Singapore: Orchard Road

On Wednesday I received two cards: one from Singapore and one from the Netherlands.

The card from Singapore shows the Orchard Road. The Orchard Road is a 2,2 kilometre-long boulevard. It is a huge tourist attraction and the most popular shopping enclave in Singapore.

Stamps:
Year of the Snake (whole set) (issued 03-01-2014)

Thank You very much Jeremy!

Netherlands: Rietveld Schröder House

On Wednesday I received two cards: one from the Netherlands and one from Singapore.

The card from the Netherlands shows the Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht. The house was commissioned by Ms Truus Schröder-Schräder as family house and was designed by the architect Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. It was built in 1924. Since 2000 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
EUROPA 2012 (from set of four) (issued 26-03-2012)

Thank You very much Marleen!

cover from Thailand

On Wednesday I received a cover from Thailand and two cards.

Stamps:

60 years Diplomatic Relations with Laos (whole set) (issued 22-04-2011)

a Label showing a elephant family

Inside the cover were a Kung Fu Panda playing card game.
This is one of the cards:

Thank You very much Ta!

Canada: Victoria

On Tuesday I received two nice cards from Canada.

One of the cards shows the Parliament Building in Victoria. The city was founded in 1843 and was named after Queen Victoria. The most of the ground of Victoria is apart from the Parliament Building owned by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia.

Stamp:
Year of the Horse (from set of two) (issued 13-01-2014)

Thank You very much Laura!

Canada: Mount Doogie Dowler

On Tuesday I received two nice cards from Canada.

One of the cards shows a ferry in front of the Mount Doogie Dowler in British Columbia.

Stamps:
Year of the Horse (from set of two) (issued 13-01-2014)

Thank You very much Laura!

Cyprus: Paphos

On Monday I received five postcards: my first card from Cyprus, two from Thailand and two from Hong Kong.

The Republic of Cyprus is a insular state in the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus is a member of the EU and of the UN. The capital of Cyprus is Nicosia.

Cyprus is the fiftieth country from which I received a postcard.

The card shows Paphos. Paphos is a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus. Near Paphos is the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite.

Stamps:
EUROPA 2010 (whole set) (issued 05-05-2010)
Refugee Fund (issued 2011)

Thank You very much Nasia!

Hong Kong: Statue Square

On Monday I received five postcards: two from Hong Kong, two from Thailand and my first card from Cyprus.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Statue Square. The Square is home to the legco building, Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, the Standard Chartered Bank and the Mandarin Oriental.

Stamps:
Year of the Horse (whole set) (issued 11-01-2014)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Kun!

Hong Kong: Lions Viewpoint Pavilion

On Monday I received five postcards: two from Hong Kong, two from Thailand and my first card from Cyprus.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Hong Kong harbour seen from the Lions Viewpoint Pavilion on the Peak.

Stamp:
Year of the Horse (issued 11-01-2014)
with special postmark from Ma On Shan

Thank You very much Kun!

Thailand: Loy Krathong

On Monday I received five postcards: two from Thailand, two from Hong Kong and my first card from Cyprus.

One of the cards from Thailand shows the Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai. Sukhothai was the first capital of Siam and since 1991 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The card shows the Loy Krathong festival celebrated at the temple.

With matching Loy Krathong stamp (from set of four) (issued 10-11-2011)
and the rest of the Eight Immortals stamps (issued 01-02-2011)

Thank You very much Ta!

Thailand: Buddha Head in the Tree Roots

On Monday I received five postcards: two from Thailand, two from Hong Kong and my first card from Cyprus.

One of the cards from Thailand shows the Buddha Head in the Tree Roots in the Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and was after Sukhothai the second capital of Siam. Since 1991 is the Historic City of Ayutthaya a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
Thai Heritage Conservation Day (from set of eight) (issued 02-04-2013)
Thai Heritage Conservation Day is a regular issue from Thailand Post. This year the stamps show Khon Masks. Khon Masks were used to represent characters in performances of epic stories. This Khon Mask represent Phra Shiva.
The Eight Immortals (four from set of eight) (issued 01-02-2011)

Thank You very much Ta!

Belarus: Corpus Christi Church at Nesvizh

On Wednesday I got two nice postcards from Belarus.

One of them shows the Corpus Christi Church at Nesvizh. The Corpus Christi Church is one of the oldest baroque structures outside Italy and was commissioned by Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwill. The house of Radziwill is a noble family of Lithuanian origin and their archives are since 2009 a part of the Memory of the World Programme of the UNESCO. The house of Radziwill built a Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex at Nesvizh which is since 2005 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Corpus Christi Church is a part of this complex.

In the upper right corner of the card is part of the miniature sheet of the actual stamp.

The nice stamp is in the bottom left corner:
Zoos in Belarus-Amur Leopard in the Minsk Zoo (from set of four) (issued 09-07-2013)
The Minsk Zoo was founded in 1984 by nature amateurs such as Fiodor Nevzin. Its collection includes both exotic animals and rare fauna of Belarus.
with the First Day Special Postmark of another stamp

Thank You very much Kate!

Belarus: Minsk with Postcrossing stamp

On Wednesday I got two nice postcards from Belarus.

One of the cards shows the Freedom Square in Minsk. Minsk is the capital and largest city of Belarus. Minsk is also the administrative centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Stamp:
Postcrossing (issued 02-01-2014)
Postcrossing is a website offering to receive postcards from the whole world. For every card you sent you get a postcard from a random chosen member in the world. At the moment Belarus get sixth place sending postcards. This stamp is the fourth stamp honouring Postcrossing. The first stamp was issued in 2011 in the Netherlands and the other two stamps were issued in 2013 in Finland and Lithuania.
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Kate!

Japan: Tokyo

On Wednesday I got three nice postcards from three continents: one from Japan, one from the USA and my first card from Belgium.

The card from Japan shows the Tokyo Metropolis. Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and the capital of Japan. Tokyo is the seat of the the Japanese Government and the Imperial Palace in Tokyo is the home of the Imperial Family. Tokyo is also a global city. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture and the city of Tokyo. Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1964 and will host them again in 2020.

The card shows also the Mount Fuji in the background. The Mount Fuji is a sacred place and source of artistic inspiration. The top of Mount Fuji is often snowcapped and Mount Fuji is an internationally recognised icon of Japan. Since 2013 is the Mount Fuji a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With nice stamp:
Animation Heroes No.20-Doraemon (from set of ten) (issued 04-06-2013)
with nice matching special postmark
Doraemon is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko Fujio. The series is about a robotic cat names Doraemon travelling back in time from the 22nd century to aid a pre-teen boy called Nobita Nobi. Doraemon is in Asia as famous as Micky Mouse in the Western Hemisphere.

Thank You very much Keiko!

Belgium: Belfry of Brugge

On Wednesday I got three nice postcards from three continents: my first card from Belgium, one from Japan and one from the USA.

Belgium is a country in Europe. It is bordering on the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. It is a Benelux country and a member of the EU, of the NATO, of the UN and of the OECD. The capital of Belgium is Brussels.

The card shows the Belfry in Brugge.

Brugge is the capital of the Belgian province of West Flanders and the most populous city of the province. Brugge is also a Bishop's see and in 2002 Brugge was the European Capital of Culture. Since 2000 is the Historic Centre of Brugge a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Belfry of Brugge is as one of the "Belfries of Belgium and France" since 1999 also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
Nobelprize Winners-Albert Claude (from set of two) (issued 14-02-1987)
Albert Claude (1899-1983) was a Belgian scientist. In 1974 he got the Nobelprize in Medicine.
Highlights of Belgium (from set of five) (issued 14-02-2011)
The stamp shows the Manneken Pis and the Atomium in Brussels.

Thank You very much Henk!

USA: Golden Gate Bridge

On Wednesday I got three nice postcards from three continents: one from the USA, one from Japan and my first card from Belgium.

The card from the USA shows the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

San Francisco is a city at the West Coast of the United States in California. In 1945 the United Nations were founded in San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge and connects San Francisco and the Marin County and is located in the San Francisco Bay. The bridge can be used by cars, bicycles and pedestrians. The Bridge is 2737m long and 27m wide and was opened in 1937. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most famous landmark of San Francisco and one of the most famous of the USA.

With nice stamps:
Great Film Directors-John Ford (from set of four) (issued 23-05-2012)
John Ford (1894-1973) is one of the most significant directors of western and won four Academy Awards as Best Director. The stamp shows a scene from the movie "The Searchers".
Harry Potter-Harry and Ron (from set of twenty) (issued 19-11-2013)
The seven books of Harry Potter were published between 1997 and 2007 and are written by J.K. Rowling. Between 2001 and 2011 eight movies were filmed.
Christmas (from set of four) (issued 13-10-2011)
unfortunately without postmark.

Thank You very much Brenda!

Mauritius: 150 years Red Cross

A friend of mine were on Mauritius where he bought many Mauritian stamps for me.

One of them is this:

Events-150th Anniversary of Red Cross (from set of four) (issued 30-05-2013)

Thank You very much Roger!

France: Versailles

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from France and one from Thailand.

The card from France shows many sights of Versailles.
A sight on the card is the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French kings from the time of Louis XIV to Louis XVI. It provided Europe with a model of the ideal royal residence for over a century. In 1871 the German Emperor William I was crowned in the Hall of Mirrors and in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was contracted in the Palace. Since 1979 the Palace and the Park of Versailles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
UNESCO-Japanese Cranes (from set of two) (issued 12-11-2013)
Fashion (from set of four) (issued 12-11-2013)
(It is a joint issue with Singapore)

Thank You very much Fabienne!

Thailand: Koh Pha Ngan

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from Thailand and one from France.

The card from Thailand shows a beach on Koh Pha Ngan.

Stamps:
New Year (five from set of ten) (issued 15-11-2013)

Thank You very much Ta!

Thailand: James Bond Island

On Wednesday I got two postcards from Thailand.

One card shows the island Khao Phing Kan or James-Bond-Island. The Island was featured in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.

Stamps:
New Year (five from set of ten) (issued 15-11-2013)

Thank You very much Ta!

Thailand: Wat Pho

On Wednesday I got two postcards from Thailand.

One card shows the Wat Pho in the Old Town of Bangkok.

Stamps:
Bhumibol with rice (issued 2010)
(On the stamp was a real rice seed, but unfortunately it get lost so only the paring left.)
National Children's Day (two from set of three) (issued 09-01-2010)

Thank You very much Ta!

USA: Times Square in New York

On Monday I got a postcard from the USA which a friend of mine bought when she visited New York and sent it from the airport.

New York is a city at the East Coast of the United States in the State of New York and with more than 8000000 inhabitants the most populous city of the United States. New York consists of the five Boroughs Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. New York is a important financial centre, a global city and the seat of many international concerns and organisations such as the United Nations.

The card shows many impressions of the Times Square. The Times Square is located at the crossroads of the Broadway and the Seventh Avenue and is named after the New York Times located at the Times Square. The Times Square is the centre of the theatre district Broadway. The Times Square is famous for the many illuminated advertising.

Stamp:
Global Forever Christmas (issued 24-10-2013)
with nice special "Happy Holidays from U.S. Postal Service"-postmark showing the The Cat in the Hat of Dr. Seuss

Thank You very much Lena!