Japan: Sendai City Museum

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

The card from Japan is from the Sendai City Museum. The Sendai City Museum is the main museum of Miyagi's capital. It shows exhibits about the history of Sendai and of the Date family, of which the founder of Sendai was a member.

With a nice stamp:
50 years Normalisation of Diplomatic Relations with the Republic of Korea (from set of two) (issued 22-06-2015)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Alzenau

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

The card from Germany shows Alzenau. Alzenau is a city in Lower Franconia in the German State of Bavaria. In 2015 it hosts the State Horticulture Show of Bavaria.

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

Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)
with a special postmark from the State Horticulture Show

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

Germany: Jever

Yesterday I got a postcard from Germany.

The card shows various views of Jever. Jever is a city in the German State of Lower Saxony. It is a popular holiday resort and known for the Jever Beer which is produced in the city.

Stamps:
Marigold (issued 07-07-2005)
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 11-06-2015)

Thank You very much Michèle!

Japan: Bitchū Matsuyama Castle

Yesterday I got three postcards: one from Japan and two from Germany.

The card from Japan shows the Bitchū Matsuyama Castle in the Okayama prefecture. The Bitchū Matsuyama Castle is one of just twelve remaining original castles in Japan. It is the one with the highest elevation above sea level in the country. 

Stamps:
Sushi (from set of two) (issued 30-10-2014)
Afforestation (from set of ten) (issued 15-05-2015)
with a special postmark from the Philatelic Museum Otegami

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Ulm Minster

Yesterday I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Ulm Minster. The Ulm Minster is a Lutheran church. Its construction was started in the Gothic era, but was just finished in 1890. It is the tallest church in the World and the largest Lutheran church in Germany. It is located in the big city Ulm in Baden-Württemberg. 

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

Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)
with a special postmark about the 125th anniversary of the completion of the Ulm Minster

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

Germany: Zella-Mehlis

Yesterday I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany shows the nature around Zella-Mehlis. Zella-Mehlis is a city in the German State of Thuringia. It is located in the Thuringian Forest.

Stamp:
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 11-06-2015)

Thank You very much Corinna!

Czech Republic: Cheb

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from the Czech Republic and one from Malaysia.

The card from the Czech Republic shows the St. Nicholas Church in Cheb. Cheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region. Before World War II was the city the centre of the German-speaking region Egerland. After the war the German population was expelled.

The card was sent from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Cheb.
With great stamps:
Večerníček (issued 18-02-2015)
Jů and Hele (issued 28-05-2014)

Thank You very much Jaan!

Malaysia: Mount Kinabalu

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Malaysia and one from the Czech Republic.

The card from Malaysia shows the Mount Kinabalu.

With a nice stamp:
Local Food (from set of four) (issued 19-10-2014)
It is a joint issue with Hong Kong.

Thank You very much Matthew!

cover from Hong Kong

On Wednesday I got not only two postcards but also a cover from Hong Kong.

Stamp:

Heartwarming (from set of six) (issued 12-02-2015)

Inside was a shaped postcard showing Totoro.

Thank You very much Archo!

Sweden: Stockholm

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Sweden.

It shows various views of Sweden's capital Stockholm. Stockholm is also the largest city of the country and of Scandinavia. The city is located on 14 small islands. The residences of the Swedish monarch and prime minister and the seat of the country's government are located in Stockholm. The Nobel Prize ceremonies took place there annually. In 1912 hosted Stockholm the Summer Olympics and in 1956 the equestrian competitions of the Summer Olympics took place in Stockholm as well. 

With a nice stamp:
Queen Silvia (from set of two) (issued 15-01-2015)

Thank You very much Brigitte!

Italy: Giuseppe Verdi

On Monday I got five postcards: one from Italy, one from France and three from Germany.

The card from Italy shows Giuseppe Verdi. Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813. He was a composer and especially known for his operas. He was not only one of the most important opera composer of the 19th century but also a symbol of the political reunification process of Italy. He died in 1901.

With a nice stamp:
Gianduiotto Caffarel (from set of three) (issued 24-04-2015)

Thank You very much Giada!

Germany: Bautzen

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Italy and one from France.

One of the cards from Germany shows various views of Bautzen. Bautzen, which is also known by its Upper Sorbian name Budyšin, is a city in the German State of Saxony. It was the historical capital of Upper Lusatia and is today the most important cultural centre of the Sorbs.

Stamp:
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 11-06-2015)

Thank You very much Amelie!

Germany: Bastei

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Italy and one from France.

One of the cards from Germany shows the rock formation Bastei and the Bastei Bridge. The Bastei is located in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the German State of Saxony. It was an important tourist attraction for the last 200 years. The first bridge on the Bastei was built in 1824 out of wood. It was replaced by a stone bridge in 1851. 

Stamp:
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 11-06-2015)

Thank You very much Amelie!

Germany: Tour Brandenburg

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Italy and one from France.

One of the cards from Germany shows a map of a section of the Tour Brandenburg. The Tour Brandenburg is a bike trail in the German State of Brandenburg. It was opened in 2007 and is Germany's longest bike trail. 

My grandparents sent the card to me after their recent trip to the Federal Horticulture Show in Brandenburg.

Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)

France: Le Tréport's funicular

On Monday I got five postcards: one from France, three from Germany and one from Italy.

The card from France shows old and new photos of Le Tréport's funicular. The funicular was first opened in 1908, but was not used anymore after World War II due to its costs. Since 2006 a new funicular is in use.

Stamp:
Les chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle (from set of four) (issued 27-04-2015)

Thank You very much William!

United Kingdom: Broadstairs

Yesterday I got four postcards: one from the United Kingdom, two from Germany and one from New Zealand.

The card from the United Kingdom shows the Quay and the Bleak House in Broadstairs. Broadstairs is a small town in England. The Bleak House was visited by Charles Dickens in his summer holidays. The novella Bleak House is named after the house. Here Dickens wrote the novel David Copperfield. 

Stamps:
Queen's head
World War I Centenary (from set of six) (issued 14-05-2015)
Rifleman Kulbir Thapa was a Nepalese Gurkha fighting in World War I. In the Battle of Loos he was wounded and separated from his battalion, but was still able the rescue three wounded soldiers, one British soldier and two Nepalese Gurkhas. He was the first Nepalese Gurkha to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

Thank You very much William!

New Zealand: Kia Ora Bro

Yesterday I got four postcards: one from New Zealand, one from the United Kingdom and two from Germany.

The card from New Zealand shows a common Maori greeting and a Tiki. Tikis are large wooden carvings found at the boundaries of sacred and significant sites of the most Polynesian cultures.

Stamps:
All Blacks (from set of two) (issued 07-05-2014)
Matariki (two from set of six) (issued 03-06-2015)

Thank You very much Sharon!

Germany: Johann Sebastian Bach

Yesterday I got four postcards: two from Germany, one from New Zealand and one from the United Kingdom.

One of the cards from Germany shows Johann Sebastian Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organ and piano virtuoso. He was born in 1685 in Eisenach. Later he lived in Ohrdruf, Lüneburg, Weimar, Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, again Weimar, Köthen and Leipzig. He died in 1750 in Leipzig. 

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

Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)
with a special postmark from the Saxony-Anhalt Day 2015 in Köthen showing also Johann Sebastian Bach

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

Germany: Herne

Yesterday I got four postcards: two from Germany, one from New Zealand and one from the United Kingdom.

One of the cards from Germany shows various views of Herne. Herne is a big city in the Ruhr Area in North Rhine-Westphalia. By area it is the second smallest big city in Germany, but also has the third highest population density of all German cities. It is also regarded as Germany's safest city for traffic. Once was Herne an important mining town.

Stamp:
Janosch (from set of two) (issued 01-03-2013)

Thank You very much Julia!

Germany: Laboe Naval Memorial and U 995

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Russia and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany shows the Laboe Naval Memorial and the Submarine U 995. The Laboe Naval Memorial was built between 1929 and 1936 to commemorate the German marines killed in World War I. Later it was also used to remember the marines killed in World War II and since 1954 it commemorates all marines of all nations killed at sea. It also reminds of a peaceful sea travel. 

The Imperial German Navy was at the beginning of World War I the second strongest navy in the World, but due to the geopolitical location of the German naval bases it was rarely used in the war. The most important battle, in which the Imperial German Navy was involved, was the Battle of Jutland. Unlike the surface fleet the submarine fleet was often used in World War I with the unrestricted submarine warfare declared in 1915. In 1918 the Kiel Mutiny led to the end of World War I. The fleet was handed over to the Allies, but was sunk at Scapa Flow in 1919 by German crews. 

The Submarine U 995 was used by the German War Navy in World War II. In 1972 it was placed in Laboe after it served in the Royal Norwegian Navy. Today it houses a museum.

Stamp:
Felix the Rabbit (from set of two) (issued 02-03-2015)

Thank You very much Katja!

Germany: History of Kiel

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Russia and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany is the Chronicle card of Kiel. Kiel was founded in 1242 as city with Lübeck law and remained a member of the Hanseatic League until 1518. In 1490 it became a part of Holstein-Gottorp. After Schleswig was lost to Denmark Kiel became the residence of the remaining territory. In 1773 the city became part of Denmark. In 1848 the citizen tried to become again a part of Germany, but in 1852 Kiel was invaded by Danish forces. In 1863 German forces regained the control over Kiel. In 1865 Kiel was declared as a Prussian naval base and in 1871 it became a naval base of the German Empire. The first Kiel Week took place in 1882 and between 1886 and 1895 the Kiel Canal was built. In 1918 the Kiel Mutiny led to the end of the monarchy in Germany. The city was badly damaged in World War II, but was rebuilt in a modern way. Today is Kiel an important port on the Baltic Sea and since 1949 it is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein.

Stamp:
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 03-07-2014)
with an advertising postmark of the Kiel Week

Thank You very much Katja!

Germany: Ampelmännchen

On Monday I got five postcards: three from Germany, one from Russia and one from Japan.

One of the cards from Germany shows various figures of pedestrian traffic lights from around the World. The East German Ampelmännchen (lower right corner) was created in 1961 by Karl Peglau and was used in the German Democratic Republic. After the German Reunification it was about to be replaced by the West German figures, but protests in both East and West Germany prevented the replacement. Today is the Ampelmännchen a symbol of former East Germany and replaced in some West German cities the old figures. Since 2004 also female Ampelmännchen, the Ampelfrau, are used in Dresden, Fürstenwalde and Zwickau.

Stamp:
Lighthouse (from set of two) (issued 11-06-2015)

Thank You very much Amelie!

Japan: Shell

On Monday I got five postcards: one from Japan, three from Germany and one from Russia.

The card from Japan shows a shell.

With a related stamp:
Summer greeting (from set of ten) (issued 05-06-2015)
with First Day Special Postmark

On the backside of the card there are information on the depicted shell species.

Thank You very much Keiko!

Russia: Moscow Kremlin

On Monday I got five postcards: one from Russia, one from Japan and three from Germany.

The card from Russia shows the Moscow Kremlin. The Moscow Kremlin is the oldest part of Russia's capital. It was built between the 14th and the 17th century. It was linked to all important historical and political events in Russia and is today the residence of the Russian President. Since 1990 are the Kremlin and the Red Square in Moscow on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It is an official card: RU-3758084

With matching stamps:
EUROPA (issued 05-05-2010)
Pedestrian bridges (from set of four) (issued 15-08-2011)
Russian Kremlins-Moscow Kremlin (from set of twelve) (issued 01-10-2009)

Thank You very much Alexandra!

Germany: Pious Helene

On Friday I got a cover from Germany with two cards inside.

One of the cards shows the Pious Helene. Pious Helene is a story in pictures by Wilhelm Busch. It was published in 1872 and shows Busch's anticlerical attitude. The card is a maxicard. The stamp was issued on 15th April 1982 to celebrate Wilhelm Busch's 150th birthday. It was cancelled in Wiedensahl, Wilhelm Busch's birthplace, with a special postmark showing Max and Moritz.

The other card I will use later to get a special postmark.

Thank You very much Heike!