USA: Niagara Falls

Last Tuesday I got a postcard from the USA.

It shows the Niagara Falls. The Niagra Falls is a group of three waterfalls on the border between Canada and the USA. It is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. In all my years of collecting postcards this is just my second card of this famous spectacle of nature. The first one I received from Canada in August 2013.

Three great stamps were used on the card. First of all there is this year's Year of the Ox stamp (issued 02-02-2021). I really like this stamp with the shining crown and the nice blue, although I have heard that there are complaints that the stamp does not use the traditional colours of red and golden. The other two stamps celebrate former Chinese New Years, the Year of the Rat in 2008 (issued 09-01-2008) and even nicer the Year of the Ox in 2009 (issued 08-01-2009). Great to have these two stamps together on one card! Suitably they were cancelled in Buffalo with an Earth Day postmark. 

Thank You very much Audrey!

cover from the USA

On 15th April I got a cover from the USA.

Two stamps from the National Parks set (issued 02-06-2016) were used on the cover. The postmark celebrates the christening of the USS Montana (SSN-794), a Virginia-class submarine.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Japan: Mount Kōya

On 14th April I got three postcards: one from Japan, one from Austria and one from Germany.

The card from Japan shows the Great Stupa Konpon-Daito on Mount Kōya. Mount Kōya is a large temple settlement in the Wakayama Prefecture. As location of the Kongōbu-ji Temple it is the ecclesiastical headquarters of the Koyasan sect of Shingon Buddhism. According to Shingon Buddhism doctrine the Great Stupa represents the central point of a mandala covering all of Japan. Since 2004 is Mount Kōya as one of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

One of the ten new Hospitality Flowers stamps (issued 01-04-2021) with its First Day Special Postmark was used on the card. 

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Semperoper

On 14th April I got three postcards: one from Germany, one from Japan and one from Austria.

The card from Germany shows two views of Dresden, a panorama above and the Semperoper below. The Semperoper is an opera house originally built by Gottfried Semper in 1841, although I was rebuilt twice later on. Major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss premiered there. 

The card was sent from the new philatelic shop in Dresden, where the new pictorial postmark shows the Semperoper. 

Thank You very much Amelie!

Austria: Sweets and Desserts

On 14th April I got three postcards: one from Austria, one from Germany and one from Japan.

The card from Austria shows different sweets, cakes and other desserts from the country. When I am on holidays in Austria, my favourite sweets are Mozartkugeln, Linzer Augen and Palatschinke, although I would love to try all of the ones shown on the card.

A different type of sweet food is shown on the stamp: a Jar of Jam by the company Staud's, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The stamp was issued on 9th April 2021.

Thank You very much Anita!

cover from the USA

On 10th April I got two covers including one from the USA.

As I had mentioned earlier, I joined the American Philatelic Society at the beginning of the year. This cover now includes my member card. Six stamps were used here of which four are in a bloc. I really like the postmark inscribed American Philatelic Centre. 

cover from Germany

On 10th April I got two covers including one from Germany.

This cover I sent to myself to get a special postmark. I used the nice stamp about 1700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany (issued 04-02-2021). The special postmark shows a Stolperstein. Stolpersteine are concrete cubes bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution aiming to commemorate individuals at exactly the last place of freely chosen residency. With more than 75000 Stolpersteine in 26 countries it is the largest decentralised monument in the World. 

Poland: Floriańska Street in Kraków

Last Thursday I got a postcard from Poland.

It shows the Floriańska Street in Kraków. Floriańska Street is a street in Kraków's Old Town running from the Saint Florian's Gate to the Market Square. The view on this card faces towards the Market Square and Saint Mary's Church can be seen in the background. Many shops as well as monuments are located on this street. The most famous of them might be the former house of famous painter Jan Matejko. This card is such a nice reminder of My Trip to Kraków back in 2019, when I passed this street multiple times.

Three interesting stamps were used on the card. On the right is Poland's Year of the Ox stamp (issued 26-02-2021). After the Year of the Rat this is already the second Polish stamp about Chinese New Year. Like last year's issue it is round. The stamp in the middle is from a set of three about Dinosaurs (issued 25-11-2020). Shown on this one is the predatory dinosaur Dilophosaurus. The other two stamps show Scelidosaurus and Coelophysis. This set was apparently rather popular among collectors, as it is already sold out in the Polish Post's online shop and as a second set was already announced for 2022. The last stamp commemorates the 5th anniversary of the Territorial Defence Force (issued 14-02-2021), the fifth military branch of the Polish Armed Forces made up of professional and part-time volunteer soldiers. The two stamps on the right were cancelled with a special Postcrossing postmark from Wrocław. Throughout the year two different Postcrossing postmarks are used in the city. This one shows bees, while the other one shows storks.

Thank You very much Ola!

cover from the USA

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

The two stamps used on the right are from a set of four called Holiday Window Views (issued 06-10-2016). The postmark is from the KNOXPEX philatelic exhibition in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In the cover was this map of New Mexico. New Mexico is a US State in the southwestern part of the country. By area it is the fifth largest, but by population just the 36th largest and sixth least densely populated state. The area was originally a part of Mexico. At the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 it was however annexed by the USA and was admitted to the Union as the 47th state in 1912. On the map you can find the state's capital Santa Fe, the largest city Albuquerque, the UNESCO World Heritage Sites at Carlsbad and Taos, the alien landing site in Roswell and much more.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

covers from the USA

Last Wednesday I got two covers from the USA.

On the first cover there is a special postmark that I already got on another cover that arrived on 11th March. I really wonder why this one took until the 7th April to reach me. The postmark celebrates the inauguration of Biden and Harris and two related US flag stamps were used as postage.

The card inside shows a view of the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a wilderness area in New Mexico. Established in 1984, the Wilderness is a desolate area of steeply eroded badlands.

Three stamps were used on the second cover. The stamp on the left shows Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan (issued 27-06-1980). Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in Alabama, she lost her sight and hearing after a bout of illness at the age of nineteen months. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan, who taught her language, including reading and writing. The stamp in the middle shows the Purple Heart (issued 05-05-2011), a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5th April 1917, with the U.S. military. The last stamp shows a painting of Madonna and Child from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is a Christmas stamp and was issued on 3rd October 2018. The stamps were cancelled with a big green Saint Patrick's Day postmark.

The card inside shows some facts about the Wolf. 

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Italy: Toirano Caves

Last Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Italy and one from Taiwan.

The card from Italy shows one of Toirano Caves. The Toirano Caves are a karst cave system in Liguria. In the caves remains of Cave Bears were discovered.

The card was sent with a nice special postmark about this year's Sanremo Music Festival. I also like the stamp about Domenico Modugno (issued 10-02-2018) very much. He was the winner of the festival in 1958, 1959, 1962 and 1966 and also represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest threetimes. His song Nel blu dipinto di blu is probably one of the most famous Eurovision songs, although he just came in third with the song in 1958.

Thank You very much Davide!

Taiwan: National Palace Museum

Last Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Taiwan and one from Italy.

The card from Taiwan shows a jade piece from the collection of the National Palace Museum. The National Palace Museum is the most important museum in Taiwan. Most of the pieces in its collection are from the Forbidden City in Beijing and were moved to Taipei during the Chinese Civil War. As back then only the best pieces were moved to Taipei, the museum is one of the most important museums of Chinese art in the World.

A stamp with a matching tab was used on the card as well as a thematic cancellation.

Thank You very much Johanna!

Germany: Braunschweig Lion

In late March all the philatelic shops in Germany were closed. Most of them were however reopened on different locations on 1st April. The new locations are nearly all worse for the general public and the philatelic range on sale is much smaller, but they all got new pictorial postmarks. Unfortunately I was not able to go to the new shop on the first day, as I did not have the time to go to the other end of the city. I really do not like this new development and together with the Matrixcode it might really be a reason for me to stop collecting German stamps, but the new pictorial postmarks are something nice to collect. 

The postmark from Braunschweig shows the Braunschweig Lion, my city's most famous attraction. When I visited the shop I got this card of the lion cancelled with the new postmark.

Macau: Postcrossing Meet-up

On 31st March I got two postcards: one from Macau and one from Germany.

The card from Macau is the official card of a Postcrossing Meet-up held on 23rd November 2020.

The card was signed during the meet-up.

The stamp is from a set of eight about the UNESCO World Heritage in Macau (issued 31-07-2008). It shows the Quartel dos Mouros. The special postmark celebrates the International Arbor Day.

Thank You very much Jerry!

Germany: Bielefeld Conspiracy

On 31st March I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from Macau.

The card from Germany deals with the Bielefeld Conspiracy. The Bielefeld Conspiracy is a satirical conspiracy theory that claims that the city of Bielefeld does not exist. The theory was first posted in 1994 and was ended in 2019, as noone was able to present an evidence of the nonexistence, although 1million Euro were offered for anybody who could. Nonetheless the conspiracy was and still is used in the public image of the city.

One of two stamps about a panorama of Bremen was used (issued 05-06-2014). 

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Westphalian State Museum of Archaeology

On 30th March I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the skull of a female Aurochs from the collection of the Westphalian State Museum of Archaeology in Herne. The Westphalian State Museum of Archaeology was originally founded in Münster, but was moved to Herne in 2003. It shows exhibits of 250000 years of human history in Westphalia. 

Between September 2019 and May 2020 the museum showed a big special exhibition about the Plague. I really hoped to visit it, but could not due to Covid-19. Suitably this card got cancelled with a Covid-19 postmark. 

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Minden Cathedral

On 30th March I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows Minden Cathedral. Minden Cathedral was founded in 803 by Charlemagne. It was the center of a diocese and subsequently of a small sovereign state, which was secularized by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Today the church belongs to the Diocese of Paderborn. In 1168 Henry the Lion and Matilda of England married in the cathedral.

The stamp shows the Lighthouse Schleimünde (issued 02-07-2020). 

Thank You very much Marcel!

cover from the USA

On 30th March I got not only two postcards but also a cover from the USA.

Two more Sparkling Holiday Santas (issued 11-10-2018) were used on the cover as well as one stamp about Everett Dirksen (issued 04-01-1981). Everett Dirksen was an American politician and as Republican Senator of Illinois he was Senate Minority Leader from 1959 to his death in 1969. He was one of the most important US politicians of the 1960s, helped to write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and was one of the Senate's strongest supporters of the Vietnam War. The special postmark celebrates the Bicentenary of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

The card inside presents some facts about the Armadillo. Did you know that they can hold their breath long enough to "walk" along the bottom of rivers?

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

cover from the USA

On 29th March I got a cover from the USA.

Two stamps from the set about Wild and Scenic Rivers (issued 21-05-2019) were used on it. The postmark is from Saint Patrick in Missouri and suitably celebrates Saint Patrick's Day. It is not very often that you see a green postmark. 

The card in the cover shows the San Felipe de Neri Church in Albuquerque. Albuquerque is the biggest in New Mexico, but not the state's capital. It was founded in 1706 by the Spanish governor of Nuevo México as an outpost on El Camino Real. The San Felipe de Neri Church is the only building in Albuquerque's Old Town proven to date to this Spanish colonial period. It was built in 1793 and is included in the National Register of Historic Places. 

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Canada: Vancouver's Coal Harbour

On 27th March I got a postcard from Canada.

It shows an aerial view of Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Named due to a discovery of coal in 1862, Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet and nowadays also of a neighbourhood. It mainly consists of high-rise buildings. 

Look at the cute stamps used here! They are from a set of five called Snow Mammals, so animals found in Canada's arctic regions which have fur that becomes white in winter. These three stamps show the Snowshoe Hare, the Ermine and the Northern Collared Lemming. The other two stamps in the set show the Peary Caribou and the Arctic Fox. Under UV light footprints of the animals become visible, but as I do not have an UV light, I can not try. 

Thank You very much Tristan!

Philippines: Carabao

On 26th March I got two postcards: one from the Philippines and one from Austria.

The card from the Philippines shows an illustration of a Carabao. The Carabao is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo native to the Philippines. It can also be found in Guam and Malaysia and has a special cultural significance in all three territories. The illustration is by Doodle ni Maria.

The Philippine Year of the Ox stamps (issued 28-12-2020) were used on the card. The ox shown especially on the right stamp looks rather similar to the Carabao. The postmark used on the stamps is really minimalistic showing just the date. 

Thank You very much Jill!

Austria: Easter

On 26th March I got two postcards: one from Austria and one from the Philippines.

The card from Austria is an Easter card designed by Susan Wheeler. Who would have thought a year ago that Covid-19 would still be around for this year's Easter?

A definitive and a perfect matching personalised stamp were used as postage. They were cancelled by two different Easter postmarks from Vienna.

Thank You very much Anita!

cover from the USA

On 26th March I got not only two postcards but also a cover from the USA.

The postmark on this cover honours playwright August Wilson. It is from Charlotte in North Carolina, where a Virtual Stamp Dedication was held for the recent August Wilson stamp. Not sure why they chose Charlotte or how a virtual ceremony can have a location at all, but be that as it may be. The stamp on the right is a Kwanzaa stamp (issued 01-10-2016) and in the middle is one about Diwali (issued 05-10-2016). The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued in the USA in 1997, but this was the first and so far only US stamp about Diwali, a Hindu festival of light.

In the cover was this card about desert sandstone.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Germany: Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum

On 25th March I got two postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the foyer of the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne. The Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum is among the ten most important museums of ethnography in Germany. Originally opened in 1906, it was reopened at a different location in 2010 and got the Council of Europe Museum Prize in 2012 for its new permanent exhibition. 

Used as postage was the German EUROPA stamp of 2014 (issued 08-05-2014), which was cancelled with the Covid-19 postmark from the mail sorting centre 41 in Mönchengladbach.

Thank You very much Marcel!