more German bread

In my profile, I request a few things, among them local cuisine and beverages, as well as favorite recipes. This postcard comes with both of these things! The sender includes a recipe for farmer’s bread (Bauernbrot) which includes some ingredients that might be difficult to get in the US: fresh yeast (I’ll have to find the appropriate substitution of active dry) and beet syrup (I’m thinking either barley malt syrup or pomegranate molasses). I’ll let you know how it works out!

they judged Jesus (Germany)

The sender of this postcard lives in Germany but picked this postcard up in Graz, Austria. It depicts a window in the Graz Parish Church that is of some controversy, apparently. In the upper right-hand corner you see two faces which are Hitler and Mussolini, joining in on the judgement of Jesus.

The sender of this postcard asks whether this scenery is appropriate for a church; I personally think that any condemnation of unrepentant murders and dictators is warranted and welcome, no matter the setting. But what do you think?

Buckler non-alcoholic beer (New Hampshire)

Some people really dislike handmade postcards or advertising postcards, but they don’t bother me! In this case, the sender cut this postcard out of the box that the near-beer came in! What a fun way to re-purpose packaging!

cuttlefish chess (California)

This postcard comes from my former student YL whose boyfriend brought this postcard to her on a surprise visit from Taiwan. It’s really cute! Of course, sepia plangon is a species of cuttlefish, known in English as “mourning cuttlefish.” If my Chinese translation is correct, there’s a pun happening here. The cuttlefish says to itself “傑出的一手” or “outstanding first hand,” a pun on the many “hands” that the cuttlefish has, and the opening move of chess.

Yasaka no to, Hokanji, Kyoto (Japan)

This is a beautiful postcard of Kyoto, Japan, even though the sender lives in Gunma Prefecture. I don’t know a lot about Japanese geography, but I had never heard of Gunma Prefecture before, nor its important cities: Maebashi (capital) and Takasaki (largest city). I love this night scene, and I’m curious about the red trail that was left through. Is it a bicycle light?

skyline (Hong Kong)

This is a really gorgeous postcard that I received today from Hong Kong. I haven’t visited yet but I hope to soon!

Key Lime Pie (Illinois)

This postcard comes from a bilingual (Spanish/English) teacher in Illinois! I’ve never been a big fan of cream pies, but this pie is so famous it might be worth trying. I wonder if I can get Key limes in California?

el Museo Guggenheim en Bilbao (Spain)

Aparte de las postales que recibo de mis amigos, no recibo muchos de España en Postcrossing. No sé si es culpa del algoritmo o quizás que no haya muchos españoles que usen el servicio. De todas maneras, el País Vasco es una de las muchas regiones que no he visitado, pero me gustaría muchísimo verla. Desde los primeros días de mi aprendizaje de español, he leído sobre el vasco como idioma y cultura, y me fascina. Es quizás el primer idioma indígeno/minoritario que conocí (aparte de los americanos más locales a mí). Desde entonces, siempre he querido saber más sobre los idiomas no oficiales o demi-oficiales de Europa.

calligraphy, two ways (Japan)

This postcard features calligraphy in two styles. On the right is a style that I find completely illegible. It’s so artistic and beautiful that I think it must take significant training and concentration to even read it, much less produce it! On the right is a much clearer style of writing, although there are a few words that I’d have a hard time reproducing myself (I have no idea what it says, of course).

la Boisserie (France)

I’m writing this entry in English because Dominique’s postcard highlighted a strong cultural difference between the US and France that I wanted to share with people who might not know much about France (but might know a lot about my home country). This is former French president Charles de Gaulle’s office from his private residence La Boisserie in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises.

I think to a US audience, it will not be surprising at all to learn that de Gaulle’s private residence has since been converted into a museum. This is especially the case because if an American can name any French president, present or past, it will likely be Charles de Gaulle (his name on the main airport in Paris doesn’t hurt matters either).

But as Dominique writes, “it is relatively rare that a President of the French Republic have his own memorial.” This is absolutely not the case for US presidents, who have been building their monuments to their own grandeur for decades. One of my favorite podcasts has a great episode precisely on these Yankee Pyramids. Imagine, my fellow Americans, a country that isn’t littered with countless and forgettable grandiose, expensive mausoleums to dead presidents’ hubris!

le Chat blanc (France)

A former student and now friend of mine sent me this delightful postcard from the Musée d’Orsay, which he visited over the holiday break from Sweden where he’s studying abroad. This is another case of wishing I could show you the postage, because he writes that the museum didn’t disappoint at all. However, he was disappointed by the postal system because they only gave him this “funny stamp” that didn’t have any adhesive or glue! I kind of like the stamp (some sort of anime, I think, known as “Goldorak” in Francophone places and “Grendizer” in Anglophone places). I like the juxtaposition of the anime with this 1894 painting by Pierre Bonnard.

Haupstadt Berlin (Germany)

Are there any German speakers out there who can help me with this card? Is this redundant? Haupstadt by itself I guess isn’t necessarily redundant, but when it’s paired with Berlin, I guess it is. Or maybe it’s a fixed expression? I haven’t been to Berlin yet, either, even though so many of my friends have highly recommended it to me. Some day!

vintage pulp fiction cover illustrations (Pennsylvania)

This postcard is really fun since it’s a vintage cover illustration of an old pulp fiction novel! As an avid reader, I can truly appreciate beautiful cover art, although for the past few years, I’ve been reading mostly on e-readers. While I love the e-ink features as it’s easy on the eyes, it does mean I miss out on the beautiful graphics and illustrations that so often come with books.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Massachusetts)

Also on Postcrossing, I suggest people send me touristy postcards. It’s funny because a lot of Postcrossers prefer not to receive touristy postcards; maybe that already have so many, and I guess they can all start to look the same after a while. But I love them! They especially give me an idea of what to do the next time I’m visiting that place. In this case, it’s the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which this sender says is “one of '[their] go-to recommendations for anyone visiting.” Perfect!

tea and macarons (Canada)

On my Postcrossing profile, I suggest people send lots of different kinds of cards, and this sender has chosen a delicious treat! I love this style of tea glass, although I don’t own any. What do you call this style of glass?

postal items (Oregon)

Here is another excellent postcard from my dear friend Linda in Portland. I particularly love this style of postcard by Lou Paper, and I highly recommend others to browse the Etsy shop. A while ago, Linda gifted me a great variety of their postcards and I loved them so much that I went back and bought 100 more!

Alice au Pays des Merveilles (France)

Ceci est une carte postale venue de mon ancienne étudiante Faith, qui étudiait à Oxford et passait des temps dans la France, un de ses pays préférés. Elle écrit d’avoir appris sur Lewis Carroll et une vrai fille Alice Liddel, qui doit avoir inspiré le roman si célèbre! J’adore l’art-ci, et aussi le timbre que - malheureusement - vous ne pouvez pas voir. Merci, Faith!

the Dark (Wisconsin)

This postcard arrives from the Great Lakes region, from a fan of old sci-fi movies, both the good and the bad! I am also a lover of science fiction. I think part of it was inspired by the space operas and other science fiction (especially, Robert Heinlein) that my father used to read to me, him sitting on one end of the couch reading out loud and me on the other end watching the pipe smoke curl around our heads. I remember his hearty laughter at jokes about military rank that I lacked all context to understand. In my memory, he would plead with me “But a Rear Lieutenant could never be so insubordinate to a Left Reverend Platoon Admiral!” I had no patience for military ranks or the subtleties thereof, but I enjoyed the time together and the stories of fantastic worlds and creatures.

Sleeping Beauty story sketch (California)

Another terrific card from our friends Kimee and Michael, this one a story sketch by a Disney Studio artist originally in ink and crayon. I haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty since I was very young; although I’m not typically a big Disney fan, this one might be worth a re-watch, given it’s from 1959!

le campanile de Santa Maria del Fiore (Italy)

Ça peut semble incroyable mais voici une des peu cartes postales que j’ai reçoies de l’Italie. Celle-ci a été envoyé par mon ami Dominique pendant un voyage à l’étrangère. Je n’ai jamais visité la Florence, mais j’espère pouvoir la voir très tot. Dominique m’envoie des conseilles pour obtenir un très bon Chianti (il semble qu’il faut chercher l’etiquette avec un coq noir). Un jour, je vais gouter du vin et manger un bon repas avec Dominique. Jusqu’à ce jour-là, on a toujours des cartes postales. Grazie!