12th April 2023: Bellver Castle in Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Bellver Castle is a Gothic-style castle in Palma de Mallorca. It was built in the 14th century for King James II of Majorca and is one of the few circular castles in Europa. First serving as the residence of the Kings of Majorca, it is now  one of the main tourist attractions of the island as well as the seat for the city's History Museum.

Thank You very much Marcel!

8th October 2022: Tarragona, Spain

Thank You very much William!

20th September 2022: Zaragoza, Spain

Zaragoza is the capital of Aragon and the fifth largest city of Spain as well as the 26th largest of the European Union. In 2008 it was the venue of a World's Fair.

Thank You very much William!

Spain: Barcelona

On 6th April I got a postcard from Spain.

It shows various views of Barcelona. Barcelona is the capital and largest city of Catalonia. It is also the second largest city of Spain, the second largest city of the European Union which is not the capital of its country and the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore it is a popular tourist destination and was the fifth most visited European city in 2011. In 1992 the city hosted the Summer Olympics.

I really like that pictorial postmark about Gaudí's Casa Milà. Next to two definitives there is a stamp which is the result of a National Stamp Design Contest (issued 05-02-2020).

Thank You very much William!

Spain: Pont de les Peixateries velles

On 4th April I got three postcards: two from Spain and one from Germany.

One of the cards from Spain shows the Pont de les Peixateries velles in Girona. The Pont de les Peixateries velles is an iron bridge and was constructed in 1877 by Gustave Eiffel's company. 

The card was cancelled with a pictorial postmark showing the same bridge. The upper stamp is an Euromed issue about Traditional Costumes (issued 08-07-2019). Below are three definitives about the Spanish King.

Thank You very much William!

Spain: Girona

On 4th April I got three postcards: two from Spain and one from Germany.

One of the cards from Spain shows a view of Girona. Girona is the capital of the Province of Girona in Catalonia and one of the major Catalan cities. Back in 2016 I also visited this beautiful city on a trip to Catalonia.

Three stamps were used here, two about the Spanish King and a Solidarity Stamp for the UNHCR Covid-19 Relief Program (issued 18-06-2021). The card was cancelled at the philatelic shop in Girona.

Thank You very much William!

cover from Spain

On 11th February I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Spain.

Five interesting stamps were used on it. I especially like the one in the middle about Mediterranean Archaeology (issued 13-09-2007). It is a joint issue with Greece and shows a bust of Asclepius from the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

In the cover were some used stamps and this card showing an early design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. This was sent through official Postcrossing.

Thank You very much Siurana!

Spain: Carballo and A Toxa

On 2nd November I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Austria.

The card from Spain shows a view of Carballo. Carballo is a municipality in Galicia.

Actually these are two cards, which were attached to each other with washi tape. The second card shows the Chapel of Las Conchas in A Toxa, a church covered with shells.

A nice stamp was used to sent this card. It commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration (issued 08-06-2020) and is the first stamp in a new series about the Founding Fathers of the European Union. 

 Thank You very much Diana!

Spain: Palma Cathedral

Last Saturday I got four postcards: two from Spain, one from Italy and one from Malaysia.

One of the cards from Spain shows Palma Cathedral. Palma or Palma de Mallorca is the capital and largest city of the Balearic Islands. It is also the eight largest city of Spain and has the country's third most important airport. Palma Cathedral was began on the site of a Moorish-era mosque in 1229, but was only finished in 1601. 

Stamp:
Tourism on Wheels (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2020)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Spain: Chopin in Valldemossa

Last Saturday I got four postcards: two from Spain, one from Italy and one from Malaysia.

One of the cards from Spain shows Chopin in Valldemossa. Valldemossa is a village in the northern part of Mallorca and since the 19th century it has been promoted internationally as a place of outstanding beauty. The musician Frédéric Chopin and his lover the writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, best known by her pen name George Sand, spent the winter of 1838/9 at the Valldemossa Charterhouse. Chopin composed there his Preludes Op. 28 and Sand wrote A Winter in Majorca. Today the Charterhouse houses a small museum about Chopin and Sand. 

Stamp:
Centenary of the Castillos de Valderas (issued 10-04-2018)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Spain: Sóller in the Serra de Tramuntana

Last Thursday I got three postcards: one from Spain, one from Thailand and one from Taiwan.

The card from Spain shows Sóller in the Serra de Tramuntana. The Serra de Tramuntana is a mountain range in the northern part of the Balearic Island of Mallorca. Despite the scarce resources agriculture is carried out in the region for millennia, which has created a landscape marked by agricultural terraces and inter-connected water works. The Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana is since 2011 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Centenary of the Castillos de Valderas (issued 10-04-2018)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Spain: City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Spain, one from India, one from Finland and one from Poland.

The card from Spain shows the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. The City of Arts and Sciences is a cultural and architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela and mainly constructed between 1994 and 2005. It is the most important modern tourist destination in Valencia and one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. L'Hemisfèric, the building on the right, is the centerpiece of the complex and also its first completed building. It houses an IMAX Cinema, a planetarium and a laserium. El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, the building on the left, is an opera house and performing arts center.

With a matching stamp:
Birth Anniversaries of Indira and Mahatma Gandhi (from set of two) (issued 02-10-2019)
12 Months, 12 Stamps - Valencia (issued 02-09-2019)

Thank You very much Boris!

Spain: Court of the Lions at the Alhambra

On 25th September I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Germany.

The card from Spain shows the Court of the Lions at the Alhambra in Granada. The Alhambra was first built in the 9th century. In the 13th century it was largely renovated by the Moorish Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of Granada and in 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After Granada was recaptured by the Christians in 1492 it became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. There Christopher Columbus also received the royal endorsement for his expedition. Today it is the best example of Islamic architecture in Spain and also one of the country's most visited sights. Since 1984 is the Alhambra on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 21-04-2017)

Thank You very much Belén!

Spain: Úbeda

On 13th September I got four postcards: one from Spain, one from Canada, one from Germany and one from the Netherlands.

The card from Spain shows the Vázquez de Molina Square in Úbeda. Úbeda is a town in Andalusia. The current appearance of the city dates back to the Renaissance, when it benefited from extensive patronage. From here the ideas and architecture of the Renaissance went on to have a great influence in the New World. The Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza are since 2003 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
UNESCO World Heritage - Alcalá de Henares (issued 05-11-2018)
King Felipe VI (from set of five) (issued 19-01-2015)
Lighthouses (from set of six) (issued 11-04-2011)

Thank You very much Jordi!

Spain: Museo Nacional del Prado

On 2nd July I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Monaco.

The card from Spain shows Francisco de Goya's The Clothed Maja from the collection of the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. The Museo Nacional del Prado was opened in 1819. It is one of the most visited and most important art museums in the World. 

With a great matching stamp:
Bicentenary of the Museo Nacional del Prado (issued 27-03-2019)
Montserrat Caballé (issued 31-05-2019)

Thank You very much Boris!

Spain: Royal Palace of Aranjuez

Last Friday I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Finland.

The card from Spain shows the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a former royal residence near Madrid, where the Spanish Kings usually spent the springtime. It is open to the public since 1931. Since 2001 is the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 25-04-2019)
The stamp can be scanned to listen to the bird.

Thank You very much Boris!

Spain: El Escorial

Last Friday I got six postcards: two from Spain, one from Croatia, one from Poland, one from Japan and one from Germany.

One of the cards from Spain shows El Escorial. El Escorial was built in the 16th century by Philip II of Spain, who made it his residence and thus the centre of the greatest political power of the time. The interesting of El Escorial is that it was a royal residence and a monastery at the same time. Since 1984 is El Escorial on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Spanish-built High Speed Railway between Mecca and Medina (issued 24-09-2018)
The stamp is encrusted with sand.

Thank You very much Belén!

Spain: Palmeral of Elche

Last Friday I got six postcards: two from Spain, one from Croatia, one from Poland, one from Japan and one from Germany.

One of the cards from Spain shows the Palmeral of Elche. The Palmeral of Elche is a landscape of date palm groves. It was laid out in the 10th century, when much of the Iberian peninsula was under Arab rule, and is a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent. Since 2000 is the Palmeral of Elche on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Discoverers of Oceania (from set of two) (issued 10-11-2017)
The stamp is printed on wood paper. 

Thank You very much Boris!

Spain: Medina Azahara

On Thursday I got a postcard from Spain.

It shows Medina Azahara. Medina Azahara was built in the middle of the 10th century as new capital of al-Andalus by the first Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba. Already in 1010 it was sacked in a civil war and was forgotten afterwards, until it was rediscovered in the early 20th century. It provides in-depth knowledge of the now vanished Western Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus at the height of its splendour. The Caliphate City of Medina Azahara is since 2018 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
25 years Organización Nacional de Transplantes (issued 16-01-2015)

Thank You very much Boris!

Spain: Almansa

Last Friday I got four postcards: one from Spain, one from the USA and two from Germany.

The card from Spain shows the Town Hall of Almansa. Almansa is a town in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. 

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 21-04-2017)

Thank You very much Rongwei!