Germany: Sternberg

Sternberg is a town in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The city is located southwest of Rostock, southeast of Wismar, and northeast of Schwerin. The city got a population of about 4300 (as in 2013).

Stamp:
Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas "Dresden" (from a set of two) - Issued: 03-04-2014


Thanks to you Anna, who send me this card from her holidays!

Germany: Cuxhaven

Cuxhaven is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Its town quarters Duhnen, Döse and Sahlenburg are especially popular vacation spots on the North Sea and home to about 52,000 residents. The city's symbol, known as the Kugelbake is a beacon once used as a lighthouse; the wooden landmark on the mouth of the Elbe marks the boundary between the river and the North Sea and also adorns the city's coat of arms.

Stamp:
Lighthouses "Flügge" (from a set of two) - Issued: 06-06-2013

Thanks to Michele for this card!

Germany: Leipzig

Leipzig is the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 556,017 inhabitants. In 2015 Leipzig is celebrating the 1000th anniversary of its first documented mention. This card commemorates this special event.

Stamp:
The 1000th Anniversary of the City of Leipzig - Issued: 01-07-2015

Thanks to Heidrun for this card!

Channel Islands: Jersey

The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands. It measures 118.2 square kilometers, including reclaimed land and intertidal zone. It lies in the English Channel, about 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, France, and about 87 nautical miles (161 km; 100 mi) south of Great Britain. Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. The capital and largest city on the island is Saint Helier.

Stamps:
The Crest of Jersey (from a set of 11) - Issued: 18-02-2015
The 800th Anniversary of te Magna Carta Documents (from a set of six) - Issued: 17-06-2015

Thanks to Sabrina for sending me this great card!

USA: California State University

Yesterday I received two cards. My first is from the USA. It shows the bell tower of California State University (CalState; CSU) in Chico. Composed of 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 437,000 students with 44,000 faculty members and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public university system in the United States. With nearly 100,000 graduates annually, the CSU is also the country's greatest producer of bachelor's degrees.

Stamps:
from the left:
American Design - Navajo Jewelry - Issued: 12-05-2007
2x American Design - American Clock - Issued: 24-01-2003
Art by Martin Ramirez (1895-1963) (from a set of five) - Issued: 26-03-2015

Germany: Pina Bausch

Philippina "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director. With her unique style, a blend of movement, sound, and prominent stage sets, and with her elaborate collaboration with performers during the development of a piece (a style now known as Tanztheater), she became a leading influence in the field of modern dance from the 1970s on. She created the company "Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch" which performs internationally.

Stamp:
The 75th Anniversary of the Birth of Pina Bausch - Issued: 01-07-2015 with special postmark

USA: Glacier National Park

On this card you can see a picture of the Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Montana, on the Canada–United States border with the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1 million acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. The card shows Hidden Lake. Hidden Lake is surrounded by numerous peaks including Bearhat Mountain to the southwest, Clements Mountain to the north and Reynolds Mountain to the east. Hidden Lake is a popular day hike destination.

Stamps:
left: Summer Harvest "Sweet Corn" (from a set of four) - Issued: 11-07-2015
mid & right: Coastal Birds "King Eider" & Red Knot (from a set of four) - Issued: 01-06-2015


Thanks to Kyoko for this card!

Finland: Savonlinna

Savonlinna (Swedish: Nyslott) is a town and a municipality of 35,760 inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region. The Finnish name of the town means "Castle of Savonia" and the Swedish name means "New Castle". In the middle of the card you can see the Olavinlinna Castle, which is also called castle of St. Olaf. The castle is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi.

Stamps:
left: Birch (0,20 €) from a set of two - Issued: 24-01-2011
right: Sweet Summer (from a set of six) - Issued: 05-05-2014


Thanks to Maria for this nice card!

USA: Oregon (Portland & Mt. Hood)

I received these nice cards some days ago in a cover, so there are no stamps on them. 

The first card shows Portland. It is the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County, located near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. According to the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776 estimated to have reached 619,360 in 2014, making it the 28th most populous city in the United States.

The second card shows Mt. Hood. It is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland. The height assigned to Mount Hood's snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 feet (3,429 m), a 1991 measurement by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), 11,240 feet (3,426 m) based on a 1993 scientific expedition, and 11,239 feet (3,426 m) of slightly older origin. 

The last card shows a nice state-map of Oregon. Oregon was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before Western traders, explorers, and settlers arrived. An autonomous government was formed in the Oregon Country in 1843, the Oregon Territory was created in 1848, and Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859. Today, Oregon is the ninth largest and 27th most populous U.S. state. The capital of Oregon is Salem, the second most populous of its cities, with 160,614 residents.

Thanks John for sending me these nice cards! 

USA: San Francisco, CA

San Francisco is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California and the only consolidated city-county in California. It has a density of about 18,187 people per square mile (7,022 people per km2), making it the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City. San Francisco is a popular tourist destination, known for its cool summers, fog (nickname: "Fog City), steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Aerial view of San Francisco with the Embarcadero and the newly remodeled Ferry Building in the foreground.

Some Highlights of S.F. including Cable Car and Golden Gate Bridge.

Again a card with famous tourist destinations showing Lombard Street, Cable Car, Victorians, Skyline of S.F. and of course Golden Gate Bridge.


Thanks to my friend Peter for these nice cards from his holidays!

The Netherlands: Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a city in South Holland, the Netherlands, located geographically within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt river delta at the North Sea. Nowadays it is home to Europe's largest port and has a population of 624.799. The city of Rotterdam is known for the Erasmus university, riverside setting, lively cultural life and its maritime heritage. The port of Rotterdam is the largest cargo port in Europe and the 10th largest in the world. Rotterdam's logistic success is based on its strategic location on the North Sea, directly at the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse) channel leading into the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta.

Stamp:
Dutch Icons (from a set of 5) - Issued: 02-01-2014

Thanks to Anna, who send me this card from her holidays!

Italy: Milan

Milan is the second-most populous city in Italy, serves as the capital of Lombardy. Milan is host of the Expo 2015. The opening took place on 1 May 2015 and the expo will close on 31 October 2015. This is a card straight from the Expo. You can see it because "Milano" is written in the official Expo font. The card also got the matching stamp.

Stamp:
World EXPO 2015, Milano, Italy - Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life - Issued: 03-07-2015


Thanks Marina for this great card!

Germany: Greifswald

Officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald, is a city in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about 250 kilometres (160 mi) from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed by a small river, the Ryck. It is also located near Germany's two largest islands, Rügen and Usedom, and it is close to three of Germany's 14 national parks. The city's population is about 55,000, including many of its 12,500 students and 5,000 employees of the University of Greifswald.

Stamp:
Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas "Chiemsee" (right, from a Set of two) - Issued: 01-07-15


Thanks Chrissie for this nice card!

USA: Arkansas State Facts

Yesterday I got a nice card for my US-State Collection. Arkansas was missing in it. It's a state located in the Southern region of the United States. Arkansas is the 29th largest in square miles and the 32nd most populous of the 50 United States. The capital and most populous city is Little Rock, located in the central portion of the state, a hub for transportation, business, culture, and government.

On the card you can read some interesting fact about Arkansas.

Stamps:
left: Penguins - Issued: 01-07-2015
mid: From me to you - Issued: 01-04-2015
right: Vintage Circus Posters (from a set of 16) - Issued: 05-05-2014

Portugal: Madeira

This nice card shows Funchal, the capital of Madeira at New Year's Eve. Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago located in the north Atlantic Ocean, west and slightly south of Portugal. Its total population was estimated in 2011 at 267.785. It is just under 400 kilometres (250 mi) north of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Since 1976, the archipelago has been one of the two Autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being the Azores, located to the northwest). It includes the islands of Madeira, Porto Santo, and the Desertas, administered together with the separate archipelago of the Savage Islands. It is an outermost region of the European Union.

Stamp:

Traditional Feasts (from a set of three) - Issued: 03-10-2011

I got another card from Madeira, but it was not send. It was a present from a colleague of my mother. It shows the Botannical Garden of Funchal.

New Zealand: Wellington

This card shows Wellington. It is the capital city and second most populous urban area of New Zealand, with 393.600 residents. As New Zealand is divided by the Cook Strait into a North- and a South Island, Wellington is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. Wellington is the world's southernmost capital city of a sovereign state.

Stamp:
The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug  "Tauriel" (from a set of six) - Issued: 01-11-2013

Ukraine: Lviv

Today I got this nice card from Ukraine. It shows Lviv. Besides its Ukrainian name, the city is also known by several other names in different languages: Polish: Lwów or German: Lemberg. Its a city in the western Ukraine with a population of about 730.000 (as in 2012).

On the card you can see the "Church of Assumption" (Voloska Church). It is the main Orthodox church in the city.  The current building replaced an earlier church structure, and was built in the period 1591-1629.

Stamps:
Flora - Trees (from upper left: Juglans regia, Acer platanoides, Populus tremula) - Issued: 24-01-2012 & 03-02-2012

Germany: Philipp Scheidemann

I received this card yesterday. It shows the visitors walking around the dome of the Reichtags Building in Berlin. I choose this card to honor the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Philipp Scheidemann. He was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). During the German Revolution of 1918–1919 he proclaimed Germany a republic on 9 November 1918 out of a window of the Reichstags Building and subsequently became the second head of government of the Weimar Republic, acting in this post for 127 days.

Stamp:
The 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Philipp Scheidemann, 1865-1939  - Issued: 01-07-2015 with special first day issue postmark.

Liechtenstein: Vaduz

The Principality of Liechtenstein (German: Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a doubly landlocked German-speaking microstate in Central Europe. It is a constitutional monarchy with the rank of principality, headed by the Prince of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and Austria to the east and north. It has an area of just over 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) and an estimated population of 37,000. Divided into 11 municipalities, its capital is Vaduz and largest town Schaan.

Stamps:
left: Collections in Liechtenstein - "Saloon Cars" (whole set) - Issued: 01-09-2014
right: The 175th Anniversary of the First Stamp - Issued: 02-03-2015

Russia: Vladivostok

Vladivostok is a city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia, located at the head of the Golden Horn Bay, not far from Russia's borders with China and North Korea. The population of the city, according to the 2010 Census, is 603 244 up from 594,701 recorded in the 2002 Census. The city is the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the largest Russian port on the Pacific Ocean. The name Vladivostok loosely translates from Russian as "the ruler of the East".

On the card you can see the "Russky Bridge". The bridge connects the mainland part of the city (Nazimov peninsula) with Russky Island, where the main activities of the summit took place. The bridge was completed in July 2012 and opened by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. On September 3, 2012, the bridge was officially given its name

Stamps:
left: Europa 2004.Vacation - Issued: 05-05-2004
right: Flora of Russia "Cones"(from a set of four) - Issued: 04-03-2013

Australia: Beaconsfield, Tasmania

I received these cards from my penpal Beverley from Tasmania. She sent me the cards with her last parcel, so there are no stamps on them.

Beaconsfield is an old mining town situated in the Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania. It was formerly knows as "Brandy Creek" because of the color of the water in the creek where gold was originally discovered, but was renamed in March 1879 after Lord Beaconsfield.

 Gold was first discovered in the Beaconsfields area in 1847. Gold was minds at Beaconsfield from 1877 to 1914 and during some of this time contributed 47,72 % of the states total gold production Mining recommenced at Beaconsfield in 1999 and ceased on 30 June 2012.

The Grubb Shaft at Beaconsfield is the largest working gold mine in Tasmania and was the site of the Beaconsfield Mine collapse on April 26 2006. The adjacent museum tells the story of the mine's boom years between 1877 and 1914.

Thanks Beverley for these nice cards!

Hong Kong: View of Victoria Habour

Hong-Kong officially known as "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 and the South China Sea. Hong Kong is known for its skyline and deep natural harbour. On this card you can see a nice view at Victoria Harbour. Victoria Harbour is home to most of the port facilities of Hong Kong, making Hong Kong amongst the world's busiest. An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both oceangoing vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers.

Stamp:
Art (from a set of two) - Issued: 10-10-13 with Air Mail Label