Japan: Niojima Island

Today I got five postcards: one from Japan and four from Hong Kong.

The card from Japan shows the Niojima Island in the Miyagi prefecture. The Niojima Island can be seen on a boat cruise in Matsushima. Matsushima is one of the Three Views of Japan.

With nice stamp:
Sanrio characters-Pompompurin (from set of twenty) (issued 23-06-2014)
Pompompurin appeared for the first time in 1996. Pompompurin represents a male Golden Retriever. Pompompurin is wearing a brown beret and likes to collect shoes. The stamp shows also his friend, the hamster Muffin. 
with the first day special postmark showing Hello Kitty, My Melody and Pompompurin

Thank You very much Keiko!

Hong Kong: Peak Tram

This is the 350th post on my blog! Thank You all of you for sending me all this nice postcards and covers with so many nice stamps!

Today I got five postcards: four from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Peak Tram. The Peak Tram connects Central with a subsidiary summit of the Victoria Peak. It takes 7 minutes to reach the peak. The line is 1365m long. The Peak Tram was opened in 1888.

Stamps:
Giant Pandas (whole set) (issued 01-07-2008)
with a special postmark from the Granville Road Post Office

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Hong Kong: Tian Tan Buddha

Today I got five postcards: four from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. The also called Big Buddha is with 34m the biggest detached Buddha Statue in sitting posture of the World. The Tian Tan Buddha is located close to the Po Lin Monastery. The Tian Tan Buddha can be reached by bus, by the Ngong Ping 360 gondola cable car or by climbing 268 steps.

With a matching stamp:
Weather Phenomena (two from set of six) (issued 27-03-2014)
with a special postmark from the Granville Road Post Office

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Hong Kong: Star Ferries

Today I got five postcards: four from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows two ferries of the Star Ferry Company in front of Sheung Wan. The Star Ferry Company has been founded in 1888 as Kowloon Ferry Company and since 1898 it has been called Star Ferry Company. There are 12 Star Ferries transporting every day 17000 passengers on four routes over the Victoria Harbour. The main route connects Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. The Star Ferry is a great favourite with tourists because of the good view on the Victoria Harbour.

Stamps:
Weather Phenomena (four from set of six) (issued 27-03-2014)
with a special postmark from the Granville Road Post Office

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Hong Kong: Lamma Island

Today I got five postcards: four from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows impressions of Lamma Island. Lamma Island is the third largest island of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region. On Lamma Island cars are prohibited. Lamma Island can only be reached by ferry. On weekends and in holidays many people come to visit the island as it is in contrast to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon very quiet and untouched.

Stamps:
International Day of Families (whole set) (issued 15-05-2014)
with a special postmark from the Granville Road Post Office

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Portugal: Praça Marquês de Pombal in Lisbon

Today I got two postcards: my first card from Portugal and one from New Zealand.

Portugal is country in Southern Europe bordering on Spain. Portugal is a member of the EU, of the NATO, of the OECD and of the UN.

The card shows the Praça Marquês de Pombal in Portugal's capital Lisbon. The Praça Marquês de Pombal was built at the end of the Avenida de Liberdade. On the square is a 36m tall statue of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo. In 1910 the important events of the proclamation of the first Portuguese Republic took place on the square.

The card was sent from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Lisbon.
Stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 09-05-2014)

Thank You very much Sabrina!

New Zealand: Northern Royal Albatross

Today I got two postcards: one from New Zealand and my first card from Portugal.

The card from New Zealand shows a Northern Royal Albatross. The Northern Royal Albatross is a bird from the albatross family. It has a wingspan of 270cm to 305cm. It is endangered. Just in 1998 the Northern Royal Albatross has been split from the Southern Royal Albatross.

With a matching stamp:
Scenic Definitive (from set of seven) (issued 09-05-2007)
Counting in Kiwi-1,2 and 3 (three from set of twenty-one) (issued 10-08-2011)

Thank You very much Sharon!

Japan: Hiraizumi

Today I got three postcards: one from Japan and two from Hong Kong.

The card from Japan shows Hiraizumi in the Iwate prefecture. Since 2011 has been Hiraizumi as "Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land" an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Heidi (from set of ten) (issued 23-01-2013)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Hong Kong: Tsing Ma Bridge

Today I got three postcards: two from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Tsing Ma Bridge. The Tsing Ma Bridge is the ninth-longest span suspension bridge of the world. The bridge has two decks, one for road traffic and one for rail traffic.

With special stamps:
Heartwarming (three from set of six) (issued 23-01-2014)
The stamps sparkle.
with a special postmark showing the clock tower

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Hong Kong: Clock Tower

Today I got three postcards: two from Hong Kong and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Hong Kong shows the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower. It is 44m tall plus a 7m tall lightning rod. The top can normally be reached by a wooden staircase but is at the moment closed for maintenance.

With special stamps:
Heartwarming (two from set of six) (issued 23-01-2014)
The stamps sparkle.
with a special postmark showing also the clock tower

Thank You very much Zinfandel!

Germany: Westwork of Corvey and Castle

Today I got a postcard from Germany.

The card shows the Castle of Corvey. The church on the right site is the Westwork. The Westwork is a genuine creation of the Carolingian era. Since Saturday have been the Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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

Thank You very much Lars!

Japan: Aomori's Gotochi cards

Today I got a big envelope from Japan.

Stamps:

FIFA World Cup (two from set of nine) (issued 12-05-2014)

Takarazuka Revue (from set of ten) (issued 01-04-2014)

Traditional Craft (from set of ten) (issued 25-10-2013)

label

Inside was the complete set of Aomori's Gotochi cards.
Aomori is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture of Honshu.

The card of 2009 shows two apples. Aomori is Japan's largest producer of apples.

I got also a small one of this card which is according to the sender not on sale.

The card of 2010 shows the Nebuta Festival. It is held in Aomori in summer. It is counted among the three biggest festivals of the Tohoku region.

The card of 2011 shows a Thunnus.

The card of 2012 shows a garlic.

The card of 2013 shows a man playing Tsugaru-shamisen music. The Tsugaru-shamisen is a genre of music originated in the Aomori prefecture.

The card of 2014 shows a shell used as a pot. This is called Kaiyaki miso (?).

Thank You very much Takashi!

Germany: Bauhaus Sites in Dessau-Roßlau

Today I got a postcard from Germany.

The card shows the Bauhaus Sites in Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt. The Bauhaus in Dessau was built between 1925 and 1926 following the designs of Walter Gropius. Dessau became the new place of activity after the Bauhaus School had been expelled from Weimar. The Bauhaus School revolutionised architectural and aesthetic concepts and practises. Since 1996 has been the Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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

Thank You very much Nicole!

Slovakia: Bratislava

Today I got two postcards: my first postcard from Slovakia and one from Germany.

Slovakia is a country in Central Europe bordering on the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Austria. Until 1992 Slovakia formed together with the Czech Republic the Czechoslovakia. Slovakia is a member of the UN, of the EU, of the OECD and of the NATO. 

The card provides a great view on Slovakia's capital Bratislava. Bratislava is the political, cultural, and economic centre of Slovakia. Two special buildings on the card are the Bratislava Castle and the St. Martin's Cathedral. The Bratislava Castle is the main castle of Bratislava and since Slovakia joined the Eurozone in 2009 it has been shown on the 10c, 20c and 50c coins. The St. Martin's Cathedral was the coronation church of the Kingdom of Hungary between 1563 and 1830.

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 09-05-2013)

Thank You very much Zuzana!

Germany: Richard Strauss

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

The card from Germany shows Richard Strauss in a painting of Max Liebermann. Richard Strauss was born on 11th May 1864 in Munich. He was a composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. Some of his famous operas are Der Rosenkavalier and Salome. He died on 8th September 1949 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 

I got this card a few weeks ago in a cover 

With matching stamp:
Richard Strauss (issued 05-06-2014)
with a special postmark celebrating also Richard Strauss

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

Japan: Shinjō Matsuri

Today I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Thailand.

The card from Japan shows the Shinjō Matsuri. The Shinjō Matsuri is a festival held from 24th to 26th August in Shinjo in the Yamagata prefecture. 

With matching stamp:
Shinjō Matsuri (from set of five) (issued 14-05-2014)
with a special postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Thailand: Ban Chiang Archaeological Site

Today I got two postcards: one from Thailand and one from Japan.

The card shows the Ban Chiang Archaeological Site in the Udon Thani province. Ban Chiang is so far the most important prehistoric settlement in South-East Asia. It presents the earliest evidence of farming in the region and of the manufacture and use of metals. Since 1992 it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With nice stamps:
500 years relations with Portugal (whole set) (issued 20-07-2011)
It is a joint issue with Portugal.

Thank You very much Ta!

Germany: Town Musicians of Bremen

Today I got my first two postcards from the German State of Bremen. Bremen was my last missing State.

One of the cards shows the statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen. The Town Musicians of Bremen is a fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm about a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster leaving their owners to become Town Musicians in Bremen but after expelling crooks from their house in the forest they stayed there. The statue was built in 1953 and was designed by Gerhard Marcks. 

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

Stamp:
Bremen (issued 05-06-2014)
with a special postmark showing the Roland

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

Germany: Bremen Roland

Today I got my first two postcards from the German State of Bremen. Bremen was my last missing State.

One of the cards shows the Bremen Roland on the Marketplace. It was built in 1404 and is a landmark of Bremen. The Roland has with platform and canopy a total height of 10,21m and it thus the biggest detached statue in Germany built in the Middle Ages. The Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen are since 2004 an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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

With matching stamp:
Bremen (issued 05-06-2014)
with a special postmark showing also the Roland

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

Germany: Heidelberg

Today I got two postcards from Heidelberg in Germany.

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg on the river Neckar. In Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university. This is the second card.

Stamp:
Glücksburg Castle (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Esther and Tessa!

Germany: Heidelberg

Today I got two postcards from Heidelberg in Germany.

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg on the river Neckar. In Heidelberg is Germany's oldest university. This is the first card.

Stamp:
Glücksburg Castle (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2013)

Thank You very much Esther and Tessa!

United Nations: Headquarters in New York City

Today I got four postcards: my first card from the United Nations, one from Singapore and two from Thailand.

The United Nations were founded in 1945 as International Organisation. The most important tasks of the United Nations are the protection of the world peace, the compliance of the law of nations, the protection of the human rights and the advancement of the international cooperation.

The United Nations issues since 1951 their own stamps. The United Nations stamps are issued in Geneva (in SFr.), Vienna (in Euro) and New York (in USD). 

The card shows the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. The Headquarters of the United Nations was built between 1948 and 1952 on land donated by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and since its completion it serves as the official headquarters of the United Nations. The headquarters contains the seats of the General Assembly and Security Council. The land is technically extraterritorial through a treaty agreement with the U.S. government. There are also regional headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria) and Nairobi (Kenya). 

The card shows also some of the flags in front of the headquarters. They are arranged in English alphabetical order. 

With nice stamps:
Endangered animals (three from set of four) (issued 03-03-1993)
This are the first stamps of the Endangered Animals series issued annually. The stamps show a Giant Clam, a Hairy-nosed Wombat and a Whooping Crane. The last stamp from the set got lost during the journey. :(

Thank You very much "youleyuan" !