Holland, Netherlands

Official Postcrossing card from Martine (Netherlands)

Aeroview Rotterdam

Holland is a name in common usage given to a region in the western part of the Netherlands. The term Holland is frequently used to refer to the whole of the Netherlands. This usage is generally accepted but nevertheless unofficial.

Shanghai, China

Card sent by L.B. Bao from China (Postcrossing - Swap).

The Republic of Korea Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010

The three-story Republic of Korea Pavilion is composed of 20 basic letters of the Korean alphabet : Han-geul. The pavilion showcases blueprints of future cities along with the country's most advanced technology and traditional culture.

Asiago, Italy

From Susanna (Postcrossing - Swap).

Asiago m.1001 - Panorama

Asiago is the name of both a minor township and the surrounding plateau region in the Province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy. It is near the border between the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol regions in the foothills of the Alps, and about equidistant (100 km) from the major cities of Trento to the west and Vicenza to the south.

Although probably best known internationally as the origin of Asiago cheese, Asiago was also the site of a major battle between Austrian and Italian forces on the Alpine Front of World War I. It is a major ski resort destination as well as the site of the Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago, operated by the University of Padua.

Oulu, Finland

Swap with Suvi from Finland (Postcrossing - Swap).
The statue on the card is Toripolliisi (The market place policeman).

Toripolliisi

Toripolliisi (The Bobby at the Market Place in English) is a bronze sculpture located at the Oulu Market Place in Finland. It was made by sculptor Kaarlo Mikkonen in 1987, and it 's his only publicly displayed sculpture. The sculpture measures 220×150×112 centimetres (86.6×59×44 inches), and it was named in honour of the bobbies that once patrolled the market place. The sculpture was funded with the help of a public fund raising started in 1985, and it was revealed in September, 1987.

Bobby = British slang for a police officer.

Sarasota, FL, USA

Official Postcrossing card sent by Katherine from Portland (Oregon).

Guests of a trailer park picnicking on the beach, Sarasota, Florida, 1941. 

Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott.

Great stamps of Lisa and Marge Simpson

London, England, United Kingdom

Card sent by Angela from UK. (Postcrossing - Swap)

Tower bridge by night

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name.It has become an iconic symbol of London.

The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Originally it was painted a chocolate brown colour

A special series of stamps has been issued to commemorate the Dunkirk evacuation. The four stamps, released to mark the 70th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, feature black and white images depicting the famous rescue of more than 300,000 Allied troops stranded on the beaches of Normandy by the Royal Navy and a "mini-Armada" of civilian vessels in 1940.

Small vessels making up the fleet of Little Ships appear on the 60p stamp. 

Dunkirk = Dunkerque

Venice, Italy

Another card swaps with Susanna (Postcrossing - Swap).

Carnival of Venice

The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival, held in Venice, Italy. The Carnival starts around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday.
Carnivale started as a time for celebration and expression throughout the classes, as wearing masks hid any form of identity between social classes. During the 1970's, the Italian government decided to bring back the history and culture of Venice, and sought to use the traditional Carnival as the centerpiece of their efforts. Today, approximately 30,000 visitors come to Venice each day for Carnivals.