POLAND #18

Warsaw  is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central Poland, roughly 260 kilometres (160 mi) from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.740 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 2.666 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 9th most-populous capital city in the European Union. The first historical reference to Warsaw dates back to the year 1313, at a time when Kraków served as the Polish capital city.

Thanks Julia!

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BULGARIA #3 Direct Swap

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. It occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula. Sofia is the 14th largest city in the European Union with population of around 1.3 million people. It has been ranked by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a Beta− city. Many of the major universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies of Bulgaria are concentrated in Sofia.

Thanks Alexander!

GERMANY #18

Munich (in UK English; German: München) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, on the banks of River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, with a population of around 1.5 million. The Munich Metropolitan Region is home to 5.8 million people. The name of the city is derived from the Old/Middle High German term Munichen, meaning "by the monks". It derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who ran a monastery at the place that was later to become the Old Town of Munich; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of arms

Thanks Uwe!

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RUSSIA #13

Kungur is a town in the southeast of Perm Krai, Russia, located in the Ural Mountains at the confluence of the Iren and Shakhva Rivers into the Sylva River (Kama's basin). Kungur was founded 17 kilometers above the Iren River's mouth on the banks of the Kungurka River in 1648. In 1662, it was burnt by Bashkirs. In 1663, it was rebuilt as a fortress on the place of the village of Mysovskoye. In the beginning of the 18th century, leather and footwear industries started to develop here, and in 1724, a tannery was built. By the mid-18th century, Kungur became one of the most populated areas in the Urals.Among the notable buildings in Kungur are the Transfiguration Church (1781), Nikola Cathedral, former Guest courtyard with the Burse (1865–76, architect R. O. Karvovsky), the Zyryanov Hospice (1881, now the surgical department of a hospital), the 19th century storehouses of the Kopakov merchants (now a culture center).

Thanks Nikita!

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GERMANY #17

Velen is a municipality in the district Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with about 12,000 citizens. It consists of the two settlements of Velen and Ramsdorf and the four rural regions Ostendorf-Krueckling, Bleking-Holthausen, Nordvelen and Waldvelen. In 2003 the city received the title "staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort" (recreation village approved by the state) from the regional president. Since August 2012 it is a town.

Thanks Silke!

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LITHUANIA #1

The Hill of Crosses (Lithuanian: Kryžių kalnas) is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. The precise origin of the practice of leaving crosses on the hill is uncertain, but it is believed that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising. Over the centuries, not only crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots, statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. The exact number of crosses is unknown, but estimates put it at about 55,000 in 1990 and 100,000 in 2006. On September 7, 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the Hill of Crosses, declaring it a place for hope, peace, love and sacrifice. In 2000 a Franciscan hermitage was opened nearby. The interior decoration draws links with La Verna, the mountain where St. Francis received his stigmata. The hill remains under nobody's jurisdiction; therefore people are free to build crosses as they see fit.

Thanks Ruta!

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SPAIN #1

Ghana, officially called the Republic of Ghana, is a sovereign multinational state and unitary presidential constitutional democracy, located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2, Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. 

Thanks Estela!

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FINLAND #2

Källa Old Church is a former church on the Swedish island Öland, in the Baltic Sea. It was abandoned by its congregation during the 19th century but is still used occasionally during summer. The building has three storeys, of which the ground floor was used as a church. Externally it retains much of its original appearance; however the sacristy is from the 1760s and the roof shingle dates from the 17th century, and minor alterations have been made throughout the centuries. Internally almost nothing remains of the original furnishings. The church was re-decorated during the early 19th century and most of these furnishings were installed in the new church when it was built, or sold. The altar is however the medieval original

Thanks Minna!

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CZECH REPUBLIC #3

Old Town Square is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and the Charles Bridge.The square features various architectural styles including the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Týn, it has been the main church of this part of the city since the 14th century, the church's towers are 80 m high. Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock located at the Old Town Hall, the clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working. Among many churches, tourists may find the Baroque St. Nicholas Church, while the tower at the Old Town Hall offers a panoramic view of Old Town. An art museum of the Czech National Gallery is located in Kinský Palace.

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Thanks Helena!

NETHERLANDS #6

Kos or Cos (Greek: Κως) is a Greek island of the group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. The island measures 40 by 8 kilometres (25 by 5 miles), and is 4 km (2 miles) from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey, and the ancient region of Caria. The island constitutes a municipality within the Kos regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Kos town.The island has a population of 33,388.

Thanks Tonny!

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BULGARIA #2 Direct Swap

The Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex is an open-air museum and a neighbourhood of Gabrovo (8 km south of its center) in northern Bulgaria. It is located on the northern edge of the Bulgarka Nature Park, between the park and the city of Gabrovo. It presents the Bulgarian customs, culture and craftsmanship. It spans over an area of 7 ha and contains a total of 50 objects, including water installations and houses with craftsmen's workshops attached. As a whole, the complex's goal is to illustrate the architecture, way of life and economy of Gabrovo and the region during the Bulgarian National Revival.

Thanks Stela!

GERMANY #12 Direct Swap

Chemnitz, known from 1953 to 1990 as Karl-Marx-Stadt, is the third-largest city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the Freistadt Sachsen. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is part of the Central German Metropolitan Region. The city's economy is based on the service sector and manufacturing industry. Chemnitz University of Technology has around 10,000 students.

Thanks Carina!

Sent on: 30/01/2015

Received on: 14/02/2015

Travel time: 15 days

GERMANY #9

Duisburg is a German city in the western part of the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet) in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is an independent metropolitan borough within Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf. With the world's biggest inland harbor and its proximity to Düsseldorf International Airport, Duisburg has become an important venue for commerce and steel production. In the early middle ages it was a royal court of the Franks, first mentioned in writing in 883.

Thanks Monika!

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NETHERLANDS #2 Direct Swap

Trier historically called Treves in English, is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It may be the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC (contested with Worms, Kempten, and Cologne). The city is the oldest seat of a bishop north of the Alps. In the Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Trier was an important prince of the church, as the Archbishopric of Trier controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. The Archbishop also had great significance as one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire.

Thanks Gerdientje!

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CROATIA #5 Direct Swap

Pregrada is a town and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia. In the 2011 census, there were 6,594 inhabitants in the following settlements. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Pregrada was a district capital in the Varaždin County of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia.

Thanks Darko!

Sent on: 29/12/2014
Received on: 13/01/2015
Travel time: 15 days

POLAND #9 & #10 Direct Swap

Łódź  is the third-largest city in Poland. Located in the central part of the country. The city's coat of arms is an example of canting: depicting a boat, it alludes to the city's name which translates literally as "boat."

The Beskids or Beskid Mountains is a traditional name for a series of mountain ranges in the Carpathians, stretching from the Czech Republic in the west along the border of Poland with Slovakia up to Ukraine in the east.

Thanks Anna!

Sent on: 23/10/2014

Reeived on: 08/01/2015

Travel time: 77 days

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

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

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

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