France: Giant Panda at the ZooParc de Beauval

On Friday I got two postcards: one from France and one from Germany.

The card from France is an odd panda postcard from the ZooParc de Beauval. The ZooParc de Beauval is a zoological garden in Saint-Aignan. It was opened in 1980 and is today one of the largest zoos in France. The zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Since 2012 two Giant Pandas are living in the zoo and in 2017 two babies were born, of which one already died one day later. The ZooParc de Beauval is the only zoo in France housing Giant Pandas.

Stamp:
New Marianne
EUROPA (issued 18-05-2018)

Thank You very much Nathalie!

Germany: Spock

Last Friday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from France.

The card from Germany shows Spock. Spock is one of the main characters in the Star Trek franchise. He first appeared in 1966. 

Stamp:
Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 07-12-2017)

Thank You very much Serena!

China: Year of the Pig

Last Thursday I got two postcards: one from China and one from Germany.

The card from China is about the Year of the Pig.

With awesome matching stamps:
Tangshan International Horticulture Exposition (whole set) (issued 29-04-2016)
Year of the Pig (whole set) (issued 05-01-2019)

Thank You very much Chen Zhan!

Germany: Art of Frank Kunert

Last Thursday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from China.

The card from Germany shows three artworks of Frank Kunert. Frank Kunert is a German photographer who is known for his satirical photos of self-built models called Small Worlds. He got miscellaneous awards.

Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Christine!

cover from the United Kingdom

Last Thursday I got not only two postcards but also a cover from the United Kingdom.

Stamps:

Buckingham Palace (from set of six) (issued 15-04-2014)

Sustainable Fish (from set of ten) (issued 05-06-2014)

with a special postmark from Bath

Thank You very much William!

cover from Macao

Last Wednesday I got a cover from Macao.

Stamps:

Chinese White Dolphin (from set of four) (issued 01-12-2017)

Ceramics (from set of six) (issued 31-10-2000)

Inside was a Year of the Pig maxicard. The stamp is from a set of five and was issued on the 5th January 2019.

Thank You very much Wing!

Germany: History of Erfurt

On Tuesday I got three postcards from Germany.

One of them is the Chronicle card of Erfurt. Erfurt was mentioned for the first time around 729. Saint Boniface founded a diocese there in 742 and under the rule of Charlemagne it became a centre of the trade with the Slavs. During the rest of the Middle Ages it was one of the largest German cities. In 1392 the University of Erfurt was founded, which later became a centre of the Humanism. One of its most famous students was Martin Luther. In 1664 Erfurt came under the control of the Prince Elector of Mainz and remained this until it became a part of Prussia in 1803. In the 19th century it was again an intellectual centre, when it was the meeting point of famous persons like Goethe, Schiller, Wilhelm von Humboldt and Herder. It also became a centre of the horticulture and in 1838 the first German horticultural exhibition took place in Erfurt. After World War II it became an East German district capital and since the German Reunification it is the capital of the German State of Thuringia.

Stamp:
Dinner for One (issued 11-10-2018)

Thank You very much Edith!

Germany: Museum Abteiberg

On Tuesday I got three postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach. The Museum Abteiberg is a municipal museum for contemporary art. It is known for its experimental and avant-garde exhibitions and for the architecture of its museum building, which has been described as a highpoint of postmodern design.

Stamp:
Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 07-12-2017)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Halle Meet-up

On Tuesday I got three postcards from Germany.

One of them is the official card of the recent Postcrossing Meet-up in Halle.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Thomas!

cover from Italy

On Tuesday I got not only three postcards but also a cover from Italy.

Stamps:

EUROPA (whole set) (issued 09-05-2018)

with a special postmark from Naples

Thank You very much William!

USA: Mammoth Cave

On Monday I got two postcards: one from the USA and one from Slovenia.

The card from the USA is about Mammoth Cave in the US State of Kentucky. Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system known in the World. It is home to a varied flora and fauna and is protected as a national park since 1941. The Mammoth Cave National Park is since 1981 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
American Toleware (issued 22-08-2008)
Uncle Sam's Hat (issued 18-02-2017)
Seashells (from set of four) (issued 28-01-2017)
Year of the Pig (issued 17-01-2019)

Thank You very much Gloria!

Slovenia: Winnie the Pooh and Friends

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Slovenia and one from the USA.

The card from Slovenia shows Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.

Stamp:
Year of the Pig (issued 25-01-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Mateja!

Germany: Cologne Central Mosque

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Cologne Central Mosque. The Cologne Central Mosque was built between 2009 and 2017 as central mosque of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs and was inaugurated by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 29th September 2018. Beside the actual mosque it also includes secular areas like a bazaar and a library. It is Germany's largest mosque and especially due to its size its construction was accompanied by various controversies.

Stamp:
Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 07-12-2017)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Philippines: Pasay

Last Saturday I got a postcard from the Philippines.

It shows a map of Pasay. Pasay is a big city in Metro Manila. 

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Pasay.
Stamps:
50 years ASEAN (issued 08-08-2017)
It is a joint issue with the other ASEAN countries.
Fruits (from set of four) (issued 14-03-2017)

Thank You very much Mitch!

cover from Italy

Last Saturday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Italy.

Stamps:

Italian Mail (from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)

200 years Carabinieri (from set of four) (issued 16-07-2014)

with a special postmark from Verona

Thank You very much William!