Austria: Old Postal Routes

Last Monday I got two postcards from Austria.

The first of them shows a cute postal-themed illustration.

Used for postage was Austria's EUROPA stamp of this year (issued 08-05-2020), which was cancelled with its First Day Special Postmark. The theme of this year is Old Postal Routes and Austria goes with this stamp back to the location of the beginning of regular mail services in Europa. Back in 1490 it was King (and later Emperor) Maximilian I who initiated the first postal route between Innsbruck and Brussels and thus laid the foundation for the postal service of the Family Thurn and Taxis in the coming centuries. The stamp shows the Palais Fugger in Innsbruck, which was bought by the Family Thurn and Taxis in 1784 to be used as residence and post office. I really like this stamp!

In combination with this card let me also show you the German EUROPA souvenir sheet of this year (issued 07-05-2020). This is by far my favourite EUROPA stamp for this year! Beside the nice illustrations of Basel, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Rheinhausen and Vienna it also shows an interesting map of the postal routes of the Thurn and Taxis Post in 1627, which includes many big cities like Brussels, Hamburg, Innsbruck, Prague and Zurich and also my home town. I think it is very interesting to see on various EUROPA stamps of this year the (postal) connections between different countries on the continent.

Thank You very much for the card Anita!

Austria: Vienna Museum

Last Saturday I got a postcard from Austria.

As history student I really like postcards about history. While for some themes I already got quite many cards, others are a real surprise to get. One of the latter cards for sure was this card about the Second Siege of Vienna by Ottoman forces in 1683. Shown on the card is an Ottoman map of the siege, which is today housed in the Vienna Museum. The Vienna Museum is a group of museums in Vienna consisting of the museums of the history of the city. Back in 2014, when I visited Vienna, I was in the main building in Karlsplatz, but unfortunately did not buy a postcard, so this card is actually even more interesting.

A souvenir sheet about Historic Mail Vehicles (issued 25-08-2016) was used on this card. It got thematic special postmark with a posthorn.

Thank You very much Anita!

Covid-19 Stamps from the Isle of Man

Last Friday I got my stamp order from the Isle of Man.

The only stamp set I ordered was the recent issue about Covid-19 called Carry Us Through (issued 04-05-2020). The stamps show different aspects of human life which will help us through the current situation such as Love, Work, Community and Compassion. My three favourites are Care, Words and Science. Very interesting and unfortunately hard to see on a scan is that you can actually read the message on the Words stamp, it is a greetings card written by a woman called Lucy to her mum. The Isle of Man was the second European country and the fourth in the World to issue stamps about Covid-19. Although I think it would be quite interesting, I am still not sure if I want to start a new thematic collection about these. On Sunday I also posted about Collecting Corona on my history blog.

Germany: Martin Luther

Last Thursday I got two postcards from Germany.

Back in 2017 I created a small collection of stamps, cards and special postmarks about the Lutheran Reformation and still today I am happy when there is a new postmark from time to time. The latest one was used in Erfurt in April to celebrate the introduction of the Reformation to the city in 1520. Luckily while cleaning I recently found the perfect postcard for the postmark. I got it in 2017 and back then planned to turn it into a maxicard. The stamp (issued 13-04-2017) on the front side I had already affixed, but I never used it. Very nice now for this postmark is that the card actually shows the same portrait of Luther. On my history blog you can see more things from this little collection.

On the backside you can see that this card is an ad-card for an exhibition in Wittenberg. An additional stamp on the back side had to be used, as a stamp on the side which does not bear the address is not regarded as postage in Germany.

The second card shows also Luther. I bought it in Wolfenbüttel before I would knew that I find the perfect card.

On this card I used a special version of the Luther stamp. It is from a booklet which also includes Germany's EUROPA stamp of 2017 showing the Wartburg Castle (issued 11-05-2017).

covers from Germany

Last Tuesday I got two covers from Germany.

Stamps:

Winter Aconite (issued 08-06-2017)

EUROPA (issued 11-05-2017)

with a special postmark about the Centenary of the Formation of Thuringia

Stamps:
Winter Aconite (issued 08-06-2017)
Tagetes (issued 07-07-2005)
Zinnia (issued 02-04-2020)
with two different special postmarks about the State Horticultural Exhibition in Kamp-Lintfort

Austria: Postcrossing Meet-up in Hirtenberg

Last Saturday I got three postcards from Austria.

Like I already said here, Postcrossing Meet-ups are currently cancelled or postponed. The third card of last Saturday is about one of these cancelled meet-ups, which was planned to take place during the Hibria Stamp Exhibition in Hirtenberg on 18th April.

Designed for this meet-up was also a special postmark. Although the meet-up was cancelled, the postmark was still available from the special postmarking centre in Vienna and was used together with a matching personalised stamp on this card. Interesting is also the seal with "Abgesagt wegen Corona Virus" (Cancelled due to Covid-19). Furthermore two new definitives were used on the card, the Lake Constance Radhaube (10ct) and the Astrakhan fur hat from the Seewinkel (5ct). I guess I will see these more often from now on.

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: 2020 Reloaded

Last Saturday I got three postcards from Austria.

While more and more countries start to issue stamps about Covid-19, it is no wonder that also many postcards surfaced already, as they are usually easier printed and designed than stamps. One of the first thematic cards from Germany I saw was 2020 Reloaded by the Papersisters. The original card for 2020 highlighted events like the EXPO in Dubai, the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Year of the Rat or the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, but it came different. Just look at the card to see how most people probably will remember this year.

Just as I teased yesterday, this card is sent with more new definitives from the new series about accessories and ornaments of traditional costumes (issued 01-04-2020). In total sixteen stamps were issued of which seven were used on this card. These stamps show a leather bag from Salzburg (100ct), patterned socks from the Enns Valley (180ct), laced boots from the Gail Valley (135ct), a hat with Gamsradl ornament from the Aussee Region (85ct), a Federkiel quill embroidery from East Tyrol (175ct), again the Astrakhan fur hat from the Seewinkel (5ct) and a Lake Constance Radhaube (10ct). Three other stamps for 85ct, one other each for 100ct and 15ct, one each for 210ct and 430ct and two for 275ct were also issued. This is already the second definitive series about traditional costumes, a first one was already issued in the 1930s and 1940s. The First Day Special Postmark also shows the hat with Gamsradl ornament from the Aussee Region.

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Artemis of Ephesus

Last Saturday I got three postcards from Austria.

For the first card I would like to show the nice stamp first. It was issued on 17th April 2020 and commemorates the 125th anniversary of Austrian Excavations in Ephesus. Ephesus in modern-day Turkey was one of the most important cities of the ancient World. First a Greek city, it became part of the Roman Empire in 129 BC and was made the capital of the Roman Province of Asia by Emperor Augustus in 27 BC. The most striking buildings surviving until today are the theatre and the Library of Celsus, the most famous building of all of Ephesus however was the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Later Ephesus was also an important centre for Early Christianity and is associated with the Apostles John and Paul and maybe even the Virgin Mary. The start for excavations however was the search for the Temple of Artemis by an English engineer in 1863. In 1895 the Austrians took over and revealed much of the ancient city. This also led to the creation of the Austrian Archaeological Institute three years later. The stamp, which shows a statue of Artemis from the temple, also got a First Day Special Postmark.

The card also shows the same statue of Artemis, which today can be seen in a museum in Ephesus.

Also used on the card was one of the new Austrian definitive stamps showing accessories and ornaments of traditional costumes (issued 01-04-2020). This stamp shows a Astrakhan fur hat from the Seewinkel. Check the next post to see more of them.

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Traditional Costumes of the Wachau

Last Thursday I got a postcard from Austria.

It shows a family wearing the traditional costumes of the Wachau. The Wachau is a valley of the Danube in the Austrian State of Lower Austria. It is known for its picturesque landscape and towns, ancient monasteries, castles, ruins and its high-quality wine. The traditional costume of the women dates back to the Biedermeier period. The dirndl is made with precious blueprint, but the most striking feature is the golden cap. The costume for the men is made from hardwearing fabrics, which is ideal for the wine-making. Since 2000 is the Wachau Cultural Landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The card was sent with a matching stamp (issued 03-04-2020) and its First Day Special Postmark. A second stamp, a lovely definitive showing a herbarized lady's slipper (issued 15-01-2008), was also used.

Thank You very much Anita!

Covid-19 Cover from Vietnam

Last Thursday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Vietnam.

With great stamps:

Fight against Covid-19 (whole set) (issued 31-03-2020)

with First Day Special Postmarks

In recent weeks more and more countries issued or announced stamps about the current Covid-19 crisis. One of the first countries to do so was Vietnam. Luckily I now already have these in my collection. The cover included beside the two stamps in mint condition also two maxicards with the stamps.

Thank You very much Phan!

cover from Germany

Last Tuesday I got a cover from Germany.

Stamps:

Bluebells (issued 08-06-2017)

Cornflower (issued 01-07-2019)

with a special postmark about Apollo 13 and the famous "Houston, we have a problem"

Germany: Online Postcrossing Meet-up

Last Monday I got three cards: two from Germany and one from Japan.

This is the second card from Germany. While Postcrossing Meet-ups like all other bigger events had to be cancelled or postponed, the German postcrossers decided to hold a #stayathome online meet-up via the Facebook Messenger. Happy to share with you one of the two cards for this special meet-up.

Before the meet-up the participants exchanged their seals so that they could be printed directly to the card.
Used for the postage was a stamp about the Council of Constance (issued 03-07-2014). Back when it issued it could be used to send a regular letter within Germany, but since last year the face value is only enough for a national postcard.

Thank You very much Svenja!

Germany: Dionysus Mosaic in Cologne

Last Monday I got three cards: two from Germany and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany shows a wonderful Roman mosaic from Cologne. Cologne, back then known as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was one of the most important Roman cities in modern day Germany. It was the capital of Germania Inferior and later Germania Secunda. The shown mosaic was once part of a Roman villa, which was discovered in 1941. As the mosaic could not be moved easily, the Romano-Germanic Museum was designed around it. The museum, which was opened in 1974, also shows other remains from the Roman period including an important glass collection and parts of Constantine the Great's bridge over the Rhine. Currently it is closed for renovation, but parts of the collection can be seen at a different location. This is really a museum I hope to visit one day!

Stamps:
Cuckooflower (issued 18-12-2018)
Emoji (issued 04-04-2019)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Japan: Magome-juku

Last Monday I got three cards: one from Japan and two from Germany.

The card from Japan shows Magome-juku. Magome-juku was one of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō, an ancient road that connected Kyoto and Edo during the Edo period. As a post town it was relatively prosperous and cosmopolitan, but fell into obscurity and poverty after the completion of the railway. Since then it has been restored to its appearance in the Edo period and is now a popular tourist destination. A quiet portion of the original highway towards Tsumago-juku, the next post town, has also been preserved.

The card was sent with a nice stamp about a new major Japanese museum, the National Ainu Museum in Shiraoi on Hokkaido. It is dedicated to the Ainu people, the indigenous people Hokkaido and other regions in Japan and Russia, and its mission is to promote a proper understanding and awareness of Ainu history and culture in Japan. The stamp was issued on 21st April 2010. Actually also the museum was supposed to open in April, but due to Covid-19 the opening was moved to May. In total ten different stamps were issued.

Thank You very much Keiko!

An Odyssey of some Rats during Covid-19

The Coronavirus currently has a strong impact on international mail services. The Postal Monitor on Postcrossing lists at the moment 116 countries where Germany does not send mail to and 32 countries which have suspended all their international mail operations. This includes for example India, which means that at least 1billion people around the World can not send any international mail. For people swapping postcards or the few who might still be reliant upon the normal mail this is for sure horrible, also because if a mail line is not suspended it does not mean that the mail arrives in the normal time, but in comparision with the people who died, lost their jobs or suffered otherwise this for sure is just a small problem. An even minor problem is the impact on the issuing of new stamps around the World, but for a philatelist still of interest. While some countries like Austria, Germany or the USA just go on like usual, others like Ireland, Italy or Spain postponed all stamps for the moment. On the other side the current situation also makes a "good" theme for stamps and a small thematic collection. At least three countries (Iran, Switzerland, Vietnam) so far issued stamps about Covid-19, some others (e.g. Brazil, Isle of Man) already announced issues and more will most likely follow in the next months. Although these will make interesting mementos of this current crisis and I will try to get as many of them as possible (already got Vietnam, Isle of Man will follow), the following set will be my personal philatelic memento of Covid-19.

2020 is the Year of the Rat and like usual I tried to collect as many related stamps as possible. As of mid March I actually already got all the ones I was looking for. My favourite of these sets of this year (if not my favourite stamp set of all of this year) is definitely the one from Macao followed by France, Singapore and Vietnam. One of the stamps from Macao I already got on 24th January on a matching card and with First Day Special Postmark, which had been sent on the 5th January (see it here). The crucial point however is, as I like this set very much, I also ordered it in mint condition from the online shop of Macao Post also on 5th January. Actually I hoped to post the card and the mint set together, but the virus seems to did not like that idea. While they got their money like usual, I never heard something again and already thought my order got lost. An order from Australia, where I also ordered Year of the Rat stamps at around the same time, namely already arrived on 23rd January. I checked the website of Macao Post a few times to see whether they might have maybe stopped working, but the only thing they wrote was that the label stamp for the Year of the Rat was (and still is) postponed. Buying stamps online sometimes has a risk especially in times like that and I actually did not planned to do anything about it, but on 16th March I got an e-mail stating that my order would now be sent out, which I could not believe in the first moment. Last Wednesday, on 22nd April, however I was very happy to finally have my order in my hands. Comparing it with an older order from Macao Post it now actually took just one week longer than usual. While I can completely understand that these days international mail takes longer to arrive and also that postal services might stop to handle orders, I am actually just a little bit sad that they just do so without any notice. Would a small information or a little sorry would be too much after an order is held back for over to two months?

This I think is a quite stark mail story for the current situation, but there are so many more. To keep a postal diary of this situation I created here on this blog the label *Covid-19, which I will attach to all posts testifying to whatever I now think to be memorable of this situation when I will take another look there later on. This will include super long travels, stamps and cards about cancelled events or about the virus itself or maybe just some cards I was happy to receive whether they might be the only ones in some weeks or just have some nice messages. The first few posts already got the label beginning in early March with my first mention of the coronavirus in a post about Milan. The decrease of incoming mail also gives me the chance to do something I wanted to do for some time but never did. I will from now on change the form of my posts a bit. I will break their rigid form and will include more things of my personal interest. Also I will most likely split big incomings of single days over some days to only have just one post a day and thus post less things on more days.

This is the souvenir sheet for this issue. Apart from these two I also bought a set about the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, which you can see here.