Snowmobiles at the Columbia Icefield

Outgoing postcard US-4005430 to Italy shows snowmobiles at the Columbia Icefield, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Snowmobiles are specially equipped vehicles, which enable summer visitors to tour the snow-covered Athabasca Glacier, one of the six tongues of the vast Columbia Icefield. In the background is the spectacular icefall at the head of the glacier.

During my visit to Canada in 1994, I took my first and only snowmobile ride on this very spot.

What Does Not Kills You Makes You Stronger

Outgoing postcard US-XXXXXXX to Italy was a motivation card with a quote What Does Not Kills You Makes You Stronger.

It was derived from what Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), the German philosopher, once said: "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."

Manarola, Italy

Postcard IT-250393 from Italy shows a view of Manarola, a small town in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, Italy.

The second smallest of the five famous Cinque Terre towns, Manarola, along with Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, and Riomaggiore, is part of a 1997 UNESCO World Heritage Site on a rugged portion of northern Italian coastlines. It could also be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dated from 1338.

On June 2 each year, Italy celebrates its National Day Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day) to commemorate the institutional referendum held by universal suffrage in 1946, when the Italian people went to the polls to decide what form of government they preferred, following World War II and the fall of Fascism. The result was 12,717,923 votes for a republic and 10,719,284 for the monarchy.

Giorgio Bassani

Postcard SG-171940 from Singapore shows a portrait of Giorgio Bassani by artist L. Lee. Giorgio Bassani (March 4, 1916 – April 13, 2000) was an Italian writer, poet, and editor. He was best known for the Oscar Award winning movie The Garden of the Finzi-Continis in 1970, based on his 1962 novel Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini exploring the city of Ferrara with its Christian and Jewish elements of life.

The Bridge of Sighs

Postcard US-3064047 to India shows the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian) in Venice, northern Italy. Designed by Antonio Contino and built of white limestone in 1600, it is an enclosed bridge with windows that have stone bars. Over the Rio di Palazzo, it connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace.

Legend says that the bridge's name was given by Lord Byron in the 1800s because the view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicted criminals saw before their long imprisonment. However, in reality, when the bridge was built, only small-time criminals were imprisoned in the cells under the palace roof. Also, there wasn't much to see from inside the bridge as those stone bars covered the windows.

According to Wikipedia, another legend says that lovers will be granted eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge while the bells of St Mark's Campanile ring. The 1979 movie A Little Romance, featuring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane, adopted this legend as its plot line.

I bought this vintage card at a stamp show.

Basilica of Superga

Postcard IT-288254 from Italy shows the Basilica of Superga church near Turin, Italy. Built from 1717 to 1731 for Victor Amadeus II of Savoy and located at the top of the hill of Superga, the church was designed by Italian architect and designer Filippo Juvarra in late Baroque style. Under the church, the Royal Crypt of the Basilica of Superga is the burial place of the House of Savoy, one of the oldest royal families in the world,

Happy 56th Birthday to Michael Jackson

Outgoing postcard US-2955783 to Italy was made of a magazine cutout from the August 2014 issue of Desert Companion, showing Michael Jackson ONE, a Cirque du Soleil production and a tribute to the work, innovative spirit, and legacy of Michael Jackson as the King of Pop, the genius, the visionary, and THE ONE through aerial performance, hip hop dances and acrobatics with vivid choreography by 63 cast members at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Today on August 29, 2014, Michael Jackson ONE show is celebrating what would have been Michael Jackson's 56th birthday with a special performance.

My favorite Michael Jackson song was his 1991 single "Black or White" from his eighth studio album Dangerous. He declared in the lyrics: "It don't matter if you're black or white" and "I ain't second to none." It also featured morphing animation for the first time in a music video, which seamlessly transformed human faces from various races, symbolizing the celebration and appreciation of diversity.

Piazza dei Miracoli

Postcard IT-278165 from Italy shows the Piazza dei Miracoli, which means "Square of Miracles", a wide walled area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. It is recognized for it's important role in European medieval art and architecture. Owned by the Catholic Church, the square is dominated by the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). It also hosts the New Hospital of the Holy Spirit that houses the Sinopias Museum and the Cathedral Museum. The Piazza dei Miracoli became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Dolomiti, Italy

Postcard IT-255128 from Italy shows the Dolomite mountain ranges in northeastern Italy. According to Wikipedia, those mountain ranges "form a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana). The Dolomites are nearly equally shared between the provinces of Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino." They are home to many regional parks. In 2009, the Dolomites were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nelson Mandela

Postcard IT-258885 from Italy shows a smiling Nelson Mandela in the front and his quote "It always seems impossible until it's done!" on the back. Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. USA Today has listed 15 of Nelson Mandela's Best Quotes; this is one of them.

House of Christopher Columbus in Genova, Italy

Postcard IT-251822 from Italy shows the house of Christopher Columbus in Genoa, reconstructed in the eighteenth century, where he lived in his youth.

Christopher Columbus, born between October 31, 1450 and October 30, 1451 in the Republic of Genoa and passed away on May 20, 1506, was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he carried out four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to discovery of the New World.

Now a museum of the City, the house is located not far from the Gates, just outside the ancient medieval walls . Historical records indicated that Christoper Columbus lived there between 1455 and 1470 .

Lake Como at Bellagio

Postcard IT-238410 came from Italy today. It shows Villa Melzi d'Eril by Lake Como at Bellagio in Italy. The villa features English style gardens built in harmony with the lake's banks, surrounded by high mountains. In Las Vegas, the design of Bellagio Hotel and Casino was infleunced by the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy, highlighted by the famous dancing water fountain synced with music on a man-made lake at its front gate.