The Bahamas

The Bahamas consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean and is located north of Cuba. The Bahamas is the site of Columbus’ first landfall in the New World in 1492. In terms of gross domestic product per capita, the Bahamas is one of the richest countries in the Americas (following the United States and Canada), with an economy based on tourism and finance.

Bahamas postcard

Bahamas stamp

Corvo Island, The Azores

Corvo Island, literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants (in 2006) constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal. The island originated from only one volcano, which was active for the last time about two million years ago.

Interesting fact: only in 1963, the island received electricity and the first telephone cables were laid in 1973. Up to then communication with the neighbour island — when a priest, a doctor or other help was needed — was done by radio, and before that even by means of smoke signals!

Azores stamp

São Miguel – The Azores

The Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. São Miguel Island, is also referred to locally as “The Green Island”, is the largest and most populous island in the archipelago of the Azores. It is believed that the island was discovered in 1427, and today it’s population is around 138,000.

Azores postcard

Azores stamp

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal. It is recognised as a global city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education and tourism. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by centuries.

Portugal postcard

Portugal stamp

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs – Azerbaijan

The Palace of the Shirvanshahs is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs – rulers of Shirvan, located in modern Azerbaijan. It is located in the Inner City of Baku, Azerbaijan and, together with the Maiden Tower, forms an ensemble of historic monuments inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List of Historical Monuments.

Built on a site inhabited since the Palaeolithic period, the Walled City of Baku reveals evidence of Zoroastrian, Sasanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity. The Inner City (Icheri Sheher) has preserved much of its 12th-century defensive walls. The 12th-century Maiden Tower (Giz Galasy) is built over earlier structures dating from the 7th to 6th centuries BC, and the 15th-century Shirvanshahs’ Palace is one of the pearls of Azerbaijan’s architecture.

Azerbaijan postcard

Azerbaijan stamps

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. It’s metropolitan area population is about 2.6 million, nearly one third of Austria’s population! It is the 7th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union.

Vienna is being regarded as the City of Music: musical luminaries including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferdinand Ries, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Robert Stolz, and Arnold Schoenberg have worked there. Vienna is also said to be “The City of Dreams” because it was home to the world’s first psycho-analyst – Sigmund Freud.

I briefly visited Vienna in 2015 — it’s a stunning city!

Austria postcard

Austria stamp

Banjo Paterson, an Australian bush poet

Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas. Paterson’s more notable poems include “Waltzing Matilda”, “The Man from Snowy River” and “Clancy of the Overflow”.

This, so far, my only maximum card received via mail.

Australia maximum postcard