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.
la poste française
This cute postcard came from a PostCrosser in norther-western France. I can imagine this on the side of a rain-beaten building along the coast. There’s something very romantic about northern coasts in Europe, isn’t there?
Schwäbisch Hall (Germany)
Here is a terrific postcard from Schwäbisch Hall in Germany, which is the name of the city (and not the building!). This is the eighth German postcard I’ve received from my great penpal Dominique. I always derive so much inspiration from them. Danke schön!
sparkling wine (Ukraine)
I already received this postcard from another private swap in Ukraine - how fun that it came twice, but this time through the official PostCrossing algorithm! Good things come when you list wine and spirits among your interests!
Messestadt Hannover (Germany)
I used to dislike multiview postcards, but lately they’ve been growing on me. The Germans and Dutch do a really good job with theirs, so I’ll look forward to receiving more both from these places and from the very many others on the planet! This postcard is from Hannover, a city where I have a good friend living with her family. Someday, I hope to visit.
Lausanne-Ouchy (Switzerland)
I’ve received relatively few postcards from Switzerland, so this one was quite nice to receive. In fact, I’ve been to Lausanne and Genève (Geneva in English). I’ve even stared out across this beautiful Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in French?!) before - but it’s been years since I was there last (2005), so I’m eager as always to return.
the Pulpit Rock (Norway)
This beautiful postcard arrived from Norway from two former students: FX and XY. The back includes really stunning calligraphy as well! Not only is it beautiful, but I can read it, too - which is no shade on the artist, but a little boost to me. :-)
One of the other reasons this postcard means so much to me is that it’s the same subject as one of the first postcards I received via Postcrossing way back in March 2008! Fantastic!
garden help (Canada)
This postcard comes from my penpal Ray in British Columbia. As the days get longer and warmer, he writes about his eagerness to get out into the garden and get things ready for spring. Here’s to growth and renewal in spring!
Terminus absinthe (Indiana)
My penpal Kimberly sent this postcard to me in response to one I sent from Napa Valley where we were wine-tasting. She and I share an interest in wine, although our favorite wines are somewhat different. She wrote that this postcard is how she imagines Andy and me tasting wine. On the one hand, she’s not far off. On the other, I wish I were this dapper!
Oscar Wilde quote (Texas)
This postcard comes from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (a term I’ve always hated), which is actually my old stomping grounds from during my Master’s at the University of North Texas. Of course, Oscar Wilde is always a hit and the gears here are a great representation of his genius.
Perm (Russia)
The sender of this postcard lives in Perm, a city I’d never heard of (not surprising given my very poor knowledge of Russian geography). It turns out, it’s a city of over 1 million and still the 14th largest city in Russia! The sender enjoys cycling and running during the summer, and during the winter raises tropical plants and cacti indoors!
green Dorsten (Germany)
The sender of this postcard writes that Dorsten is a city in the west of Germany that used to be a mining town. But since the mines closed, the city has gotten greener and greener with each passing season. I think the same could be said for the city I used to live in in France. Would that all cities followed this model!
rainbow Taiwan
This rainbow image of Taiwan is particularly appropriate, given it’s the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriages. I also love the Chinese and English names of major cities. There are still a ton I want to visit, but I have a good start already.
Maison Kammerzell (France)
J’ai tellement aimé cette carte postale, envoyé par Dominique, de la Maison Kammerzell à Strasbourg en Alsace. Il m’a écrit sur les mélanges des influences des regions voisines. L’Alsace devient de plus en plus un lieu que je veux vraiment connaître!
Books Actually (Texas)
Although this postcardostcrossing.com/postcards/US-8205725 comes from Texas, the bookstore it depicts is called Books Actually and is located in Tiong Bahru, Singapore. I love seeing the overt representation of the pride flag - I wonder how common this kind of thing is in Singapore?
Sister Fairy Liquid Gold (California)
I’m so used to seeing the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in full, vivid, raucous color so this start black-and-white image, seated is a real shock. The back of the postcard declares boldly (and correctly): AIDS: complacency is genocide.
I’m curious, dear readers. Will you please comment (or email me) to let me know whether you have heard of PrEP? I’m linking it here, but let me know if you’d heard of this before I linked you to it. When you let me know if you’d heard of PrEP, please tell me your gender(s) and sexuality(ies). I have a hypothesis I’m testing here…
maze of books (Oregon)
Who among us avid readers hasn’t dreamt of a cozy book nook packed to the rafters with dog-eared old favorites and shiny tomes as yet unread? Among the many things that my friend Linda and I share in common is our shared love of reading, so this postcard is the perfect missive from her cooking, reading, and emergency preparation adventures in Portland!
Palanga (Lithuania)
I’ve been interested in Lithuania ever since I learned that a famous poet and I share the same last name. Although I know that my last name comes from immigrants to the US from Germany, Germans I’ve spoken to say it’s not a common last name. Perhaps it was re-spelled upon arrival in the US, or maybe that part of my family comes originally not from Germany but from Lithuania. This is not so hard to imagine given the political history of the region!
What a beautiful place Lithuania looks like in this postcard. Someday I hope to visit it myself!
Munich (Germany)
Dominique m’a envoyé cette carte postale depuis ses vacances en Allemagne. Ils ont choisi de visiter ce pays voisin à cause de la pandémie et les incertitudes liées. Ici, nous nous démandons les mêmes questions: si on va partir à l’étrangère, où aller donc? On ne veut absolument pas être attrappé dans un pays ailleurs sans possibilité de rentrer chez soi. On ne veut nonplus remporter le virus d’ici en là-bas… Nous ésperons pouvoir voyager dan le futur prochain.
Oulu (Finland)
The truth is that I know very little about Finnish geography; I can only name two Finnish cities: Helsinki and Turku (and this last one only because a very good friend of mine lived there for many years). This postcard comes from Oulu in Finland, another city to add to my list. Like so many Finnish cities, it looks really beautiful and I hope I can visit it someday!
Virtual Valentine’s Meetup (Finland)
My penpal Jussi sent me this postcard from Finland and it features dozens of signatures. For a virtual meetup, I have no idea how they managed to get so many signatures, stamps, and names. It’s really a feat of organization if they managed to send dozens of postcards around the city (or country!) for signatures. So amazing.