Slovenia: Ljubljana Castle

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Slovenia, one from Finland and one from Japan.

The card from Slovenia shows the Ljubljana Castle.

Stamps:
Zois' Bellflower (from set of eleven) (issued 29-05-2009)
Year of the Horse (issued 31-01-2014)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Bulgaria: Sofia

Yesterday I received my first card from Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe bordering on Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. Bulgaria is a member of the EU, of the NATO and of the UN.

Bulgaria is the third new country from which I received I card this week.

The postcard shows four views of Bulgaria's capital Sofia. Sofia is the largest city in Bulgaria and the 15th largest city in the EU.

Stamp:
50 years first satellite (issued 25-04-2007)
Sputnik was launched under the Soviet space program. Sputnik 1 was in 1957 the first satellite and was the beginning of the Soviet space program.

Thank You very much Christina!

France: Paris

This is the 200th post in my blog! Thank You all of you for sending me all this nice postcards and covers with so many nice stamps!

On Thursday I got two cards from France.

One of the cards shows Paris. Paris is the capital city and and the most populous city of France. The metropolitan area of Paris is one of the largest population centres in Europe and has more than 12000000 inhabitants. Paris is also a global city. Paris is located on the River Seine in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Paris was regarded as the capital of arts and is also regarded as the capital of style. France's major newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération are also based in the city. Paris hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 1900 and 1924.

The card shows the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame de Paris, the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower.

The Arc de Triomphe is 50 metres high and stands at the Place Charles de Gaulle. The names of all victories and generals fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars are inscribed on the Arc the Triomphe. It was was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806.

The Notre-Dame de Paris is a Catholic cathedral and houses many first-class relics. The novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" written by Victor Hugo is centred in the Notre-Dame de Paris.

The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is a Catholic church and was built between 1875 and 1914.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair held in Paris and was designed and built by Gustav Eiffel. It is 324 metres tall. It has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. Today it is the most visited paid monument in the world.

With great stamps:
New Marianne 0,05€ and 0,01€
Baccarat (from set of two) (issued 08-01-2014)
Baccarat produces crystal glass since 1764. The stamp shows a lustre.

Thank You very much William!

France: a photo

On Thursday I got two postcards from France.

One of the cards shows a photo. The photo shows the Parade in Budapest and was taken by an Hungarian photographer.

Stamps:
Older Marianne (issued until 2013) 0,10€
New Marianne (issued since 2013) 0,01€ and 0,05€
The stamps were inspired by the Ukrainian Inna Shevchenko. She is a member of the protest group FEMEN and got political asylum in France.
Year of the Horse (issued 31-01-2014)

Thank You very much William!

Lithuania: Kaunas

On Wednesday I got a postcard from Lithuania.

The card shows Kaunas. Kaunas is the second largest city of Lithuania.

Stamp:
Year of the Horse (issued 01-02-2014)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Agneta!

Mauritius: Beach

On Tuesday I got my first cards from Mauritius.

One of the cards shows a beach in Belle Mare.

Stamp:
Law Day (from set of four) (issued 2012)

Thank You Roger.

Mauritius: Beach

On Tuesday I got my first cards from Mauritius.

Mauritius is a insular state in the Indian Ocean. The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis.

One of the cards shows a beach in Flic-en-Flac.

Stamp:
Law Day (from set of four) (issued 2012)

Thank You Roger.

Australia: Sydney Opera House

On Monday I received a cover from Australia. Inside were my first cards from Australia.

One of the cards shows the Sydney Opera House dressed for the Sydney Festival. 

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia. Sydney is also a global city. Sydney hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 2000.

The Sydney Opera House was designed by Jørn Utzon and was inaugurated in 1973. The Sydney Opera House had a enduring influence on architecture and is the landmark of Sydney. Since 2007 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank You very much Krystiina!

Australia: Wombat in the Blue Mountains

On Monday I received a cover from Australia. Inside were my first cards from Australia.

Australia is a country in Oceania and also a continent. Australia is a member of the UN and of the OECD. Australia's capital is Canberra.

One of the cards is a "Did You Know?" card showing a Wombat. Everything I could write about Wombats is on the card.

The Wombat on the card seems to live near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is known for the 91 eucalyptus taxa occurring there. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a significant representation of the Australian biodiversity. Since 2000 is the Greater Blue Mountains Area a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank You very much Krystiina!

cover from Australia

On Monday I got a nice cover from Australia. Inside were two Australian postcards. One shows a Wombat and the other shows the Sydney Opera House.

Stamps:
Christmas Australia (from set of six) (issued 01-11-2013)
Christmas Christmas Island (from set of two) (issued 01-11-2013)
The Christmas Island was a part of the British Straits Settlement from 1901 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1958 a part of Singapore. The Christmas Island started issuing its own stamps since 1958 when it was placed under Australian control. In 1993 the Christmas Island lost its postal and philatelic independence and since then the Australian post was the postal operator of the Christmas Island. But there are still Christmas Island stamps being also valid in Australia.
Christmas Island is allowed to issue three stamp issues per year: a Chinese New Year 
stamp, a Christmas stamp and a issue on local life.
The stamp shows Santa, a frigate bird, a red crab and a turtle.

Year of the Snake (from set of two) (issued 08-01-2013)
Year of the Horse (from set of two) (issued 07-01-2014)
Both stamps are also Christmas Island stamps.

Thank You very much Krystiina!

Finland: Moomin World

On Wednesday I received a great postcard from Finland.

The card shows the Moomin House in the Moomin World. The Moomin World in Naantali is a Moomin Theme Park based on the books of Tove Jansson. The Moomin House was built in 1993 and is the main attraction, but visitors are also able to visited Moominmamma's kitchen, Moominpappa's boat and other things and can meet the Moomin characters. Moomin World is open daily from mid-June to mid-August. According to the "The Independent on Sunday" the Moomin World is the world's fourth best theme park for children.

With nice matching stamp:
100th birthday of Tove Jansson (from set of two) (issued 31-01-2014)
Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is a Finland Swedish writer, illustrator and comic strip author. She wrote and illustrated the Moomins. The stamp shows a silhouette of Sniff.
The stamp was cancelled before the First Day of Issue.

On the card is also a nice Moomin sticker showing Little My.

Thank You very much Raili!

USA: United States Capitol

On Tuesday I received a postcard from the USA.

The card shows the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. The Capitol is the seat of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. It was built between 1793 and 1823.

Stamps:
Bighorn Sheep (issued 14-05-2007)
Year of the Horse (issued 15-01-2014)
Bobcat (issued 21-06-2012)
Year of the Snake (issued 16-01-2013)

Thank You very much Jennifer!

Japan: Historic Monuments of Nara

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Japan, one from Belgium and one from Finland.

The card from Japan shows the temple Toshodai-ji in Nara in the Nara Prefecture.

Nara was from 710 to 784 the capital of Japan. The Toshodai-ji was founded in 759 by the Buddhist monk Jianzhen. The building on the card called the Golden Hall is a National Treasure of Japan. Since 1998 are the Historic Monuments of Nara a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With great flower shaped stamp:
Spring Greeting (from set of ten) (issued 16-01-2014)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Finland: Tove 100

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Finland, one from Japan and one from Belgium.

The card from Finland is the official Tove 100 card celebrating the 100th birthday of Tove Jansson. Tove Jansson was born in 1914. She was a Finland Swedish writer, illustrator and comic strip author becoming famous for writing the Moomin books for children. The first Moomin book called "The Moomins and the Great Flood" was published in 1945. In 1966 she got the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. She died in 2001.

The card shows two of the famous Moomin Characters called Moominpappa and Moominmamma. The illustration is from the book "The Dangerous Journey" published in 1977.

On the postcard is also the official logo of the anniversary year.

With nice matching stamp:
Moomins (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2007)
The stamp shows Snork Maiden.

Thank You very much Marianne!

Belgium: Grand-Place in Brussels

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Belgium, one from Finland and one from Japan.

The card from Belgium is a vintage card and shows the Grand-Place in Brussels.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and also one of the three Belgian Regions. Brussels is the seat of the European Union and the NATO.

The Grand-Place is a important political and commercial centre and since 1998 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
Nobelprize Winners-Corneille Heymans (from set of two) (issued 14-02-1987)
Highlights of Belgium (from set of five) (issued 14-02-2011)

Thank You very much Henk!