Sweden: Gothenburg

On Friday I got my first postcard from Sweden.

Sweden is a country in Scandinavia bordering on Finland and Norway. Sweden is a member of the UN, of the EU and of the OECD. Sweden's Head of State is King Carl XVI Gustaf and the capital is Stockholm.

The card was sent from Gothenburg. Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden, the fourtyninth largest city in the EU and the eightieth largest city in Europe. In Gothenburg is also the biggest port of export in Northern Europe.

Stamps:
Hearts in Nature (two from set of four) (issued 10-01-2013)

Thank You very much Brigitte!

cover from Taiwan

On Tuesday I got a cover from Taiwan.

Stamps:

Greetings (from set of twenty) (issued 27-05-2011)

Thank You very much George!

Canada: Niagara Falls

On Monday I got a nice postcard from Canada.

The card shows the Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls are on the border between Canada and the USA. The Niagara Falls are divided in three parts. The Rainbow Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls in the USA (on top of the card) and the the larger Horseshoe Falls in Canada (at the bottom of the card).

The two cities on the card are Niagara Falls in the U.S. State of New York (on top) and Niagara Falls in the Canadian Province of Ontario.

Stamp:
Canadian Photography (from set of seven) (issued 22-03-2013)
with special postmark from Niagara Falls

Thank You very much Maryam!

Germany: Weltvogelpark in Walsrode

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

The card from Germany was bought by me some months ago in a second hand bookshop and now I sent it to Berlin to get the special postmark.

The card shows the Weltvogelpark in Walsrode in Lower Saxony. The park was opened in 1952 and is home to about 675 bird species and thus the Weltvogelpark is one of the

species-richest zoos in the world. The birds on the card are a Peacock, a Humboldt Penguin, a Scarlet Macaw, a Flamingo, a Golden Pheasant and a Grey Crowned Crane.

Stamps:
For the Youth-Native Songbirds (from set of three) (issued 08-08-2013)
and For the Youth-Astronomy (from set of four) (issued 11-08-2011)
and a special postmark on the occasion of the this year's For the Youth stamp issue

New Zealand: Lake Tekapo with Hobbit stamp

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

The card from New Zealand shows lupins in front of the Lake Tekapo. In the background you can also see the Southern Alps.

Stamp:
The Hobbit-Gandalf (from set of six) (issued 01-11-2012)

Thank You very much Adrienne!

Netherlands: Veluwe postcard with Postcrossing stamps

On Wednesday I got a great postcard from the Netherlands.

The card shows Veluwe. Veluwe is the largest coherent woodland in the Netherlands and is bordered by the Veluwemeer. The woodland is situated in the Dutch Province Gelderland. A part of Veluwe is protected by the Hoge Veluwe National Park. The animals on the card are a hart, a squirrel, a fox, young boars and highland cattle.

Stamps:
Postcrossing (three from set of six) (issued 14-10-2011)

Thank You very much Marleen!

Cambodia: Siem Reap

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Cambodia.

The card from Cambodia shows again Angkor Wat. Many of the people visiting Angkor Wat pass the night in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is the capital of the Cambodian Province Siem Reap.

Stamps:
Flowers (two from set of five) (issued 2008)

Thank You very much Elma!

Germany: Templin

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Cambodia and one from Germany.

The card from Germany shows the city of Templin in Brandenburg. Templin is the city with the eighth-largest area in Germany.

Stamp:
125 years of Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (issued 09-02-2012)

Thank You very much Phoenix!

Singapore: View with Sign Language stamps

Yesterday I got a postcard from Singapore.

With very nice stamps:
Sign Language (whole set) (issued 17-06-2013)

Thank You very much Jeremy!

Singapore: Vanda Miss Joaquim

On Thursday I got a postcard from Singapore.

The postcard shows the hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim. The Vanda Miss Joaquim is Singapore`s National Flower.

Stamps:
48 Years of Independence (whole set) (issued 05-08-2013)
with special first day postmark

Thank You very much Jeremy!

Italy: Riccione

Yesterday I got a card from Italy which I sent to me when I was there.

The card shows Riccione. Riccione is a seaside resort in the Emilia-Romagna at the Adriatic Sea. The sandy beach is 6 km long. In Riccione is also the biggest water park in Europe.

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (09-05-2013)

Cambodia: Angkor Wat

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a state in Southeast Asia. Cambodia is bordered by Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Phnom Penh is the capital of the country.

The postcard shows Angkor Wat. King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built as his state temple and capital. Angkor Wat is a national symbol of Cambodia and is shown on the national flag. Angkor Wat is since 1992 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
30 years AIDS prevention (from set of four) (issued 2011)

Thank You very much Elma!

Austria: Hahnenkammbahn

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

One of the cards from Austria shows the Hahnenkammbahn. The funicular was built in 1929.

Stamp:
EUROPA (from souvenir sheet) (issued 06-05-2013)

Austria: Almabtrieb

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

One of the cards from Austria broaches the issue of the Almabtrieb. The Almabtrieb is the transfer of the cattle from the alp to the valley.

Stamp:
Postojna Cave-Underground Post Office (issued 06-04-2013)
(It is a joint issue with Slovenia)

Austria: Garden for Alpine Flowers

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

One of the cards from Austria shows the Garden for Alpine Flowers on the Kitzbüheler Horn. There are not only flowers from the Alps but flowers from the whole world.

Stamp:
150 years Red Cross (issued 08-05-2013)
and Taraxacum officinale (issued 25-08-2007)

Austria: Marmot

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

One of the cards from Austria shows a marmot. A marmot is a rodent living mainly in the Alps. There are also marmot colonies in the Carpathian Mountains and in the Pyrenees and some marmots live also in the Black Forest. The marmot is according to the size the third-biggest rodent living in Europe. Only the beaver and the porcupine are bigger.

Stamp:
50 years Alpenzoo in Innsbruck (issued 22-09-2012)

Austria: Alpine Flowers

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

One of the cards from Austria shows four Alpine flowers.

The flowers on the card are:

- Rhododendron

- Edelweiss

- Primula auricula

- Gentiana

With matching stamp:
Flower Definitives (whole series: 11 stamps):
- Cypripedium calceolus (issued 15-01-2008)
- Alpine Flowers (issued 26-01-2007)

Russia: Winter Palace

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

The card from Russia shows the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The Winterpalace was between 1732 and 1917 the official residence of the Russian Monarchs. The Winterpalace is a part of the Hermitage which is a part of the town centre of Saint Petersburg and thus is the Winterpalace since 1990 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Russian Regions:
Republic of Adygea (from set of six) (issued 20-06-2006)
Kaluga Oblast (issued 30-11-2011)
Vologda Oblast (from set of six) (issued 21-08-2007)

Thank You very much Maria!

Canada: Prince Edward Island

On Saturday I got eight postcards: One from Canada, one from Russia, five from Austria (which I sent to me when I was there) and my first card from Cambodia.

The card from Canada shows touristic sights on Prince Edward Island:

- Lobster Traps in Seacow Pond

- Cliffs at Cavendish

- The Confederation Bridge

- Dalvay Beach

With two tiny stamps.

Thank You very much Rosie!

Canada: Prince Edward Island

On Friday I got one card from Canada.

The card shows a beach on Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island is a island in the Atlantic Ocean and also a Canadian Province. The Island is named after Queen Victoria's father Prince Edward.

It is a prepaid card.

Thank You very much Rosie!

Germany: Eremitage in Bayreuth

Last Tuesday I got a postcard from Bayreuth.

The card shows the Eremitage. The Eremitage is a historic park built between 1715 and 1722. It was built by George William the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. After the death of George William his son Frederick gives the Eremitage to his wife Wilhelmine of Prussia. She have many additions built.

One famous building in the Eremitage is the Temple of the Sun. The Temple was built between 1749 and 1753 at the behest of Wilhelmine. At the top of the Temple is a golden quadriga driven by the sun-god Apollo.

With matching stamp:
130 years diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany (issued 06-06-2013)
(It is a joint issue with South Korea)
and a special postmark on the occasion of the Bayreuth Festival

Thank You very much Natalie!

Georgia: Tbilisi

Last Monday I got a cover from Spain and inside was my first postcard from Georgia.

Georgia is a country on the border between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

The postcard shows the theatre of Rustaveli in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The theatre is the largest and one of the oldest in Georgia and is named after Shota Rustaveli (1162-1216). Rustaveli was a Georgian poet and one of the most significant writers of the Middle Ages. He wrote the epic poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin". The manuscript of the poem is since 2013 a part of the Memory of the World Programme of the UNESCO.

Thank You very much Julian!

Cover from Spain

Last Monday I got a prepaid cover from Spain.

Inside was my first postcard from Georgia.

Thank You very much Julian!

Germany: Düsseldorf

On 27th July I got a postcard from Germany. 

The card shows the port in North Rhine-Westphalia's capital Dusseldorf. The port is the third biggest inner harbour in Germany. Since the 1990s a reallocation took place in the port. Now there are many companies from the media industry and advertising industry.

Stamp:
800 Years Dessau (issued 01-07-2013)

Thank You very much Marcel!

New Zealand: Deer Farm

On 25th July I got my first postcard from New Zealand and it was also my first postcard from Oceania.

Oceania is a abstract of the Islands in the Pacific to a continent.The states in Oceania are Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and many Dependencies.

New Zealand is a insular state. It is a member of the UN, of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the OECD. The capital of the country is Wellington. New Zealand was the first country introducing the female suffrage.

The postcard shows a deer farm in Otago. Deer farming is a major export industry in New Zealand. Important deer products are velvet and venison.

Stamp:
Year of the Snake (from set of four) (issued 09-01-2013)

Thank You very much Adrienne!

Germany: Hamburg

On 24th July I got five postcards from Germany sent all by me to Berlin to get special postmarks.

One postcard shows Hamburg. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, the ninth largest city in the European Union and the largest city in the EU being not the capital of a member. Hamburg is also the capital of the state of Hamburg.

Stamp:
800 Years Dessau (issued 01-07-2013)
and a special postmark on the occasion of International Convention of the Lions Club

Germany: Wadden Sea

On 24th July I got five postcards from Germany sent all by me to Berlin to get special postmarks.

One postcard shows the Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig-Holstein or more precisely the Wadden Sea near Sylt. The Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and in the Netherlands is since 2009 a UNESCO World Nature Heritage Site and the Wadden Sea in Hamburg since 2011.

                                     

Stamp:
800 Years Dessau (issued 01-07-2013)
and a special postmark on the occasion of the new stamp issue