Italy: Mount Etna

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Italy, one from Belgium, one from Hong Kong and one from Germany.

The card from Italy shows Mount Etna. Mount Etna is an active volcano on Sicily above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe and the most active stratovolcano in the World. At least 2700 years of its activity have been documented and it had a big influence on the volcanology. It is also known as natural laboratory for the study of ecological and biological processes. Since 2013 is Mount Etna on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Italian City Squares (from set of eight) (issued 02-07-2016)

Thank You very much Anastasia!

Germany: Jüterbog

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Germany, one from Italy, one from Belgium and one ffrom Hong Kong.

The card from Germany shows various views of Jüterbog. Jüterbog is a small town in the German State of Brandenburg. It is one of the oldest towns in Brandenburg and was for a long time an exclave of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg. After Johann Tetzel moved to the town in 1517, it became a centre of the sale of indulgences and an attracting point for many people from the Electorate of Saxony, as the sale was prohibited there. Tetzel's activities in Jüterbog are considered to have been a direct reason for the Posting of Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. 

Stamp:
Variable Value stamp (from set of two) (issued 24-10-2008)

Thank You very much Undine!

Hong Kong: Junk

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Hong Kong, one from Germany, one from Italy and one from Belgium.

The card from Hong Kong shows a junk at the Victoria Harbour.

Stamp:
Pencil Drawings by Mr Kong Kai-ming (from set of six) (issued 06-12-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Joe!

Belgium: map

On Thursday I got four postcards: one from Belgium, one from Hong Kong, one from Germany and one from Italy.

The card from Belgium shows a map of the country.

Stamp:
Endangered Animals (from set of five) (issued 20-08-2016)

Thank You very much William!

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Old Bridge of Mostar

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Bosnia and Herzegovina and one from Japan.

The card from Bosnia and Herzegovina shows the Stari Most in Mostar. The Stari Most is a bridge crossing the Neretva River. It was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and was finished nine years later. It was built by a student of Mimar Sinan and is considered an exemplary piece of Balkan Islamic architecture. For more than 400 years it was a symbol of the connection between East and West, but in 1993 it was destroyed by Croat troops during the Croat–Bosniak War. It was rebuilt between 2001 and 2004 and is today one of the most famous sights of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2005 is the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Visit of Pope Francis (issued 06-06-2015)

Thank You very much Sabina!

Japan: Peace Tower in Miyazaki

On Tuesday I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The card from Japan shows the Peace Tower in Miyazaki's Heiwadei Koen Park. The Peace Tower was built in 1940. Actually built to glorify Imperial Japan’s occupation of Asian nations, it was later rededicated as the city’s Peace Tower and is today quite controversial.

With a nice stamp:
50 years diplomatic relations with Singapore (from set of ten) (issued 29-11-2016)
It is a joint issue with Singapore.
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Christmas Market in Leipzig

On Monday I got a postcard from Germany.

It shows the Christmas Market in Leipzig. The Christmas Market in Leipzig is one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in Germany. It was held for the first time in 1458. Some of the attractions on the market include a Nativity Scene with real sheep and a giant Christmas Pyramid. Between 1997 and 2012 it was also home to the World's largest freestanding Advent calendar.  

The card was sent from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Leipzig.
Stamp:
Christmas (issued 30-11-2016)

Thank You very much Thomas!

Germany: Mühlhausen

On Wednesday I got two postcards from Germany.

The first card shows various views of Mühlhausen. Mühlhausen is a city in the German State of Thuringia. During the Middle Ages it was one of the most important cities in Central Germany and remained a Free Imperial City until 1803. Johann Sebastian Bach was the organist of the local Divi Blasii Church (lower left corner) between 1707 and 1708. Today it is known for having one of the largest remaining medieval city centres in Germany.

Stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 12-07-2007)

The second card shows Mühlhausen's Saint Mary's Church. The Saint Mary's Church was built in the 14th century to compete with the Erfurt Cathedral. It is the second largest church in Thuringia and is said to be a masterpiece of the Gothic style. It was a centre of the German Peasants' War, as the revolutionary leader Thomas Müntzer became pastor of the church in 1525. In 1708 Bach's Gott ist mein König premiered in the church. Since 1975 it houses a museum about Thomas Müntzer.

Stamp:
Lighthouses (from set of two) (issued 03-07-2008)

Thank You very much Doreen!

Russia: Kolomenskoje Museum-Reserve

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Russia, one from Thailand and one from Belgium.

The card from Russia shows the Spassky Gates in Kolomenskoje. Kolomenskoje is a former royal estate, which is since 1960 a part of Moscow. The Soviet government moved many old buildings from Northern Russia to the area and thus created a famous open-air museum.

Stamps:
Russian Kremlins (two from set of twelve) (issued 01-10-2009)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Thailand: Canna

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Thailand, one from Belgium and one from Russia.

The card from Thailand shows a Canna. The Canna is a flower, which was originally native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. As it is a popular garden flower, it has become naturalized in many other countries and is invasive in some places. In Thailand it is often planted in gardens, because it is said to bring peace and happiness.

With matching stamps:
New Year's Greetings (whole set) (issued 15-11-2016)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Cherry!

Belgium: Christmas Greetings

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Belgium, one from Russia and one from Thailand.

The card from Belgium shows a deer with a Santa Claus Hat.

With a related stamp:
Christmas (from set of two) (issued 22-11-2016)

Thank You very much Gerda!

I am wishing you also a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ^___^

Kyrgyzstan: Yurts and Stormy Sky

On Saturday I got two postcards from Kyrgyzstan.

The first card shows a Kyrgyz landscape with three Yurts. Yurts are nomadic dwellings used in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. They can be can be assembled and dismantled within a short period of time and are made from natural and renewable materials. A whole community of craftspeople is involved in the creation of Yurts and after it is finished it becomes the centre of social life. The Yurt became a symbol of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The traditional knowledge and skills in making Kyrgyz and Kazakh Yurts are since 2014 an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO.

Kyrgyz Express Post was founded in 2012 and in 2013 the Universal Postal Union officially confirmed the company's status as second designated postal operator of Kyrgyzstan. Its first stamps were issued in November 2014.
Stamp:
Flora of Kyrgyzstan (from set of four) (issued 29-07-2016)

The second card shows a stormy sky

Stamp:
Flora of Kyrgyzstan (from set of four) (issued 29-07-2016)

Thank You very much William!

Sweden: Skansen

On Friday I got a postcard from Sweden.

It shows the Christmas Market at the Skansen. The Skansen is the oldest open-air museum in Sweden. It is located in Stockholm and was opened in 1891. It shows the ways of life in different parts of Sweden and also includes a zoo of Scandinavian animals and rare breeds of farm animals.

With great related stamps:
Flora (from set of four) (issued 27-03-2008)
Tomtar (from set of six) (issued 10-11-2016)
with a special postmark from the Postmuseum Stockholm

Thank You very much Doris!

Germany: Alte Pinakothek in Munich

On Thursday I got four postcards from Germany.

One of them shows Titian's Emperor Charles V from the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The Alte Pinakothek is an art museum opened in 1836. It shows the Old Masters' paintings from the Bavarian State Painting Collections, one of the most famous collections of its kind. 

I bought this card recently in the Kunsthalle Hamburg.

With a matching stamp:
Treasures of German Museums (from set of two) (issued 07-04-2016)

Germany: German Hygiene Museum

On Thursday I got four postcards from Germany.

One of them shows the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden. The German Hygiene Museum was founded in 1912 after the International Hygiene Exhibition. In 1930 it moved to its current building. One of the biggest attractions of the museum is the Transparent Man. The Nazis later abused the museum to promote their racial ideology and eugenics. During the time of the GDR it resumed its role as a communicator of public health information and between 1982 and 1991 it was a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization. After the reunification it was renovated. As cultural institution of national importance in the former East Germany it was included in the German government's Blue Book in 2001.

Stamp:
Chiemsee (from set of two) (issued 01-07-2015)

Thank You very much Amelie!