Tucked away in the southwest of Germany is the charming town of Spiesen-Elversberg — home to the sender of a lovely postcard I recently received. But the real highlight? It was postmarked from Immenstaad am Bodensee, a picturesque lakeside village where they love to spend their vacations. Bodensee, also known as Lake Constance, is a gem on the border of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It’s the kind of place that draws you in with its natural beauty and keeps you coming back with endless things to do. From scenic hikes and thrilling water sports to exploring centuries-old churches and joining in on local festivals, there’s something for every traveler here. It’s easy to see why Immenstaad has become a favourite getaway — and after reading that postcard, it’s shot to the top of my travel wish list too.

This card depicts a traditional village house. It is built on stilts to avoid flooding during the rainy season.  Bayan Lepas is a suburb of George Town and is located at the southern tip of Penang Island, 15 km south of the city centre.  Bayan Lepas is home to the Snake Temple  蛇庙 , or the Temple of the Azure Clouds. It is a Chinese temple well-known for being a refuge of resident snakes, said to be reincarnated disciples of the deified Buddhist monk Master Qingshui  清水祖師 , to whom the temple is dedicated. On the six day of the first lunar month, devotees, some as far away as Singapore, Taiwan, and China, come to pray in the temple.  Inside the temple, it is filled with smoke of burning incense and a variety of pit vipers. The vipers are believed to be rendered harmless by the sacred smoke, but as a safety precaution, the snakes have been de-venomed while still retaining their fangs. In 2005 a snake breeding centre was set up in the temple. 

Chișinău is the largest and capital city of Moldova. It was founded in 1436 as a monastery village. At the beginning of the 19th century there were about 7000 living here. Today there are about 720 000 people.  The card comes from the Canary Islands. Maybe the sender visited there. It doesn't say. The sender is from Kyiv, Ukraine, and was displaced due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Her biography on Postcrossing thanks the people of  Chișinău for the warm welcome they received and continue to receive. They know have a permanent house to call home. I hope one day she can return to her home in Kyiv. 

Cathedral Rock, located in Arizona, has been seen in countless Hollywood movies, usually westerns. It is a turreted sandstone butte towering 87 meters high at its highest point (1500 meters above sea level). Cathedral Rock is within Coconino National Forest in Yavapai County in central Arizona, about 2.5 km from Sedona. 

The message on the front, translated from a colleague, reads, "Journey to the vast mountains and seas." Sanya  三亚市  is a city on the southern tip of Hainan Island. There are just over a million people that call Sanya home. It has a tropical climate and is a popular tourist destination. Yulin Naval Base is located here and is home to the People's Liberation Army Navy ballistic nuclear missle fleet.  Along with Chinese signs, signs in English and Russia are found everywhere. There are over 100 hotels ranging from five stars to locally managed resorts found here.  The Guanyin of Nansh an  南山海上观音圣像   is found at the top of Nanshan Temple in Sanya. It is 106 metres tall. One side faces the South China Sea. This represents blessing and protection by Guanyin of China and the whole world. Another side depicts Guanyin cradling a sutra in the left hand and gesturing the Vitarka Mudra with the right. The third holds a lotus. It is the 14th tallest statue in the ...

A holiday card from the senders. They were in the city of Burgas  Бургас  in Bulgaria. Burgas is on the Black Sea Coast and is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, with 211 000 people. It is an important industrial, transport, cultural, and tourist centre. Burgas Lakes surrounds Burgas with the Black Sea at its westernmost point.