Australia: Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Australia and one from Thailand.

The card from Australia shows the Irish Famine Memorial and the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney. The Hyde Park Barracks were built between 1818 and 1819 to house convict men and boys. In 1991 a museum was established in the building. Since 2010 the Hyde Park Barracks are as one of the Australian Convict Sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Stamps:
Rare Beauties (from set of four) (issued 30-03-2017)
Christmas (from set of five) (issued 01-11-2017)

Thank You very much Keiko!

Thailand: Wat Pho

On Monday I got two postcards: one from Thailand and one from Australia.

The card from Thailand shows Wat Pho. Wat Pho is a first class royal temple in Bangkok's Old Town. It was rebuilt by King Rama I on an earlier temple site and was later expanded by Rama III. The temple houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand including a giant reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is also considered to have been the earliest centre for public education in Thailand and the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. 

With nice stamps:
Heritage Conservation Day (from set of four) (issued 02-04-1993)
Heritage Conservation Day (from set of four) (issued 02-04-1996)
Royal Forest Department (from set of four) (issued 18-09-1996)

Thank You very much Jobbo!

Austria: Linz

On Saturday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows various views of Linz. Linz is the capital of Upper Austria and the third largest city of Austria. After World War II it had a reputation as industrial city, but in recent years it became a cultural centre. In 2009 Linz was the European Capital of Culture and since 2014 it is a UNESCO City of Media Arts. 

Stamps:
Austrian Wine Regions - Central Burgenland (issued 16-07-2016)
Austrian Wine Regions - Southern Styria (issued 24-05-2013)
with a special postmark of the philatelic shop in Linz

Thank You very much Anita!

Austria: Ars Electronica Center in Linz

On Saturday I got two postcards from Austria.

One of them shows the Ars Electronica Center in Linz. The Ars Electronica Center, which is also known as Museum of the Future, is a museum for electronic arts and presents the most modern techniques from the technology sector to its visitors. It was opened in 1996. 

Stamps:
Austrian Wine Regions - Vienna (issued 16-03-2017)
Austrian Wine Regions - Wachau (issued 03-05-2014)
with a special postmark of the philatelic shop in Linz

Thank You very much Anita!

Sweden: Drottningholm Palace

On Friday I got a postcard from Sweden, two maxicards from Thailand which were fixed together by tape and a postcard from Germany.

The postcard from Sweden shows the Drottningholm Palace. The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family, but also a popular tourist attraction and museum. It was built in the 18th century and is the finest example of a North European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles. The palace is especially known for its theatre and the Chinese Pavilion. In 1991 the Royal Domain of Drottningholm became Sweden's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Stamp:
Apple Feast (from set of five) (issued 24-08-2017)

Thank You very much Doris!

Germany: Goethe-Nationalmuseum

On Friday I got a postcard from Germany, a postcard from Sweden and two maxicards from Thailand which were fixed together by tape.

The postcard from Germany shows a portrait of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe from the collection of the Goethe-Nationalmuseum in Weimar. The Goethe-Nationalmuseum was founded in 1885. Today the museum consists of two buildings, Goethe's former residential building and an extension from the 1930s.

Stamp:
Water Lily (issued 11-05-2017)

Thank You very much Mariel!

Thailand: Maxicards

On Friday I got two maxicards from Thailand which were fixed together by tape, a postcard from Germany and a postcard from Sweden.

The first maxicard from Thailand shows typical Thai desserts.

The stamp is from a set of four stamps about the New Year. It was issued on 15th November 2017. 

The second maxicard shows a map of Thailand.

The stamp is about the Thai National Day and was issued on 5th December 2017.

Stamps:
Kruba Siwichai Amulet (issued 01-12-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark
Definitive (from set of nine) (issued 14-08-2017)

Thank You very much Cherry!

My Trip to Osnabrück

On Thursday I was in Osnabrück and there I bought some cards for my collection.

Osnabrück is the fourth largest city of Lower Saxony and was founded at the centre of important European trading routes.

The Felix Nussbaum Haus is a museum about the artist Felix Nussbaum, who was born in Osnabrück in 1904 and who was killed in Auschwitz in 1944, and houses the largest collection of his paintings. The museum building was designed by Daniel Libeskind. It forms a museum complex together with the Cultural History Museum.

The Town Hall of Osnabrück was built between 1487 and 1512 in the late Gothic style. In 1648 the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War, was negotiated and signed in the Town Halls of Osnabrück and Münster. Due to this event Osnabrück and Münster got the European Heritage Label in 2014.

Germany: Christmas Market in Göttingen

Yesterday I got my first four postcards of 2018. They all came from Germany.

One of them shows the Christmas Market in Göttingen. The Christmas Market is held every year in Göttingen's old town. 

The card was signed during the Postcrossing Meet-up in Göttingen.
Stamp:
Saxon Switzerland (issued 02-06-2016)

Thank You very much Tina!

Germany: Bielefeld Meet-up in 2017

Yesterday I got my first four postcards of 2018. They all came from Germany.

One of them is the official postcard of the Schöning Verlag for the Postcrossing Meet-up in Bielefeld in 2017.

The card was signed during the meet-up.
Stamp:
Lily of the Valley (issued 06-05-2010)

Thank You very much Christine!

Germany: Lutherkirche in Krefeld

Yesterday I got my first four postcards of 2018. They all came from Germany.

One of them shows the Lutherkirche in Krefeld. The Lutherkirche was built between 1902 and 1904. 

Stamp:
Astrophysics (from set of two) (issued 07-12-2017)

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Yesterday I got my first four postcards of 2018. They all came from Germany.

One of them shows a scene from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film and an extension of the wizarding world from the Harry Potter film series. It was produced and written by J. K. Rowling in her screenwriting debut. The film is inspired by a book that the students of Hogwarts use in school, that was also published as real book in 2001. A sequel is scheduled for release in November 2018.

Stamp:
Saxon Switzerland (issued 02-06-2016)

Thank You very much Serena!

Vietnam: Flag

****** Happy New Year! ******

Yesterday I got my last card of 2017. It comes from Vietnam.

The card shows the Flag of Vietnam. The Flag of Vietnam is red with a golden star in the centre. It was created in 1940 and was adopted as flag of North Vietnam in 1945. Since 1976 it is the flag of the unified Vietnam. 

With a nice stamp:
APEC Summit (issued 06-11-2017)
40 years Diplomatic Relations with Thailand (from set of two) (issued 05-08-2016)
It is a joint issue with Thailand.

Thank You very much Matthew!

Italy: Rome

On Thursday I got a postcard from Italy.

It shows the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Forum Romanum in Rome.

Stamp:
The Millennium (from set of two) (issued 01-01-2000)
with a special postmark from Rome

Thank You very much William!

My Trip to Bad Gandersheim

Yesterday I was in Bad Gandersheim and there I bought a few cards for my collection.

Bad Gandersheim is a small town in the Harz Foreland in southern Lower Saxony. It is known for its many timber-framed houses and mineral spring.

The Portal zur Geschichte is a museum with three exhibitions at two locations, the Abbey Church in Bad Gandersheim and the Brunshausen Abbey. Its main theme is the history of the Gandersheim Abbey and the exhibition of the church treasure. 

The Gandersheim Abbey Church is the collegiate church of the Gandersheim Abbey, which was founded in 852 by Duke Liudolf of Saxony, whose rich endowments ensured its stability and prosperity. Although the church is still used today, it also houses one of the exhibitions of the Portal zur Geschichte.

The Brunshausen Abbey was founded in the 9th century. Before the Gandersheim Abbey Church was finished, the Brunshausen Abbey was the home of its canonesses. Abbess Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen turned the abbey into an Baroque summer palace in the 18th century. Today the Brunshausen Abbey shows two exhibitions of the Portal zur Geschichte. One focuses on strong women who lived in Bad Gandersheim and the fine stitches the canonesses created and the other shows the Baroque mural paintings.

One of the most famous inhabitants of the Gandersheim Abbey was Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim, the first German poetess. Due to her Bad Gandersheim is included in the list of the extraordinary women places in Lower Saxony.

The Roswitha Fountain was unveiled in 1978. It shows Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim while she presents her writings to Otto the Great.

Yesterday I was also twice in Seesen, as I had to change trains there. Luckily I was able to buy also there a postcard for my collection.

Seesen is a town on the northwestern edge of the Harz mountain range. The small town was home to Israel Jacobsen, William Steinway and Wilhelm Busch.