HUNGARY #6 & #7 Direct Swap

Budapest  is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, and one of the largest cities in the European Union. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with its unification on 17 November 1873 of Buda and Óbuda, on the west bank, with Pest, on the east bank.

Thanks Krisztina!

Sent on: 17/10/2014
Received on: 21/12/2014
Travel time: 75 days

BRAZIL #4 Direct Swap

Ilha do Campeche (Campeche Island) is an island located some 1250 m southeast of the coast of Florianópolis, Brazil. It is located in front of the homonymous beach. It is considered a site of archaeological interest due to paintings found throughout the island.

Thanks Ana!

Sent on: 16/12/2014
Received on: 31/12/2014
Travel time: 15 days

HUNGARY #6 Direct Swap

Szerencs is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies 35 km (22 mi) away from Miskolc, and 205 km (127 mi) away from Budapest. SZERENCS, with a population of 9,100 inhabitants, grew into a town where the Great Plain and the Zemplén mountains meet. It is the cultural and economic centre of Southern Hegyalja. This small town, with rich historical past, is called the Gate of Hegyalja and due to it was inhabited in ancient times.

Thanks  Zsuzsi!

Sent on: 17/10/2014
Received on: 31/12/2014
Travel time: 75 days

DENMARK #1 Direct Swap

Nyhavn (literally: New Harbour) is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse, it is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbour", the canal has many historical wooden ships. Nyhavn was constructed by King Christian V from 1670 to 1673, dug by Swedish war prisoners from the Dano-Swedish War 1658–1660. It is a gateway from the sea to the old inner city at Kongens Nytorv (King's Square), where ships handled cargo and fishermens' catch. It was notorious for beer, sailors, and prostitution. Danish author Hans Christian Andersen lived at Nyhavn for some 18 years.

Thanks Suzana!

Sent on: 03/12/2014
Received on: 17/12/2014
Travel time: 14 days

HUNGARY #5 Direct Swap

Stephen I, also Saint Stephen (Hungarian: Szent István király; Latin: Sanctus Stephanus; Slovak: Štefan I. or Štefan Veľký; c. 975 – 15 August 1038) was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first King of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. Stephen is a popular saint in Hungary and the neighboring territories. In Hungary, his feast day (celebrated on 20 August) is also a public holiday commemorating the foundation of the state.

Thanks Lilla!

Sent on: 05/12/2014
Received on: 17/12/2014
Travel time: 12 days

BRAZIL #3 Direct Swap

São Thomé das Letras is a municipality in the south-end of Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil, 35 km east of Três Corações city. Its population in 2008 was of 6,880 inhabitants. The name of the town was based in a legend of a black slave that found a statue of Saint Thomas with a letter of perfect writing and superb caligraph (impossible to an illiterate, untrained slave), in a grotto, after fleeing the plantation farm where he was kept captive, belonging to the powerful Baron of Alfenas (a rich landlord).

Thanks Luciano!

Sent on: 04/12/2014
Received on: 15/12/2014
Travel time: 11 days

PHILIPPINES #1

Mount Samat National Shrine or Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valour) is a historical shrine located near the summit of Mount Samat in the town of Pilár, Province of Bataan, in the Republic of the Philippines. The memorial shrine complex was built to honor and remember the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers who fought during World War II. Consisting of a Colonnade and the large Memorial Cross, the park was commissioned in 1966 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos, himself a War Veteran, for the 25th Anniversary of WW2. The white Memorial Cross stands as a remembrance to the soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Bataan. The shrine complex also includes a war museum with a wide array of collections from paintings of the Philippine heroes, to armaments used by the Filipino, American and Japanese forces during the battle.

Thanks Hanna!

PH-72399

POLAND #4, #5, #6, #7 & #8 Direct Swap

I was immensely happy when I received this gift from my friend Magdalena, she sent me postcards from Wadovice, and its most famous son, Pope John Paul II. I loved the surprise.

St. John Paul II blesses us!

Thanks Magdalena!

Sent on: 18/11/2014
Received on: 05/12/2014
Travel time: 17 days

CHINA #1 Direct Swap

Shenzhen (Chinese: 深圳) is a major city in the south of Southern China’s Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The area became China’s first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It currently also holds sub-provincial administrative status, with powers slightly less than a province

Thanks Abby!

Sent on: 28/10/2014
Received on: 05/12/2014
Travel time: 38 days

GUATEMALA #1 Direct Swap

Esquipulas, officially Municipality of Esquipulas, whose original name was Yzquipulas- is a municipality located in the department of Chiquimula, in eastern Guatemala, the largest city and capital of the municipality is the city of Esquipulas. There is a strong interest of the international community and religious colonial places like the Basilica of Esquipulas was built in 1740 it was given by Monsignor Pedro Pardo de Figueroa (first Metropolitan Archbishop since 1744) in order to meet the increasingly fastest growing dedicated pilgrimages to the Black Christ of Esquipulas, commissioned the construction of a temple to Philip José de Porres, the son of Diego de Porres and grandson of Joseph de Porres, Antiguan renowned architects where you will find the cotton field where they came from the funds to pay for the sculpture.

Thanks Ricardo!

Sent on: 25/10/2014
Received on: 05/12/2014
Travel time: 41 days

BRAZIL #2 Direct Swap

Jurerê is a beach-side neighbourhood on the northern shore of the island of Florianópolis in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The resort Jurerê Internacional is located in Jurerê

Thanks Ana!

Sent on: 20/11/2014
Received on: 05/12/2014
Travel time: 15 days

INDIA #1 & #2 Direct Swap

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres (48 mi) long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres (328 ft) at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount is situated on top of the hill behind the St. Cajetan Church. The chapel was build in 1510 by Alfonso de Albuquerque after his victory over the Goan Muslim ruler Yusuf Shah and was renovated in 2001. The Chapel is brightly white washed and is bypassed by many tourists. The structure faces west which provides beautiful views from Divar and Chorao islands, the Mandovi River and the surrounding forested hills, especially during sunset. It also offers the overview of Old Goa where in 1510 Sultan Adil Shah's placed his artillery to defend the city from the Portuguese assault.

Thanks Sooraj!

Sent on: 07/11/2014
Received on: 29/11/2014
Travel time: 22 days