Nigeria: Ekpe Masquerade in Calabar

On Saturday I got my first postcard from Nigeria.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa bordering on Benin, Niger,  Chad and Cameroon. It became independent from the United Kingdom in 1960 and after a civil war and military dictatorships a stable democracy was established in 1999. Nigeria is the most populous country, a regional power and the largest economy in Africa. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, the OPEC and the MINT group. The country's capital is Abuja, while Lagos is the largest city.

The card shows the Ekpe Masquerade in Calabar. Calabar is a big city in southern Nigeria. It is the capital of the Cross River State and is known as Nigeria's tourism capital. It was once an important port for the Atlantic slave trade.

Stamps:
Definitive (issued 01-02-2011)
Definitive (from set of ten) (issued 09-10-2010)
There are small holograms on both stamps.

Thank You very much Mike and Taowvik Bowkari!

First Joint Postcrossing Meet-up

On Friday I got a special postcard from China. It was signed and sent during the First Joint Postcrossing Meet-up, which was held simultaneously between Singapore and Wuxi on 15th January 2017. Although the two places are nearly 4000km away from each other, the attendees of the meet-up were able to chat via their mobile devices. It was the 6th Postcrossing meetup in Singapore and 8th Postcrossing meetup in Wuxi. Sybones from Singapore and shijifeng from China organised the meet-up and arlynab from China designed the meet-up card.

Wuxi is a megapolis in the Jiangsu province. It is said to have been one of the birthplaces of China's modern industry and commerce and was the hometown of many important businessmen.

With nice matching stamps:
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27th Asian International Stamp Exhibition in Wuxi (whole set) (issued 10-10-2011)

Luckily I also got the meet-up card from Singapore, which arrived two weeks earlier than the card from China.

Stamp:
Vanishing Trades (from set of four) (issued 26-11-2014)

Thank You very much Hanghui and Ginger!

Italy: Pompeii

On Thursday I got three postcards: one from Italy, one from Malaysia and one from Poland.

The card from Italy shows various views of Pompeii. Pompeii was a flourishing ancient Roman town with a complex water system, an amphitheatre, a gymnasium and a port. In 79 AD the town was destroyed during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius and was buried under tons of ash. Pliny the Younger described the catastrophe in a letter. In 1599 Pompeii was rediscovered and since the 18th century it has been progressively excavated and made accessible to the public. It provides an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of the city, as its artefacts were preserved for centuries due to the lack of air and moisture. Pompeii is today one of the most visited sights of Italy. The Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata are since 1997 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamp:
Isola di Burano (issued 10-04-2015)

Thank You very much Lishi!

Poland: map

On Thursday I got three postcards: one from Poland, one from Italy and one from Malaysia.

The card from Poland shows a map of the country. Poland is a country in Central Europe bordering on Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. In the late 18th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth disappeared from the European map and an independent Polish state was just re-established in 1918. In 1952 the country became under Communist rule, but in 1990 the modern democratic Polish Republic was established. It is a member of the NATO, the OECD and the United Nations and also joined the European Union in 2004. Warsaw is Poland's capital.

Stamp:
Polish Design - Syrena Sport (issued 30-12-2016)

Thank You very much Justyna!

Malaysia: Sungai Palas Garden

On Thursday I got three postcards: one from Malaysia, one from Poland and one from Italy.

The card from Malaysia shows the Sungai Palas Garden. The Sungai Palas Garden is a tea plantation owned by Boh Tea and features a tea center, a visitor gallery and a show factory. It is located in a isolated valley within the Cameron Highlands.

With a nice stamp:
Woodpeckers (from set of three) (issued 14-01-2013)

Thank You very much Jobbo!

Singapore: Year of the Rooster

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Singapore and one from Thailand.

The card from Singapore was printed to celebrate the Year of the Rooster.

With matching stamps:
Festivals (from set of eight) (issued 09-11-2016)
Year of the Rooster (from set of three) (issued 06-01-2017)
with a special postmark from River Hongbao

Thank You very much Jael!

Thailand: Girl

On Wednesday I got two postcards: one from Thailand and one from Singapore.

The card from Thailand is shaped like a little girl.

Stamps:
National Children's Day (issued 14-01-2017)
with First Day Special Postmarks
Canna (from set of two) (issued 15-11-2016)

Thank You very much Cherry!

USA: Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from the USA, one from France, one from Hong Kong and one from New Zealand.

The card from the USA shows the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. The Olympic Sculpture Park is an outdoor sculpture museum and green space. It was opened in 2007 and is operated by the Seattle Art Museum.

Unfortunately one of the corners of the card was nearly teared off during the journey, but luckily someone fixed it with sellotape so that the stamp did not get lost.

With great stamps:
Penguins (issued 01-06-2015)
Wonder Woman (two from set of four) (issued 07-10-2016)

Thank You very much Noel!

New Zealand: Plimmerton

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from New Zealand, one from the USA, one from France and one from Hong Kong.

The card from New Zealand shows shells from Plimmerton's beaches. Plimmerton is a suburb of the city of Porirua neighbouring some of the city's best beaches. The suburb was founded in the 19th century as seaside resort.

Stamp:
Year of the Rooster (from set of four) (issued 11-01-2017)

Thank You very much Sharon!

Hong Kong: Year of the Rooster

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from Hong Kong, one from New Zealand, one from the USA and one from France.

The card from Hong Kong was printed to celebrate the Year of the Rooster.

With a matching stamp:
Year of the Rooster (from set of four) (issued 07-01-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Kayee!

France: Calais

On Tuesday I got four postcards: one from France, one from Hong Kong, one from New Zealand and one from the USA.

The card from France shows various views of Calais. Calais is a city in northern France. It is an important ferry port and is located near the Channel Tunnel.

With nice stamps:
Balmain (whole set) (issued 23-01-2017)

Thank You very much William!

Moldova: Gates of Chișinău

This is the 2000th post on my blog! Thank You all of you for sending me all this nice postcards and covers with so many nice stamps!

On Monday I got my first postcard from Moldova.

The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordering on Romania and Ukraine. It declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992 and is today a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In 2013 Moldova signed an association agreement with the European Union. Transnistria, the territory on the east bank of the river Dniester, is under the control of a separatist government.

The card shows the Gates of Chișinău. Chișinău is the capital of Moldova and also the country's largest and most prosperous city. Chișinău's cityscape is shaped by Soviet-style buildings. 

The card was sent from the Postcrossing Meet-up in Chișinău.
Stamps:
Traditional Headdress (from set of four) (issued 07-04-2012)
Christmas (from set of two) (issued 02-12-2016)
Natural Monuments of Moldova (from set of three) (issued 21-12-2012)
Medieval Moldova (from set of four) (issued 31-05-2012)

Thank You very much Nadya!

Belgium: Baarle

On Saturday I got two postcards: one from Belgium and one from Slovenia.

The card from Belgium shows various views of Baarle. Baarle is a small village whose territory is divided since the 12th century and which is today known for the complicated borders between Belgium and the Netherlands. The Belgian part, Baarle-Hertog, forms an exclave in Dutch territory consisting of various separate parcels of land, in which are also parcels of the Dutch part, Baarle-Nassau. At some places in the village even single houses are divided between the two countries.

Stamp:
Supermoon (from set of five) (issued 22-11-2016)
with a faint postmark from Baarle-Hertog

Thank You very much Gerda!

_________________________________________________________________________________

This map from Wikipedia shows very well the complicated borders.

Slovenia: Upper Carniola Region

On Saturday I got two postcards: one from Slovenia and one from Belgium.

The card from Slovenia shows various views of the Upper Carniola Region. The Upper Carniola Region is a traditional region in northwest Slovenia. It is home to many mountains and a popular destination for tourists. Parts of the Triglav National Park, Slovenia's only national park, and the Bled Island, Slovenia's only real island, are located in the region.

Stamps:
Year of the Rooster (issued 27-01-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark
Centenary of World War I (issued 04-11-2016)
The stamp shows Anton Koželj's postcard number 97 in the War in Pictures series. During World War I postcards were used as element of propaganda to strengthen patriotic feelings. War in Pictures was a series of Slovene postcards printed during the war, which often included lines from Slovene poets and various national motifs.
Svetozar Boroević von Bojna, the left man on the card, was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal. He was in charge during the Isonzo Battles and the Battle of the Piave River and is said to have been one of the finest defensive strategists of World War I. 

Thank You very much Mateja!

Malaysia: Sungai Palas Garden

On Friday I got a postcard from Malaysia.

It shows the Sungai Palas Garden. The Sungai Palas Garden is a tea plantation owned by Boh Tea and features a tea center, a visitor gallery and a show factory. It is located in a isolated valley within the Cameron Highlands.

Stamp:
Year of the Rooster (from set of three) (issued 10-01-2017)
with First Day Special Postmark

Thank You very much Siew Lan!