This unusual card came from Romania. It is a natural formation located in the Bucegi Mountains. There is actually a Wikipedia entry on it giving a little more information:
"The Sphinx is a natural rock formation in the Bucegi Mountains in Romania. It is located at an altitude of 2216 m, a 10 minute walk from the Babele. The first photo of the Great Bucegi Sfinx was probably taken in about the year 1900. This photo was taken from a front position, not from a lateral one, as it appears in the usual pictures nowadays. This way it was only named in the year 1936. The image of the sphinx appeared when the rock, having an 8 m height and a 12 m width, was watched from a certain angle. The megalith has its clearest outline on 21st November, at the time the sun goes down."
Romania is one of those places that has intrigued me but I'm afraid I don't know much about it or have read any Romanian authors. The postcrosser who sent it lives in Galati, a port city on the Danube in the region of Moldavia.
I love the stamp. It shows Michael the Brave, who reigned over Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia in the 16th century. I'm not entirely sure but I think the column might be from the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest.
{RO-43691}
Postcrossing card #52
