Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara

Postcard US-3287382 to Switzerland shows a statue of Avalokiteśvara (观世音), a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas, who can be depicted, presented and portrayed in different forms in different cultures, even as either female or male.

The Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara (千手观音) shown on this card was based on a prominent Buddhist story of Avalokiteśvara vowing never to rest until he had helped all who were suffering. However, in spite of his strenuous efforts, he was struggling to meet the needs of so many. Amitābha (阿弥陀佛), the principal buddha, seeing his plight, gave him eleven heads to comprehend the cries of the suffering and a thousand arms to magnify his capacity of aid.

Bern, Switzerland

Postcard CH-214914 from Switzerland shows a satellite image of the city of Bern,  the Bundesstadt or de facto capital of Switzerland. With a population of 137,980 as of 2013, Bern is the 4th most populous city in Switzerland with its metropolitan area of more than  660,000 residents.

The insert on the right shows an aerial view of the historic old town in the center of Bern, on the west of the boundaries of the peninsula surrounded by the River Aare, where the river forms the renowned “Aare loop” and the water temperature never reaches more than 20°C or 68°F. The medieval city center was recognized as a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site in 1983.

Annecy, France

Postcard FR-401752 from France shows Annecy, a commune (equivalent to township or incorporated municipality in the United States) in south-eastern France. It is located at the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometers or 22 miles south of Geneva, Switzerland.

Also today, France crushed Switzerland 5:2 in a Group E match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Salvador, Brazil on June 20, 2014. A pitch invader rushed the field towards Mathieu Valbuena and Yohan Cabaye of France at Arena Fonte Nova to celebrate during the match.

#450950876 / gettyimages.com

Japanese Santa Claus

Japanese Santa Claus

My postcard US-2188415 to Switzerland arrived yesterday. The card shows a Japanese woman in Santa's costumes. It also marks the 250th cards sent from TWIMBK on PostCrossing. Now I can have 14 postcards traveling at once.