Germany: Berlin U-Bahn

On Tuesday I got four postcards: two from Indonesia and two from Germany. One of the cards from Germany comes from Berlin. I sent the card to me when I was there.

Berlin is the capital of Germany and of the German State of Berlin. Berlin was also the capital of Margraviate of Brandenburg, of the Kingdom of Prussia and of the German Reich and East Berlin was the capital of East Germany. Berlin is the largest city in Germany, the second largest city in the European Union and the fifth largest city in Europe.

The card shows the Berlin U-Bahn. The underground opened in 1902.

Stamp:

Janosch (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2013)

Germany: Bayreuth Festival

On Tuesday I got four postcards: two from Indonesia and two from Germany. One of the cards from Germany broaches the issue of the Bayreuth Festival.

The Bayreuth Festival is a Music and Theatre Festival taking place every year in Bayreuth. Otto Brückwald built between 1872 and 1875 the Bayreuth Festspielhaus designed by Richard Wagner only for the Bayreuth Festival. The first festival began in 1876. The directors of the Bayreuth Festival are Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Katharina Wagner. They are great-grandchildren of Richard Wagner.

Stamp:

200th Birthday of Richard Wagner (issued 02-05-2013)
and a special postmark showing the Bayreuth Festspielhaus

Thank You very much Natalie!

Indonesia: Pura Tanah Lot

On Tuesday I got four postcards: two from Indonesia and two from Germany. One of the cards from Indonesia shows the Tanah Lot.

The Tanah Lot is a rock formation in Bali. Tanah Lot is the home of the Hindu temple “Pura Tanah Lot”.

Stamps:

Year of the Rabbit (the whole set) (issued 2011)

Thank You very much Surfia!

Indonesia: Gitgit Waterfall

On Tuesday I got four postcards: two from Indonesia and two from Germany. One of the cards from Indonesia shows the Gitgit Waterfall in Bali.

Bali is a island belonging to Indonesia since 1945 and also a Indonesian province. The capital of the province is Denpasar.

Stamps:

Year of the Astronomy (from set of three) (issued 02-05-2009)

and Year of the Rat (from souvenir sheet) (issued 26-01-2008)

Thank You very much Surfia!

Cover from Russia

On Monday I got a cover from Russia. Inside was the new EUROPA stamp from Kazakhstan.

Stamps:

Fauna of Russia-Whales (from set of two) (issued 08-02-2012)

and Bicycles (from set of four) (issued 11-12-2008)

Thank You very much Elena!

Hong Kong: Giant Rubber Duck

On Monday I got a nice surprise card from Hong Kong.

The card shows again one of the Rubber Duck sculptures by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. In the background you can see Victoria Harbour.

Stamp:

Hong Kong Insects (from set of six) (issued 22-11-2012)

Thank You very much Lelia!

Germany: Kiel

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Hong Kong and one from Germany. The postcard from Germany comes from Schleswig-Holstein’s capital Kiel. I got the postcard some weeks ago in a cover and then I send it to Berlin to get a special postmark.

Kiel is located on the Baltic Sea and is the endpoint of the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee-Kanal). The city is Germany’s northernmost big town and thirtieth largest city in Germany. In Kiel is also a important naval base of the German Navy.

Stamp:
Janosch-sailing boat (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2013)
and a great special postmark celebrating the Kiel Week

Hong Kong: Giant Rubber Duck

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Hong Kong.

The postcard from Hong Kong shows one of the Rubber Duck sculptures by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. The Duck on the postcard is sized 14×15×16.5 metres and visited Hong Kong between the 1st May and the 9th June. At the back you can see the Star Ferry Pier and the Clock Tower.

With sweet stamp:
My Pet and I-Rabbit (from set of six) (issued 28-03-2013)

Thank You very much Lelia!

Germany: Goslar

On Monday I got a nice postcard from Germany or more precisely from Goslar. I bought the card when I was there and then I send it to Berlin to get a special postmark.

The card shows the Imperial Palace (the biggest, oldest and most well preserved secular building in Germany), the Gose (a river flowing through Goslar), the market church and the “Kaiserworth”. The Old Town is since 1992 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Janosch-sailing boat (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2013)
and a great special postmark celebrating the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and (South) Korea

Germany: Hanover Adventure Zoo

Yesterday I got two postcards from Germany. One of them comes from Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. I sent the card to me when I was there.
The card shows a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) in the "Hanover Adventure Zoo". The zoo was opened in 1865 and in the 1990s the zoo was modernised with new natural compounds. The zoo is now divided in seven theme worlds (Zambezi, Gorilla Mountain, Yukon Bay, Jungle Palace, Outback, Mullewapp, Meyers Farm). The polar bear lives in Yukon Bay which is the latest theme world (opened 2010). It constitutes the Yukon Territory in Canada and domiciled the animals of the North.

Stamp:

"Fachwerkbauten in Deutschland" (from set of two) (issued 07-04-2011)



Germany: Frankfurt on the Main

Yesterday I got two postcards from Germany. One of them comes from Frankfurt on the Main. Frankfurt is the largest city in Hesse and the fifth largest city in Germany. Frankfurt is the seat of the European Central Bank and thus one of the four "capitals" of the European Union. It is a traffic junction, the train station is also junction and the airport belongs to "World's busiest airports by passenger traffic". Frankfurt is also important financial centre.

The card shows the skyline of Frankfurt. The office buildings belong to the highest in Europe. Therefore the city is sometimes called "Mainhattan".

With sweet children's book stamp:
Janosch-sailing boat (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2013)

Thank You very much Svea!

Russia: Kaliningrad

On Wednesday I got a postcard from Russia or more precisely from the Kaliningrad Oblast. The Kaliningrad Oblast is the easternmost place in Russia. The Oblast is also a exclave divided from the rest of Russia by Lithuania and Belarus. It is bordered by Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic Sea. It is also the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet.

The postcard shows sights in the administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast which is called Kaliningrad.

Stamp:
Russian Kremlins-Ryazan Kremlin (from set of twelve) (issued 01-10-2009)



Thank You very much Nastya!