Luxembourg: Luxembourg City

Yesterday I got my first postcard from Luxembourg.

Luxembourg (officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) is a landlocked country in Europe. It is bordered by Belgium, Germany and France. It is a Benelux country and a member of the EU, of the NATO and of the OECD.

The card shows the central station and the historic centre (since 1994 UNESCO World Heritage Site) of Luxembourg's capital Luxembourg (City). Luxembourg is the biggest city in Luxembourg and a important financial centre. The city is also the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union and of the Court of Auditors and thus one of the four "capitals" of the European Union.

Stamp:

Eisch Valley (from set of two) (issued 16-03-2010)

(unfortunately without postmark)

Thank You very much Yvonne!

Second Blog!

Yesterday I started a second blog where I will show all complete stamp sets that I got through the week!

My stamp collection

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek

Yesterday I got two postcards: one from Canada and my first card from Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders on China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Until 1991 it was a part of the Soviet Union.

The card shows the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. Bishkek is the cultural, ecological and political centre of the country. 

Stamps:
Chyngyz Aitmatov (from set of eight) (issued 13-08-2009)
and Definitives (issued 10-05-2008)

Thank You very much Alexander!

Canada: Rideau Canal

Yesterday I got two postcards: my first card from Kyrgyzstan and one from Canada. I wait over two mounths for the card from Canada! The card shows the Rideau Canal. The Rideau Canal was opened in 1832 and thus it is the oldest continously operated canal system in North America. It connects the city of Ottawa at the Ottawa River, Canada's capital, to the city of Kingston on Lake Ontario. Since 2007 it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

With nice Stamps:
Franklin the Turtle (whole set) (issued 11-05-2012)

Thank You very much Jess!

Russia: Surfing

On Friday I got a postcard from Russia showing a surfer. The card was in transit for nearly three months!

Stamp:

XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi (from set of three) (issued 03-10-2011)

(the skier is compiled so you can feel "him")

Thank You very much Elena!

cover from Kiel

On Thursday I got a cover from Germany with a postcard showing Schleswig-Holstein's capital Kiel inside.

Stamp:

Lighthouses-Büsum (from set of two) (issued 06-06-2013)

and an advertising seal for the Kiel Week.

Thank You very much Karen!

India: Taj Mahal in Agra

On Thursday I got my first postcard from India. The card shows the Taj Mahal in Agra. The Taj Mahal was erected by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666). It is a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). It was built between 1631 and 1648 by twenty thousand workmen. It is since 1983 a UNESCO World Heritage.

Stamps:
Commonwealth Games-Stadiums (whole set) (issued 01-08-2010)
and India's Old Post Offices-Agra H.P.O. (from set of two) (issued 12-04-2013)

Thank You very much Arnab!

Taiwan: Dragon Dance

Yesterday I got four postcards. Two of them were from Taiwan. One of them shows the traditional Chinese Dragon Dance. It is a highlight of the New Year Celebrations in China and in China Towns in the whole world.

Stamps:

Fengshan Lungshan Temple ATM Label,

Greetings (two from set of twenty) (issued 12-11-2009)

and a pair of two Berry stamps (from set of two) (issued 17-04-2013)

Thank You so much George!

Taiwan: Year of the Rabbit

Yesterday I got four postcards. Two of them were from Taiwan. One of them shows two rabbits celebrating the Year of the Rabbit 2011. The Rabbit (Chinese: 卯 măo) is one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Calendar and the next Year of the Rabbit will be 2023. The people born in the Year of the Rabbit are docile, talented and ambitious.
There is also a matching stamp on the front site of the card:
Year of the Rabbit (from set of two) (issued 01-12-2010).

Stamps:
Berries (from set of four) (issued 17-04-2013),
Greetings (from set of four) (issued 22-05-2013)
and twice a Flower stamp (from set of four) (issued 14-10-2009)

Thank You very much George!

Germany: Richard Wagner

Yesterday I got four postcards. One of them was from Germany. The card shows Richard Wagner. Richard Wagner was born on 22nd May 1813 and died on 13rd February 1873. He was one of the most famous German composers and he writing text, music and stage direction made the opera to a Gesamtkunstwerk.

With matching stamp:
200th Birthday of Richard Wagner (issued 02-05-2013)
and a great special postmark from Bayreuth celebrating also Wagner's 200th Birthday

Thank You so much Natalie!

China: Giant Pandas

Yesterday I got four postcards. One of them was from China. The card shows two Giant Pandas. The Giant Panda (scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a bear only living in Chinese provinces Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi (and some zoos in the whole world). The Giant Panda is the sign of the WWF.

Stamps:

Thank You very much Zhizhi!

France: Cherbourg

On Tuesday I got two postcards: One from Indonesia and one from France. The card from France shows Cherbourg. The city has a port and a marina. The port is the base of the French Navy.

Stamp:

50 years Élysée Treaty (issued 02-01-2013)

(a joint issue with Germany)

Thank You so much Deborah!

____________________________________________________________________

The German issue (issued 02-01-2013):

Indonesia: Borobudur

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from France and one from Indonesia. The card from Indonesia shows Borobudur. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. It was built in the 9th centenary. There were original 504 Buddhas, but most of them are damaged and some are lost. And since 1991 it is UNESCO World Heritage.

With nice stamps:

Summer Olympics in Beijing (from set of four) (issued 18-03-2008),

Youth Olympic Games in Singapore (from set of two) (issued 15-07-2010)

and 150 years Red Cross (whole set) (issued 08-05-2013)

Thank You so much Shinta!

Canada: Yonge-Dundas Square

Yesterday I got my first postcard from Canada. The card shows Toronto. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and a important financial centre. More precisely the card shows the Yonge-Dundas Square. 56.000.000 people frequent the square yearly and thus it is one of the busiest places in Canada.

With nice stamps:

Chinatown Gates (three from set of eight) (issued 01-05-2013)

(the stamps do not have a real postmark, they are just cancelled with a stroke)

Thank You very much Beatrice!

Slovenia

On Friday I got two postcards. One of them was from Slovenia. The card shows many touristy sights:

Bohinj: a valley in the Julian Alps
Bled: a climatic spa at Lake Bled
Moravske Toplice: a community famous for the thermal bath
Lendava: the easternmost community of Slovenia
Kranj: the fourth largest city of Slovenia
Celje Castle: a castle ruin in Celje
Maribor: the second largest city of Slovenia
Radenci: a community famous for the therm
Murska Sobota: a diocesan town
Ljubljana: the capital city and the largest city of Slovenia
Terme Čatež: a large spa resort in Čatež ob Savi
Podčetrtek: a community famous for spas
Portorož: a spa
Piran: one of the most famous touristy sights in Slovenia
Izola: a city famous for it's marina
Koper: the only seaport in Slovenia
Strunjan: a settlement famous for the Strunjan Nature Reserve

Stamp:

Postojna Cave–Underground Post Office (issued 22-03-2013)

(It is a joint issue with Austria)

Thank You so much Mateja!

Madeira: Funchal

On Friday I got two postcards. One of them was my first postcard from Madeira. Madeira, Porto Santo Island and the Savage Islands form the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The Region belongs to Portugal.
The postcard shows Funchal, the capital of the Region. The city has around 112.000 inhabitants.

Stamps (actually Madeira has it's own stamps, but this are from Portugal (you can use them too and as you can see on the postmark the card is really send from Funchal)):
Masks (from set of six) (issued 01-03-2006)
Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU (issued 01-07-2007)

Thank You so much Elena for sending this card from your trip!

Champions League win

On Thursday I bought a great cover in the post office. On the cover is the Sport stamp 2013 (issued 02-05-2013) cancelled on the 25th May 2013 with a special postmark celebrating the win of the FC Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The stamp is from a set of three charity stamps in favour of the "Deutsche Sporthilfe" showing the famous mouse by Uli Stein.
58+27c: a sprinting mouse
90+40c: a surfing mouse
145+55c: a mouse on parallel bars

Czech Republic: Krtek on Rocket

On Wednesday I got three postcards. One of them was from the Czech Republic. The card shows the mole or also called Krtek by Zdeněk Miler (1921-2011). In 1957 Krtek was showed the first time on Czechoslovakian TV. At beginning Krtek was able to speak, but then Zdeněk Miler decided that everybody should understand him, so now he just make some sounds. The music was composed by Miloš Vacek and since 1974 by Vadim Petrov. Since 2002 there are no new episodes.

With nice matching stamp:
Krtek on Rocket (issued 29-05-2013)
and special Krtek postmark

Thank You so much Pavel!

Slovenia: Novo Mesto

On Wednesday I got three postcards. One of them was from Slovenia. The card shows the city of Novo Mesto in Jugovzhodna Slovenija. The city lays in a sinuosity of the Krka. The city has around 40.000 inhabitants.

Stamps:
Pavli the postman-spring (from set of two) (issued 22-03-2013)
and Year of the Snake (issued 25-01-2013)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Singapore: Marina Bay Skyline

On Wednesday I got three postcards. One of them was from Singapore. The card shows the Marina Bay Skyline in the southern part of Singapore. On the card is the Singapore Flyer, the Marina Bay Sands and the Esplanade Theatre. There take many events place such as the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 or the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

With matching stamps:
Marina Bay Skyline (whole set) (issued 28-05-2013)
actually with first day special postmark, but unfortunately the German post put a sticker on the postmark. :(

Thank You very much Jeremy!

Netherlands: Prinsengracht in Amsterdam

On Tuesday I got a great postcard from the Netherlands. The card shows the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. 

Amsterdam is the capital city of and the largest city in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a important financial centre.

The start of construction of the the Prinsengracht was in 1612. It is a part of the Grachtengordel in Amsterdam and thus since 2010 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the background you can see the Westertoren of the Westerkerk. On 8th October 1669 Rembrandt van Rijn was buried in this church.

Stamps:
Child welfare-Joost Swarte comics (from set of four) (issued 14-11-1984),
Summer stamps-ships (from set of three) (issued 11-04-1989)
and Australian bicentenary (issued 30-08-1988)
(in the Netherlands you can still use the old stamps in Dutch guilder and not only the new stamps in Euro)

Thank You so much for this great postcard Maick!

China: Fishes from Foshan City

On Saturday I got three postcards and one of them was from China. The postcard shows fishes and is send from Foshan. In Foshan the traditional chinese WuShu (dragon dance or lion dance) arised.

With nice stamps:
Macau buildings (from set of four) (issued 1997),
Shanghai Expo Site (two from a set of four) (issued 21-01-2010)
and Year of the Snake (issued 05-01-2013)

Thank You very much Jomy!

Russia: Poklonnaya Hill

On Saturday I got three postcards and one of them was from Russia. The postcard shows the Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. It is 171.5 metres high and thus one of the highest spots in Moscow. The Victory Park showing tanks and other vehicles used in the Second World War is there. On the Poklonnaya Hill you have the best view on the Russian capital.

With nice stamps:
EUROPA 2013-Postal Vehicle (issued 26-04-2013)
and EUROPA 2005-Gastronomy (issued 05-05-2005)

Thank You very much for this great card Elena!

Indonesia: Bangka Belitung

On Saturday I got three postcards and one of them was from Indonesia. The card shows one island of the Indonesian province Bangka Belitung. The province consists of the islands Bangka and Belitung and some smaller ones (like the one on the card). The capital is Pangkal Pinang. This province is the largest producer of tin in Indonesia.

Stamps:
Traditional food (Gulai) (from set of two) (issued 2012)
and Forest (whole set!) ( issued 05-06-2011)

Thank You very much Surfia!

Turkey: Kilyos/Kumköy

On Thurday I got my first postcard from Turkey. My mum send it to me when she was there. I already have a postcard from the Leipzig/Halle Airport from where she flew to Turkey. The postcard shows Kilyos or also called Kumköy. It is a popular seaside resort on the coast of the Black Sea.

Stamp:

Tourism-Antalya (from set of six) (issued 12-04-2013)

France: La Hague

Last Tuesday I got my first postcard from France. The card shows the Nez de Jobourg in La Hague. There is a bird sanctuary and it is the place with the second most visitors in the near of the English Channel.

Stamps:

Definitives 0,01 €, 0,05 €, 0,10 €

and Year of the Snake (issued 09-01-2013)

Thank You very much for this great card Deborah!