Belgium: Shrimp Fishing on Horseback (De Belgische Kust)

On the north-west Belgian coast, there is a little-known tradition: shrimp fishing on horseback. To do it, the fishermen drag the fishing nets behind them, picking up the shrimp from the sands while on horseback. The fishermen train Belgian draft horses, with an average weight of 1000kg, and use special materials to capture the shrimp. Listed, since December 2013, on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity because of the activity’s respect for the marine environment and the cultural heritage and promotion it provides to the local community among other reasons, shrimp fishing on horseback is currently only practiced by 15 fishermen who work as a community and are fully involved in keeping this tradition alive.

Stamp:
Shrimp Fishermen on Horseback - Issued: 27-06-2015


Many thanks to Lara for this nice card with matching stamp!

Russia: 2016 IIHF World Championship Russia FDC

The 2016 IIHF World Championship was the 80th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), being held in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 6 May to 22 May 2016. Canada won their 26th gold medal, defeating Finland 2–0 in the gold medal game. For this event Russian Post issued a special FDC and stamp. The stamp features the official mascot of the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship: Laika the Dog in a hockey sweater.

Stamp:
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship - Russia - Issued: 06-05-2016 with special first day of issue postmark


Thanks to Ivan for sending me this FDC in an envelope!

Spain: Paguera, Mallorca (Balearic Islands)

Peguera is a tourist town in the municipality of Calvià on the island of Majorca (also spelled as Mallorca in Spanish), part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It has three large beaches and hundreds of hotels, hostels and apartments. The population is approximately 3,988 inhabitants. The town's name refers to the oven tar produced in this area from the pitch of pine tree resin.

Stamp:
Tourism (from a set of two) - Issued: 02-01-2016


Many thanks to Gabi and "Kalle" for this nice card!

Andorra: EUROPA - "Think Green" (French Post)

Again a nice cover for my EUROPA Stamps of 2016 collection. This time it comes from Andorra. Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and a population of approximately 85,000. Its capital Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken.

Stamps:
EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 20-05-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark


Thanks to Roland for this great Cover! 

Germany: Bielefeld, SchücoArena

On the card you can see our local football stadium. The stadium, which has a capacity of 27 300, is owned by the football club DSC Arminia Bielefeld and mostly used for the club's matches. Formerly named Stadion Alm, it is currently known as SchücoArena due to a sponsorship deal with the Bielefeld-based window and solar panel manufacturers.

Stamp:
Sports - Balls (from a set of three) - Issued: 02-05-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark

Luxembourg: EUROPA - "Think Green"

Great to have this one in my collection. Luxembourg also issued two stamps for this year's EUROPA Stamps series. Did you know that Luxembourg is the least populated country in the European Union, with only 465,000 inhabitants. It is also the 20th smallest of the 194 independent countries in the world.

Stamps:
EUROPA - "Think Green" (whole set) - Issued: 10-05-2016


Thanks again to Jean-Marc for this great cover!

Hong Kong: Greetings from...

This nice card arrived some weeks ago. It's a great addition to my "Greetings from" Collection. Hong Kong - officially Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China -, is an autonomous territory on the southern coast of China at the Pearl River Estuary of the South China Sea. It has a total land and sea area of 2,754 km2 and an estimated population of 7,234,800 making it the world's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory.

Stamp:
Scientists in Ancient China (from a set of four) - Issued: 08-12-2015 with special postmark of The Grand Canal 


Thanks to Hazel for this great card!

Germany: EUROPA - "Think Green"

Finally my cover with the german Europa 2016 stamp arrived. German Post just issued the stamp with the common design and not a second like many other countries did. But ok, at least I got it with special first day cancellation.

Stamp:
EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 02-05-2016 with special first day of Issued postmark

Switzerland: Gotthard Base Tunnel

The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) (German: Gotthard-Basistunnel) is a railway base tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland, which opened on 1 June 2016 with full service to begin in December 2016. With a route length of 57.09 km (35.5 mi) and a total of 151.84 km (94.3 mi) of tunnels, shafts and passages, it is the world's longest and deepest traffic tunnel and the first flat, low-level route through the Alps. The project consists of two single-track tunnels connecting Erstfeld (Canton of Uri) with Bodio (Canton of Ticino) and passing below Sedrun (Canton Graubünden). This is a card from a set of two, it shows the starting point in Erstfeld with a matching stamp and a matching cancellation of the town.

Stamps:
left: Swiss Census - Issued: 20-11-1990
right: Opening of the Gotthard Railway Tunnel (from a set of three) - Issued: 12-05-2016


UPDATE 09-06-2016:

Today the second card of this series arrived. The card shows the endpoint of the Gotthard-Base-Tunnel in Bodio (Canton of Ticino).

Stamps:
left: The 700th Anniversary of the Confederation (from a set of four) - Issued: 22-02-1991
right: Opening of the Gotthard Railway Tunnel (from a set of three) - Issued: 12-05-2016

Many thanks again to Hansjürg for these great cards!

Spain: EUROPA - "Think Green"

Another great cover for my EUROPA Stamps of 2016 Collection. This time the cover comes from Spain. Not enough, the sender posted it with several great postmark of the A Coruña Post Office. On the postmark you can see the Torre de Hercules or Tower of Hercules. Its an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 mi) from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spans and also an UNESCO WHS.

Stamps:
3x EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 22-04-2016


Many thanks to Ricardo for this great Cover!

Sweden: Return-to-Sender from Kiruna

This one was an experiment I made, because I wanted to check if it works. I set up this cover myself and send it "Poste Restante" to Kiruna in northern Sweden. Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland. It had 18,148 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,099 in 2008) in Norrbotten County. Due to Kiruna's position north of the Arctic Circle the city experiences both midnight sun and polar night throughout the year as well as a very cold climate by Scandinavian standards. I send the cover from Bielefeld, Germany on March, 23th and it came back on May, 28th 2016.

Stamps:
Comics "Asterix" (from a set of three) - Issued: 01-09-2015


Kiruna: ♁ 67°51′N 0 20°13′ E

Switzerland: EUROPA - "Think Green"

I'm happy to receive another cover with the EUROPA Stamp of 2016. This time it comes from Switzerland. Swiss Post issued also two different stamps. One shows the common design and on the other you can see a thinking head. The stamps are designed to increase awareness about environmental topics, bringing with them an underlying wake-up call.

Stamps:
EUROPA - "Think Green" (whole Set) - Issued: 12-05-2016


Many thanks to Hansjürg for this great FDC!

Greenland: Upernavik

Some days ago, I received another card from Greenland. This time from Upernavik. Upernavik (Kalaallisut: "Springtime Place") is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,181 inhabitants as of 2013, it is the twelfth-largest town in Greenland. It is also the northern-most town in Greenland with a population of over 1,000.

Stamps:
Aviation (from a set of three) - Issued: 13-05-2015
2x Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 13-05-2015
Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 22-10-2012


♁ 72° 47′ N,  56° 9′ W

USA: Maryland Map-Card

Maryland is a state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. The state is named after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England and mother of Charles II and James II. Maryland is one of the smallest states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, with around 6 million residents. With its close proximity to the nation's capital, and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, and biotechnology, Maryland has the highest median household income of any state.

Stamps (from left to right):
Legends of Hollywood - James Cagney - Issued: 22-07-1999
Legends of Hollywood - Shirley Temple - Issued: 18-04-2016
Legends of Hollywood - Cary Grant - Issued: 15-10-2002


Many thanks to Eric for this nice card and the nice stamps!

Canada: Year of the Monkey International Rate Souvenir Sheet + Toronto Card

Some weeks ago I received this nice cover. On the cover you can see a nice Souvenir Sheet of the Year of the Monkey Issue. Besides the Domestic rate stamp I now have the international rate stamp, too. Inside the cover I also found a nice card of Toronto. On the card you can see the "CN Tower". It is a 553.33 m-high (1,815.4 ft) concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower in 2010.

Too bad, there is no cancellation on the stamp.

Stamp:
Year of Monkey Souvenir Sheet International Rate - Issued: 01-02-2016


Many thanks to Karen for this nice cover!

Estonia: EUROPA - "Think Green"

Today I received another cover with the 2016 EUROPA Stamps of Estonia on it. As you can see, besides the common design, Estonian Post issued an own second stamp. You can see it on the left. I really like it, too.

Stamps:
EUROPA - "Think Green" (whole Set) - Issued: 09-05-2016


Many thanks to Janne for this nice cover!

Ireland: Greetings Card

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, in the northeast of the island. In 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million. Its capital and largest city is Dublin.

Stamp:
ATM "Centenary of the Easter Rising" (from a set of 16) - Issued: 21-01-2016


Thanks to Ramona for this nice card!

Germany: Postcrossing Meet-Up Lake Constance

I'm very happy to receive this nice card from the Postcrossing Meet-Up at Lake Constance. It took place on 7th and 8th May 2016. On the card you can see different views at Lake Constance like Lindau or Meersburg (top row).

Stamp:
Flowers "Convallaria majalis" - Issued: 06-05-2015


Special Thanks to Becky for sending me this great card!

Germany: Moehne Reservoir (Möhnesee)

The Moehne Reservoir is an artificial lake in North Rhine-Westphalia, some 45 km east of Dortmund, Germany. The lake is formed by the damming of two rivers, Möhne and Heve, and with its four basins stores as much as 135 million cubic metres of water. The dam was built between 1908 and 1913 to help control floods, regulate water levels on the Ruhr river downstream, and generate hydropower. Today, the lake is also a tourist attraction. During WWII the dam was breached by RAF Lancaster Bombers (“The Dambusters”) during Operation Chastise on the night of 16–17 May 1943, together with the Edersee dam in northern Hesse. Bouncing bombs had been constructed which were able to skip over the protective nets that hung in the water. A huge hole of 77 m by 22 m was blown into the dam.

With matching stamp:

Stamp:
The 100th Anniversary of the Möhnetalsperre Dam - Issued: 04-04-2013

Ukraine: EUROPA - "Think Green" Official First Day Cover

Some days ago I received another cover of the 2016 EUROPA Stamps. This time it comes from the Ukraine. This is actually just a First Day Cover but it was not cancelled on the First day. This was posted in Lviv, you can check a card from there here. Too bad the cancellation is also not clear.

Stamp:
EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 15-04-2016


Many thanks Roman for this nice Cover!

Germany: Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927 - 2016)

Hans-Dietrich Genscher (21 March 1927 – 31 March 2016) was a German statesman and a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), who served as Minister of the Interior from 1969 to 1974, and as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1974 to 1992 (except for a two-week break in 1982), making him the longest-serving occupant of either post. In 1991 he was chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He is widely regarded as a principal "architect of German Reunification." In 1991, he played a pivotal role in the breakup of Yugoslavia by successfully pushing for international recognition of Croatia, Slovenia and other republics declaring independence, in an effort to halt "a trend towards a Greater Serbia.

Genscher died at his home outside Bonn in Wachtberg on 31 March 2016 from heart failure, one week and three days after his 89th birthday.

Stamps (left to right):
Numeral Stamp - Issued: 05-12-2013
Numeral Stamp - Issued: 03-12-2015
Mourning Stamp - Issued: 05-12-2013 with special postmark commemorating his day of death

Lithuania: Klaipėda

Klaipėda, historically also known as Memel, is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County. The city has a complex recorded history, partially due to the combined regional importance of the usually ice-free Port of Klaipėda at the mouth of the Akmena-Danė River. The population shrank from 207,100 in 1992 to 157,350 in 2014. Besides others, the city is twinned with Mannheim, Germany.

Stamp:
Traditional Crafts in Lithuania - Issued: 07-11-2015


Many thanks to Raimonda for this card!

Ukraine: The 400th Anniversary of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) (Ukrainian: Національний університет) is a national, coeducational research university located in Kiev, Ukraine. The Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the school's predecessor, was established in 1615. The NaUKMA is located on the Academy's grounds in the ancient Podil neighborhood. In 1991, it was re-organized, and teaching began the following year. NaUKMA has the highest level of accreditation as outlined by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and is one of the thirteen educational institutions in Ukraine having a status of a research and autonomous university. With around 3000 students, NaUKMA is one of the smallest universities in Ukraine. Alumni of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy played a formative role in the intellectual and church life of Ukraine and Russia in 17th and 18th centuries.Among the most notable alumni were hetman Ivan Mazepa and philosopher Hryhori Skovoroda.

Stamp:

The 400th Anniversary of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy - Issued: 18-09-2015 with special first day of Issued postmark

Many thanks to Brane who send this nice Maxicard from Serbia.

France: UEFA EURO 2016 Stamp

Today I received a nice cover with a stamp I was looking for. The 2016 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, will be the 15th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe organized by UEFA. It is scheduled to be held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. For the first time, the European Championship final tournament will be contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996. Spain are two-time defending champions.

Stamp:
UEFA European Football Championship 2016 (France) - Issued: 25-03-2016 with special cancellation from Le Carré d'encre


Thanks to Roland for this nice cover!

Switzerland: Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls (german: Rheinfall) is the largest plain waterfall in Europe. The falls are located on the High Rhine between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m (75 ft) high. In the winter months, the average water flow is 250 m³/s, while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 m³/s. The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965; and the lowest, 95 m³/s in 1921.

Stamps:

Rhine Falls (whole set) - Issued: 05-03-2015 with matching postmark

Many thanks to Hansjürg for sending me these nice stamps!