Switzerland: Tintin in Geneva

On Friday I was in Hanover and there I found a little stamp shop. In the shop I bought a stamp set from the USA and a great set of two prepaid postcards with special postmarks from Switzerland about the 100th birthday of Hergé. The card were issued on 10th May 2007.

The first card shows Tintin and Captain Haddock in front of the Hotel Cornavin in Geneva. The Hotel Cornavin appears in The Calculus Affair. There it is described as the favoured accommodation of Professor Calculus whenever he stays in Geneva. Hergé based the hotel on a real hotel in Geneva which has the same name.

The second card shows Tintin and Captain Haddock going to a Swissair bus in front of the Hotel Beaujolais.

Germany: Fürstenzug in Dresden

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Fürstenzug in Dresden. The Fürstenzug is a large Meissen porcelain artwork showing portraits of 35 rulers of the House of Wettin between 1127 and 1904. It was originally painted between 1871 and 1876 and between 1904 and 1907 the painting was copied to 23000 porcelain tiles to make it weather proof. It is the largest porcelain artwork in the World. 

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Dresden.
Stamp:
100th birthday of Heinz Sielmann (issued 08-06-2017)

Thank You very much Thomas!

Slovakia: Gerulata

Last Saturday I got a postcard from Slovakia.

It shows Gerulata. Gerulata was a Roman military camp in the province of Pannonia, which is now in a borough of Bratislava. It was built in the 2nd century as part of the Limes and was inhabited until the 4th century, when Roman legions withdrew from Pannonia. Today it is the largest Roman site in Slovakia and seeks for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Bratislava City Museum has a branch in Gerulata. 

EDIT: As of July 2021 Gerulata is now inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Danubian Limes.

Stamp:
Historic Motorcycles (from set of two) (issued 17-04-2014)

Thank You very much Laco!

Philippines: Tubbataha Reef

Last Thursday I got a postcard from the Philippines.

It shows the Tubbataha Reef. The Tubbataha Reef is a marine sanctuary in the Sulu Sea. It consists of two atolls and a smaller reef and is known for its high density of marine species. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is since 1993 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a nice stamp:
Popular Fruits (from set of two) (issued 24-04-2017)
National Teachers’ Month (issued 04-09-2017)

Thank You very much Mitch!

covers from Germany

Last Thursday I got two covers from Germany.

Stamps:

Phlox (issued 13-04-2017)

Tulip (issued 08-09-2005)

500 years Till Eulenspiegel (issued 07-07-2011)

with a matching special postmark from Mölln

Stamp:
Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)
with a special postmark about the 175th anniversary of the railway in Bruchsal

Austria: Vienna's Heurigen

Last Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Japan.

The card from Austria shows various Heurigen in Vienna. A Heuriger is a tavern where local winemakers serve their new wines. They are known for their cosy atmosphere with simple food and traditional music. Famous Heurigen in Vienna are Grinzing, Nussdorf and Sievering.

With an interesting matching stamp:
Dispenser Stamp (from set of four) (issued ?-03-2018)
Dispenser Stamps were introduced by the Austrian Post in September 2017. They are issued with colourful Austrian images in common values and are only available in post offices if a postcard or letter is not already stamped. The Austrian Post issued them to attract new attention to stamps, as now everyone can get letters and covers with nice stamps regardless of the size of the post office from which they are sent, because they are planned to replace the boring postage labels used earlier.

Thank You very much Anita!

Japan: Yorozu Tetsugoro Museum

Last Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Austria.

The card from Japan shows the Yorozu Tetsugoro Museum in Hanamaki. It shows oil paintings, ink paintings, sketches and personal belongings of the modern artist Yorozu Tetsugoro.

Stamp:
Natural Monument (from set of ten) (issued 11-04-2018)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

China: Joint Postcrossing Meet-up of Wuxi and Göttingen

Last Monday I got a postcard from China.

It was printed for the Joint Postcrossing Meet-up between Wuxi in China and Göttingen in Germany.

If anybody still has the card signed during the Meet-up in Göttingen I would love to swap!

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamps:
Beautiful China (from set of six) (issued 19-05-2013)

Thank You very much Lilith!

Turkey: Anıtkabir in Ankara

Last Saturday I got two postcards: one from Turkey and one from Liechtenstein.

The card from Turkey shows Anıtkabir in Ankara. Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey. It was built between 1944 and 1953 and also includes a museum and the final resting place of Ismet Inönü, the second President of Turkey.

Stamps:
Centenary of the Victory in Kut (from set of two) (issued 29-04-2016)
The Siege of Kut Al Amara took place between the 7th December 1915 and the 29th April 1916, when a British-Indian garrison was besieged by the Ottoman Army in the town of Kut in modern day Iraq. The siege happened, as Allied troops had to retreat after the Battle of Ctesiphon and as General Townshend decided to stay in Kut instead of moving forward to Basra. The Ottoman army was supported by the German general and military historian Baron von der Goltz. After some efforts to relieve the city had failed, the Allied surrendered after 147 days of siege. The surviving soldiers became prisoners and were forced to march to Aleppo. The British went back on the offensive in December 1916 and retook Kut on the 23rd February 1917.
94th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey (from set of four) (issued 29-10-2017)
Centenary of the Liberation of Van (issued 02-04-2018)
In 1915 the city of Van was one of the few places where Armenians with the support of the Imperial Russian Army fought against the Ottoman Empire's armed forces during the Armenian Genocide. The city was afterwards under Armenian control. The Russian Revolution of 1917 changed the situation in the region. In April 1918 the Ottoman Army started to attack again and on 6th April Van was again under Ottoman control.
Centenary of the Liberation of Erzurum (issued 12-03-2018)
Erzurum was captured by the Russian Army in February 1916. It returned to Ottoman control just in March 1918 after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed.

Thank You very much Steve!

Liechtenstein: Views

Last Saturday I got two postcards: one from Liechtenstein and one from Turkey.

The card from Liechtenstein shows three views of the country.

Stamps:
EUROPA (whole set) (issued 05-03-2018)
with a special postmark from Schaan

Thank You very much William!

60 Years Smurfs

Last Friday I got my stamp order from Belgium. The only thing I ordered was the awesome souvenir sheet about the 60th anniversary of the Smurfs, which was issued earlier this year. Here you can see the lower row of the five stamps:

You can see the complete sheet and close-ups of the single stamps on my stamp blog.

France: Aire-sur-la-Lys

Last Friday I got a postcard from France.

It shows an aerial view of Aire-sur-la-Lys. Aire-sur-la-Lys is a commune in northern France. The Belfry of Aire-sur-la-Lys (seen on the left side in the background) is as one of the Belfries in Belgium and France since 2005 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Bicentenary of Caisses d'Épargne (issued 23-03-2018)
Marianne 0,05€, 0,10€
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Aire-sur-la-Lys

Thank You very much William!

Austria: Graz

Last Thursday I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from Germany.

The card from Austria shows various views from Graz. Graz is the capital of the Austrian State of Styria and the second largest city of Austria. The City of Graz with the Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg is since 1999 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2003 was Graz the European Capital of Culture.

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Graz.
With a great matching stamp:
UNESCO World Heritage - Graz (issued 12-06-2009)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Graz

Thank You very much Anita!

Germany: Elbphilharmonie

Last Thursday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Austria.

The card from Germany shows the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The Elbphilharmonie is a concert hall near the Speicherstadt. Construction started in 2007 and when it was finally completed in late 2016 its estimated cost was tripled. The official opening concert took place on 11th January 2017. It is one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the World and the tallest inhabited building of Hamburg.

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Hamburg.
Stamp:
100th birthday of Heinz Sielmann (issued 08-06-2017)

Thank You very much Nicole!

New Zealand: Lighthouses

Last Wednesday I got two postcards: one from New Zealand and one from France.

The card from New Zealand shows eight lighthouses. 

With a nice stamp:
New Zealand in Space (from set of six) (issued 25-01-2018)
50th anniversary of the Sinking of the Wahine (from set of six) (issued 07-03-2018)

Thank You very much Sharon!

France: Béthune

Last Wednesday I got two postcards: one from France and one from New Zealand.

The card from France shows various views of Béthune. Béthune is a city in northern France. The Belfry of Béthune (middle) is as one of the Belfries of Belgium and France on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Marianne 0,05€, 0,10€
Salon Philatélique de Printemps in Sorgues (issued 09-04-2018)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Béthune

Thank You very much William!

cover from Liechtenstein

Last Wednesday I got not only two postcards but also a cover from Liechtenstein.

Stamps:

dieMarke.li (?)

Brand Liechtenstein (whole set) (issued 16-11-2009)

Nature Reserves in Liechtenstein (from set of four) (issued 06-06-2017)

with a special postmark from Schaan

Thank You very much William!

Germany - Japan - USA: Peanuts Chaincard

On Tuesday I got a very special card: My first ever Chaincard.

As the German Post issued the great Peanuts stamps in early March and as I knew that some other countries issued Peanuts stamps as well, I decided to organise a Peanuts Chaincard on Instagram. The card started its journey in Germany in early March, travelled to Japan, the USA and then back to Germany. Now there are seven different Peanuts stamps on the card.

Stamps:

Germany - Peanuts (whole set) (issued 01-03-2018)

Japan - Snoopy and Letters (two from set of twenty) (issued 10-05-2017)

USA - A Charlie Brown Christmas (three from set of ten) (issued 01-10-2015)

Just like the Peanuts card which I turned into a Maxicard I also got this card from a Postcrosser in Japan. So this card travelled from Japan to Germany, back to Japan, to the USA and finally back to Germany, in total around 35000km.

covers from Germany

On Tuesday I got two covers from Germany.

Stamp:

Chocolate Cosmos (issued 03-12-2015)

with a special postmark about the 50th death anniversary of Martin Luther King

Stamp:
The Frog King (from set of three) (issued 01-02-2018)
with a matching special postmark from Vlotho

Spain: Synagogue of El Transito

Last Saturday I got a postcard from Spain.

It shows the Synagogue of El Transito in Toledo. The Synagogue of El Transito was built in the 14th century and is famous for its rich Mudéjar stucco decoration. After the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, the synagogue was used as church. Since 1964 it houses the Museo Sefardí.

With nice stamps:
Definitive (from set of five) (issued 19-01-2015)
La Abadía del Crimen (issued 08-05-2017)
The two stamps are from a miniature sheet of six stamps. On all six stamps the small doors are printed with thermochromic ink which disappears when you press your finger on them. Each stamp thus reveals a different object from the video game.
Definitive (from set of six) (issued 02-01-2016)

Thank You very much Marina!

Germany: German Historical Museum

Last Friday I was in Berlin and visited the German Historical Museum to see the current special exhibition about the Russian Revolution. There I got a set of four postcards about the exhibition.