United Kingdom: Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

On 22nd July I got a postcard from the United Kingdom.

It shows the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee. It was finished in 1805 and is the longest and highest aqueduct in Great Britain. The aqueduct is considered to be a pioneering masterpiece of engineering and monumental metal architecture. Since 2009 is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

With great stamps:
Queen's Head
Year of the Monkey (from set of twenty) (issued 2016)
Opening of the Channel Tunnel (from set of four) (issued 03-05-1994)
It is a joint issue with France.
European Assembly Elections (from set of four) (issued 09-05-1979)

Thank You very much Anu!

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

Netherlands: Grachtengordel

On Wednesday I got three postcards: one from the Netherlands, one from Hong Kong and one from Switzerland.

The card from the Netherlands shows one of Amsterdam's many canals. The Grachtengordel, the Canal District, of Amsterdam was constructed in the 17th century. Since 2010 is the Grachtengordel on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Year of the Monkey (issued 05-08-2016)

Thank You very much William!

Estonia: Otepää

On Saturday I got four postcards: two from Estonia, my first card from the Dominican Republic and one from Germany.

One of the cards from Estonia shows Otepää. Otepää is the administrative centre of the Otepää Parish. It was first mentioned in 1116 and got the city rights in 1936. It is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia. In 1884 the flag of the Estonian Student Union was consecrated in the Otepää Church (right picture), which later became the national flag of Estonia. The church is now home to a Flag Museum. 

Stamp:
Year of the Monkey (issued 08-02-2016)
with a special postmark about the 900th anniversary of Otepää's first mentioning

Thank You very much Jaan!

Jersey: Year of the Monkey

On Wednesday I got the stamps from Jersey, which I ordered online. I also bought this maxicard of the Year of the Monkey. The stamp was issued on 5th January 2016.

Slovenia: Savica Waterfall

Yesterday I got three postcards: one from Slovenia, one from the USA and one from Italy.

The card from Slovenia shows the Savica Waterfall. The Savica Waterfall is a waterfall in the Triglav National Park. France Prešeren wrote a poem about the waterfall and in 1807 it was visited by Archduke John of Austria.

Stamps:
New Year (from set of two) (issued 06-11-2015)
Year of the Monkey (issued 29-01-2016)

Thank You very much Mateja!

Canada: Parliament Building in Ottawa

Today I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows the Parliament Building in Ottawa. Ottawa is located in the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is the capital and fourth largest city of Canada. 

With great stamps:
Year of the Monkey-international rate (issued 01-02-2016)
Year of the Monkey-domestic rate (issued 11-01-2016)

Thank You very much Tristan!

Singapore: Postcrossing Meet-up

Yesterday I got four postcards: one from Singapore, two from Germany and my first card from Algeria.

The card from Singapore is the official card of Singapore's 5th Postcrossing Meet-up.

On the backside are the signatures of all attendees.
Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (from set of three) (issued 08-01-2016)

Thank You very much Sam!

Indonesia: Orangutan

On Monday I got six postcards: one from Indonesia, one from Sweden, one from Germany, one from the Netherlands and two from the USA.

The card from Indonesia shows an Orangutan with a baby at the Bukit Lawang Reserve on Sumatra. The Orangutan is an arboreal great ape with reddish-brown hair. It is considered to be one of the most intelligent primates and is near related to the human. Once it was native to big parts of Asia, but today there are only populations on Borneo and Sumatra. The Sumatran Orangutan is critically endangered due to deforestation and illegal hunting. In Bukit Lawang there is a sanctuary for Orangutans.

With matching stamps:
Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 24-01-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Shinta!

cover from China

On Monday I got not only eleven postcards but also three covers including one from China.

Inside was a maxicard from Macao. The stamp is from a set of five and was issued on 22nd January 2016. It celebrates the Year of the Monkey.

Thank You very much "Lokwongho"!

USA: Lompoc

Today I got a postcard from the USA.

It shows various views of Lompoc. Lompoc is a city in the State of California. It is known as Flower Seed Capital of the World.

This is the first card I received on Postcard United (USA-6358).

Stamps:
Vintage Tulip (issued 01-06-2015)
Year of the Monkey (issued 05-02-2016)

Thank You very much Shelby!

Malaysia: Langkawi

On Wednesday I got three postcards: two from Malaysia and one from New Zealand.

One of the cards from Malaysia shows a Dusky Leaf Monkey on Langkawi. Langkawi is a group of islands in the Adaman Sea. It belongs to the Malaysian State of Kedah. Since 2008 it is called Langkawi Permata Kedah, Langkawi the Jewel of Kedah. It is a World Geopark.

With great related stamps:
Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 26-01-2016)
Actually the stamps are much brighter, but for some reason my scanner did not want to show the colours.

On the card there is also the First Day Special Postmark of the stamps.

Thank You very much Matthew!

cover from Serbia

On Wednesday I got not only three postcards but also a cover from Serbia.

Stamps:

Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 09-02-2016)

Inside were a postcard and a stamp pack.
The postcard shows the Saint Michael's Cathedral in Belgrade. The Saint Michael's Cathedral is one of the most important places of worship in Serbia.

The stamp pack includes the Serbian stamp sheet about British Heroines having served in Serbia during World War I (issued 08-12-2015). The pack gives information about the featured women.

Thank You very much Brane!

Thailand: Macaques

On Monday I got nine postcards including one from Thailand.

The card from Thailand shows Macaques. Macaques are the most common monkeys in Thailand. 

With matching stamps:
Year of the Monkey (issued 01-01-2016)
with different First Day Special Postmarks

Thank You very much Kwanjira!

Australia: Uluru

On Thursday I got two postcards: one from Australia and one from France.

The card from Australia shows the Uluru. The Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a sandstone rock formation in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. It is a sacred mountain for the local Aborigines, as it plays an important role in their dreamtime stories. The Uluru is one of the best known icons of Australia. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is since 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 03-02-2016)

Thank You very much Jemma!

cover from France

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

Stamps:

Battle of Huningue (issued 31-08-2015)

Courrèges (from set of two) (issued 18-01-2016)

New Marianne 0,05€

In the cover were two philatelic collectibles.
One of them is a set of the French Lunar New Year stamp sheets. This is the sheet that includes the new Year of the Monkey stamp (issued 01-02-2016).

Thank You very much William!

Philippines: Miagao Church

On Monday I got five postcards: one from the Philippines, one from Japan, one from Belarus, one from Portugal and one from Brazil.

The card from the Philippines shows the Miagao Church in Iloilo. The Miagao Church was built between 1787 and 1797 in the style of the Baroque. As one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines it is since 1993 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Year of the Monkey (whole set) (issued 01-12-2015)

Thank You very much Mitch!

cover from China

On Monday I got not only five postcards but also two covers including one from China.

The cover is prepaid.

Inside were four postcards.
The first card shows Chinese calligraphy. The Chinese calligraphy is since 2009 an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO.

In the cover were also two Year of the Monkey Maxicards. This year's Year of the Monkey stamps from China were designed by Huang Yongyu and were issued on 5th January 2016. Huang Yongyu also designed the famous Chinese Golden Monkey stamp in 1980, China's first stamp issued about the Lunar New Year.

The last card shows a Chinese artwork.

Thank You very much Shi!

Hong Kong: Year of the Monkey

Yesterday I got two postcards from Hong Kong.

One of them was printed in Taiwan and celebrates the Year of the Monkey. It was used to create a maxicard. The stamp is from a set of four and was issued on 16th January 2016. It also celebrate the Year of the Monkey.

As the card was actually intended to be sent from Taiwan, it is prepaid in New Taiwanese Dollar.

Thank You very much Joe!

New Zealand: Spider and Monkey

Yesterday I got nine postcards including one from New Zealand.

It shows an illustration of a spider and a monkey.

With great old stamps and another related one:
Agriculture (from set of six) (issued 26-04-1978)
Healthcare (from set of three) (issued 05-08-1981)
Sea Resources (from set of five) (issued 07-06-1978)
Year of the Monkey (from set of four) (issued 13-01-2016)

Thank You very much Sharon!