New Zealand: Radagast

Today I got four postcards: two from New Zealand and two from Macao.

One of the cards from New Zealand is a maxicard showing the forgetful, easily distracted and eccentric Radagast from the Hobbit movies. New Zealand is home to the Hobbit movies and was also home to the Lord of the Rings. 

With matching stamp:
The Hobbit-Gandalf (from set of six) (issued 01-11-2012)
with a special postmark from Middle Earth

Thank You very much Sharon!

New Zealand: wall with sharks

Today I got four postcards: two from New Zealand and two from Macao.

One of the cards from New Zealand shows a wall painted with sharks. The wall is located in New Zealand's capital Wellington and was painted with sharks on the occasion of the Shark Awareness Week. The Shark Awareness Week was initiated by the New Zealand Shark Alliance to stop the fishing of sharks just for their fins. The Shark Awareness Week was needed as the fishing of sharks for their fins was still legal in New Zealand. The undertaking was successful and the law was changed.

Stamps:
Matariki (from set of six) (issued 01-06-2011)
The stamp shows a traditional Maori matau ("fish hook"). 
Great Voyages of New Zealand (from set of five) (issued 05-09-2012)
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2012)
The stamp shows the Official New Zealand Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the Diamond Jubilee. The stamp features silver foiling on metallic silver ink.

Thank You very much Sharon!

Macao: International Museum Day

Today I got four postcards: two from Macao and two from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Macao thematises the International Museum Day. The International Museum Day tokes place on the third Sunday in may since 1978.

Stamp:
World Heritage (from set of eight) (issued 31-07-2008)
with a special postmark of the International Museum Day

Thank You very much Lily!

Macao: Sai Van Bridge

Today I got four postcards: two from Macao and two from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Macao shows the Sai Van Bridge. The Sai Van Bridge connects the Macao Peninsula with the Taipa Island. It was opened in 2004 and is the third bridge on this stretch.

The stamp got lost during the journey. :(

Thank You very much Lily!

Italy: Lake Como

Today I got a postcard from Italy.

The card shows many views of the villages and villas around Lake Como. Lake Como is located in the Lombardy and after the Lake Garda and the Lake Maggiore the third-largest lake in Italy. It is also one of the deepest lakes in Europe. The lake has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times. Today famous people like Madonna and George Clooney have homes at the lake.

Stamps:
EUROPA (whole set) (issued 09-05-2014)

Thank You very much Giuseppe!

Egypt: Saint Catherine's Monastery

Today I got two postcards: my first card from Egypt and one from Croatia.

Egypt is a country in northeast Africa and southwest Asia (Sinai) bordering on Libya, Sudan, Israel and the Gaza Strip. In Egypt one of the first advanced civilisations of the World arose. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. 

The card shows the Saint Catherine's Monastery on Sinai. The monastery was founded between 548 and 568 and is thus the oldest monastery of the Christianity being still in use. According to the legend God appears Moses as Burning Bush at the Mount Horeb near the monastery. Here got Moses also the Tablets of the Law. The area is sacred to the three world religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism). Because of its isolated location it is one of the few monasteries that was never destroyed. Since 2002 is the Saint Catherine Area an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With nice stamp:
World Post Day (issued 09-10-2013)

Thank You very much David!

Croatia: Zagreb

Today I got two postcards: one from Croatia and my first card from Egypt.

The card from Croatia comes from Croatia's capital Zagreb.

Stamps:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 09-05-2014)
Towers and Fortresses-Vrboska (from set of three) (issued 21-09-2006)
Croatian Ethnographic Heritage-Bizovac (from set of five) (issued 29-09-2008)

Thank You very much Ivana!

Latvia: Riga

Today I got seven postcards: my first card from Latvia, two from Germany, one from the Czech Republic, one from Japan and two from Sweden.

Latvia is one of the Baltic states bordering on Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania. Latvia is a member of the UN, the EU and the NATO.

The card shows the Blackheads House in Latvia's capital Riga during Christmas. In front of the Blackheads House the first Christmas tree of the World was arranged. The Historic Centre of Riga of which the Blackheads House is a part is since 1997 an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 11-04-2014)

Thank You very much Zane!

Japan: Dazaifu

Today I got seven postcards: one from Japan, two from Sweden, my first card from Latvia, two from Germany and one from the Czech Republic.

The card from Japan comes from Dazaifu in the Fukuoka prefecture. The Fukuoka prefecture is located on Kyushu. Dazaifu was once a military and cultural centre of Japan.

Stamp:
FIFA World Cup Brazil (from set of nine) (issued 12-05-2014)
The stamp shows the official mascot of the World Cup, Fuleco.

Sweden: Victoria, Daniel and Estelle

Today I got seven postcards: two from Sweden, my first card from Latvia, two from Germany, one from the Czech Republic and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Sweden shows the Crown Princess of Sweden, Victoria, with her husband, Daniel, and her daughter, Estelle. Victoria was born in 1977 as the first child of King Gustav and Queen Silvia. In 2010 she married the commoner Daniel Westling in Stockholm. Their first child, Estelle, was born in February 2012. 

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 08-05-2014)

Thank You very much Sandra!

Sweden: Stockholm

Today I got seven postcards: two from Sweden, my first card from Latvia, two from Germany, one from the Czech Republic and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Sweden is a maxicard. The stamp was issued on 14th May 1998, is from a set of six stamps and savours Stockholm as European Capital of Culture. The card shows a picture of Sweden's capital Stockholm.

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 08-05-2014)

Thank You very much Sandra!

Czech Republic: Prague

Today I got seven postcards: one from the Czech Republic, one from Japan, two from Sweden, my first card from Latvia and two from Germany.

The card from the Czech Republic comes from the country's capital Prague. The Historic Centre of Prague is since 1992 an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With nice stamp:
EUROPA (issued 30-04-2014)

Thank You very much Klara!

Germany: Lutherstadt Wittenberg

Today I got seven postcards: two from Germany, one from the Czech Republic, one from Japan, two from Sweden and my first card from Latvia.

One of the cards from Germany comes from Lutherstadt Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt. Wittenberg is closely connected with Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation. The card shows among others the Melanchthonhaus where Luther's fellow reformer Philipp Melanchthon lived, the Luther memorial designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow and the castle church where Luther posted the 95 Theses. The Luther Memorials in Wittenberg are since 1996 together with the ones in Eisleben an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

Stamp:
250th birthday of Johann Gottfried Schadow (issued 08.05-2014)
with a special postmark savouring the birthday of Schadow and showing the Luther memorial

Thank You very much Bianka for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Knolli

Today I got seven postcards: two from Germany, one from the Czech Republic, one from Japan, two from Sweden and my first card from Latvia.

One of the cards from Germany shows Knolli. Knolli is the mascot of the potato market in Rotenburg (Wümme) in Lower Saxony. In Rotenburg there is also a statue of Knolli.

Stamps:
Gillyflower (issued 09-10-2008)
Marigold (issued 07-07-2005)

Thank You very much Sabrina!

New Zealand: Cape Reinga

Today I got four postcards: one from New Zealand and three from Germany.

The card from New Zealand shows the Lighthouse at Cape Reinga. According to the Maori mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife.

With nice stamps:
Definitive (from set of five) (issued 07-05-2014)
The stamp shows the Franz Josef Glacier, a mayor tourist attraction at New Zealand's West Coast.
ANZAC (two from set of six) (issued 10-04-2013)
The stamp shows a Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois in Timor-Leste. 4000 men and women of the NZDF were deployed in Timor-Leste between 1999 and 2012. It was New Zealand's largest deployment since the Korean War. 
Tiki Tour of NZ (from set of twenty) (issued 04-07-2012)
The stamp shows the Lion Rock and men of the Piha Surf Life Saving Club.

Thank You very much Sharon!

Germany: Upper Middle Rhine Valley

Today I got four postcards: three from Germany and one from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Germany is a map of the Rhine. The part of the Rhine from Koblenz to the Bingen-Rüdesheim-line is as Upper Middle Rhine Valley since 2002 a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. The pictures at the edges of the card show Koblenz, the Stolzenfels Castle, Boppard, the Stahleck Castle in Bacharach, the Mouse tower in Bingen, the Rheinstein Castle, the Burg Katz, the Loreley, the Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Niederwalddenkmal in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate's capital Mainz being not part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Dresden (from set of two) (issued 03-04-2014)

Thank You very much Mirko!

Germany: Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex

Today I got four postcards: three from Germany and one from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen. The Zeche Zollverein, how it is called in German, is a historical coal-mining site with some 20th century buildings. Since 2001 is the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

With nice stamps:
Uli Stein-trophy and winning mouse (two from set of three) (issued 08-05-2014)
with a special postmark from the Essen Stamp Fair savouring the Uli Stein stamps

Thank You very much Katarina for sending me the card in an envelope!

Germany: Essen

Today I got four postcards: three from Germany and one from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Germany comes from Essen. Essen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the ninth-largest city of Germany. In 2010 was Essen the European Capital of Culture. Essen is also an important industrial location.

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 08-05-2014)
with a special postmark from the Essen Stamps Fair savouring the EUROPA stamp

Thank You very much Katarina for sending me the card in an envelope!

cover from Russia

Today I got a cover from Russia.

Stamps:

Kasli cast-iron moulding (from set of four) (issued 15-11-2012)

Kamchatka volcanoes (from set of four) (issued 20-06-2002)

Inside were some Russian stamps.

Thank You very much Anastasia!

Indonesia: Prambanan Temple

As 300th post I want to show a very special card from my collection. It was the first card I received through a direct swap, one of my first UNESCO cards and my first postcard from Indonesia.

It shows the Prambanan Temple in Central Java. The Prambanan Temple was built in the 10th century and is the largest temple compound in Indonesia dedicated to Shiva. The Prambanan Temple Compounds are since 1991 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamps:
200 years Bandung (from set of four) (issued 25-09-2010)
Endangered Birds-Elegant Sunbird (Male) (from set of four) (issued 15-07-2012)

Thank You again very much Surfia for this card!
And big Thanks to everybody who sent me a cover or a postcard!

Estonia: Tall Hermann

Today I got two postcards: one from Estonia and one from Spain.

The card from Estonia shows the Tall Hermann. The Tall Hermann is located next to the Estonian Parliament in the Historic Centre of Tallinn. The flag on the top of the tower is a symbol of the government in force. It is raised at the time of sunrise while the Estonian National Anthem is played and lowered at the time of sunset while the song "Mu isamaa on minu arm" ("My Fatherland is my Love") is played.

Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 08-05-2014)

Thank You very much Triin!

Spain: Vamos a la Playa

Today I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Estonia.

The card from Spain deals with the song "Vamos a la playa" sung by Righeira. The song was first recorded in 1993 and is sung in Spanish. "Vamos a la playa" means "Let's go to the beach". Although the song became a summer anthem it actually has a serious meaning and deals with the explosion of a nuclear bomb in the ocean.

Stamp:
Tourism (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Lilly!

Spain: Mérida

Today I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Denmark.

The card from Spain shows the Roman Theatre in Extremadura's capital Mérida. Mérida was founded as Emerita Augusta in 25 BC by Octavius Augustus. Emerita Augusta was the capital of the province of Lusitania and was an important cultural, ecological and military centre. The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is since 1993 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 23-04-2014)

Thank You very much Jose!

Denmark: Blåvand

Today I got two postcards: one from Denmark and one from Spain.

The card from Denmark comes from Blåvand. Blåvand is a resort at the westernmost point of Denmark. On the card you can see the 38m high Blåvand Lighthouse.

With very tiny stamp:
Queen Margrethe II (issued 02-01-2012)

Thank You very much Corinna!

Japan: two cards in a cover

Today I got a cover from Japan. 

Stamps:

Definitives (two from set of three) (issued 16-02-1998)

The stamps show a Bull-headed Shrike and a Japanese Grosbeak.

Inside were two postcards. One of them shows the Garden of the Sanpoh-in Temple in Kyoto. It is as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto since 1994 a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The other card is a Gotochi card and shows two Giant Pandas at the Adventure World in Wakayama in the Wakayama Prefecture. At the moment there are four Giant Pandas in Wakayama. They are Ei Mei (Male), Rau Hin (Female) and their cubs Kai Hin (Male) and You Hin (Female). 

Thank You very much Eri!