BORING POSTCARDS

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

THE BIG SLEEP BORING POSTCARD (yawn) FROM KATERINA

Time for boring Holiday Postcards?

FOUR BORING GREEK POSTCARDS OF THE METEORA MONASTERIES FROM KATERINA  Thanks Katerina!

The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area.

I have cycled around these monasteries, but not up to the top of them.

SAINTS ALIVE! NO, THEY ARE NOT SAINTS BUT EMPEROR JUSTINIAN WITH HIS  RITENUE (sic) AND EMPRESS THEODARA WITH HER COURT. Emperor Val thanks Empress Katerina for these saintly postcards from the 6th century St Vitale church in Italy

TWO MORE GREEK ONES FROM KATERINA

1. Greek feet (size 44 1/2)

2. The Byzantine Walls of Thessaloniki (Katerina lives near here)

IF I HAD A HAMMER, OR A RED HAT .... I HAVE NEITHER, JUST THESE BORING POSTCARDS FROM KATERINA

1.Panorama di Porto Maurizio da Borgo Marina, Imperia, Italy

2. 'Partial view of the town'...of Kymi, Greece

TWO XMAS THEMED BORING POSTCARDS FROM KATERINA

Oh Santa, won't you send me a Mercedes Benz?

2. Holiday Greetings from the Greek Junta (n 1967)

I dount  whether Putin will send holiday greeings to the Ukraine

THREE MORE BORING POSTCARDS FROM MIKEL

1. The Horloge de Jacquemart, Dijon, France

Ding, Dong, Bell...!

2. Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Spain

3. Cambrils, Costa la Daurada, Spain

Weird Beach Art Sculptures...and a nice lil blue fish

THREE ARTY ONES FROM KATERINA

16th BC Diadem from Mycénes, Athens National Museum

2.  Anne Ross, 'Palm Tree and White Rooftops

3; Lage glazed plate, 12th century, Ministry of Culture, Athens, Greece

PORTS AND CANALS FROM KATERINA

1. 'View of the Port of Koumie', Greece -- which only seems to have two boats in it

2; Corinth Canal, Greece -- with two more boats

The Canal  -- Lengh: 6343m; Width: 24m; Depth: 8m; Highest point above sea level: 75m

GREEK CHURCHES AND MONASTERIES COURTESY OF KATERINA

1. Notre Dame Koumbelidiki, Castoria

2. The Church of the Holy Anagyri, Kastoria

3. The Church at the Convent Saint Luke, Levadia

4.The Temple of Osios Loukas

5.The two churches of the Monastery of Hosios Loukas

6. 'The big church' of the Monastery of Hosios Loukas

THREE VERY BORING OLD POSTCARDS FROM YOUNG MIM

1.Tip-Top Motel, Kauai, Hawaii, USA

"Kauai's Most Centrally Located Motel...Where find food is served in an atmosphere of island hospitality. Home of the world famous Macadamia nut cookies".

(They might be world famous in Kauai, but are unknown where I live, says Val, who is a household nalme...in his own house.)

2. Hiwassee Lake, Western North Carolina, USA

"The lake is 22 miles long with 180 miles of shoreline. It covers 6,000 acres and is located in the heart of Nantahala National Forest."

3. Roadway Scene in the Heart of the Mountains", North Carolina, USA, I think

Lots of trees, but not much road

THREE MORE FROM MIM ON BOXING  DAY

1. South Bend YMCA, South Bend, IND, USA

It might look Boring, but...."South Bend YMCA, South Bend, Indian, ...A new $2m campus style YMCA serving all members of the family. Main building includes Olympic-size pool, Large Gym, 4 Handball Courts, 6 Class Rooms, Craft Room, Restaurant and 175 car-parking lot. Other buildings include Rifle-Pistol Range and Cooper Youth Centre with large athletic field."

Everything you could ever want at a Y including Lots of Capital Letters

2. Jo-El Motel, Elgin, Illinois, USA

"Beautiful -Relaxing-Clean [that's good to know!] JO-EL MOTEL, US 20 at 59 -R.R.1 - Box 134...Free TV -- Air Conditioned  (Theatre - Gold -Food - in immediate vicinity)"

3. Oakwood Center, Syracuse, Ind

"Building which was constructed in 1960 contains  a large auditorium, an educational wing with class rooms and an administrative wing with offices of Indiana Conference North, Evangelical United Brethren Church. Located in beautiful Oakwood Park on Lake Wawasee, Syracuse, Indiana".

And it's clean!

THREE MORE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA ON BOXING DAY

1. Riglos, Spain (with lots of goats)

2. La Grande Perspective, Versailles, France

3. Playa Blanca (Faro de Pechiguera), Lanzarote, Spain

VRIJTHOF, MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS, COURTESY of HELEEN DE VAAN

For many years in the 80's I had an office about 50 meters from Vrijthof, the main square in Maastricht.

Heleen writes, " I guess you can agree with me that this card is not boring!?!. Maybe you recognise some of the people on this card [alas, no]...maybe you were there for a drink? [who me?]...Anyhow, I've spent hours and hours (well some minutes) to look if I could see you among the people, which proves it isn't a boring card."

Thanks Helee, maybe I'm in the photo near the bus...or maybe not!

ANOTHER ONE FROM MIM, THIS TIME...

The Lobby and Dining Room, Monticello Hotel, Norfolk, VA, USA

Two things that might interest you, or not...

i) Concerning the Hotel Lobby: I spent the last 15-odd years of my actively working life as a lobbyist for an international ICT company in Brussels and London. I once gave a lecture on lobbying in the EEC (then the 'Common Market', now the 'European Union') to a group of US political science undergraduates on a joint programme at a Belgian University, and when I asked the students, "Tell me -- what do you think a lobbyist does?", I received the answer, "Why, a lobbyist works in a hotel lobby, of course!".

Later in the same lecture, I described where the institutions of the Common Market were located...Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, etc.  At the end of the lecture the same stuident who made the perceptive comment about what a lobbyist does, asked 'But WHERE is the Common Market?" "I told you -- Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg, etc." "Yes", she said, "I followed all of that, but WHERE is the market, because I want to buy some jeans and stuff." Oh deary me....

ii) There is no-one dining in the Hotel Dining Room. The absence of people in restaurants, cafes, dining rooms and other eating and drinking holes is found in a number of Boring Postcards. It makes me wonder why that is so? Will the place in question seem less attractive if there are people -- nor food, nor drink -- there? And why aren't there any people there -- is it that bad?

[Sorry for all this nonsense, but it has kept me busy for a few miinutes on an otherwise not very interetsing -- or, dare I say it? Boring -- post-Xmas morning]

ANOTHER ONE FROM KATERINA, THIS TIME OF....

The Town Center, Pyce Roussé, Bulgaria

A typical Soviet Union -influenced postcard -- everything clean and tidy, people well-positioned on the card, lots of greenery -- but almost NO CARS! (Not even a Lada  or a Wartburg)

ANOTHER ONE FROM HELEEN DE VAAN, THIS TIME OF....

 'Greetings from Wilgenhof', Eindhoven, the Netherlands

Vitalis Wilgenhof ('Wilgen' = Willows) is an old peoples' home.

Heleen points out that in 6 little photos there ae only 5 people, and ALL of the little photos have a very high Boring Rating (no people in the restaurant, no cars outside the building, etc...).

This Postcard must win the 'How Many Boring Pictures Can You Get On A Postcard Prize?'

Thanks Heleen...you are the lucky winner (and I hope you are not a resident of Vitalis Wilgenhof)

BORING POSTCARDS OF PARIS FROM AN OLD ALMANAC PREPARED FOR THE 1900 PARIS EXPOSITION: PART 1 (of about 4)

(with apologies for the quality of the photos but the Almanac is old and battered)

1.  Les Moulins à Montmartre2.  Montmartre

3. Le Lapin, Montmartre

4.  La Halle aux Vins

BORING POSTCARDS OF PARIS FROM AN OLD ALMANAC COLLECTION OF POSTCARDS PREPARED FOR THE PARIS EXHIBITION OF 1900 (part 1 of about 4)

(with apologies for the quality of the photos, but the Almanac is very old and quite battered)

1. Les Moulins à Montmartre

2. Montmartre

3. 'Le Lapin', Montmartre

4. La Halle aux Vins

PART 2 OF THE SERIES OF BORING POSTCARDS OF PARIS FROM AN OLD ALMANAC COLLECTION OF POSTCARDS PREPARED FOR THE PARIS EXHIBITION OF 1900 (2 more parts to come)

(again...with apologies for the quality of the photos, but the Almanac is very old and quite battered)

5. Un canot automobile, rue de l'Université

6. L'Avenue Bois de Bologne

7. La dentiste en plein air

8. Sortie du Metro

MORE FRENCH POSTCARDS -- THIS TIE FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA

1. Panoramic view of Paris, with Pont Neuf & Notre-Dame

2. Gargoyles at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

3. Basilique bronze door, Notre- Dame, Lyon

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO Y'ALL!

HERE IS THE THIRD AND PENULTIMATE PART OF THE SERIES OF BORING POSTCARDS OF PARIS FROM AN OLD ALMANAC COLLECTION OF POSTCARDS PREPARED FOR THE PARIS EXHIBITION OF 1900 (last part to follow soon)

9. Les Femmes Cocher

10. La prémiere colleuse d'affiches

12. Silhouettes Parisiennes

"Penultmate" part of the series? :-) (had to look that up)

and where is then the "last" part of the series? ...coming soon?

Fab old postcards...super interesting and "boring".

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023 to you, Val, and all here!

LAST PART OF THE SERIES OF BORING POSTCARDS OF PARIS FROM AN OLD ALMANAC COLLECTION OF POSTCARDS PREPARED FOR THE PARIS EXHIBITION OF 1900 (especially for you, Katerina!)

12. Port de Neuilly, la Station d'Autobus

13. Carrefour Richeliue- Drouot

14. Place de la Concorde

15. Place de la Concorde (un Autobus)

That's all, folks. C'est tous, mes amis.

TWO GREEK ONES FROM KATERINA -- THANKS!

1. Paliokastritsa Monastery, Cordu, Greece

2. The Theater, Dordone, Greece

Good to see that a few more have arrived, Val. So nice that mail to Europe is relatively "normal", as my mail to the USA is taking 2 months!! AACK! Real snail mail, sigh.

Thanks Katerina, your mail is arruiving in dtribs and drabs, and with not much coherence between your postage dates and when they arrive here. Am about to post 4 more. Keep em comin', please!

FOUR MORE GREEK ONES FROM KATERINA --thanks again, MomKat

1.Carystos, Greece

2. Iviron Monastery, Mt Azthos, Greece

3. 'Beautiful Macrinista', Pelion, Greece

4. Tempi's Valley, Greece

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

1. Arad, Romania

2. Kowloon Park, Hong Kong

3. Playa Blanca, Lanzarote, Spain

ANOTHER THREE FROM MIKEL  -- thanks, thanks and thanks

1. Punta a camello, Parque Nacional de Timanlaya, Lanzarote, Spain

2. 'Easternmost tip of the Americas', Brazil?

3. La Pointe de la Cité et les Pints, Paris, France

TWO OLD SALONIkA STREET SCENES (AND A BIT OF HISTORY) FROM KATERINA -- THANKS AGAIN!

1.'Exohon Avenue (today's Vasilisis Olgas) in 1903".

Salonique = Salonica = Selonik = Thessaloniki. The street scene is during the Turkish Occupation (ie before 1912, and freedom from the Turks.)

2. Ethnikis Aminis Street and the Syntrivani in 1903

"Saloniue? For the city named after Alexander the Great --Thessaloniki Victory (nike) over Thessaly by their father Phillip, King of Macedons" explains Katerina. [And again a 1903 scene]

The Beskid Sądecki is a range located in the southern part of Poland and is the westernmost part of the Western Beskids. The region is very attractive in terms of tourism, mainly due to its beautiful landscapes (Poprad river gorge), numerous spas (mineral waters), rich cultural heritage of the region (e.g. Wooden Architecture Route), and folklore. The biggest tourist centres are the spa towns and villages located near the springs and mineral water intakes, such as Krynica-Zdrój, Muszyna, Piwniczna-Zdrój, Rytro, Żegiestów-Zdrój, as well as Szczawnica, located on the border of the Radziejowa Range and the Little Pieniny Mountains. Postcard form 1977 year.

YET ANOTHER THREE BORING POSTCARDS FROM MIKEL UNTZILLA -- ONE OF OUR MOST LOYAL CONTRIBUTORS!

1. Passeig Jaume 1, Salou, Spain

2. Loro Parque, Porto de la Cruz, Teneride, Spain

I have to ask myself "Why?"

People who are very drunk and hallucinating supposedly see pink elephants. But green ones? Three of them? In a row?

Remindq me of a Belgian beer called Delirium Tremens ....

Enough of that...back to Mikel's last Boring Postcard

3. Le Sacré-Coeur et la Place du Tertre, Paris, France

TWO BORING ONES FROM VAL -- Thank you Val!

1.Moon (by Chineasy)

This is really quite clever. There's a moon --obviously. But what is it seen through? A window? A chair? Nope -- it's the Chinese ideogram for 'moon' (yue). And it also means 'month'

2. Philatelovely

Very unlovely word, but a good UK supplier of stamp and philately stuff

Krakowskie Voivodeship (Cracow Region) - created in 1975 and lasted until the administrative reform of 1999. A postcard from 1978 shows a map of the region with the most attractive tourist destinations. It also features the coat of arms and a couple in folk costume.

Jelenia Góra region, postcard with a map of the region with most attractive tourist destinantiona, the region is located at the foot of the Krkonoše / Riesengebirge Mountains. Postcard from 1978.