Estonia: Tartu

Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia, following Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual centre of the country, especially since it is home to the nation's oldest and most renowned university, the University of Tartu.

The card arrived with a very nice stamp.

Stamps:
right: Definitive stamp (0.10 €) - Issued: 19-02-2014
left: Cultural Heritage Year (1,10 €) - Issued:  03-08-2013

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My second card from Tartu already arrived back in 2010:

Stamp: Christmas (0,58 €) - Issued: 19-11-2009

Canada: 2015 Women's World Cup Stamp

Today I received this nice cover from Canada. On the cover there are three stamps commemorating the 2015 Women's Football World Cup. The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. In March 2011, Canada won the right to host the event. The tournament will be held from 6 June to 5 July.

On the stamps you can see in front Canada’s Christine Sinclair and Kadeisha Buchanan (red dress).

The cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton have been selected to host tournament matches.

Stamps: 3x FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 - Issued: 06-05-2015


Thanks to Tristan for this nice Cover!

Russia: Murmansk

This card comes from Murmansk, Russia. Murmansk is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located in the extreme northwest part of Russia. Although Murmansk's population is in decline—299,148 (2014 est.); 307,257 (2010 Census); 336,137 (2002 Census); 468,039 (1989 Census)—it remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

It's also a special one, because it came with the new russian postcrossing stamp.

Stamps:
right: Postcrossing - Issued: 27-01-2015
left: 2x Russian Federation Definitive Stamp (0,25) + 1x Russian Federation Definitive Stamp (3,00) - Issued: 29-08-2008


♁ 68° 58′ N, 33° 5′ O

Russia: Norilsk

This card is from the very north of Russia. Norilsk (russian: Нори́льск) is the world's northernmost city with more than 100,000 inhabitants and the second largest city (after Murmansk) inside the Arctic Circle. Nickel ore is smelted on site at Norilsk. The smelting is directly responsible for severe pollution, generally acid rain and smog. The Blacksmith Institute included Norilsk in its 2013 list of the ten most polluted places on Earth.

Stamps:
left: Russian Kremlins Definitives: Kazan Kremlin (2,00 RUB) (from a set of twelve) - Issued: 01-10-2009
mid: Russian Kremlins Definitives: Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin (4,00 RUB) (from a set of twelve) - Issued: 01-10-2009
right: Bombers. For the 125th Birth Anniversary of A.N. Tupolev: Ту-95 (20p) - Issued: 13-08-13


♁ 69° 20′ N, 88° 13′ O

Cook Islands: Rarotonga

I received this nice card some years ago. It's from the Cook Islands and to be more specific from Rarotonga. Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 10,572 (census 2011)  out of the country's total resident population of 14,974.

The card shows the cruise ship Tahitian Princess in front of the island of Rarotonga.

Stamps: 
Wildlife: Lampides boeticus (female) 40 ct - Issued: 20-03-2007
The 200th Anniversary of the Death of Captain James Cook, 1728-1779  - Issued: 23-07-1979


Thanks to my friend Kristin for this great card!

Germany: Gut Bustedt

This card shows the so called "Gut Bustedt". It's an old manor not far away from where I live. It's famous for it's large garden. Often school classes visit it to learn something about nature and biology. In January it celebrated it's 600th birthday and the Deutsche Post issued a special postmark.

 Stamp: Pfingstrose (0,62 EUR) with special postmark - Issued: 04-12-2014

Germany: Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), known as Otto von Bismarck, was a conservative Prussian statesman who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890.

This card shows a photo of him taken in 1895 in Friedrichsruh. I bought this card from the Otto-von-Bismarck-Stiftung.

Because of his 200th birthday in 2015, the Deutsche Post issued a new stamp (0,62 EUR) (02-04-2015) and a special postmark showing his signature.

USA: Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska. With an estimated 300,950 residents in 2013 it contains more than 40 percent of the state's total population. Anchorage its also known as the "Air Crossroads of the world" and one of the busiest air freight hubs in the world.

Stamp: Global Forever - Issued: 28-01-2013

Thanks Audrey!

USA: Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state, after Anchorage. I really like this card, because it was my first one from Alaska ever. I really like to receive postcards from the arctic circle, so this a special one for me.

The cards shows: Downtown Fairbanks with the Chena River, Unknwon Family Statue and the Fairbanks Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Stamps: 
Vancouver Olympic Games 2010 (44 ct) - Issued: 22-01-2010
Polar Bear (28 ct) - Issued: 16-04-2009
Florida Pather (26 ct) - Issued: 12-05-2007
Special Stamp: Polar Bear Local Post - North Pole, Alaska (2 ct)

Canda: Montréal

Montréal is the largest city in Québec. Predominantly French-speaking, it’s set on an island in the Saint Lawrence River and named after Mt. Royal, the triple-peaked hill at its heart.


On this card you can see (from left to right): Downtown Montréal - Inside of Notre Dame Basilica - Notre Dame Basilica and Statue of Majsonneuve - Notre-Dame-de-Bon-secours Chapel - Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

Stamp: Baby Wildlife Black Bear (1.85 CAD) - Issued: 14-01-2013

Thanks to my friends Sabrina & Michael for this card!

UK: University of Glasgow, Scotland

The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. It was established in 1451! The card shows an amazing night view of the main building of the university. A notable Alumni of this University is Adam Smith, a scottish moral philosopher and pioneer of political economy.

Stamp: Queen's Head Definitive (97p) with Royal Mail Sticker

USA: Stanford University

Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California, and one of the world's most prestigious institutions, with the highest undergraduate selectivity and the top position in numerous surveys and measures in the United States. And it got a german Motto: "Die Luft der Freiheit weht" - didn't know that. Stanford alumni have started many companies and, according to Forbes, has produced the second highest number of billionaires of all universities (f.e., Google Founders Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page)

The card shows the Memorial Chruch with it's famous north facade.

Stamp: Global: Sea Surface Temperatures (1.15$) - Issued: 22-04-2014


Thanks Ryan!

USA: University of California at Berkeley

This two cards arrived in an envelope, so there are no stamps on it. The University was established in 1868. In 2015 it is ranked third in the US News' 2015 Best Global Universities Rankings and Berkeley faculty, alumni, and researchers have won 72 Nobel Prizes!

The second card shows the Sather Gate. It's the traditional entrance to the Berkley Campus. It was presented by Jane Kay Sather to the University in memory of her late Husband, Peder Sather.

USA: Vanderbilt University

"Vandy" is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2014 the Vanderbilt University was ranked #16 in the US News University Ranking. The card also tells me, that Vanderbilt is also the "happiest" university in the USA.

Stamps: The Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly (70 ct) - Issued: 10-02-2014; From the Series "Music Icons": Janis Joplin (49 ct) - Issued: 08-08-2014


Thanks Nadiah!

USA: University of Michigan

Another card of my "Universities Collection". The card shows the Burton Memorial Tower and Baird Carillon of the University of Michigan. Interesting information about the Carillon: It's the third heaviest musical instrument in the world, with 55 bels ranging from 12 pounds to 12 tons.

Stamps: 
Circus (1 $) - Issued: 10-12-2014 (r.)
Winter Flowers Forever (Amaryllis) - Issued from a Set of 4 (12-02-14) 
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Statue (21c) - Issued: 12-02-2014


This card actually arrived from Hawaii - Thanks Michelle!

USA: Yale University

Last year, I also received this nice card. It shows the famous Yale University. On the card, you can see the Yale Harkness Tower. It was built between 1917 and 1921 by James G. Rogers (Class of 1889).

I'm always looking for postcards showing a school or an university. So, I really love this one.

Stamps:  American Toleware (5c) - Issued: 25-06-2004 (l.); American Clock (10c) - Issued: 24-01-2003; Wisdom, Rockefeller Center, NYC (1$) - Issued: 28-02-2003

USA: Washington, DC

I received this card in May 2014. It shows the capital of the United States of America while all 4 Seasons. Pretty nice card!

Stamp: Winter Flowers (The Christmas Cactus) - Issued from a Set of 4 (14-02-14)


Thank You Angela!

Åland: Mariehamn

I received this nice card back in January 2015. It's my first card from the Åland Islands. The Åland Islands is a region of Finland that consists of an archipelago lying at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. The Capital and largest city is Mariehamn.

Stamp: 2x SS Birger Jarl (0,55 EUR) (Issued: 01-02-2012)


Thank You Mikaela!

First Post and First Postcard

Hurray!!! Finally, it's done. 

This is my first blog ever and on this sites, I will show you my postcards and stamps collection. Most of my cards will come from Postcrossing, but also friends and family are providing me with new and beautiful postcards. So, enough said. Here is my first card to show:

My first Postcard published on this blog is an "old" one:

The first one comes from the very south of Germany. Lindau im Bodensee is located at the Lake Constance (Bodensee). It's well known for Germany's southernmost Lighthouse.

It also got a special Postmark: "Lindau im Bodensee - Ferieninsel der Lebensfreude"

Stamp: Burgen & Schlösser (Wasserschloss Inzlingen (50 Pf) - Issued: Set out of 8 (1980)