National Postal Museum

Washington has such an abundance of museums to visit and sights to see that in my sixteen years here I am still visiting and discovering new places. The National Postal Museum had been on my list for a while, but its location off the National Mall makes the slightly offbeat museum also more off-the-beaten track. Still, it is conveniently located next door to Union Station, and as a Smithsonian, entrance to the museum is free of charge. Even given its somewhat esoteric topic, it has plenty of very positive reviews online, and the museum is currently hosting a special exhibit in which I had particular interest.

Fittingly, the museum occupies the building which was Washington's main post office from 1914 through 1986. The building itself is quite impressive and attractive.

A step up from the modern America post office, wouldn't you agree?

This clock is in what used to be the postmaster's office.

Home to one of the world's largest collections of stamps and philatelic materials, the museum has done an excellent job of creating colorful, educational, and interactive exhibits. For example, the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery displays many stamps, including a variety of rare ones.

Washington cherry blossom stamp in top left is one of my all-time favorites!

Whoa, the stamp on left looks familiar!

This gallery also has a computer on which a visitor can create - and email to themselves - a stamp or two, including with one's own photo. These are two I created.

Mailboxes from various countries are scattered around the museum. Some looked familiar, but others were quite different than the North American or European mailboxes I have seen.

The museum's collection also includes numerous vehicles - from wagons to cars to airplanes - that have been used to transport and deliver mail by the U.S. Postal Service.

Old mail wagon.

Railway post office.

Interior of the railway post office.

The special exhibit which I had wanted to see is called "PostSecret: The Power of a Postcard." Begun as a one-time community art project in 2005 by Frank Warren, PostSecret has evolved into a cultural touchstone and spawned an empire which includes numerous books, exhibits and speaking engagements. The project has Washington roots, as it was initiated during a local Artomatic exhibit, and Frank himself lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington.

The website Frank runs is updated weekly with postcards containing secrets -- sent to him from around the country and around the world. Some of the secrets have mature themes, thus I will warn that the following link for the website itself might be NSFW - "not safe for work." Frank updates the website every Sunday morning with new postcards, and with classic (older) secrets. The PostSecret exhibit at the Postal Museum displayed a small selection of the millions of cards received over the last decade. Some are heart-warming, others are heart-breaking, while others are funny or slightly strange. The next three photos are just a small selection.

This exhibit runs through September of this year, but on its own the Postal Museum is well worth a visit if you're in the area and have an hour or two!

Baltic Countries Advance to Eurovision Final

May has been a busy month (at least one post coming up about that). In the meantime, I am very excited that the entries from all three Baltic countries advanced from their respective semi-finals to the Eurovision Song Contest final, which will take place on Saturday, May 23. Even if you are not in Europe, you can watch the concert online, which will be broadcast from Vienna, Austria beginning at 9pm Central European Time. From what I hear, it is only the third time the three Baltics have been in the final together, and the first time since 2002.

You can see more about how each contestant is doing here:

• Aminata, Latvia
• Monika Linktye & Vaidas Baumila, Lithuania
• Elina Born & Stig Rasta, Estonia

Aminata singing her heart out! (Source: Facebook)

I actually like all three songs, but (unsurprisingly, probably!) I will be rooting for Aminata. The bookies are saying Sweden will win, but it seems that Latvia has a real chance. A friend and I will be attending a Eurovision-viewing party, which we greatly enjoyed last year; if nothing else, I predict it will be a fun and entertaining afternoon!

Glögi & Gnomes at the Finnish Christmas Bazaar

I enjoyed last year's Finnish Christmas market so much that I made a point to return this year - with my friend A (who had been sick last time, and had not been able to attend) in tow. We arrived at 11am when the doors opened, but the line to get in was so long that it was a while before we entered the building. Maybe going slightly later next year is a better idea, as that entire market was wall-to-wall humanity, and it was a bit insane. It also did not seem that too many items actually sold out that early.

 We enjoyed the traditional music...

...the many gnomes and elves (many of which are crafted in Estonia) for sale, and one of which I picked up for my collection...

...and the delicious food and drink in the cafe.

While I did not sample one of the enormous and beautifully prepared salmon sandwiches, A said the fish was fresh, the bread fantastic, and the combo perfect. We each savored a cup of glögi or mulled wine, which was being sold for an incredibly reasonable $2 a glass. We also appreciated running into an Estonian friend in the cafe, and catching up with him while he partook in his annual bazaar tradition of eating several Karelian pasties.

I will be sure to return next year for more glögi, another elf, and Finnish Christmas cheer.

And to my American readers: Happy Thanksgiving!