Hungary: Buda Castle

Today I got three postcards: one from Hungary, one from Slovakia and one from the Netherlands.

The card from Hungary shows the Buda Castle in Hungary's capital Budapest. The Buda Castle is the largest building in Hungary and the highest situated building of Budapest. It was built by Béla IV of Hungary in the 13th century and was from then onwards the residence of the Hungarian Kings. It was enlarged over the centuries and after its destruction in the World War II it has been rebuilt. Budapest has been with the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

 Stamps:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 09-05-2014)
Chair (from set of four) (issued 09-10-2001)

Thank You very much Karr!

Netherlands: Windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout

Today I got three postcards: one from the Netherlands, one from Hungary and one from Slovakia.

The card from the Netherlands shows the windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout. The 19 windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout are one of the most famous sights in the Netherlands. The construction of windmills began in the Middle Ages and they are still used for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement. The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout has been an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

With nice stamps:
Football World Cup Brazil (two from set of ten) (issued 02-06-2014)

Thank You very much Amy!

Iceland: Reykjavík

Today I got two postcards: my first card from Iceland and one from Germany.

Iceland is a country in Northern Europe and the second-largest insular state in Europe. Iceland is a member of the UN, of the NATO and of the OECD.

The card shows the waterfront of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. Reykjavík is the northernmost capital of the World and the cleanest capital of Europe. 

With nice stamp:
Tourism (from set of two) (issued 16-01-2014)

Thank You very much Svea!

Germany: Council of Constance

Today I got two postcards: one from Germany and my first card from Iceland.

The card from Germany shows the Imperia and the building where the Council of Constance was held in Baden-Württemberg. The Council of Constance was held between 1414 and 1418. During this time 20000 persons lived in Constance. The main topic was the end of the Western Schism and the reunification of the church. 

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

With a nice matching stamp:
600 years Council of Constance (issued 03-07-2014)
with a special postmark on the occasion of the jubilee

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

Germany: Jena

Today I got three postcards from Germany.

One of them shows Jena. Jena is the second largest town of Thuringia and an important centre of education and science. In 2008 was Jena the City of Science ("Stadt der Wissenschaft"). 

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

Stamp:
150th birthday of Ricarda Huch (issued 03-07-2014)
with a special postmark commemorating also Ricarda Huch

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

Germany: Karlsruhe

Today I got three postcards from Germany.

One of them is a multiview from Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe is the second largest town of the State of Baden-Württemberg and was once the capital of Baden. Since 1950 is in Karlsruhe the seat of the Federal Court of Justice and since 1951 of the Federal Constitutional Court. 

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

Stamp:
Blossoming Trees-Conker Tree (from set of three) (issued 07-02-2013)
with a special postmark commemorating the latest coin from the series "Der deutsche Wald" showing also a conker tree

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

Germany: Town Hall of Bremen

Today I got three postcards from Germany.

One of the cards shows the Town Hall of Bremen. The Town Hall of Bremen is located on the Marketplace of Bremen and is the seat of the President of the Senate and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. It is one of the most important examples of the Brick Gothic. Since 2004 it has been together with the Bremen Roland an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With matching stamp:
Bremen (from set of two) (issued 05-06-2014)

Thank You very much Marina!

New Zealand: Tirau's Big Sheep

Today I got two postcards: one from New Zealand and one from Germany.

The card from New Zealand shows Tirau's Big Sheep. Tirau is located on the North Island of New Zealand on the State Highway 1. In the 1980s Tirau was on the way to become a ghost town as the population decreased. Then Henry Clothier opened a antiques shop later followed by other shops and travellers have started to stop. In the 1990s Henry Clothier's son Steven was tasked to build the Big Sheep (1994) for a wool gallery and a Big Dog (1998) as information centre. 

With a matching stamp:
Matariki (from set of six) (issued 04-06-2014)
Legendary Landmarks (two from set of eighteen) (issued 02-07-2014)

Thank You very much Sharon!

Germany: Städtisches Museum in Braunschweig

Today I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from New Zealand.

The card from Germany shows a piece from the Fürstenberg China collection at the Municipal Museum (Städtisches Museum) in Braunschweig. The Fürstenberg China Factory was founded in 1747 in Fürstenberg at the behest of Duke Charles I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Thus is the Fürstenberg China Factory the second oldest German porcelain factory that still operates at the same place and the third oldest altogether. The Municipal Museum was founded in 1861 and shows exhibits of Braunschweig's history. The collection was increased by donations of Braunschweig's civics. Today is the Municipal Museum with 270000 exhibits one of the most important art-historical and culture-historical museums of Germany.

I bought this card when I recently visited the museum.

Stamp:
Dresden (from set of two) (issued 03-04-2014)

Germany: Lighthouse Buk

Today I got a postcard from Germany.

The card shows the Lighthouse Buk in Bastorf in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Lighthouse Buk has been in operation since 1878 and is with 20,8m one of the smallest lighthouses in Germany. Its main task is to warn against the sandbank Hannibal.

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

With matching stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 03-07-2014)
with a special postmark showing also the Lighthouse Buk

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

Netherlands: Van Nellefabriek

Today I got two postcards: one from the Netherlands and one from Singapore.

The card from the Netherlands shows the Van Nellefabriek. The Van Nellefabriek was designed and built in the 1920s near Rotterdam. It is named the ideal factory as for example daylight is used inside. The Van Nellefabriek was the headquarters of the Van Nelle company, a company producing coffee, tea, tobacco and other things. Since 2014 has been the Van Nellefabriek an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
EUROPA (whole set) (issued 22-04-2013)

Thank You very much Maick!

Singapore: Sultan Mosque

Today I got two postcards: one from Singapore and one from the Netherlands.

The card from Singapore shows again the Sultan Mosque.

Stamps:
Let's Celebrate (four from set of five) (issued 26-03-2014)

Thank You very much Jeremy!

WWI Centenary from Jersey

Today I got the first stamps for my new World War I Centenary collection. The stamps are from Jersey and were issued on 06-05-2014. The stamps show poppies and on the 46p and 56p are real poppy seeds.

Italy: Nutella

Today I got a cover from Italy.

Stamp:

Nutella (issued 14-05-2014)

Inside was the maxicard of the Nutella stamp. Nutella is a hazelnut chocolate spread merchandised by the Italian company Ferrero. Nutella was created as Pasta gianduja in 1946 by the confectioner Pietro Ferrero. In 1951 Ferrero changed the recipe and called it from then on Supercrema gianduja. In 1964 an act prohibited the prefix "Super-" in brand names. Thus Ferrero created the word Nutella from the English word "nut" and the Italian female diminutive "-ella". Since 1965 is Nutella sold outside Italy and today it can be bought in 75 countries.

Thank You very much Giuseppe!

Greece: Kos

Today I got my first postcard from Greece. 

Greece is a country in Southeast Europe bordering on Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Greece is a member of the EU, of the OECD, of the NATO and of the UN. The capital of Greece is Athens.

The card shows impressions of the island of Kos. Kos is the third-largest of the Dodecanese islands and is located next to the Gulf of Cos near Turkey. In 460 B.C. Hippocrates was born on Kos.

Stamp:
Olympus (from set of four) (issued 19-07-2013)

Thank You very much Achim and Jutta!