USA: Everglades

Today I got two postcards: one from the USA and one from New Zealand.

The card from the USA shows the Everglades National Park. The Everglades are located in Florida and are famous for the large number of animals living there. The Everglades is since 1979 a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but since 2010 it is on the Red List because of a loss of marine habitat and decline in marine species.

Stamps:
Simpsons (from set of five) (issued 07-05-2009)
The stamps show Bart and Lisa.
Did you know? The Simpsons also visited the Everglades. There Homer killed a famous alligator and had to go to jail with his family.
Everglades (from set of ten) (issued 04-10-2006)
The stamp shows American White Ibises and a Florida Panther.
Wedding Cake (issued 18-01-2013)

Thank You very much Fiona!

New Zealand: Auckland

Today I got two postcards: one from New Zealand and one from the USA.

The card from New Zealand shows the Waterfront of Auckland. Auckland is the largest city of New Zealand and is sometimes also called City of Sails because of the many sailing boats in the harbour. The tower on the card is the Sky Tower and is 328m tall.

Stamp:
Margaret Mahy (from set of five) (issued 13-03-2013)
Margaret Mahy (1936-2012) was a author of children's books from New Zealand. She got as only New Zealander the Hans Christian Andersen Award. 
The Word Witch is a collection of Margaret Mahy's verses.

Thank You very much Sharon!

Macao: Ruins of St Paul's

Today I got two cards: my first card from Macao and one from Germany.

Macao is one of two Special Administrative Regions of China and is located 50km away from Hong Kong. Until 1999 was Macao a Portuguese colony. The most people in Macao speak Cantonese. Macao is famous for the sights from the colonial time and for the casinos. Gambling is legal in Macao and thus many people from China and Hong Kong come, because of this Macao is since 2006 the World's biggest Gambling centre. Macao is also one of the World's richest cities, has a the second highest life expectancy in the World and has also a very high Human Development Index.

The card shows the Ruins of St. Paul's in the Historic Centre of Macao. The Church of Mater Dei built between 1602 and 1640 and St. Paul's College were destroyed by a fire in 1835. Since then the remaining facade and the front steps showed on the card became Macao's landmark. The Historic Centre of Macao is one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between China and the West and provides a unique testimony to the meeting of influences from East and West. Since 2005 is the Historic Centre of Macao a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Henrique de Senna Fernandes (issued 09-10-2012)
Henrique de Senna Fernandes (1923-2010) was a writer, teacher and lawyer from Macao. He was from Portuguese ancestry and studied Law at Coimbra University in Portugal. He practised Law in Macao, although his true passion was writing and teaching. Later he became a teacher and principal at the Pedro Nolasco Commercial School in Macao. He published four books. A famous quote of him is "Portugal is my fatherland and Macao is my motherland".

Thank You very much Chloe!

Germany: Nuremberg Castle

Today I got two postcards: one from Germany and my first card from Macao.

The card from Germany shows the the Nuremberg Castle in Bavaria. The Nuremberg Castle is a fortification, imperial residence, imperial castle and seat of the Hohenzollern burgraves. It was damaged in the Second World War, but was rebuilt. The Nuremberg Castle is the landmark of Nuremberg and is considered together with the City walls of Nuremberg as one of Europe's most considerable medieval war systems.

The card was sent from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Nuremberg.
Stamp:
Salmon (issued 02-01-2014)

Thank You very much Frauke!

Thailand: Chiang Rai

Yesterday I got a postcard from Thailand.

The card comes from Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai is a province in Northern Thailand. The capital of Chiang Rai is also called Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai is bordering on Laos, Myanmar and the Thai provinces Phayao, Lampang and Chiang Mai. The card shows Chedi PhraSrinakarin Doi MaeSlong.

With nice stamp:
60th Royal Wedding Anniversary (from set of two) (issued 28-04-2010)

Thank You very much Ta!

Republic of Ireland: Skellig Islands

On Friday I got my two first cards from the Republic of Ireland.

Skellig Michael is known throughout the world of archaeology as the site of a well preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period. It was inhabited since the 7th century and is located 12km off the coast of south-west Ireland. Skellig Michael is since 1996 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Small Skellig is equally renowned in matters of ornithology as the home of some 27000 pairs of gannets. It is the second largest colony of gannets in the World.

Stamp:
Contemporary Public Buildings-Croke Park (from set of four) (issued 17-10-2013)
The Croke Park is a stadium in Dublin. The Croke Park is the largest stadium in the Republic of Ireland and the fifth largest in Europe. It has a capacity of 82300 spectators.

Thank You very much Lea!

Republic of Ireland: Dublin Docklands

On Friday I got my two first cards from the Republic of Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland is a country on Ireland bordering on Northern Ireland which is a constituent country of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland is a member of the EU, of the UN and of the OECD.

One of the cards comes from Dublin. Dublin is the capital city and most populous city of the Republic of Ireland. The card shows for example the Samuel Beckett Bridge and the Convention Centre Dublin. Both are located in the Dublin Docklands, a modern business hub.

Stamp:
Definitive-Viper's bugloss (from set of five) (issued 20-02-2006)

Thank You very much Lea!

Russia: Sochi

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Russia.

The card shows Sochi. Sochi is a city at the Black Sea in the Krasnodar Krai. Sochi is a popular bathing and health resort. At the moment the Winter Olympics take place in Sochi. The most Gold Medals have at the moment Russia and Norway (11) followed by Canada (9), the USA (9) and Germany (8). The Games will be closed today.

With matching stamps:
Russian Kremlin (from set of ten) (reissued 24-01-2014)
Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi (from set of three) (issued 01-11-2013)
The discipline on the stamp is curling. The Gold Medals got Canada (men and women), the Silver Medals Great Britain (men) and Sweden (women) and Bronze Medals Sweden (women) and Great Britain (men).

Thank You very much Maria!

Pakistan: Moenjodaro

On Monday I received my first postcard from Pakistan.

Pakistan is a country in South Asia bordering on the Iran, Afghanistan, China and India. The capital of Pakistan is Islamabad. Pakistan arose in 1947 from the predominantly by Muslims inhabited parts of British Raj. In 1956 Pakistan became the first Islamic republic in the World. The former region East Pakistan became in 1971 independent as Bangladesh.

The card shows the Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro. The huge city of Moenjodaro lies in the Indus Valley and was built in the 3rd millennium B.C. of unbaked brick. It provides evidence of an early system of town planning. Moenjodaro is since 1980 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
Poets of Pakistan-Perveen Shakir (issued 26-12-2013)
Perveen Shakir (1952-1994) was an Urdu poet, teacher and a civil servant of the Government of Pakistan.
Two Decades of Extended Cooperation-ECO (issued 28-11-2013)
The Economic Cooperation Organisation is an intergovernmental organisation and was founded in 1985. The aim is to establish a single market for goods and services, like the EU. The members are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Thank You very much Cheema!

Year of the Horse from Guernsey

On Monday I got the Year of the Horse stamps from Guernsey (issued 08-01-2014) my mum ordered for me on the Internet.

This is the set:

New Zealand: Wellington with new Hobbit stamps

On Thursday I received two postcards from New Zealand.

One of the card shows views of Wellington. Wellington is the capital city and the second largest city of New Zealand and is located at the southwestern tip of the North Island. Wellington is also the southernmost capital of the world and Lonely Planet refers Wellington as "coolest little capital in the world".

Stamps:
The Hobbit-Thorin and Gandalf (two from set of six) (issued 01-11-2013)

Thank You very much Sharon!

New Zealand: Tree Fern

On Thursday I received two postcards from New Zealand.

One of the cards shows the native New Zealand tree fern (Maori: Ponga). The tree fern was once a source of food, building materials, weapons and inspiration for the Maori. The Silver Fern is a well known national symbol of New Zealand. In New Zealand there are ten species of tree fern and eight of them are specific to New Zealand. The largest tree fern is the Black Fern growing to 20m.

Stamp:
Year of the Horse (from set of four) (issued 08-01-2014)

Thank You very much Sharon!

Germany: Heligoland

On Wednesday I received two postcards: one from Germany and one from Japan.

The card from Germany was sent by my dad when he was on a trip to Heligoland. The card shows the Lange Anna at the northwestern tip of Heligoland. Heligoland is the only deep-sea island of Germany. In 1814 Denmark ceded Heligoland to the United Kingdom and in 1890 the United Kingdom gave it up to Germany. During the Second World War it was again captured by the United Kingdom, but gave back to Germany in 1952. Today Heligoland is a part of the EU, but not of the customs area of the EU.

Stamp:
Salmon (issued 02-01-2014)
with advertising postmark showing the Lange Anna

Japan: Mount Fuji

On Wednesday I received two postcards: one from Japan and one from Germany.

The card from Japan shows the Mount Fuji during the cherry blossom seen from the Yamanashi prefecture. The Mount Fuji is located on the border between the Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. 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 matching stamp:
150 Years Diplomatic Relations with Switzerland (from set of ten) (issued 06-02-2014)
It is a joint issue with Switzerland.
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Japan: Osaka

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Japan, one from Slovenia and one from Finland.

The card from Japan shows the Business Park in Osaka in the Osaka Prefecture. Osaka is the the third largest city in Japan and the metropolitan area of Osaka is the second largest in Japan and one of the largest in the world. Historically is Osaka the commercial centre of Japan.

With sweet stamp:
Autumn Greetings (from set of twenty) (issued 19-09-2013)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Finland: Kuopio

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Finland, one from Japan and one from Slovenia.

The card from Finland shows some views of Kuopio. Kuopio is the eight largest city in Finland.

Stamp:
Ice Hockey WM (issued 21-03-2012)
with special postmark from the Puijo tower

Thank You very much Suvi!

Slovenia: Ljubljana Castle

On Monday I received three postcards: one from Slovenia, one from Finland and one from Japan.

The card from Slovenia shows the Ljubljana Castle.

Stamps:
Zois' Bellflower (from set of eleven) (issued 29-05-2009)
Year of the Horse (issued 31-01-2014)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Bulgaria: Sofia

Yesterday I received my first card from Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe bordering on Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. Bulgaria is a member of the EU, of the NATO and of the UN.

Bulgaria is the third new country from which I received I card this week.

The postcard shows four views of Bulgaria's capital Sofia. Sofia is the largest city in Bulgaria and the 15th largest city in the EU.

Stamp:
50 years first satellite (issued 25-04-2007)
Sputnik was launched under the Soviet space program. Sputnik 1 was in 1957 the first satellite and was the beginning of the Soviet space program.

Thank You very much Christina!

France: Paris

This is the 200th post in my blog! Thank You all of you for sending me all this nice postcards and covers with so many nice stamps!

On Thursday I got two cards from France.

One of the cards shows Paris. Paris is the capital city and and the most populous city of France. The metropolitan area of Paris is one of the largest population centres in Europe and has more than 12000000 inhabitants. Paris is also a global city. Paris is located on the River Seine in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Paris was regarded as the capital of arts and is also regarded as the capital of style. France's major newspapers Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération are also based in the city. Paris hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 1900 and 1924.

The card shows the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre-Dame de Paris, the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower.

The Arc de Triomphe is 50 metres high and stands at the Place Charles de Gaulle. The names of all victories and generals fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars are inscribed on the Arc the Triomphe. It was was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806.

The Notre-Dame de Paris is a Catholic cathedral and houses many first-class relics. The novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" written by Victor Hugo is centred in the Notre-Dame de Paris.

The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is a Catholic church and was built between 1875 and 1914.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair held in Paris and was designed and built by Gustav Eiffel. It is 324 metres tall. It has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. Today it is the most visited paid monument in the world.

With great stamps:
New Marianne 0,05€ and 0,01€
Baccarat (from set of two) (issued 08-01-2014)
Baccarat produces crystal glass since 1764. The stamp shows a lustre.

Thank You very much William!

France: a photo

On Thursday I got two postcards from France.

One of the cards shows a photo. The photo shows the Parade in Budapest and was taken by an Hungarian photographer.

Stamps:
Older Marianne (issued until 2013) 0,10€
New Marianne (issued since 2013) 0,01€ and 0,05€
The stamps were inspired by the Ukrainian Inna Shevchenko. She is a member of the protest group FEMEN and got political asylum in France.
Year of the Horse (issued 31-01-2014)

Thank You very much William!

Lithuania: Kaunas

On Wednesday I got a postcard from Lithuania.

The card shows Kaunas. Kaunas is the second largest city of Lithuania.

Stamp:
Year of the Horse (issued 01-02-2014)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Agneta!

Mauritius: Beach

On Tuesday I got my first cards from Mauritius.

One of the cards shows a beach in Belle Mare.

Stamp:
Law Day (from set of four) (issued 2012)

Thank You Roger.

Mauritius: Beach

On Tuesday I got my first cards from Mauritius.

Mauritius is a insular state in the Indian Ocean. The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis.

One of the cards shows a beach in Flic-en-Flac.

Stamp:
Law Day (from set of four) (issued 2012)

Thank You Roger.

Australia: Sydney Opera House

On Monday I received a cover from Australia. Inside were my first cards from Australia.

One of the cards shows the Sydney Opera House dressed for the Sydney Festival. 

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia. Sydney is also a global city. Sydney hosted the Olympic Summer Games in 2000.

The Sydney Opera House was designed by Jørn Utzon and was inaugurated in 1973. The Sydney Opera House had a enduring influence on architecture and is the landmark of Sydney. Since 2007 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank You very much Krystiina!

Australia: Wombat in the Blue Mountains

On Monday I received a cover from Australia. Inside were my first cards from Australia.

Australia is a country in Oceania and also a continent. Australia is a member of the UN and of the OECD. Australia's capital is Canberra.

One of the cards is a "Did You Know?" card showing a Wombat. Everything I could write about Wombats is on the card.

The Wombat on the card seems to live near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is known for the 91 eucalyptus taxa occurring there. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a significant representation of the Australian biodiversity. Since 2000 is the Greater Blue Mountains Area a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thank You very much Krystiina!

cover from Australia

On Monday I got a nice cover from Australia. Inside were two Australian postcards. One shows a Wombat and the other shows the Sydney Opera House.

Stamps:
Christmas Australia (from set of six) (issued 01-11-2013)
Christmas Christmas Island (from set of two) (issued 01-11-2013)
The Christmas Island was a part of the British Straits Settlement from 1901 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1958 a part of Singapore. The Christmas Island started issuing its own stamps since 1958 when it was placed under Australian control. In 1993 the Christmas Island lost its postal and philatelic independence and since then the Australian post was the postal operator of the Christmas Island. But there are still Christmas Island stamps being also valid in Australia.
Christmas Island is allowed to issue three stamp issues per year: a Chinese New Year 
stamp, a Christmas stamp and a issue on local life.
The stamp shows Santa, a frigate bird, a red crab and a turtle.

Year of the Snake (from set of two) (issued 08-01-2013)
Year of the Horse (from set of two) (issued 07-01-2014)
Both stamps are also Christmas Island stamps.

Thank You very much Krystiina!