Germany: Town Musicians of Bremen

Today I got my first two postcards from the German State of Bremen. Bremen was my last missing State.

One of the cards shows the statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen. The Town Musicians of Bremen is a fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm about a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster leaving their owners to become Town Musicians in Bremen but after expelling crooks from their house in the forest they stayed there. The statue was built in 1953 and was designed by Gerhard Marcks. 

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

Stamp:
Bremen (issued 05-06-2014)
with a special postmark showing the Roland

Thank You very much Sabina for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Bremen Roland

Today I got my first two postcards from the German State of Bremen. Bremen was my last missing State.

One of the cards shows the Bremen Roland on the Marketplace. It was built in 1404 and is a landmark of Bremen. The Roland has with platform and canopy a total height of 10,21m and it thus the biggest detached statue in Germany built in the Middle Ages. The Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen are since 2004 an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

With matching stamp:
Bremen (issued 05-06-2014)
with a special postmark showing also the Roland

Thank You very much Sabina for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Heidelberg

Today I got two postcards from Heidelberg in Germany.

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg on the river Neckar. In Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university. This is the second card.

Stamp:
Glücksburg Castle (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Esther and Tessa!

Germany: Heidelberg

Today I got two postcards from Heidelberg in Germany.

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg on the river Neckar. In Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university. This is the first card.

Stamp:
Glücksburg Castle (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Esther and Tessa!

United Nations: Headquarters in New York City

Today I got four postcards: my first card from the United Nations, one from Singapore and two from Thailand.

The United Nations were founded in 1945 as International Organisation. The most important tasks of the United Nations are the protection of the world peace, the compliance of the law of nations, the protection of the human rights and the advancement of the international cooperation.

The United Nations issues since 1951 their own stamps. The United Nations stamps are issued in Geneva (in SFr.), Vienna (in Euro) and New York (in USD). 

The card shows the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. The Headquarters of the United Nations was built between 1948 and 1952 on land donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and since its completion it serves as the official headquarters of the United Nations. The headquarters contains the seats of the General Assembly and Security Council. The land is technically extraterritorial through a treaty agreement with the U.S. government. There are also regional headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Nairobi (Kenya). 

The card shows also some of the flags in front of the headquarters. They are arranged in English alphabetical order. 

With nice stamps:
Endangered animals (three from set of four) (issued 03-03-1993)
This are the first stamps of the Endangered Animals series issued annually. The stamps show a Giant Clam, a Hairy-nosed Wombat and a Whooping Crane. The last stamp from the set got lost during the journey. :(

Thank You very much "youleyuan" !

Thailand: Giant Pandas at Chiang Mai Zoo

Today I got four postcards: two from Thailand, my first card from the United Nations and one from Singapore.

One of the cards from Thailand shows two Giant Pandas at the Chiang Mai Zoo in the Chiang Mai province. At the moment there are two Giant Pandas in Chiang Mai. They are Chuang Chuang (male) and Lin Hui (female). Their cub Lin Ping (female) moved to China in October 2013.

With nice stamps:
National Children's Day (whole set) (issued 11-01-2014)

Thank You very much Ta!

Thailand: Khao Jeen Lae

Today I got four postcards: two from Thailand, my first card from the United Nations and one from Singapore.

One of the cards from Thailand shows the Khao Jeen Lae in the Lopburi province. 

Stamps:
60 years Diplomatic Relations with Laos (whole set) (issued 22-04-2011)

Thank You very much Ta!

Singapore: Sultan Mosque

Today I got four postcards: one from Singapore, two from Thailand and my first card from the United Nations.

The card from Singapore shows the Sultan Mosque. The Sultan Mosque is considered as the most important mosque in Singapore. There was first a smaller one which had to be replaced as it was to small when Singapore became a centre for Islamic commerce, culture and art by the early 1900s.

Stamp:
Past Street Scenes (from set of four) (issued 28-05-2014)
with First Day Spacial Postmark

Thank You very much Jeremy!

Japan: Shuri Castle on Okinawa Island

Today I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Germany.

The card from Japan shows the Shuri Castle on Okinawa Island in the Okinawa prefecture. The Shuri Castle is an gusuku (Ryukyuan castle) and was the royal palace of the independent Ryukyu Kingdom. In the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 it was almost completely destroyed but beginning in 1992 it was rebuilt involving photographs, historical records, and memory. Since 2000 it is together with the other Gusuku Sites and the Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Japanese Castles (two from set of five) (issued 10-12-2013)
The stamp shows the Odawara Castle in the Kanagawa prefecture.

Thank You very much Ginger!

Germany: Völklingen Ironworks

Today I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Japan.

The card from Germany shows the Völklingen Ironworks in Völklingen in the German State of Saarland. The Völklingen Ironworks were first planned in 1873 but not materialised. In 1881 they were again constructed and the first smelter finally began working in 1883. In 1986 it was closed. The Völklingen Ironworks are an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and since 1994 they are an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Glücksburg Castle (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Bianca!

Slovenia: Bled Island

Today I got two postcards: one from Slovenia and one from Germany.

The card from Slovenia shows a pair of ducks in front of Bled Island on Lake Bled. The Bled Island is Slovenia's only real island. 

Stamps:
EUROPA (whole set) (issued 30-05-2014)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Germany: Timmendorfer Strand

Today I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Slovenia.

The card from Germany was sent by my mum when she recently visited Timmendorfer Strand in Schleswig-Holstein. The card is a multiview.

Used was a privat post stamp, but the Deutsche Post covered it with a label.

Malaysia: George Town Meet-up

Today I got three postcards: one from Malaysia, one from Germany and one from the Vatican.

The card from Malaysia comes from the Postcrossing Meet-up in George Town. George Town is the capital of the island of Penang and of the Malaysian State of Penang. The card shows the Penang Hill funicular train, the Penang Bridge, the Komtar Tower and the Kek Lok Si Temple. Since 2008 is George Town together with Malacca an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
Year of the Horse (from set of four) (issued 27-01-2014)

Thank You very much Matthew!

Vatican: Pope Francis with a white pigeon

Today I got three postcards: one from the Vatican, one from Malaysia and one from Germany.

The card from the Vatican shows Pope Francis with a white pigeon. The photo was taken last year at Pentecost when somebody from the crowd thrown a white cage with two pigeons inside upon the pope. His life guard present him with the cage and he opened it immediately. He take out the pigeons and let them fly over the Saint Peter's Square. 

Stamp:

Gli ori del museo etrusco (from set of four) (issued 22-11-2001)

Thank You very much Henk!

Germany: Dresden Frauenkirche

Today I got three postcards: one from Germany, one from the Vatican and one from Malaysia.

The card from Germany shows the Frauenkirche in Saxony's capital Dresden. The Dresden Frauenkirche was built between 1726 and 1743. In the Bombing of Dresden in the World War II the church was damaged and later it collapsed gutted. In East Germany it was kept as ruin and was a memorial against the war. Between 1994 and 2005 after the German Reunification the church was rebuilt.

With matching stamp:
Dresden (from set of two) (issued 03-04-2014)

Thank You very much Mirko!