (Latin: Urbs Aeterna; Italian: La Città Eterna) by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and the expression was also taken up by Ovid, Virgil, and Livy. Rome is also called Caput Mundi (Capital of the World) (read more).

Germany - Hamburg - Elbphilharmonie (Concert Hall) (2)

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany. This modern landmark, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, sits atop a traditional brick warehouse in the HafenCity district.

Sent by Charlotte from Hamburg, Germany.

This is my second postcard of Elbphilharmonie. My first is here.

Bicycle (71)

Bicycle #71

Where there's a fish sandwich, there's a way.

Sent by Ruth from Nettetal, Germany.

Bicycle (70)

Bicycle #70

Belgrade

Sent by Caki from Belgrade, Serbia.

Bicycle (69)

Bicycle #69

Snow on the bike.

Sent by Maija from Jämsä, Finland.

Bicycle (68)

Bicycle #68

Sent by Petra from Zlínský kraj, Czechia.

Bicycle (67)

Bicycle #67

Sent by Gita from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Bicycle (66)

Bicycle #66

Sent by Ulla from Cologne, Germany.

Bicycle (65)

PUERTO RICAN BICYCLES
by COSMIC GRANT

Sent by Grant from Dallas in Texas, USA.

Bicycle (64)

Bicycle #64

A woman wearing sunglasses and a dark top, sitting on a bicycle against a backdrop of green foliage and a blue sky with clouds.

Sent by Mary from Vitebsk, Belarus.

Bicycle (63)

Bicycle # 63

Loving you every day.

Holding my hand, even if you walk with your eyes closed, you won't get lost.

Sent by Li Jiali from Jiangsu, China.

Costa Rica - Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park

Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), the largest native terrestrial mammal in Mesoameica. 

Sent by Skipy from Costa Rica.

The Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park extends along the border between Panama and Costa Rica. The transboundary property covers large tracts of the highest and wildest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America and is one of that region's outstanding conservation areas. The Talamanca Mountains contain one of the major remaining blocks of natural forest in Central America with no other protected area complex in Central America containing a comparable altitudinal variation. The property has many peaks exceeding 3,000 m.a.s.l. on both sides of the border, including Cerro Chirripo, the highest elevation in Costa Rica and all of southern Central America at 3,819 m.a.s.l. The surface area of the property 570,045 hectares, of which 221,000 hectares are on the Panamanian side. The beautiful and rugged mountain landscape harbours extraordinary biological and cultural diversity. Pre-ceramic archaeological sites indicate that the Talamanca Range has a history of many millennia of human occupation. There are several indigenous peoples on both sides of the border within and near the property. In terms of biological diversity, there is a wide range of ecosystems, an unusual richness of species per area unit and an extraordinary degree of endemism. 

The scenic mountains and foothills contain impressive footprints of Quaternary glaciation, such as glacial cirques, lakes and valleys shaped by glaciers, phenomena not found elsewhere in the region. The property is a large and mostly intact part of the land-bridge where the faunas and floras of North and South America have met. The enormous variety of environmental conditions, such as microclimate and altitude leads to an impressive spectrum of ecosystems. The many forest types include tropical lowland rainforest, montane forest, cloud forest and oak forest. Other particularities of major conservation value include high altitude bogs and Isthmus Paramo in the highest elevations, a rare tropical alpine grassland. Longstanding isolation of what can be described as an archipelago of mountain islands has favoured remarkable speciation and endemism. Some 10,000 flowering plants have been recorded. Many of the region's large mammals have important populations within the property, overall 215 species of mammals have been recorded. Around 600 species of birds have been documented, as well as some 250 species of reptiles and amphibians and 115 species of freshwater fish. Most taxonomic groups show a high degree of endemism. The large extension and the transboundary conservation approach entail a great potential for the management and conservation of an extraordinary large-scale mountain ecosystem shared by Costa Rica and Panama (read more). 

Slovenia - Bohinj (2)

Five distinct images of natural landscapes and rural life in Bohinj, Slovenia.

Sent by Predrag from Bohinj, Slovenia.

Slovenia - Bohinj (1)

Church of St. John the Baptist at Lake Bohinj | Rainforest | Together at Unsovnica

Sent by Predrag from Bohinj, Slovenia.

The Municipality of Bohinj (Slovene: Občina Bohinj) is a municipality in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia. Its seat is the settlement of Bohinjska Bistrica. The municipality had 5,256 people in 2023. As of July 2023, the mean age of people was 46.0 years. In the school year 2023/24 elementary schools in Bohinj were attended by about 440 pupils, while various upper secondary schools were attended by about 200 pupils. For every 179 people aged 65 or older, 100 people were aged 0-14. However, the number of live births was lower than the number of deaths, which means that natural increase per 1,000 population in the municipality was negative (-1.5 in Bohinj) (read more).

Germany - North Rhine-Westphalia - Wuppertal Suspension Railway

Wuppertal Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn) in Wuppertal, Germany.

Sent by Ralf from Remscheid, Germany.

The Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (English: Wuppertal's Suspension Railway) is a suspension railway in Wuppertal, Germany. The line was originally called in German: Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen (English: Single-Rail Hanging Railway, System of Eugen Langen) named after its inventor, Eugen Langen. It is the oldest electric elevated railway with hanging cars in the world. Being grade-separated, it is considered rapid transit.

Langen first offered the technology to the cities of Berlin, Munich, and Breslau which all turned it down. However, the towns of Barmen, Elberfeld, and Vohwinkel along the banks of the river Wupper were intrigued by the technology’s ability to connect their communities. The elevated tracks and stations were built between 1897 and 1903; the first track opened in 1901. The railway line is credited with growth of the original cities and their eventual merger into Wuppertal. The Schwebebahn is still in use as a local public transport line, moving 25 million passengers annually, per the 2008 annual report. New rail cars were ordered in 2015, called Generation 15, and the first new car went into service in December 2016.

The Schwebebahn runs along a route of 13.3 kilometres (8.3 mi), at a height of about 12 metres (39 ft) above the river Wupper between Oberbarmen and Sonnborner Straße (10 kilometres or 6.2 miles) and about 8 metres (26 ft) above the valley road between Sonnborner Straße and Vohwinkel (3.3 kilometres or 2.1 miles). At one point the railway crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. The Schwebebahn operates within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) and accepts tickets issued by the VRR companies including the Deutschlandticket (read more).