France: Soissons

On Wednesday I got a postcard from France.

It shows various views of Soissons. Soissons is a commune in northern France. It is one of the oldest cities in France and played an important role during the early years of the Frankish Kingdom and the complete reign of the Merovingian Kings in general.

With a nice stamp:
150th anniversary of the Suez Canal (issued 03-10-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Soissons

Thank You very much William!

USA: Sesame Street

On Wednesday I got not only a postcard but also a cover from the USA.

With nice stamps:

CARE (issued 27-10-1971)

50 years Sesame Street (two from set of sixteen) (issued 22-06-2019)

Inside was a stamped postcard.

The card shows an illustration of Sesame Street. Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series which first aired in 1969. It combines live action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry and uses Jim Henson's Muppets. Until today it was broadcast in more than 140 countries.

With nice matching stamps:
50 years Sesame Street (two from set of sixteen) (issued 22-06-2019)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Stacy!

China: Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Last Monday I got a postcard from China.

It shows the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom. Koguryo or Goguryeo was a Korean kingdom which at its peak of power controlled most of the Korean peninsula, large parts of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East and eastern Mongolia. It was one of the great powers in East Asia, until its defeat by a Silla-Tang alliance in 668. The Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom near the border of China and North Korea are since 2004 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Sights of Kashgar (from set of four) (issued 09-06-2018)
Cantonese Opera (whole set) (issued 15-10-2017)

Thank You very much Zihu!

cover from Italy and SMOM Card

Last Saturday I got three covers including one from Italy.

Stamp:

75 years Battle of Anzio (issued 22-06-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

Inside was a participation card of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from the Veronafil. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta or SMOM is a Roman Catholic order based in Rome. The first stamps of the SMOM were issued back in 1966. Today the stamps are issued for both postal and charitable reasons. The order has over 50 bi-lateral postal agreements and mail with SMOM stamps can only be sent to these countries.
The stamp on the card was issued on 5th December 2018 to commemorate the 150th death anniversary of Gioacchino Rossini.

Thank You very much Davide!

covers from Germany

Last Saturday I got three covers including two from Germany.

Stamp:

Stained Glass Window from Chartres (issued 10-10-2019)

with a special postmark showing the Cathedral of Chartres

Stamps:
Winter Aconite (issued 08-06-2017)
150th anniversary of the North German Postal Union (issued 13-09-2018)
with a special postmark about World Post Day

Poland: Wrocław Meet-up with Postcrossing Postmark

Last Friday I got three postcards: one from Poland, one from Belgium and one from Finland.

The card from Poland is one of the official postcards of the Postcrossing Meet-up in Wrocław.

Stamp:
Łącko Apple (issued 18-07-2014)
with a special Postcrossing postmark celebrating also the 150th birthday of the Postcard

Thank You very much Joanna!

Finland: Kiasma

Last Friday I got three postcards: one from Finland, one from Poland and one from Belgium.

The card from Finland shows Kiasma in Helsinki. Kiasma is a museum of contemporary art. It is a part of the Finnish National Gallery and was established in 1990. The current building was opened in 1998.

Stamps:
Arktika (from set of six) (issued 09-05-2017)
Traditional Finnish Foods (from set of six) (issued 06-06-2018)
with a special postmark from Helsinki

Thank You very much Keiko!

Belgium: Dinant

Last Friday I got three postcards: one from Belgium, one from Finland and one from Poland.

The card from Belgium shows Dinant. Dinant is a city in Wallonia. Two important sights of the city are the Collegiate Church of Our Lady and the Citadel. Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, was born in Dinant in 1814. 

With a nice stamp:
Stampilou (issued 06-10-2001)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Spain: City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Spain, one from India, one from Finland and one from Poland.

The card from Spain shows the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. The City of Arts and Sciences is a cultural and architectural complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela and mainly constructed between 1994 and 2005. It is the most important modern tourist destination in Valencia and one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. L'Hemisfèric, the building on the right, is the centerpiece of the complex and also its first completed building. It houses an IMAX Cinema, a planetarium and a laserium. El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, the building on the left, is an opera house and performing arts center.

With a matching stamp:
Birth Anniversaries of Indira and Mahatma Gandhi (from set of two) (issued 02-10-2019)
12 Months, 12 Stamps - Valencia (issued 02-09-2019)

Thank You very much Boris!

Poland: Malbork Castle

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Poland, one from Spain, one from India and one from Finland.

The card from Poland shows Malbork Castle. Malbork Castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights. Between 1309 and 1454 it was the seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and afterwards it was a Polish royal residence. After falling into decay, it was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th century with many conservation techniques which are now accepted as standard. It is a fine example of a medieval brick castle and one of the largest brick buildings in Europa. The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is since 1997 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Rose (from set of two) (issued 15-09-2015)

Thank You very much Ania!

Finland: Rauma

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Finland, one from Poland, one from Spain and one from India.

The card from Finland shows a view of Rauma. Rauma is a town on the west coast of Finland. It is known for the old wooden architecture of its centre. Old Rauma is since 1991 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Moomins' Advice to a Good Life (from set of six) (issued 05-06-2019)

Thank You very much Anu!

India: Coimbatore Meet-up with Postcrossing Postmark

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from India, one from Finland, one from Poland and one from Spain.

The card from India is the official card of the Postcrossing Meet-up in Coimbatore.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamp:
Gandhian Heritage in Modern India (from set of two) (issued 15-08-2019)
with a special Postcrossing postmark

Thank You very much Sriraam!

cover from Germany

On Thursday I got not only four postcards but also a cover from Germany.

Stamp:

Francis and the Sultan (issued 10-10-2019)

with First Day Special Postmark

My Trip to Hamburg

On Thursday I was in Hamburg, where I bought some cards for my collection.

The Kunsthalle Hamburg is one of the largest art museums in Germany and shows European art from the Middle Ages to the present day. It was founded in 1850. The most famous artwork in its collection is for sure Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog", but in fact the Kunsthalle shows artworks from most of the great names of Europa's art history.

The art cards I bought show "The Hülsenbeck Children" by Philipp Otto Runge, "Flora" by Jan Massys, "New-ploughed Field" and "Hill and Ploughlands near Dresden" by Caspar David Friedrich, "Simeon and Hanna in the Temple" by Rembrandt, "Madonna (Loving Woman)" by Edvard Munch, "The Net Menders" by Max Liebermann, "Monkey Frieze" by Franz Marc, "Old Locomotive" by Lyonel Feininger and "The Head of an Old Man" by Leonardo da Vinci. 

The Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station of Hamburg and is classed by Deutsche Bahn as a category 1 railway station. It was opened in 1906, when it replaced four older train stations. Today it is the busiest train station in Germany and one of the busiest in Europa.

India: Coimbatore Meet-up with Postcrossing Postmark

On Tuesday I got a postcard from India.

It is the official card of the Postcrossing Meet-up in Coimbatore.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamp:
Orchids (from set of six) (issued 08-08-2016)
with a special Postcrossing postmark

Thank You very much Sriraam!

cover from Italy

On Tuesday I got not only a postcard but also two covers including one from Italy.

Stamp:

Matera - European Capital of Culture (issued 04-03-2019)

Inside was a stamped postcard from Italy.

The card shows a funny map of Italy with many famous persons, sights and other symbols of the country.

Stamp:
50 years Lucca Comics (issued 28-10-2016)
with an awesome special postmark about Marvel's Avengers

In the cover were also some used Italian stamps.

Thank You very much Erika!

cover from Germany

On Tuesday I got not only a postcard but also two covers including one from Germany.

Stamps:

Bluebells (issued 08-06-2017)

Cornflower (issued 01-07-2019)

with a special postmark showing a Dilldappe

Germany: Ducal Palace Museum in Braunschweig

On Tuesday I visited the Ducal Palace Museum in Braunschweig to see their new special exhibition "Community of the Friends of Young Art", which shows how modern art was made famous and popular in Braunschweig in the 1920s. Luckily they even had a card for the new exhibition.

I also got a postcard about their last exhibition, which was about the German Revolution of 1919.