Here are the postcards!
I’ve been collecting postcards since 2008. Since then, I’ve sent and received over 1800 postcards from all over the US and dozens of countries. I respond to every postcard I receive, so I’m always open for private swaps.
My origin story: Back when I was a young boy, I got the idea to write a letter to several world leaders, but I only ever ended up writing the US president and the Queen of England. I was so tickled to receive responses from President Bush and then Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II! Well, they weren’t directly from the world leaders, but rather from their staff members. President Bush sent me an autographed photograph (which I lost later in a show-and-tell accident).
One of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting sent me a very detailed letter, typed on Buckingham Palace stationery, answering all of my questions about the Queen’s horses and her corgis and her favorite foods. I marveled at the strangely-sized paper, the texture of the embossed coat of arms centered at the top of the page, and the stamps on the envelope. A real person had spent time reading my letter, responding to it, folding it and placing it in an envelope, and then more real human beings had taken the time and effort to transport it from London to some mail distribution center, to an airport in England, to an airport in the US, and back through the various USPS chains until it arrived in a plastic mailbox at the foot of my driveway in southeast Michigan.
I’m still fascinated by this process today, and all for less than the price of some chocolate! So I maintain correspondence with about a dozen penpals across the world, and send and receive postcards. At last count, I have a little under 2,000 postcards that I’ve received. Keep scrolling to see the most recent postcards that have arrived in my mailbox.
Halloween Meetup (Finland)
This is another great meetup postcard from my penpal Jussi. This one is from the Halloween Meetup in Finland from 5 November 2022. Terrific, and it’s signed/stamped by downs of Postcrossers!
Venice (Italy)
This postcard come sfrom our neighbors who were traveling through southern Europe, including “a very wet bike ride through Slovenia, things improv[ing] in Croatia, and then [eating their] weight in pasta, cheese, and ham in Bologna.” Terrific, just fantastic.
Wissembourg (France)
Wissembourg est une très belle ville, quant à cette carte postale et aussi son expidateur, Dominique. Il travaille dans la ville donc il la connait bien. Il me récommand les restaurants et pâtisseries.
lobster (Canada)
The sender of this postcard is from Nanaimo and writes about the Nanaimo Bar, which is a famous Canadian dish. I’ve never tried it, but she says she usually makes it for Christmas, which sounds like the right time to try it. Maybe lobster for dinner and then a Nanaimo bar after?
I couldn’t agree more (Oregon)
Per usual, Linda hits it out of the park with this great postcard that I think sums up very well how many of us are feeling. There’s peace in knowing our weaknesses (or is madness a strength?)!
beautiful kana (Japan)
It seems like a chicken-or-egg question: did the Japanese develop their beautiful aesthetics first and then develop their writing systems, or did their beautiful writing systems influence their love of beautiful aesthetics? Maybe we’ll never know, but this postcard reminds me of textiles and art and writing.
Vierkirchenblick Bamberg: St. Michael
Voici la seisième carte postale que Dominique m’a envoyée de l’Allemagne. Il a voyagé deux jours dans les Vosges en France et puis 2 jours en Allemagne, dans les deux parts différents du Rhin. “Différents” est bien le mot qu’il utilise pour décrire les deux régions.
the Oblong room (Illinois)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an episode of Dr. Who but who could miss the iconic telephone booth? The quote on the back of the postcard says “Oh look, this is the Oval Office. I was looking for the Oblong Room.” Spicy!
The sender of this postcard responded to my prompt, asking about a favorite or memorable teacher. They write about a woodshop teacher who was caring and easy to talk to and occasionally came with donuts!
PostCrossing Friends (California)
Our dear friends Kimee and Michael sent this from a recent trip to San José. Kimee received it from a penpal she made on PostCrossing. Peggy took this photo and then edited using some software and had cards printed. It’s really stunning!
two kinds of Michiganders
Oh how true it is! This is one of the few postcards I’ve received through PostCrossing that came from a Michigander actually living in Michigan. This is from a Troll, like me, though - even if she lived for a bit in the UP. I think temporary residence there does not a Yooper make.
Heringsmöwe auf Föhr (Germany)
Somehow, I find it quite comforting that seagulls the world over have that same look that says so many things, none of which I want to write on this blog. Maybe the most anodyne of them is “Leave me alone.” This postcard is two of three that arrived this week as I’m getting back into the swing of PostCrossing again!
Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany)
I can’t begin to imagine how one pronounces the name of this city, but it looks very nice on the postcard indeed. This is one of three PostCrossing cards that arrived this week - I’m so glad to be back in the habit!
Fermo (Italy)
As Lino and Lino are shopping for their wedding, they made a stop here in Fermo in the region of Marche. So many places to visit and see, and I love that postcards afford me the opportunity to do so rather easily!
Speyside Cooperage (Scotland)
You can’t have scotch without barrels, so it makes perfect sense that there would be a cooperage in Speyside! My Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill traveled to Scotland recently, visiting several sites and enjoying the trip from many aspects. I’m thrilled to receive this postcard and their greetings!
Boston (Massachusetts)
Nozomi sends this postcard from her first in-person conference since the pandemic! I personally am loving the return to “normalcy” at least in as much as it means traveling and seeing my friends, family, and colleagues again.
Cité de Carcassonne (France)
Même si je ne suis jamais allé à Carcassonne, j’ai reconnu la cité à la première vue quand la carte postale est arrivée. Quelle belle vue aeriale! C’est comme la ville européenne medievale stéreotypique. COmme dans les contes de fée. Merci, Dominique!
Virtual Birthday Meetup (Finland)
My penpal Jussi sent me this great meetup postcard. It’s well known that Finland is (among) the most active countries on PostCrossing, but all of these lovely postcards just serves to further prove this fact.
Arlington National Cemetery (Virginia)
My friend Kimee was on a vacation that must have included a trip to this cemetery. She writes so eloquently: as an anti-war daughter of two veterans… this was such a complicated, feelings-full stop on our… trip.” I can completely identify with this phrase, although only one of my parents is a veteran (two of my brothers are, as well as a handful of uncles and both grandfathers). I despise the glorification of war and death, and I find that sometimes monuments such as this paint with very broad strokes. I haven’t been to Arlington, so I can’t speak specifically to this site, however.
wish you were here (Florida)
My family has vacationed in Florida for as long as I can remember, especially in Panama City Beach. My mother continues to return there yearly, sometimes alone, and sometimes with one of her girl friends. This year, she wrote about the crystal clear water and the great weather.
Mykonos (Greece)
This is the third card I’ve received from our friends Julian and Salvo, who traveled to Greece and Italy this past summer. That’s the thing about island time - things happen when they happen, including the delivery of mail! Sadly, there’s no postmark so I can’t see exactly how long it took, but I do love the great memories of Mykonos that this postcard brings.