So far I have not figured out how exactly to order the different pins on the board that I have designated for the purpose and that is why in this post they will be separated in two parts: the ones that I have gathered myself and the ones that other people have given to me as a present.
The IATA pin I have earned myself in 2010 when I passed the IATA exam in March. Now I have the right to work in a travel agency and to sell plane tickets... in addition to the pin of course :D
My first pin. In 2004 I was still a part of a folklore dance group, which visited Greece as a part of a cultural exchange programme. As you can probably remember 2004 was also the year in which the Olympic games were held in Athens hence the special Olympics pin :)
Another pin from Finland. I acquired this one recently - the beginning of 2013 but I am not sure when exactly it was issued. The producers from Happy Orange OY have not mentioned anything about it neither on the packaging nor their website :(
Turku was The European Capital of Culture in 2011 so I couldn't resist and took one pin from their stand at ITB Berlin, 2011. And just in case that you are wondering... it is in Finland :D
Moominmamma - one of the central characters from a Finnish cartoon. If you want to read more about it here is the link to the Wiki entry -> Moomin#Characters
I guess you had enough with the Finnish pins? ;) Here's one from Sweden: a Viking and a ship :) I got this one when I went to Stockholm in 2011.
Sorry for the bad photo. As much as I was trying to take a clear shot, I just couldn't because of the light reflecting coating of the pin.
This one comes from Denmark. It says "Viking direction wheel" at the top and "Love and happiness" at the bottom. I have another one saying "Viking protection" at the bottom but I feel lazy today so I'll add it here some other time :D
And here come the pins that I got from London this year. First, the Union Flag, also called Union Jack in some occasions. Here is the Wiki entry about it -> Union Flag
If you have ever wondered where the name of the gin Beefeater came from, here's the answer ;) Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters as they are nicknamed, are the guards at the Tower of London. Here is a link to a website where you can read more about them -> Beefeaters
... and since we are talking about the Tower of London, here's my "Tower of London" pin :) The year 1078, that you can see at the bottom of the pin, is when supposedly the building of the White Tower started. Tower Of London
I honestly don't remember much about the symbolic meaning of this pin so if anyone has an idea, please let me know :)
London Eye. Now that I look at this pin, I think that they should have tried a bit harder with the design. Still, the attraction itself is an unforgettable experience! Eye of London
MIND THE GAP! :D That sure brings a lot of great memories from the days spent in London with my friends Alex and Andy. Thank you guys you are awesome and I love you so much!
A guitar-shaped pin with an autograph from Jimi Hendrix :) I mean... going to London and not visiting Hard Rock Cafe should be declared a violation of the law :D
Hard Rock Cafe
This is a rather unexpected way to end the first part of my blog post about the pins that I have collected. This one I got from the airport in Prague many years ago. I don't really like it so much so later, when I was given a better looking one, I stopped wearing it on my jacket.
