Inchie Friesland

Not really a country,

but many of the Frisians who live there, feel like it is a separate country ;-)

We have our own language, it's the second language of the Netherlands!

Friesland is the northwest province of the Netherlands.

Friesland or Fryslân as we call it here, is my "Heitelân" (= Vaderland = native country),

so I thought it was fitting to choose it as the last country of this year!

Jolande and I hope you enjoyed our trip around the world

and it would be great if you would join us again in 2019!

365 days complete, 365 new days to go!

May you have a wonderful New Year!

Inchie Sweden

For this inchie I took one of my own pictures of the statue of Astrid Lindgren in Stockholm.

I really like it that behind the statue is a painting of her most famous creation: Pippi Longstocking.

Margriet and I wish you all

a wonderful Christmas.

Inchie Poland

I've never been to Poland

and I don't know a lot about the country.

But I hope to go there someday

and the one place I really want to visit is Auschwitz.

Inchie Montenegro

When we made a trip around the Adriatic Sea we also visited Montenegro.

We really enjoyed our time there and we even swam in the Bay of Kotor.

This picture I found in a flight magazine and it reminded me of that time.

Inchie Chile

I don't know much about Chile,

but the first thing I thought about was a chili pepper!

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet

in the Americas since at least 7500 BCE.

The most recent research shows that chili peppers were domesticated

more than 6,000 years ago in Mexico,

and were one of the first self-pollinating crops cultivated in Mexico,

Central America, and parts of South America.

The name of the plant is almost certainly unrelated to that of Chile, the country,

which has an uncertain etymology perhaps relating to local place names.

Inchie Cyprus

Last year we visited the Greek part of Cyprus; a realy beautiful island.
When we were in the capital city Nicosia, we also visited the Turkish part of the city.
It reminded me of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.
It was a strange experience and therefore I choose this picture for the inchie of Cyprus.
I took it  from a distance, because at the bordercrossing you were not allowed to take pictures.

Inchie Denmark

Lego is a line of plastic construction toys

that are manufactured by The Lego Group,

a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark.

The company's flagship product, Lego,

consists of colourful interlocking plastic bricks

accompanying an array of gears,

figurines called minifigures, and various other parts.

Inchie Austria

When I was a little girl, I read about Austria for the first time in a theater program about the Sound of Music.
The first holiday of my husband and I was to Vienna in Austria.
One of the things we visited was Schloss Schonbrünn and that is why I chose a little picture of it for this inchie.
Years later we went back to Austria with our kids and when we visited Salzburg, we did The Sound of Music Tour and visited all the places from the movie.

Inchie Honduras

The national animal of Honduras is the white-tailed deer.

Inchie Belgium

We are from the Netherlands, but since

20 years we live in Belgium, because my husband works here.

The symbol for Belgium is the statue of Mannenken Pis,

so I put him on an inchie, together with the flag.

And because Belgium is also worldfamous for its

chocolate, I also include a piece.

Inchie Italy

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance,

whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture,

science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology,

astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography.

He has been variously called the father of palaeontology, ichnology, and architecture,

and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time.

Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter and tank,

he epitomised the Renaissance humanist ideal.

Inchie Argentina

I could have put a picture of our queen Maxima on this inchie,

because she is from Argentina, but I chose another woman: Eva Perron.

I really love musicals and when I hear Argentina,

the first thing that pops in my mind is this musical

from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Inchie Spain

I love the surrealistic paintings by Salvador Dalí.

He was born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain.

Dalí was highly imaginative,

and also enjoyed indulging in unusual and grandiose behavior.

His eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions

sometimes drew more attention than his artwork,

to the dismay of those who held his work in high esteem,

and to the irritation of his critics.

Inchie Taiwan

When I think of Taiwan I always think of our son who was born there.

We visited his birthparents in this beautiful country and I have so many wonderful memories.

But for this inchie I chose the Tapei 101 tower and used one of my own pictures.

Inchie Canada

I like the red maple leaf on the flag of Canada.

It always reminds of fall, when the leaves get their beautiful colours!

A maple leaf is on the coat of arms of Canada, and is on the Canadian flag.

The maple is a common symbol of strength and endurance

and has been chosen as the national tree of Canada.

Maple leaves are traditionally an important part of Canadian Forces military regalia.

Inchie Malta

For this inchie for Malta I used my own picture of the Azure Window.
We saw this beautiful natural arch when we visited Malta and that was just in time, because last year the bridge collapsed :-(

Inchie New Zealand

Kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand.

Approximately the size of a domestic chicken,

kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites

(which also consist of ostriches, emus, rheas, and cassowaries),

and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world.

Inchie Croatia

A few years ago we made a tour around  the Adriatic Sea  and we visited a lot of places in Croatie.

I loved them all and it was difficult to choose something for this inchie.

The first city we visited was Dubrovnic and when we walked through the gate

it was as if we were entering a fairytale world.

A few days later we were on a lookout and there I took this picture of the old city.

Inchie Iceland

Holtasoley is Iceland's national flower.

Commonly known as Mountain Avens, 

Holtasoley is found in all regions of Iceland

growing mainly on gravelly mountain slopes and moorland. 

Inchie Jordan

For Jordan I immediately thought of Petra, the historical and archaeological city, which is now one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

The most famous building is Al-Khazneh, the treasure, and luckely I found a picture that fitted this inchie perfectly.

Inchie Portugal

The Rooster of Barcelos (Portuguese, "Galo de Barcelos")

is one of the most common emblems of Portugal.

The legend of the Rooster of Barcelos tells the story of a dead rooster's miraculous intervention

in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death.

You can read about the legend on my blog:

http://seadaisy.blogspot.com/

Inchie China

We have been to China three times, so I had many things to choose from for this inchie.
When I think of China I think of our daughter Jasmine.
The first time we traveled to China to pick her up, we also got a big stuffed panda because it was her favorite toy.
As she grew up she was crazy about panda's and was always asking when we would go to see a real one.
So we went to China for the second time when she was four and when the wheels of the plane touched the ground,the first thing she asked was are  the panda's here?
Everytime I see a panda I see the little girl she once was and that is why I chose a panda for the China inchie.

Inchie Brazil

Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,

Constructed between 1922 and 1931,

the statue is 30 metres (98 ft) high,

excluding its 8-metre (26 ft) pedestal.

The arms stretch 28 metres (92 ft) wide.

A symbol of Christianity across the world,

the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil,

and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone.

Inchie Norway

I have visited Norway many times and there are a lot of beautiful things/places 

to put on an inchie.

But one of the places I absolutely love is the Vigeland Sculpture Park

in Oslo and I was very happy when I found a little picture that fitted

this inchie perfectly.

Inchie Mexico

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos)

is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico,

in particular the Central and South regions,

and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places,

especially the United States.

The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends

to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died,

and help support their spiritual journey.

A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (in Spanish calavera),

which celebrants represent in masks, 

and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls,

which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead.

Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead.

Inchie Finland

A few years ago we visited Finland, so you would think

I had inspiration enough for this inchie...

But the only thing that I really like about Finland are

the beautiful stamps.

I choose this one because it fitted perfect on the inchie.

Inchie Mongolia

Genghis Khan

1st Khagan of the Mongol Empire

(1162 - August 18, 1227)

Genghis Khan was the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire,

which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death.

He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia.

After founding the Empire and being proclaimed "Genghis Khan",

he launched the Mongol invasions that conquered most of Eurasia.

Although known for the brutality of his campaigns

and considered by many to have been a genocidal ruler,

Genghis Khan is also credited with bringing the Silk Road

under one cohesive political environment.

This brought communication and trade from Northeast Asia

into Muslim Southwest Asia and Christian Europe,

thus expanding the horizons of all three cultural areas.

Inchie South Africa

We have made a tour through South Africa, what a beautiful country.

I never realized that there would be penguins there, so I was totally amazed.

When I saw a picture of penguins in South Africa I had to use it for this inchie.

Inchie Japan

Mount Fuji, the rising sun and cherry blossom!

Inchie Ireland

I have only been to Dublin and I loved it.

I would love to make a tour around the island, but oh the weather there...

Inchie Vatican City

The pope is the Bishop of Rome and therefore ex officio

the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church.

The primacy of the Roman bishop is largely derived

from his role as the supposed apostolic successor to Saint Peter,

to whom Jesus is said to have given the Keys of Heaven

and the powers of "binding and loosing",

naming him as the "rock" upon which the church would be built.

Since the 1860s, the pope has also been head of state of Vatican City,

a sovereign city-state entirely enclaved within Rome.

The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013

Inchie Bhutan

Maybe already 25 years ago friends of us moved to Buthan, to work for the

Leprosy Mission.

Once a month the wrote a letter about living there and we learned a lot of the little Kingdom.

I saved the stamps from the letters and for this inchie I used a part of one of them.

Inchie Lithuania

The national bird of Lithuania is the stork.

Inchie Andorra

Don't ask me why, but I have a soft spot for microstates.

I have visited a few but not yet Andorra, but is is high on our list.

It is not very populair in my stack of flight magazines, there was not 1 picture,

so again I made an inchie with a piece of the map, the flag and this time an arrow,

because it is so tiny.

Inchie United Kingdom

My first thought for this inchie was the Big Ben,

but then I thought about my favorite Englishman,

Sherlock Holmes :-)

"My name is Sherlock Holmes.

It is my business to know what other people don’t know."

Inchie Greece

I hope to visit the mainland of Greece in the autumn and

to see a lot of things like this temple.

Inchie Kenya

When I think of Africa,

I think of elephants :-)

They are so majestic and impressive!

Inchie Egypt

I was always facinated by Egypt, the piramids, the Sphinx, Tutankhamun, 

The Valley of the Death, Luxor, Abu Simbel etc.

We went there for our honeymoon, now 34 years ago, it was

our fist vacation outside of Europe and it was wonderful to see everything.

Inchie Peru

My daughter wanted me to draw

the famous Peruvian bear Paddington :-)

Inchie Germany

For Germany I chose a picture of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
We visited it a few years after the fall of the Berlin wall.

Inchie Ecuador

I love the colourful clothes and the hats the women wear in Ecuador!

Inchie Russia

St Petersburg and Mosco are on our list with places we would like to visit.

One day I hope to see the famous towers of the Cathedral on the Red Square

and that is why I chose them for this inchie.

Inchie Samoa

Historically there was no writing in Polynesian culture

so the Polynesian’s used tattoo art that was full of distinctive signs

to express their identity and personality.

Tattoos would indicate status in a hierarchical society

as well as sexual maturity, genealogy and ones rank within the society.

Nearly everyone in ancient Polynesian society was tattooed.

The turtle or honu is an important creature throughout all Polynesian cultures

and has been associated with several meanings.

Turtles symbolise health, fertility, longevity in life, foundation, peace and rest.

Source: The Polynesian Tattoo Handbook

Inchie Australia

I always thought that in Australia there would be a koala in almost every tree.
But during our stay in Australia I learned that they are not so common at all and that there are a lot of people who live there, who have never seen a koala in the wild in their entire lives.
So I feel _very_ happy and privileged that I have seen one in the wild.
That is why I chose a koala for this inchie and I used one of my own pictures.

Inchie Turkey

There’s still a lot of people who only know of Turkish Delight as the powdery white sweet

used by the White Witch to entice Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia.

However, the confection has a long history and is one of Turkey’s most popular exports.

One of the oldest sweets in the world, going back almost 500 years,

the Turkish Delight recipe has remained almost unchanged since the day of its inception.

As the story goes, the Sultan, trying to cope with all his mistresses,

summoned his confectionary chefs and demanded the production of a unique dessert.

It was through this summon that the Turkish Delight was born.

(theculturetrip.com)

Inchie Cuba

We visited this beautiful country in 2016 and I used one of our many pictures for this inchie.
I chose one with Che Guevara, because you see his picture everywhere in Cuba.

Inchie Romania

Whenever I think of Romania, I think of  Dracula!

Count Dracula, a fictional character in the Dracula novel by Bram Stoker,

was inspired by one of the best-known figures of Romanian history,

Vlad Dracula, nicknamed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler),

who was the ruler of Walachia at various times from 1456-1462.

Inchie Zimbabwe

I have about 1 meter of flight magazines and in one of them 

was a large article about Zimbabwe,

but there was not one picture I could use for an inchie.
So than I cut Zimbabwe out of a Map of Africa

 and printed the flag for this weeks inchie.

Inchie Vietnam

I painted the national flower of Vietnam,

the lotus.

Inchie India

India is on our list of countries that we would like to visit.
And then we would of course  go to the Taj Mahal also.