This new postcard was sent from Papua New Guinea, and more precisely - the island of New Guinea, world's second largest island, shared by PNG and Indonesia.

The country of Papua New Guinea is composed of approximately 600 islands. It is known for its incredible natural and cultural diversity, with over 850 distinct languages and numerous ethnic groups. Despite this, PNG remains one of the least explored regions on earth.

The postcard features the Kokoda Trek on the New Guinea island, stretching approximately 96 kilometers through the Owen Stanley Range, offering breathtaking scenery of lush rainforests, cross crystal clear streams, and high ridges with stunning views over the jungle canopy. Along the trek, hikers often pass through remote villages inhabited by the indigenous Koiari and Orokaiva people, which offers a glimpse into the traditional way of life in PNG.

What an amazing addition to my collection, thank you for this postcard Rachelle!

new guinea

country

Papua New Guinea

location

in the southwestern Pacific Ocean

inhabitants

~10 million

biggest town

Port Moresby

postcard sent

24.08.2023

distance travelled

~13,500km

One more postcard from my travels, this time from this unusual place in Cornwall. You might be familiar with Mount St Michel in France, but have you known that there is this similiar island in Cornwall, called St Michael's Mount? Just as the island in France, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway, and when the tide is low you can simply walk to the island.

There is an old postbox on an island, but it hasn't been used for many years. There are a few people who still live there, but they have to mail their post in the nearby Marazion village. (and that's where I also posted this card).

The island's Cornish language name — Karrek Loos yn Koos - means "the grey rock in a wood", which would indicate that before the bay was flooded, the mount was set in woodland. Indeed, during a low tide you can see remains of ancient trees uncovered by storms.

St Michael's Mount

country

England

location

in the South-west Cornwall

inhabitants

~30

postcard sent

april 2023

postcard received

april 2023

distance travelled

~1541km

sent from

Marazion, Cornwall

This is another card that I've sent myself, and it's actually from one of my absolute favourite islands.

Located off the coast of southwestern Denmark, Fanø is a part of Wadden Sea National Park. The first things that welcome you to the islands are charming houses of Nordby village and ... seals, sitting on a sandbank just by the port.

One of Fanø's main attractions is its large beach with beautiful dunes, and because the island is quite windy it has also perfect condition for kite flying - each summer Fanø hosts an international kite flying competition, where you can see hundreds of huge colourful kites flying above the beach.

It is also a great place for bird spotting, and during low tide, you can also walk far into the sea to look at seals, or in the colder months - to pick up oysters. *But it's not only nature! There are many museums and traditional architecture, especially in the village of Sønderho (that is like a maze of colourful old houses). If you're ever in Denmark, I highly recommend visiting Fanø!

Fanø

country

Denmark

location

in the North Sea

inhabitants

over 3,400

biggest town

Nordby

postcard sent

29.08.2022

distance travelled

~556km

sent from

Fanø

Today's special card has travelled all the way from Kenya.

Lamu Island is nestled along the coastline of Kenya, in the Indian Ocean. It has preserved its Swahili heritage and architecture for centuries. The island's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it boasts narrow alleyways, intricately carved wooden doors, and charming stone buildings that tell stories of its past.

Interestingly, one of this island's landmarks is a donkey sanctuary. Lamu has no motorised vehicles, so transportation and other heavy work is done with the help of donkeys. There are around 3000 of them on the island! The Sanctuary was opened in 1987 and it provides treatment to all donkeys free of charge.

I absolutely love the card and the stamps! Thank you Adam & Bartek!

LAMU

country

Kenya

location

off the shore of Kenya in the Indian Ocean

inhabitants

over 25,000

postcard sent

29.09.2022

distance travelled

~6610km

sent from

Lamu

A sister postcard to the last one!

Burano island, also located in the Venetian Lagoon, but this time a bit further away, around 50min ferry ride from Venice. Burano is most known for its vibrant and colorful houses. The island's cheerful atmosphere and picturesque canals make it a perfect place for leisurely walks and exploration (and it's a popular backdrop for wedding photos and other sessions). Burano is also famous for its intricate lace-making tradition, and visitors can learn more about the craft in the local museum.

I visited the island early in the morning, when it was still waking up, and it was a very pleasant place, seeing all those colourful houses instantly puts you in a good mood!

BURANO

country

Italy

location

7km north of Venice

inhabitants

over 4000

postcard sent

08.03.2023

distance travelled

~785km

sent from

Burano

A new postcard, this time from Italy!

Murano is a charming island located in the Venetian Lagoon, just a short ferry ride away from Venice. Famous for its centuries-old tradition of glassmaking, Murano has been a hub of unique craftsmanship and artistic skills since the 13th century. The island's narrow canals, picturesque bridges, and colorful houses create a unique and enchanting atmosphere, you can visit museums and galleries to learn more about the famous glass, and you can even have a peek into many of the glass workshops to witness the fascinating glass-blowing demonstrations.

I have sent this postcard myself, when I visited Venice and nearby islands this March. (I always send postcards to myself when I travel, not only to islands :)) (Unfortunately it doesn't have a cancellation from Murano, but instead it was stamped in Padova, which is a city on the mainland).

MURANO

country

Italy

location

1.5 km north of Venice

inhabitants

over 5000

postcard sent

06.03.2023

distance travelled

~788km

sent from

Murano

Another swedish island, and another beautiful postcard from my friend Natalia. The island's website describe it as "Sweden's sailing capital. Far out to the west, where the archipelago ends and the open sea starts, lies Marstrand. A haven for sailing and swimming, with quaint neighbourhoods and car free streets". Sounds quite idyllic, doesn't it?

In the right corner of the postcard you can see island's biggest attraction - Carlstens Fortress, built in 1658, but I must admit I find the tiny white lighthouse much more fascinating ;) It was built in 1868 and together with another lighthouse called Pater Noster, it replaced Marstrand's first lighthouse, that was actually situated on top of the fortress. They all helped sailors get safely to the harbour, and as we can read on island's website: "Marstrand was an ideal harbour, often ice-free and with mooring facilities regardless of the wind direction. It was for many years a major fishing centre and the starting point for international maritime trade. Directly to the west lies Skagen in Denmark, and the route from there was regularly followed by the old sailing boats."

marstrand

country

Sweden

location

in the Västra Götaland

inhabitants

~375

biggest town

Marstrand

postcard sent

22.09.2016

sent from

Marstrand

Hello! This time I come back not with one island, but a whole archipelago!

Väderöarna (which means Weather islands in Swedish) is an archipelago of 365 small hilly islands and rocks, in the west of Sweden, a 30 minutes boat ride from picturesque Fjällbacka. Vaderoarna.com calls them "The last outpost. A place far from the everyday noise. No stress, no must-dos, no hullabaloo. Way off the beaten track." Sounds perfect to me! They are sometimes even called "the most beautiful archipelago in the world", and indeed the islands look very charming with all the tiny red houses and the beautiful nature around them.

My friend Natalia sent me this beautiful map card from her trip to Sweden in 2016. You can read more (in Polish) and see more pictures from this region on her blog here.

Väderöarna

country

Sweden

location

in Skagerrak near the North Sea

postcard sent

09.08.2016

distance travelled

~895km

This beautiful card was sent by Tomoko from the island of Ishigaki, Japan.

Tomoko went there on vacation with her family in May, but as she described in the card, it was already as hot there as if it was summer. Ishigaki is one of the southernmost islands of Japan, and the climate, landscape and culture are different from the main islands of Japan. The culture of the island is actually influenced also by Taiwan, located just 300km from Ishigaki. Similiar to nearby Okinawa, the food here also differs from the main japanese islands. Meat is very popular on Ishigaki, and the island is famous all over the country for its beef.

The island is perfect for anyone who loves tropical paradises. Most of its area is protected as a part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, and the most spectacular places are Mount Omoto and Kabira Bay. Tomoko confirms this in her card, and she also loved walking around mangrove forests :).

ishigaki

country

Japan

location

in the Yaeyama Islands archipelago

inhabitants

48,000

postcard sent

22.05.2016

distance travelled

~9016km

sent from

Ishigaki

Thank you so much Tomoko for this beautiful card, I love the stamps and cancellations too!

Although Magda shares her name with this island, it has actually not always been called La Maddalena. The Romans called the island Ilva, Fussa and Bucina, in the Middle Ages it was known as Bicinara, in the 16th century it got the name of Santa Maria Magdalena, and only after that - La Maddalena. Interestingly, the island has also its own Sardo-Corsican dialect known as Maddalenino.

The Maddalena Archipelago is located just 2 kilometres from Sardinia. Magda went on a sailing trip there, and the area was supposed to be full of dolphins (it is a part of national park), but at that time there were not too many of them. I am sure though the beautiful views and crystal-clear waters made it still an amazing holiday.

Thank you Magda for this beautiful card!

la maddalena

country

Italy

inhabitants

11,407

biggest town

La Maddalena

postcard sent

27.04.2015

distance travelled

~1450km