covers from France and Marianne FDC

On Saturday I got a cover from France.

Stamps:

Kayserberg (issued 21-06-2018)

Ploumanac'h Perros Guirec (issued 25-06-2018)

Fête du Timbre (from set of two) (issued 10-03-2018)

with a special postmark from Boulazac

Inside were two French covers.

The first one is a fabulous FDC of the new Marianne stamps, that were issued on 20th July 2018.

On the second cover are these stamps:
Old Marianne 0,05€
Abbaye de Trois-Fontaines (issued 18-06-2018)
New Marianne 0,01€, 0,05€ and 0,10€
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Aire-sur-la-Lys

Thank You very much William!

Germany: Nördlingen

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Canada.

The card from Germany shows various views of Nördlingen. Nördlingen is a city in the German State of Bavaria. It was built in an meteor impact crater and is one of only three towns in Germany that still has a completely established city wall.

The stamp got lost during the journey.

Thank You very much Svea!

Canada: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows a painting of the Beaver Hall Group from the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum in Montreal and one of the oldest and most famous museums in Canada.

With nice stamps:
Haunted Canada (three from set of five) (issued 08-09-2016)
The stamps are printed with a holographic foil finish creating a ghostly picture.

Thank You very much Isabella!

China: Postcrossing Meet-up in Shanghai

On Thursday I got two postcards from the recent Postcrossing Meet-up in Shanghai.

The first card shows a schematic map of Shanghai.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
It is prepaid and was added with two stamps:
???
Children's Sports and Games (from set of six) (issued 31-05-2015)

The second card is round and was sent by its designer.

Stamps:
The Great Wall (issued 01-05-2005)
Lantern Festival (from set of three) (issued 02-03-2018)
Paper Cutting (from set of four) (issued 24-01-2018)
Birds (from set of three) (issued 01-02-2002)

Thank You very much Lilith and Arlyna!

Sweden: Great Pit at Falun

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Sweden and one from Malaysia.

The card from Sweden shows the Great Pit at Falun. Falun is a city in middle Sweden that is especially known for its mining history. Mining in Falun was first mentioned in the 13th century, but has probably already begun in the 9th century. Its main product was copper. The mine had its heyday in the 17th century, when it was one of the World's most important mining areas and gave Sweden a virtual monopoly on copper, that helped to fund various wars during Sweden's great power era. Copper production declined during the 18th century and in 1992 the mine was closed. The Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun is since 2001 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a nice stamp:
Fish in the Nordic Region (from set of five) (issued 03-05-2018)

Thank You very much Doris!

Malaysia: Seri Saujana Bridge in Putrajaya

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Malaysia and one from Sweden.

The card from Malaysia shows the Seri Saujana Bridge in Putrajaya. The Seri Saujana Bridge is a unique combination of a symmetric cable-stayed structure and a through-arch bridge and crosses the artificial Putrajaya Lake to connect the Core Island with one of the other districts of the planned city. It was opened in 2003.

Stamp:
Farm Animals (from set of three) (issued 16-02-2015)

Thank You very much Jobbo!

Japan: Sagawa Art Museum

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Japan, one from Macedonia and one from Germany.

The card from Japan shows the Sagawa Art Museum. The Sagawa Art Museum was opened in 1998. It shows paintings, sculptures and also a bell, that has been designated a National Treasure.

Stamp:
Winnie the Pooh (from set of ten) (issued 08-08-2018)
with First Day Special Postmark
Definitives (from set of twelve) (issued 2015)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Village Church of Ribbeck

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Germany, one from Japan and one from Macedonia.

The card from Germany shows the Village Church of Ribbeck. Ribbeck is a district of the city Nauen in the German State of Brandenburg. It is especially famous for Theodor Fontane's poem Herr von Ribbeck auf Ribbeck im Havelland, which tells the story of a generous noble man who always gives pears from his garden to the local children. When the man dies, he wishes to get a pear in his grave, which turns into a new pear tree that provides pears for the children also after his mean son closed the garden for the children. Once a pear tree really grew from the grave of the von Ribbeck family, but it was destroyed by a storm in 1911. Its stub is today kept at the Village Church and a new pear tree was planted in 2000.

On the backside is a seal of a pear tree.
Stamp:
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (from set of two) (issued 12-07-2018)

Thank You very much Svea!

Macedonia: Ohrid Region

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Macedonia, one from Germany and one from Japan.

The card from Macedonia shows various views of the Ohrid region. Lake Ohrid is a lake located on the Albanian-Macedonian border. It is the largest lake of Macedonia and one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe. Ohrid is the largest town on the lake. It is also the eight-largest city of Macedonia and an important centre of tourism. The Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region is since 1979 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Football World Cup 1998 (from set of two) (issued 30-04-1998)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Germany: Jewish Cemetery of Altona

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Germany, one from Singapore, one from Malaysia and one from Japan.

The card from Germany shows the Jewish Cemetery of Altona. The Jewish Cemetery of Altona was used between 1611 and 1877 by Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews from Altona and Hamburg. Due to its size and its many surviving tombstones it is considered to be one of the most important Jewish cemeteries in the World. It seeks for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
meter stamp

Thank You very much Marcel!

Japan: Kyoto National Museum

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Japan, one from Germany, one from Singapore and one from Malaysia.

The card from Japan shows the Heisei Chishinkan Wing of the Kyoto National Museum. The Kyoto National Museum is one of the major art museums in Japan. It was opened in 1897 as Imperial Museum of Kyoto and is thus also one of the oldest museums in Japan. The museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese works and Asian art.

Stamp:
150 years diplomatic relations with Sweden (from set of ten) (issued 02-08-2018)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Malaysia, one from Japan, one from Germany and one from Singapore.

The card from Malaysia shows an aerial view of Kuala Lumpur.

Stamps:
Kadazandusun and Dayak Festival Food (from set of three) (issued 16-03-2017)
Malaysian Festival Food (from set of three) (issued 06-06-2017)

Thank You very much Jobbo!

Singapore: Year of the Dog

Last Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Singapore, one from Malaysia, one from Japan and one from Germany.

The card from Singapore shows an illustration of a dog. The card was turned into a maxicard with one of Singapore's Year of the Dog stamps. The stamp is from a set of three and was issued on 5th January 2018. 

Stamps:
Festivals (from set of eight) (issued 17-10-2012)
Definitive - Vanishing Trades (from set of ten) (issued 16-10-2013)

Thank You very much Angela!

Romania: Fortified Church of Biertan

On Tuesday I got a postcard from Romania.

It shows the Fortified Church of Biertan. Biertan is a village in Transylvania and was once an important market place. It was one of the many villages in the region in which the Transylvanian Saxons built a fortified church during the Middle Ages. The Fortified Church of Biertan is probably the most famous of the around 150 fortified churches in Transylvania which survived until today and was the see of the Lutheran Evangelical Bishop in Transylvania between 1572 and 1867. Since 1993 is the Fortified Church of Biertan on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1999 six more Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania were added. 

Stamps:
Ceahlau National Park (from set of twelve) (issued 01-09-2016)
Brilliant Romanians (from set of six) (issued 18-03-2016)

Thank You very much Laco!

Jordan: Nymphaeum in Amman

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from Jordan and one from Germany.

The card from Jordan shows the Nymphaeum in Amman. Amman is already inhabited since the Neolithic Age, but just became a big city in the last hundred years. In 1921 Amman became the capital of the newly created Emirate of Transjordan, which became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1950. Today is Amman the largest city and economic centre of Jordan. It is also considered to be among the most liberal and westernized Arab cities and is a major tourist destination in the region.

Stamps:
Definitive (from set of four) (issued 15-05-1996)
Definitive - Overprinted Stamp of 2003 (issued 20-12-2009)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Hedeby

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Jordan.

The card from Germany shows the reconstructed viking houses of Hedeby. Hedeby was an important Viking Age town. Due to its unique situation between the Frankish Empire and the Danish Kingdom, Hedeby became an important trading centre between continental Europe and Scandinavia and between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In 1050 the town was destroyed and its location was forgotten, until it was rediscovered in 1900. In 1985 the Viking Museum Hedeby was opened at the site. Since 2018 is the Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
100th birthday of Heinz Sielmann (issued 08-06-2017)

Thank You very much Christa and Karina!

cover from Spain

On Thursday I got not only two postcards but also a cover from Spain.

Stamp:

EUROPA (issued 26-04-2018)

The stamp has a hole in the shape of a bridge.

with a special postmark from Teulada

Thank You very much William!

Hong Kong: Giant Panda at the Ocean Park

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

The card from Hong Kong shows a Giant Panda at the Amazing Asian Animals habitat at the Ocean Park.

Stamp:
Inclusive Communication (from set of six) (issued 07-06-2018)
with a special postmark from Tsim Sha Tsui

Thank You very much Keiko!

Czech Republic: Prague Castle

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

The card from the Czech Republic shows Prague Castle. Prague Castle is the largest castle in the World. It was founded in the 9th century and since then various architects of various architectural styles contributed to the appearance of the castle. For centuries it was the seat of the Kings of Bohemia, two Holy Roman Emperors and the Presidents of Czechoslovakia. Today it is the seat of the Czech President and a popular destination for tourists.

With a nice matching stamp:
Anemone (issued 29-09-2010)
Centenary of Czechoslovak Stamps - Mucha's Prague Castle (issued 21-02-2018)

Thank You very much Klara!

Germany: Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz

As part of its ongoing panorama stamp series the German Post issued two stamps about the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz on 12th July 2018. Luckily I was able to get two matching cards, which I used to get special postmarks. The first one arrived two weeks ago and second one came back last Friday.

The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz was created by Prince Leopold III Friedrich Franz of Anhalt-Dessau and his friend Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff over a period of forty years in the 18th century. They got inspirations for the gardens on several journeys to landscape gardens in England and ancient buildings in Italy and created the first landscape garden in continental Europe. The Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz is considered to be an exceptional example of landscape design and planning of the Age of the Enlightenment. It is since 2000 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

One card shows among others the Gothic House and Wörlitz Castle.

With matching stamps:
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (issued 02-05-2002)
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (issued 12-07-2018)
with a special postmark from Oranienbaum-Wörlitz

The other card shows the Wörlitzer Anlagen.

With matching stamps:
Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (issued 12-07-2018)
with a special postmark showing a map of the Garden Kingdom

Thank You very much Christine and Svenja for sending me the cards in an envelope!

Italy: National Archaeological Museum in Naples

On Friday I got a postcard from Italy.

It shows a painting from the collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The National Archaeological Museum in Naples was founded in 1777 with the collections of the royal museum of the Bourbons and other private collections. It shows many artifacts from Pompeii and is one of the most important archaeological museums in the World. 

Stamp:
Alberto Burri (issued 12-03-2015)

Thank You very much Lishi!

cover from Germany

Last Friday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Germany.

Stamps:

Bluebells (issued 08-06-2017)

Legendary Football Games (from set of three) (issued 03-05-2018)

with a special postmark about the final of the Football World Cup 2018