BORING POSTCARDS

FROM HELEEN -- BEDANKT! I don't know if it's Boring, but it's certainly Weird

Yeah, "from Heleen--Bedankt "(I don't know if its's boring, but it's certainly weird" comment by Val M.H.) ----that's  sorta my habitual reaction to the things posted at "Boring Postcards"---- I don't know what to think or how to react. 

Dare Mr Canard, look at the 'Interesting Postcards' part of this. I thought it might encourage discussions about weirdness and other not-necessarily-boring things. It didn't; the last psot on it was 2 years and one day ago. It didn't work. And that's weird too.

Ełk (German: Lyck ) - a city in north-eastern Poland, in the  Masuria Region (earlier Ostpreussen). The largest and most populous city in Masuria and the main industrial and cultural centre in the region. The postcard was sent in 1969 and shows views of different parts of the city.

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA

1. Playa Flamingo, Lanzarote, Spain (but the flamingos seem to have flammed off)

2. Les Gorges du Tarn, France

3; La salle des Gardes, Le Chateau, Langeais, France

THANKS MIKEL!

I SET OUT 5 'STANDARD QUESTIONS' WHEN I STARTED THIS GROUP:

* first, why did someone want to make a postcard of this particular boring subject?

* second, why did some printer and some seller think they could make money from this Boring Postcard?

* third, why did anyone buy this Boring Postcard? Was it a deliberate choice, or were there no other more interesting postcards available?

* fourth, in choosing and sending this Boring Postcard, what message did the sender mean to convey?

Les Pissotières (urinals), Place de la bastille, Paris, France

Lovely¡ Thanks.

Monument - tank. In Czarnków, as many as three hundred Soviet soldiers who fought for the Czarnków area were laid to rest in Freedom Square. In the middle of the square, a monument - a T-34 tank - was erected to commemorate those events. In 1945, three hundred Soviet soldiers who fell in the fight to liberate the land of Czarnków were buried in the square. In 1945, it was not in the best of shape. Earlier, it had been shot at by a German cannon, while its commander was killed. The Soviet tank-monument from Czarnków has been gone since Thursday, 17 March 2006. A tank that has become a symbol of the city. "This is history, it is worth witnessing it," - they said. Punctually at 9 a.m., the dismantling of the tank began. Its lifting and setting up on a trailer took more than an hour. The only thing that fell off was the old tracks, which had been sealed with concrete. The monument stood for more than 60 years - its erection was decided by the Soviet commander of the city in March 1945. The tank was to commemorate the soldiers who were buried here, among others. Postcard send in 1975.

Raphael, Thanks for the tank card.

This is from the BBC today:

Łódź - a large city in central Poland, associated with the development of the spinning industry in the 19th century. The monument consisted of 2 T-34 tanks. It was erected after World War II after the creation of a military "district" (barracks, officers' blocks, WAM) around Haller Square (then 9 Maja Square). In 1992, the tanks were transferred to the Museum of the Polish Army in Warsaw. To this day, many residents of the district do not say: "on Haller Square" but "by the tanks". Postcard send in 1976.

Łódź Teofilów - such a district of the city, postcards from around 1976 - 1978. Older residents of the Teofilów estate certainly remember when an aircraft stood on a plinth at the site of today's symbol of Teofilów. It was a TS-8 Bies, constructed for training purposes. The machine appeared on the Teofilów estate in the 1970s, and disappeared from the urban landscape in the 1990s. During this time, the place was a landmark for many residents, who used to meet up for meetings 'by the plane'.

BORING POSTCARDS EXHIBITION -- HELP!

I have put together a collection of Boring Postcards that I will exhibit in Sigean France in November, and, hopefully in many other places.

It consists of 42 A3 pages, divided into 18 sections (roads; hotels and motels; beaches; transport: etc)

I am writing to you to see if you can help me with the marketing.

I hope to sell this exhibition to a number of galleries (library, art school, institution, café, etc) in several different countries.

The exhibition is in the form of a 42 page ready-to-print exhibition that can be supplied in a high-resolution A3 format PDF download.

If a gallery is interested in purchasing it (for €100, $100), all it has to do is to print it out...and then display it. It takes up about 9m of hanging space.

Can you help me by providing names of any galleries, etc that might be interested in buying it, please? Then I will approach them.

I can send you a short marketing version of this Boring Postcard exhibition if you send me your email address (mine is billytulip1956@yahoo.com), as it is too large to send via IUOMA.

I hope you can help.

Long Live Boring Postcards!

Val

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA --  3 TIMES THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

1. Gyeongog Palace, Seoul, Korea

2. Salou, Costa Daurada, Spain

3. Ordesa National Park, Spain

THANKS TO JEAN-PHILIPPE GILLIOT, AND TWO QUESTIONS FOR BRADFORD

Bradord:

i) what make of car is this? (easy?)

ii) what is the model year? (more difficult?)

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA -- THANKS AGAIN MIKEL!

1. Berdun, Italy

2. Playa Flamingo, Lanzarote, Spain

Aptly named, as thyere's only one flamingo there (to the right of the right-hand palm tree)

3. Salou, Spain

TWO FROM BRADFORD in DEADWOOD, SD -- thanks Bradford!

1. Scenic (sic) US 60, West Virginia

2.  Home of Salina, Board of Trade, Salina, Kansas

FROM ANNE WHO WENT TO PORTUGAL (by plane, not train)

"Oporto is known as the Invicta. The city that gave its (sic) name to Portugal. It is also a City known worlwide for its (sic) Wine, its (I can't go on...), and ancient and contemporary Architecture." [But not it's trains]

"The Historic Center is classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. This project intends to expand through the art of Photography, this noble City." But not it's trains]

TWO FROM SOME SORT OF DESIGN ACADEMY IN MAASTRICHT (NL). NOT ONLY ARE THEY BORING, BUT THE SELECTION AND JUXTAPOSITION OF IMAGES IS BIZARRE

MOST BATHROOMS ARE GREEN,  BUT VIVIANE JOAKIM'S IS GREEN

'LA SAUTEUSE' ('The Jumper') BY SYLVIE BLOCHER

This work can be seen at the Musée des Arts Contemporains au Grand-Hornu in Belgium.

Sylvie has nearly finished her training with the 4th Division of the  Belgian Air Force Parachute Corps;

We wish her a safe landing.

BORING 'SELF-PORTRAIT'* POSTCARD FROM THE NETHERLANDS

* the hand and the glass are part of this 'self-portrait', but anyone who knows me will tell you that I am more, er, dashingly handsome than this guy

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA -- THANKS AGAIN, MIKEL!

1. Place de la Concorde, Paris, France

2. Salou, Spain3. Castillo de Loarre, Spain

FROM GEORGIE STONE -- AMERICAN AIRLINES LEARNING CENTER, DALLAS/FORT WORTH AIRPORT, TEXAS, USA -- Thanks Georgie.

THREE VINTAGE ONES FROM KATERINA -- MERCY BUCKETS MOM KAT!

1. Spa and Health Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria

2. Swans at Lac Léman, Switzerland, Swanning About

3. Morning Bath, Greece (note the modesty of the donkey wearing a yellow halter top)

SOMEONE (I Think from France) SENT ME THESE, BUT I HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO THAT 'SOMEONE' WAS -- APOLOGIES 'SOMEONE', AND THANKS/MERCI

1. Barletta, Teatra Comunale Curci (Italy?)

2. Chapel Bridge with Water Tower, Lucerne, Switzeland

3. Chateaux de la Loire, Chaumont Sur Loire, Valoire, France

4. Mortehoe and Woolacombe, England

5. Dartmouth Castle, Devon, England

"The twin castles of Darmouth and Kingswear guard the mouth of the River Dart, Devon's beautiful river. The towns are reached by roads A 379 and B 3205." And, when you get there, don't forget to buy a Boring Postcard (or two).

Egypt, Karnak, the famous avenue of sphinxes near the temple. A postcard from 1974, with a commemorative stamp of the Polish military, on duty with the UN in the Golan Heights, among other places.

18.10.22 Dare Mister Valentine Mark Herman,   ...I'm certainly not complaining, but I hardly ever see a "boring postcard" here anymore---exotica, exotica--- galore!!!(or does that response simply point out my lack of awareness & a meager geographic sophistication?)...& turning the opera house upside down only made it more glorious. SinCelery, Richard Canard   

QUESTION: WHAT IS IT?

Answer: A prehistoric 'hand-print' in a Spanish cave

                                  QUESTIONS: 

i) WHY ARE 5 OUT OF 6 GUATAMALAN CHILDREN RIGHT-HANDED?

ii) WHAT ARE THEY WRITING?

                                                ANSWERS

i) I don't know -- do you?

ii) Boring Postcards?

Kielce - a city in south-eastern Poland, the capital of the Świętokrzyskie region. Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, on the Silnica River, historically in Lesser Poland. A postcard from 1982, it shows a plan of the city, blocks of flats of a housing cooperative, the Central Hotel and an amphitheatre in a former quarry.

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA -- FOR WHICH MANY THANKS

1. Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

What a name for a beach! Is it repulsive, or is something being repulsed?

Note the strategically placed garbage bin, front center!

2. Hotel des Monnaies, Cour d'Honneur, Paris, France

3. Puerto de Somport, French-Spanish border

TWO FROM BONNEVIDIVA --FEATURING WILEY AND GEORGE WASHINGTON. Thanks Bonnediva!

1.George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, Virginia

2. Wiley's Wood

Hands up§ And show your navel, young lady bottom right.

"Great Wolf Lodge combines the rustic charm of a northwoods lodge with the amenities of a contemporary resort. Wiley's Woods is a four-story, 20,000 square foot live video game adventure. Just one of the many fun, family-oriented attractions at our award-winning resort."

(Would you take your family there? I wouldn't)

EMPTY AND UNINTERESTING STREET IN COLLIOURE, FRANCE

Piła Region - an area comprising 42 municipalities, 414,000 inhabitants. A tourist region - picturesquely situated towns and resorts on lakes, an abundance of forests. Piła (German: Schneidemühl) - the hometown of Stanisław Staszic, completely rebuilt after the war damage in 1945. Postcard from 1977, and in the photos: Piła - monument to Stanislaw Staszic; Zakrzewo - monument to the Defenders of the Land of Zlotow; Wągrowiec - resort on Lake Durowskie; bunkers of the Pomeranian Wall (1945).

FOUR LONG AND THIN RUSSIAN ONES FROM JARINA AND HER CAT LAPJE -- THANKS AND MIAOU!

(the colours on the postcards are not very sharp, alas)

1. The Yauza River at the Andronikovsky Monastery, and the Portal of the Cathedral of the Saviour (15th century)

2. The Pushkin Monument, Moscow

3. Metro Bridge at Lushniki

4. The CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic assistance) Building, Moscow

THREE FROM THE FAMOUS FRENCH POETESS NADIA ESTABAN

1. Main entrance to  Carcassone Cité, France

2. 'Le Jacques Cartier'

3. International Exhibition Paris, 1931: Temple Ankar Vat

FOUR POSTCARDS FROM JARINA AND LAPJE FROM THE OLD SOVIET UNION

(I think they are from Moscow, but I can't read the description of them as it's in Russian.....Help Raphael or someone?)

TWO FROM MIM OF THE US CAPITOL (shouldn't that be CapitAl?)

1. The US Capitol 'Printed by the blind at CPI)

Usually, there are 3 +1 elements to a postcard -- on one side, a photo or other visual image, and on the other side a space to write a message, and a space for the address. (The +1 is for the stamp). But look at the reverse side of this postcard....

A 'Private Mailing Card' (as opposed to a 'Public Mailing Card'?) 'Authorized by Act Of Congress -- May 19, 1898'. NB a'Card' not a 'Postcard'.

And 'This side for the address.' So no room for a message, which is why MV Griffin wrote on the bottom of the photo, 'We are here in Washington for a week, having a georgeous time.

2. The South Hall of Entrance Pavilion, Library of Congress

Again 'This side for the address'.

I can't make out what the message on the front of the card says -- can you

TWO from KATERINA TELLING US A BIT ABOUT PLANNING PERMISSION FOR BUILDINGS IN GREECE

1;The Monastery of Stvronikita

However did they get planning permission to add this luxury terraced appartment?

2.'The House where Ali-Pasha was killed', Ioannina

Mr Wiki tells us who Ali-Pasha was:

Ali Pasha of Ioannina (1740 – 24 January 1822), was an Albanian ruler who served as pasha of a large part of western Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territories, which was referred to as the Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioannina, and the territory he governed incorporated central and southern Albania, most of Epirus and the western parts of Thessaly and Greek Macedonia.

He had a gruesome death, but read about it for yourself on Mr Wiki, as I don't want to spoil your fun.

PS I don't think Ali-P needed planning permission for this shack

Sure, it is just "penmanship" on that Library of Congress card,

...something that the computer generation does not know how to write or read?

It says:

"Your letter of Feb. 8th received.

I wrote you recently. Let me know

as soon as it arriving (sic) how & where you

will from me. Am not well and 

may be feverish......(illegible?)

on sailing date ...

will make every effort to do so...

and along the edge to the sign-off:

"as I know...it will be best (?)

Will try & write soon

Glad you are happy,

Lots of Love "

TWO SPANISH AND ONE FRENCH BORING POSTCARD FROM MIKEL UNTZIAA...thanks Mikel!

1. Pina Collarada, Spain

2. Salou, Costa Daurada, Spain

3. Porte St Denis, Paris, France

On the reverse side: 'A utiliser seulement dans le Service Intérieur 'France, Algérie et Tunisie)

FROM KATERINA: "IT'S A GIRL;;;" But is it Katerina??

THREE GREEK SPELEOLOGICAL ONES FROM KATERINA -- merci!

1. St George's Hill Cave, Kilkis, Greece

2.  Waterfall 2, St George's Hill Cave, Kilkis, Greece

3. Caverns of Mani (The Duscus), Greece

Mani the Discus Thrower seems to have gone missing.

OLD POSTCARD OF THE CHAMBER OF BURGESSES, WILLIAMSBURG, VA, USA,  FROM (but not of) YOUNG MIM

"Chamber of the House of Burgesses in the reconstructed Capitol of 1705, Williamsburg, VA. On this hallowed spot, the young Patrick Henry delivered his famous, "Caesar-Brutus" speech against the Stamp Act in 1765."

In American History. a 'Burgess' was a representative in the popular branch of the colonial legislature of Virginia or Maryland.  (Is this Mary Burgess?)

"EDESSA IS NICE"  (especially in the summer)-- a selection from Katerina

Why is Edessa nice? Well, it has a waterfall, and a waterfall and a waterfall, and some Greek ladies in traditional costume if you look closely at the last postcard

FOUR OLD BORING POSTCARDS FROM MIM

1. Altar of Calvary, Franciscan Monastery, Washington DC. 1937

2. North Broadway, Baltimore, MD. 1910

One person, and not a car in sight.

3. Cardinal's Residence, Baltimore, MD. 1905

Not a Cardinal in sight.

4; Table Rock Scene near Oakland, Mountain Lake and Deer Park, MD. 1911

A PATRIOTIC BORING POSTCARD FROM THE NETHERLANS IN 1980, FROM JARINA (sad message at end of this)

Sad message: an earlier set of Boring Postcards featured here recently was from 'Jarina and Lapje' -- Jarina my Dutch friend, Lapje her evry old and much loved cat. Last week Lapje had to be put to sleep, alas)

NOTRE DAME DU PONT, NARBONNE CATHEDRALE, FRANCE -- FROM NADIA ESTABAN

A MIXED BUNCH OF BORING POSTCARDS FROM VAL HERMAN -- thanks Val!

1.Colonial fortifications, Castillo San Felipe, de BarajasCartagena de Indias, Colombia

2. Sheraton Hotel, Benin

'Principal Architect: Martial Sodogandji. Associate Architects: Nabil Fakhry and Bekaye Camara'.

I am sure that putting this information on the reverse of the Postcard really made a big difference to the Benin Sheraton.

3. Camping 'Marius', Costa Dorada, Tarragona

4. Monumento a Roldan, Puerto de Ibaneta, Navarra, Spain5. Les Lavezzi, Corsica, France