Three sweet muffins

In my first swap with Helga, from the Netherlands (FB swap), I got theese three beautiful muffin postcards.
(Received on: 19.07.2012)

Interesting fact from the muffins' history: Recipes for muffins, in their yeast-free "American" form, are common in 19th century American cookbooks. Recipes for yeast-based muffins, which were sometimes called "common muffins" or "wheat muffins" in 19th century American cookbooks, can be found in much older cookbooks.

Schloss Lustheim und Sandmännchen

In my second swap with Hanna (Germany), I swapped two cards, one with the beautiful Schloss Lustheim and one with Sandmännchen. I love the both, thank you very much!! :)
(Received on: 18.07.2012)

Lustheim Palace
Enrico Zuccalli built Lustheim Palace as a garden villa in Italian style in 1684-1688 for Maximilian II Emanuel and his first wife, the Austrian princess Maria Antonia.
The interior is dominated by the large banqueting hall in the middle of the building. The frescoes were done by Johann Anton Gumpp, Francesco Rosa and Johann Andreas Trubillio.
Since 1968 the palace has housed a grand collection of Meissen porcelain, only outranged by the Porzellansammlung in the Zwinger, Dresden.
The palace once formed the centre point of a semicircle of round buildings. Two pavillons still exist: To the south of Lustheim Place the Renatus Chapel was erected in 1686 by Zuccalli in a pavillon. The northern pavillon houses the decorated stable which was built for the favourite horses of Elector Max Emanuel.

I ♥ Chocolate

This is my third postcard from Svenja (Germany), got through FB-swap.
(Received on : 16.07.2012)

Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and chocolate hearts or chocolate in heart-shaped boxes on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.
Cocoa mass was used originally in Mesoamerica both as a beverage and as an ingredient in foods. Chocolate played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a "tribute".
The Europeans sweetened and fattened it by adding refined sugar and milk, two ingredients unknown to the Mexicans. By contrast, the Europeans never infused it into their general diet, but have compartmentalized its use to sweets and desserts. In the 19th century, Briton John Cadbury developed an emulsification process to make solid chocolate, creating the modern chocolate bar. Although cocoa is originally from the Americas, today Western Africa produces almost two-thirds of the world's cocoa, with Côte d'Ivoire growing almost half of it.

Morsum-Kliff an der Ostspitze

Another postcard what I got from Lisa, (Germany) through snail-mail.
(Received on : 13.07.2012)

The Ostspitze (4,632 m) is a peak of the Monte Rosa Massif in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the second highest peak of the massif, after the Dufourspitze (4,634 m), and the second highest (minor) summit in Switzerland.

Friesenhaus bei Rantum

This postcard was sent by Lisa, my penpal from Germany.
(Received on : 13.07.2012)

Rantum (friesisch: Raantem) ist ein Ortsteil der Gemeinde Sylt auf der Insel Sylt, südlich von Westerland im Kreis Nordfriesland.

Der Name des Ortes wird gern mit dem Namen der Meeresgöttin Ran in Verbindung gebracht; Rantum als Ort der Ran. Wahrscheinlicher ist jedoch die Ableitung aus der alten Schreibweise des Ortsnamens Raanteem als Ort am Rande.

Supetar

My family went on holiday last week to Croatia, but unfortunately my older brother and I couldn't go there with them, so they have sent us this postcard.
(Received on: 09.07.2012)

Supetar (Italian: San Pietro della Brazza) is a town and a city on the northern side of the Dalmatian island of Brač, in the Split-Dalmatia County, in Croatia. It became the island's official centre in 1827. The City of Supetar includes the town Supetar and the three villages Splitska, Škrip and Mirca.
With a population of 3,326, it is the island's largest and fastest-expanding town with dozens of apartments being built every year. It is accessible via 45 minute ferry via Jadrolinija from the mainland city of Split.
The present settlement of Supetar was founded in the 16th century when people living in Nerežišča, about 8 km inland, began to use it as their harbour. The town's main period of development occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries when Supetar took over from Nerežišča as the administrative centre of the island of Brač.

The Little Mole bakes cookies

It's my second postcard from Karolína (Czech Republic), got through FB-swap.
(Received in June, 2012)

Karolína and I, we both don't know which Krtek-episode is showing by this postcard, so if somebody knows, please let me know and send me an e-mail! :)