Canada: Toronto

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

The card from Canada shows an aerial view of Toronto. Toronto is a city on Lake Ontario. It is Canada's largest city and the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is also a centre of business, finance, arts and culture. 

Stamps:
Year of the Pig (whole set) (issued 18-01-2019)
The souvenir sheet is embossed and printed with gold foil.

Thank You very much Tristan!

Germany: Igel Column

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

The card from Germany shows the Igel Column. The Igel Column is the burial monument of the Roman Secundinii cloth merchant family. As one of the Roman Monuments in Trier is the Igel Column since 1986 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Dinner for One (issued 11-10-2018)

Thank You very much Marie-Luise!

China: Hello Kitty

On Thursday I got a postcard from China.

It shows Hello Kitty.

On the backside is a postmark about the Olympic Winter Games 2022.
With awesome stamps:
Special-use Stamp for Greeting Cards (from set of four) (issued 08-08-2013)
China International Import Expo (whole set) (issued 05-11-2018)

Thank You very much Rikako!

Singapore: 8th Singapore Postcrossing Meet-up

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Singapore and one from Japan.

The card from Singapore is the official postcard of the 8th Singapore Postcrossing Meet-up.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamps:
Early Education for Girls (from set of four) (issued 11-10-2018)
Year of the Pig (from set of three) (issued 04-01-2019)

Thank You very much Kaye!

Japan: National Gallery in Singapore

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Singapore.

The card from Japan is from the National Gallery in Singapore.

With nice stamps:
Lisa and Gaspard (two from set of twenty) (issued 16-01-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Hong Kong: Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Hong Kong and one from the USA.

The card from Hong Kong shows one of the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees. The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees are a popular shrine located near the Tin Hau Temple, that are frequented by tourists and locals during the Lunar New Year.

Stamp:
Year of the Pig (from set of four) (issued 12-01-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Hazel!

USA: Redwood National and State Parks

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from the USA and one from Hong Kong.

The card from the USA shows a view of the Redwood National and State Parks. The Redwood National and State Parks are a complex of several state and national parks located along the coast of northern California. Together they protect 45% of all remaining coast redwood old-growth forests. These trees are the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. When the Redwood National Park was established in 1968, nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged. The Redwood National and State Parks are since 1980 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Uncle Sam's Hat (issued 18-02-2017)
Frozen Treats (from set of ten) (issued 20-06-2018)
Birth Centenary of Andrew Wyeth (from set of twelve) (issued 12-07-2017)

Thank You very much Gloria!

FDC from the USA with Digital Colour Postmark

On Friday I got a cover from the USA.

Stamps:

Wedding Cake (issued 20-01-2012)

World War I - Turning the Tide (issued 27-07-2018)

with an awesome Digital Colour Postmark

Thank You very much Yue!

New Zealand: Maori Waka

On Thursday I got a postcard from New Zealand.

It shows a Maori waka or war canoe.

With a matching stamp:
Maui and the Fish (from set of six) (issued 06-06-2018)
Maori Language (two from set of five) (issued 06-09-2017)

Thank You very much Sharon!

New Zealand: Kiwi

On Wednesday I got three postcards: one from New Zealand, one from Taiwan and one from Germany.

The card from New Zealand shows a Kiwi. Kiwis are small flightless and nocturnal birds which are endemic to New Zealand. Due to its unique appearance it became famous around the World. It is also a national icon of New Zealand.

With great matching stamps:
Round Kiwi (two from set of five) (issued 04-07-2018)
Round Kiwi stamps are issued since 1988 and 2018 the eighth version of them was issued. This time all five species of Kiwi are featured on the stamps. These two stamps show the Brown Kiwi and the Great Spotted Kiwi. The other three species are the Little Spotted Kiwi, the Tokoeka and the Rowi.

Thank You very much Sharon!

Germany: Externsteine

On Wednesday I got three postcards: one from Germany, one from New Zealand and one from Taiwan.

The card from Germany shows the Externsteine. The Externsteine are a distinctive sandstone rock formation in the Teutoburg Forest and a popular tourist destination. According to popular belief they were once a sacred site of the pagan Saxons and as such they became a focus of propaganda during the Nazi regime. 

Stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)

Thank You very much Amelie!

Taiwan: Year of the Pig

On Wednesday I got three postcards: one from Taiwan, one from Germany and one from New Zealand.

The card from Taiwan is a New Year's card and shows little pigs in a train.

With a matching stamp:
Alpine Lakes of Taiwan (from set of four) (issued 21-03-2018)
Year of the Pig (from set of two) (issued 03-12-2018)

Thank You very much Ya Zhen!

Germany: Fauna and National Parks

At the beginning of this year the German Post issued two new stamps featuring animals, the Raccoon and the Porpoise. Luckily I was able to get some matching cards for the stamps, which arrived during this week. Interestingly three of four cards are connected to German national parks.

The Raccoon is a medium-sized mammal native to North America, which was introduced to Europa in the 20th century. Raccoons are noted for their intelligence and adaptability. Their original habitats are deciduous and mixed forests, but they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes and urban areas. In Germany there are today probably more than 1million Raccoons.

With a matching stamp:
Baby Animals - Raccoon (issued 02-01-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

The Raccoon reached the Harz already shortly after the first German Raccoons were brought to the wild in 1934. Although they were quite well received in this national park, they are sometimes also considered to be a pest.

With a matching stamp:
Baby Animals - Raccoon (issued 02-01-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

The Porpoise is Germany's only whale species. It is a common sight at the Baltic and the North Sea, but its population is decreasing.

With matching stamps:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)
with two different First Day Special Postmarks

The Wadden Sea is the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the World. In Germany there are three national parks in the Wadden Sea and also in Denmark and the Netherlands there are Wadden Sea conservation areas. The Wadden Sea in Lower Saxony, the Netherlands and Schleswig-Holstein was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009, the national park in Hamburg was added in 2011 and the Danish parts were added in 2014. Porpoises use these conservation areas especially when they are bringing their calves to the World.

With a matching stamp:
Endangered German Whale Species - Porpoise (issued 02-01-2019)
with a special postmark from the Waloseum in Norden

When I bought the Porpoise cards in an online shop, I also bought four other Wadden Sea cards for my collection.

Guinea-Bissau: School Class

On Saturday I got my first postcard from Guinea-Bissau.

Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa bordering on Senegal and Guinea. It was once a Portuguese colony and became independent in 1973, but since then its history is coined by political instability. The country's capital is Bissau.

The card shows a school class.

Stamp:
Coat of Arms (issued 28-07-2011)

Thank You very much Peter!

cover from Malaysia

On Saturday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Malaysia, which travelled over three months to reach me.

With nice stamps:

Kuala Lumpur Telecommunications Tower (issued 01-10-1996)

World Post Day (whole set) (issued 09-10-2018)

with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Shaliza!

cover from French Polynesia

On Friday I got a cover from French Polynesia.

With a nice stamp:

Year of the Dog (issued 16-02-2018)

Thank You very much William!

Germany: Black Forest

On Thursday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows various views of the Black Forest. The Black Forest is a large forested mountain range in der German State of Baden-Württemberg and a popular tourist destination. In 2014 a national park was created in the Black Forest.

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

With a matching stamp:
Hornisgrinde in the Black Forest (issued 18-12-2018)
with a special postmark showing the Hornisgrinde Tower

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

Moldovan Postcrossing Stamp and other new Stamps in my Collection

On Wednesday I got the stamps, which I have recently ordered in an online stamp shop.

Among the stamps I bought was the Moldovan Postcrossing stamp (issued 23-06-2018). 

If there is maybe somebody who can help me to get the stamp on a postcard from Moldova please comment below. I am also looking for the new Postcrossing postmark.

Did you know that the stamp shows a Moldovan children's book character? His name is Guguta and he was created by Spiridon Vangheli. Guguta was already shown on one of the Moldovan EUROPA stamps of 2010, which I now also have in my collection.

These are some other stamps I bought. You can see all of them on my stamp blog.