20th June 2023: Åland Islands Postcrossing Adventure

Thank You very much Anita!

Åland Islands: Mariehamn Meet-up

On 23rd October I got five postcards including one from the Åland Islands.

On World Postcard Day I had sent out a few official postcards and this was one of the cards I got in return. This is definitely one of the most special cards I got in official Postcrossing. As yesterday started the Cards for Literacy month, I began to send out some more official cards. Let's see what will return this time. ;)

The card was signed during a Postcrossing Meet-up in Mariehamn, a Postcrossing stamp was used and it got a special postmark.

 Thank You very much Anna!

My Stamp Order from the Åland Islands

On 25th June I got my stamp order from the Åland Islands.

Among the things I ordered were the new Postcrossing stamp (issued 07-06-2019) in mint condition, on FDC and on a maxicard. The FDC and the maxicard have two different special postmarks. The one on the FDC is the official First Day Special Postmark, while the one on the maxicard is a special postmark for the Postcrossing Meet-up in Mariehamn.

I also bought a souvenir sheet about the Year of the Pig (issued 01-11-2018).

Åland Islands: MS Amorella

Last Saturday I got three postcards: one from the Åland Islands and two from France.

The card from the Åland Islands shows MS Amorella. MS Amorella is a cruiseferry operated by Viking Line between Sweden, the Åland Islands and Finland. She was built in Yugoslavia in 1988.

On the backside is a cachet from the MS Amorella.
With a matching stamp:
Personalised Stamp "MS Amorella"
with a special ship postmark

Thank You very much Anita!

Åland Islands: Postcrossing Maxicard

Last Friday I got a postcard from the Åland Islands.

It is a maxicard of Åland's new Postcrossing stamp, which was issued on the 7th June 2019. The Åland Islands are now the 20th country with a Postcrossing stamp and the first with a shaped one. The postmark used on the card is not the official First Day Special Postmark, but a postmark about the Postcrossing Meet-up held in Mariehamn to commemorate the new stamp.

The card is prepaid and was cancelled with the same postmark as on the frontside.

Thank You very much Anita!

Åland Islands: White-tailed Eagle

Last Thursday I got four postcards: one from the Åland Islands, two from Germany and one from France.

The card from the Åland Islands shows a White-tailed Eagle. The White-tailed Eagle is widely distributed across Eurasia, but due to human activities it is endangered or even extinct in several countries. Luckily some populations recovered due to governmental protections and dedicated conservationists and naturalists.

The card is a maxicard. The stamp is this year's EUROPA stamp of the Åland Islands (issued 09-05-2019).

The card is prepaid and was added with two stamps:
EUROPA (issued 09-05-2019)
Birds (from set of three) (issued 03-01-2000)
with a special postmark about the Postcrossing Meet-up in Mariehamn

Thank You very much Anita!

Åland: Postcrossing Meet-up in Mariehamn

Last Saturday I got three postcards: one from the Åland Islands and two from Germany.

The card from the Åland Islands was printed for the Postcrossing Meet-up in Mariehamn. 

The card was signed during the meet-up.
With a matching stamp:
Personalised Stamp "Postcrossing"
with a special Postcrossing postmark

Thank You very much Jarno!

Åland Islands' Postcrossing Postmark

On Tuesday I got a special postcard from the Åland Islands.

I bought this card some time ago online, recently sent it back to them and now received it again with a special postmark.

With a nice stamp:
EUROPA/Year of the Monkey (issued 08-05-2015)
with a special postmark about the Postcrossing Meet-up on the Åland Islands

Åland: Mariehamn

Today I got three postcards: one from the Åland Islands, one from Macao and one from Germany.

The card from the Åland Islands shows Mariehamn. Mariehamn is the capital city and only city of the Åland Islands. It is also the second most important harbour of entire Finland. The city was founded in 1861 by Russian Emperor Alexander II and is named after his wife, Maria Alexandrovna. 

Stamps:
Sailing Ships (from set of two) (issued 02-02-2016)
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 09-05-2016)
Predators (from set of three) (issued 02-02-2004)
Apple Cultivar "Strömma" (from set of two) (issued 07-06-2011)

Thank You very much Jaan!

Åland: Fauna

On Saturday I got two postcards: one from the Åland Islands and one from Germany.

The card from the Åland Islands shows the fauna of the islands. On Åland live around 25 mammal species and around 130 bird species breed there. Apart from the game nearly all animals living on the islands are under conservation. 

With a related stamp:
sepac (issued 20-08-2013)
The stamp shows a Peacock butterfly.
The stamp uses modern Augmented Reality technology and if you scan it with the "Sepac App" it creates a three-dimensional picture of Åland (see pictures below).
with a special postmark about World Post Day

Thank You very much Liisa!

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Åland: Åland sheep

Today I got seven postcards: one from the Åland Islands, one from Guernsey, four from Germany and one from Australia.

The card from the Åland Islands is a maxicard I ordered at Posten Åland, the postal authority of the Åland Islands. The card shows two Åland sheep. The Åland sheep is a rare breed of sheep endemic to the Åland Islands. The stamp was issued on 05-11-2014 and is from a set of two. They were created by Chinese students of the Swedish engraver Martin Mörck and celebrate the Year of the Sheep.

Go here to see the other card and the souvenir sheet.

Åland Islands

On Wednesday I got four postcards and three of them were from new countries. One new country were the Åland Islands.  Åland is autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland with a Swedish-speaking population.

The sender said that the card not really shows Åland but it really looks like it!

With great stamp:
Åland seen by Marcus Grönholm (issued 26-07-2008)
(the street on the stamp is rough so you can feel it)
with special postmark from the ferry between Mariehamn (Åland's capital) and Kapellskär (in Sweden)

Thank You so much for this great postcard Leila!!