Japan: Kashiragashima Church

Last Friday I got a postcard from Japan.

It shows the Kashiragashima Church. Until some hidden Christians moved to the islet in the late 19th century, Kashiragashima was uninhabited. A wooden church was constructed in 1887 and plans for the current stone church arose in 1910, but the construction was interrupted by a shortage of funds and was just finished in 1919. As one of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region is the Kashiragashima Church since 2018 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With a related stamp:
UNESCO World Heritage - Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (from set of ten) (issued 12-07-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

France: Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer

Last Thursday I got a postcard from France.

It shows one of the aquaria at the Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer in Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer is a center of scientific and technical discovery of the marine environment with a special focus on the relationship between man and the sea. It is one of the largest aquariums in Europa.

Stamps:
Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman in Cassel (issued 28-06-2019)
New Marianne
with a special postmark about the Fête de la Mer in Boulogne-sur-Mer

Thank You very much William!

Germany: Haus der Geschichte in Bonn

Last Tuesday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn. The Haus der Geschichte is a museum about the German history from 1945 until the present. It was opened in 1994 and is today one of the most visited museums in Germany.

Stamps:
Winter Aconite (issued 08-06-2017)
Phlox (issued 13-04-2017)
Birth Centenary of Hannelore "Loki" Schmidt (issued 01-03-2019)

Thank You very much Marion!

Sesame Street Sheet from the USA

Last Tuesday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from the USA.

Stamps:

Statue of Freedom (from set of three) (issued 27-06-2018)

Art of Ellsworth Kelly (two from set of ten) (issued 31-05-2019)

Silver Coffeepot (issued 16-09-2005)

Inside was an awesome mint souvenir sheet about the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street (issued 22-06-2019)

Thank You very much Lara!

Trinidad and Tobago: Port of Spain

On 13th July I got my first postcard from Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean and consists of the bigger Trinidad and the smaller Tobago. In 1962 it became independent from the United Kingdom. 

The card shows Port of Spain on Trinidad. Port of Spain is the capital and second largest city of Trinidad and Tobago. As shipping hub and financial centre it is one of the leading cities in the Caribbean. 

With a nice stamp:
Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II (from set of three) (issued 2002)

Thank You very much Kimiko for sending and Marcel for arranging this card!

Estonian Year of the Pig FDC

On 13th July I got my stamp order from Estonia.

Among the things I ordered was a FDC of Estonia's Year of the Pig stamp (issued 05-02-2019).

Germany: History of Wetzlar

On 12th July I got a postcard from Germany.

It is the Chronicle card of Wetzlar. Wetzlar was first mentioned in 1141 and in 1180 it became a free imperial city. Between 1693 and 1806 it was home to the Reichskammergericht, one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1815 it became a part of Prussia and today it is a part of the German State of Hesse.

Stamp:
Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 01-07-2019)

Thank You very much Edith!

cover from Germany

On 12th July I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Moon Rocks (issued 01-07-2019)

with a special postmark showing Neil Armstrong

cover from Germany

On 11th July I got a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Nasturtium (issued 01-07-2019)

with a special postmark about the 100th birthday of Walter Scheel

Japan: Ise Grand Shrine

On 10th July I got a postcard from Japan.

It shows the Uji Bridge at the Ise Grand Shrine. The Ise Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. It is one of Shinto's holiest and most important sites.

Stamp:
Centenary of the ILO (from set of ten) (issued 01-07-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

USA: Moon Landing and Space Stamps

On 9th July I got a postcard from the USA.

It shows an illustration of the Moon Landing.

With many nice space stamps:
Viking Missions to Mars (issued 20-07-1978)
A Decade of Space Achievement (whole set) (issued 02-08-1971)
25 years Moon Landing (issued 20-07-1994)
Space Achievement (from set of eight) (issued 21-05-1981)
Skylab (issued 14-05-1974)
First Man on the Moon (issued 09-09-1969)
Statue of Liberty (issued 01-02-1997)

Thank You very much Anzhela!

cover from Germany

On 9th July I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Germany.

With a nice stamp:

Bluebells (issued 08-06-2017)

Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 01-07-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

Belgium: Ostend

On 8th July I got a postcard from Belgium.

It shows various views of Ostend. Ostend is a port city and coastal resort on the North Sea coast in the Belgian Province of West Flanders.

Stamp:
Geometry in Nature - The Spiral Shape (from set of five) (issued 11-06-2018)

Thank You very much William!

Belgium: Manneken Pis

On 6th July I got a postcard from Belgium.

It shows Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is the most famous landmark of Brussels. It is a small bronze sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin and was erected in 1619. For various occasions the statue is dressed in costumes.

With a nice matching stamp:
400 years Manneken Pis (issued 28-01-2019)

Thank You very much Gerda!

Germany: Karl Marx Monument in Chemnitz

On 5th July I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Karl Marx Monument in Chemnitz. The Karl Marx Monument was designed by Soviet sculptor Lev Kerbel and was inaugurated in 1971. It is the second-largest bust in the World.

With a related stamp:
200th birthday of Karl Marx (issued 03-05-2018)

Thank You very much Amelie!

Germany: Bauhaus Centenary

On 4th July I got a postcard from Germany.

It is another one of the four postcards issued by the German Post to celebrate the centenary of the Bauhaus.

With a related stamp:
100 years Bauhaus (issued 04-04-2019)
with a special postmark showing Walter Gropius' Glass Cathedral in Amberg

Barbados: Impressions

On 3rd July I got my first written and stamped postcard from Barbados.

Barbados is an island country in the Caribbean. In 1966 Barbados became independent from the United Kingdom and today it is an important tourist destination in the Caribbean. The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown.

The card shows various views of the island.

Stamp:
Builders of Barbados (from set of fourteen) (issued 18-01-2016)

Thank You very much Tristan!

Spain: Museo Nacional del Prado

On 2nd July I got two postcards: one from Spain and one from Monaco.

The card from Spain shows Francisco de Goya's The Clothed Maja from the collection of the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. The Museo Nacional del Prado was opened in 1819. It is one of the most visited and most important art museums in the World. 

With a great matching stamp:
Bicentenary of the Museo Nacional del Prado (issued 27-03-2019)
Montserrat Caballé (issued 31-05-2019)

Thank You very much Boris!

Monaco: Fontvieille

On 2nd July I got two postcards: one from Monaco and one from Spain.

The card from Monaco shows Fontvieille. Fontvieille is a ward of Monaco. It is the southernmost part of Monaco and also one of the youngest. From the 1970s onwards it was constructed almost entirely on artificially reclaimed land to combat the chronic land shortage in the extremely densely populated principality. 

Stamp:
EUROPA (issued 06-05-2019)

Thank You very much William!

Germany: Imperial Palace in Gelnhausen

On 29th June I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Imperial Palace in Gelnhausen. The Imperial Palace in Gelnhausen was founded in 1170 by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. In 1180 Henry the Lion was put on trial in absentia for insubordination at a imperial diet in Gelnhausen and was stripped of his lands and declared an outlaw. The Imperial Palace is considered to be one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Central Europa.

Stamp:
200 years Museum of Natural History in Berlin (issued 02-01-2010)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Israel: Yad Vashem

On 28th June I got four postcards: two from Israel and two from Germany.

The two cards from Israel are about Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It was founded in 1953. The complex includes both institutions for the scientific study of the Holocaust and for the education of the larger public. Today it is Israel's second most visited tourist site. 

The first card shows the exit of the Holocaust History Museum. While the current museum was just opened in 2005, there has been already a museum at Yad Vashem since the beginning. In nine unterground galleries it tells the history of the Holocaust in chronological order from the Jewish life in Europa before the Holocaust, over the camps and the resistance to the new beginning in Israel. 

Stamp:
Mountains in Israel (from set of two) (issued 05-03-2019)

The second card shows the Children's Memorial. This memorial was erected in 1987 to remember the 1.5million children and young people, who became the youngest victims of the Holocaust.

Stamp:
Mountains in Israel (from set of two) (issued 05-03-2019)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: History of Bautzen

On 28th June I got four postcards: two from Germany and two from Israel.

One of the cards from Germany is the Chronicle card of Bautzen. Bautzen was founded around 1000 at the crossing point of important trading routes. In 1213 it got the town privileges. Beginning in the 14th century it had political and economic importance in the Lusatian League. Since 1635 it is a part of Saxony. Today it is a centre of the Sorbs and their umbrella organisation Domowina has its headquarters in Bautzen.

Stamps:
Crocus (issued 11-08-2005)
Tulip (issued 08-09-2005)
Cuckooflower (issued 18-12-2018)

Thank You very much Edith!

Germany: Seute Deern

On 28th June I got four postcards: two from Germany and two from Israel.

One of the cards from Germany shows the figurehead of the Seute Deern, a ship from the collection of the German Maritime Museum. The German Maritime Museum is the national shipping museum of Germany. It is used for exhibition and research.

I bought this card when I was in Bremerhaven in 2017.

Stamps:
Phlox (issued 13-04-2017)
Variable Value Stamp (from set of two) (issued 03-01-2017)
with a special postmark about the centenary of the Seute Deern

Germany: Giant Panda

On 27th June I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows a Giant Panda.

Stamp:
Atmospheric Phenomena (from set of two) (issued 07-02-2019)

Thank You very much Serena!

Israel: Acre

On 26th June I got five postcards: two from Israel, one from Italy and two from Germany.

One of the cards from Israel shows various views of Acre. Acre is continuously inhabited since Phoenician time, which makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the World. In the 12th and 13th century it was one of the most important cities in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Although the remains of this period are almost intact and provide an exceptional inside in the era of the crusaders, the city is now mainly characteristic of an Ottoman fortified town of the 18th and 19th century. In 2001 the Old City of Acre became one of Israel's first two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Stamps:
Sha’ar HaGay Inn (issued 23-05-2001)
Physical Education (from set of three) (issued 20-02-2007)
Vultures (from set of three) (issued 02-04-2013)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Israel: Jesus Christ in the Holy Land

On 26th June I got five postcards: two from Israel, one from Italy and two from Germany.

One of the cards from Israel shows various places in Israel connected with Jesus Christ. Some of these places around the Sea of Galilee seek for the inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Festivals - Childhood Memories (from set of three) (issued 02-09-2015)

Thank You very much Marcel!