New Zealand: Abel Tasman National Park

Today I got a postcard from New Zealand.

It shows sea kayaks in the Abel Tasman National Park on the South Island. The Abel Tasman National Park is the smallest national park in New Zealand and was established in 1942, 300 years after Abel Tasman, the first European on New Zealand, anchored nearby in Golden Bay. It is known for its bays with clear water and granite cliffs and as habitat of waterfowl. Sea kayak trips are popular in the park.

With a matching stamp:
1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland (from set of two) (issued 24-01-1990)
Road to Rio (two from set of ten) (issued 06-07-2016)

Thank You very much Sharon!

covers from Andorra

Today I got not only a postcard but also two covers from Andorra.

Stamps:

EUROPA (issued 21-05-2016)

Euro Coins of Andorra (from set of two) (issued 09-01-2016)

Els gegants (issued 11-06-2016)

Stamp:
Women's Alpine Ski World Cup (29-02-2016)

Thank You very much William!

France: Seagull

On Tuesday I got a postcard from France.

It shows a seagull.

Stamps:
New Marianne 0,10€
Pierre Mauroy (issued 27-06-2016)

Thank You very much William!

Kazakhstan: Astana with Postcrossing Stamp

Yesterday I got six postcards: My first card from Kazakhstan, one from Finland, one from Portugal, one from Germany, one from Norway and one from Mexico.

Kazakhstan is a country in Eastern Europe and Central Asia bordering on Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It is the World's largest landlocked country and ninth largest country. In 1991 it was the last Soviet Republic to declare its independence from the Soviet Union.

The card shows the Khan Shatyr in Astana. Astana replaced Almaty as capital of Kazakhstan in 1997. The city was earlier known as Akmola and just got the name Astana, which means capital in Kazakh, in 1998. It is a planned city and has many futuristic buildings. In 2017 Astana will host the Expo.

Stamp:
Postcrossing (issued 07-11-2015)

Thank You very much Jane!

Mexico: Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

Yesterday I got six postcards: one from Mexico, my first card from Kazakhstan, one from Finland, one from Portugal, one from Germany and one from Norway.

The card from Mexico shows the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral. Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. It has the largest metropolitan area in the western hemisphere and is the largest Spanish-speaking city in the World. It was once an important administrative centre of the Spanish colonial empire. The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral is the largest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. The Historic Centre of Mexico City is since 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
75th anniversary of the building of the Supreme Court (issued 02-06-2016)
Structural Reforms (from set of fourteen) (issued 21-12-2015)

Thank You very much Karen!

Norway: Rock Art of Alta

Yesterday I got six postcards: one from Norway, one from Mexico, my first card from Kazakhstan, one from Finland, one from Portugal and one from Germany.

The card from Norway shows the rock carvings at Alta. The rock carvings at Alta are located near the Arctic Circle and show how humans lived in the Far North in prehistoric times. In 1991 an open-air museum was opened at the site. The Rock Art of Alta is since 1985 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a matching stamp:
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 17-11-2006)
Tourism (from set of three) (issued 18-04-1996)

Thank You very much Pei!

Germany: Otto Lilienthal Museum in Anklam

Yesterday I got six postcards: one from Germany, one from Norway, one from Mexico, my first card from Kazakhstan, one from Finland and one from Portugal.

The card from Germany shows the Otto Lilienthal Museum in Anklam. The Otto Lilienthal Museum was opened in 1991. In its collection are various objects belonging to the life and work of the flight pioneer Otto Lilienthal including the largest collection of reconstructed Lilienthal aircrafts in the World. 

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

With a matching stamp:
125 years first gliding flight of Otto Lilienthal (issued 07-07-2016)
with a special postmark from the museum

In the cover were also six other postcards from the museum.

Also in the cover was a card of Anklam. Anklam is a town in the German State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is a former member of the Hanseatic League and is known as birthplace of Otto Lilienthal.

Thank You very much Peggy for sending me so many great cards in an envelope!

Portugal: Azulejos

Yesterday I got six postcards: one from Portugal, one from Germany, one from Norway, one from Mexico, my first card from Kazakhstan and one from Finland.

The card from Portugal shows a house in Lisbon decorated with Azulejos. Azulejos are painted tin-glazed ceramic tileworks. They are an important aspect of Portuguese architecture.

Stamp:
Extreme Sports (from set of five) (issued 31-03-2016)

Thank You very much July!

Hello July,
I got your nice card, but unfortunately do not know how to contact you. So if you read this please post a comment or send me an e-mail. ^__^

Finland: World War I poster from the Espoo Museum of Modern Art

Yesterday I got six postcards: one from Finland, one from Portugal, one from Germany, one from Norway, one from Mexico and my first card from Kazakhstan.

The card from Finland shows a World War I poster from the collection of the Espoo Museum of Modern Art. The Espoo Museum of Modern Art opened in 2006. It is the largest museum in Finland. 

At the beginning of World War I was Finland a part of the Russian Empire, but the region was not much affected by the war. Some members of the Finnish Jäger troops fought in the German army to provoke a Russian defeat, while other Finns volunteered for fighting in the Russian army. Beginning in late 1916 there were supply shortfalls also in Finland. In December 1917, after the Russian Revolution, Finland declared its independence from Russia.

Stamp:
Ice Crystal (issued 22-01-2016)
The stamp glimmers.

Thank You very much Nina!

Germany: Lighthouses of Schleswig-Holstein

On Friday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows a map of lighthouses on Schleswig-Holstein's North Sea coast.

I bought this card in Büsum last year.

With a matching stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 07-07-2016)
with a special postmark showing also the Kampen Lighthouse
The Kampen Lighthouse is located on the highest elevation of Sylt. It was first lit in 1856, when the island was a part of Denmark.

Crimea: Chersonesus Cathedral

Yesterday I got my first postcard from Crimea.

Crimea is a peninsula in the Black Sea. It was a part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and then became an autonomous republic within Ukraine. In 2014 the peninsula was taken over by Russia and later a referendum was held which returned a large majority in support of a union with Russia. Russia annexed the peninsula then and administers it now as Republic of Crimea. Ukraine and the most countries in the World still not accept the annexation of the peninsula. The capital of the Republic of Crimea is Simferopol. The city of Sevastopol, which is also located on the peninsula, is administered as federal city.

The card shows the Chersonesus Cathedral. The Chersonesus Cathedral is located near the place where Vladimir the Great was baptised in 988. The start of construction was in 1850 and in 1891 it was consecrated. It was destroyed during World War II, but was later rebuilt.

Stamps:
State Awards of the Russian Federation (from set of eighteen) (issued 19-02-2016)
Aviation History (from set of four) (issued 18-04-2014)

Thank You very much David!

cover from France

Yesterday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from France.

With great stamps:

Centenary of the Battle of the Somme (whole set) (issued 04-07-2016)

The Battle of the Somme was fought from the 1st July until the 18th November 1916 between the German Empire and the Triple Entente countries France and the United Kingdom. The battle started with a large-scale offensive of the Triple Entente and ended without an achievement. It was the fiercest battle on the Western Front of World War I.

Thank You very much William!

Cyprus: Nicosia

On Wednesday I got a postcard from Cyprus.

The card shows an aerial view of Nicosia. Nicosia is the largest city on Cyprus. It is the last divided capital city in the World. It is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus and the northern part is also the capital of Northern Cyprus. The Faneromeni Church (in the foreground) is located in the southern part of the city, while the Selimiye Mosque (in the background) is located in the northern part.

Stamps:
Refugee Fund (issued 02-04-2015)
Traditional Folk Art of Cyprus (from set of two) (issued 10-03-2016)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Hamburg

On Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Hamburg for a short trip and there I bought some cards for my collection.

The Speicherstadt was built between 1883 and 1927. It is the World's largest warehouse district where the buildings stand on timber-pile foundations. Since 2015 are the Speicherstadt and the Kontorhaus District with the Chilehaus on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The St. Michael's Church is the most famous church of Hamburg. It is also one of the city's Lutheran main churches and is considered to be one of Germany's most important Protestant churches in the Baroque style. It is dedicated to the Archangel Michael and is commonly known as Michel. There is the possibility to go up the spire and to visit the crypt.

In the shop I bought a very special postcard (the right one) which includes a multimedia-CD. On the CD there is an interactive tour of the church, historical content, bell-ringing and organ music.

The BallinStadt is a museum about migration. It is located in rebuilt emigration halls, from where approximately 5million emigrants left Europe to start a new life in America. The museum opened in 2007.

Japan: Ghibli Museum

On Monday I got nine postcards: five from Japan, one from the Czech Republic and three from Belgium.

One of the cards from Japan shows the Cat Bus Room at the Ghibli Museum. The Ghibli Museum is located in Mitaka in the Tokyo prefecture. It opened in 2001 and shows various exhibits about the works of Studio Ghibli.

Stamp:
Season's memories (from set of ten) (issued 20-11-2014)

Thank You very much Noriko!

Japan: Spirited Away

On Monday I got nine postcards: five from Japan, one from the Czech Republic and three from Belgium.

One of the cards from Japan shows a scene from Spirited Away. Spirited Away is an animated movie produced by Studio Ghibli. It tells the story of the young girl Chihiro entering the sprit world. It was released in 2001 and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Stamps:
Fairy Tales (from set of three) (issued 20-02-1974)
Sanrio Characters (from set of twenty) (issued 21-08-2015)

Thank You very much Mitsuko!

Japan: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

On Monday I got nine postcards: five from Japan, one from the Czech Republic and three from Belgium.

One of the cards from Japan shows a scene from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is an animated movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was released in 1984 and is considered to be the beginning of Studio Ghibli.

Stamps:
Fairy Tales (from set of three) (issued 20-02-1974)
Sanrio Characters (from set of twenty) (issued 21-08-2015)

Thank You very much Mitsuko!

Japan: Princess Mononoke

On Monday I got nine postcards: five from Japan, one from the Czech Republic and three from Belgium.

One of the cards from Japan shows a scene from Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke is an animated movie produced by Studio Ghibli. It tells the story of the struggle between forest gods and the humans. It was released in Japan in 1997.

Stamps:
Fairy Tales (from set of three) (issued 29-07-1974)
Sanrio Characters (from set of twenty) (issued 21-08-2015)

Thank You very much Mitsuko!