Belgium: Antwerp

Antwerp (Dutch: Antwerpen, French: Anvers) is a city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the region of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium. Its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. The inhabitants of Antwerp are nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, "lord", referring to the Spanish noblemen who ruled the city in the 17th century. The city also hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics.

Stamp:
Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)  - Issued: 25-06-2012


Thanks Sabrina, Michael and Niklas for this nice card!

UK: Eilen Donan Castle, Scotland

Eilean Donan (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island where three lochs meet, Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh, in the western Highlands of Scotland. A picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film and television dominates the island, which lies about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the village of Dornie. Since the castle's restoration in the early 20th century, a footbridge has connected the island to the mainland.

The castle was founded in the thirteenth century, and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan Macrae. In the early eighteenth century, the Mackenzies' involvement in the Jacobite rebellions led in 1719 to the castle's destruction by government ships. Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap's twentieth-century reconstruction of the ruins produced the present buildings.

with matching stamp:

Stamp:
Universal Mail UK - Scottish Icons (from a set of 5) - Issued: 07-2013


Thanks to Roswitha & Gerhard for this card!

Chile: Return-to-Sender from Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas (or Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas. It is the largest city south of the 46th parallel south.

Located on the Brunswick Peninsula north of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas was originally established by the Chilean government in 1848 as a tiny penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait. During the remainder of the 1800s, Punta Arenas grew in size and importance due to the increasing maritime traffic and trade traveling to the west coasts of South and North America. This period of growth also resulted from the waves of European immigrants, mainly from Croatia and Russia attracted to the gold rush and sheep farming boom in the 1880s and early 1900s.

Since its founding Chile has used Punta Arenas as a base to defend its sovereignty claims in the southernmost part of South America. This led, among other things, to the Strait of Magellan being recognized as Chilean territory in the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. The geopolitical importance of Punta Arenas has remained high in the 20th and 21st centuries because of its logistic importance in accessing the Antarctic Peninsula.

I sent this cover on 13th May and it arrived back after 148 days on 8th October, unfortunatly with a lost/stolen stamp.

Stamp:
The 500th Anniversary of the German Beer Purity Law - Issued: 07-04-2016

Switzerland: New Swiss Definitive Stamps (Swiss Railway Stations)

On 8th September 2016 the Swiss Post issued a new set of definitive stamps with the theme of “Swiss railway stations”. The series will replace all definitive stamps by 2018. Brig, Lucerne, Bellinzona and Geneva are the first to be featured.

Bellinzona railway station (Italian: Stazione di Bellinzona) serves the city of Bellinzona, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is on the Swiss Federal Railways' Gotthard line.

Stamp:
Swiss Railway Stations "Bellinzona" - Issued: 08-09-2016


UPDATE 08-10-2016:

Some days ago I received another cover with two other stamps of this definitives series.

The left one shows Brig railway station. It is an important railway junction in the municipality of Brig-Glis (French: Brigue-Glis), in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Opened in 1906, it is adjacent to the northern portal of the Simplon Tunnel, and is served by three standard gauge lines and two metre gauge lines.

The right one shows Lucerne railway station (German: Bahnhof Luzern). It is a major hub of the rail network of Switzerland, in the city of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne. It is a terminal station serving domestic and international traffic on several rail lines, and is situated in a city centre and waterfront location on the south side of Lake Lucerne.

Stamps:
left: Swiss Railway Stations "Brig" - Issued: 08-09-2016
right: Swiss Railway Stations "Lucerne" - Issued: 08-09-2016


Many thanks to Hansjürg for these nice Cover!

France: The 300th Anniversary of the Battle of Denain

The Battle of Denain was fought on 24 July 1712, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. It resulted in a French victory under Marshal Villars against Austrian and Dutch forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Mini Sheet Stamp shows a picture of Marshal Villars leads the French charge at the Battle of Denain. A picture from 1839 by Jean Alaux.

Stamps:
left: Chinese New Year "Year of the Tiger" - Issued: 15-01-2010
right: Minisheet The 300th Anniversary of the Battle of Denain - Issued: 12-05-2012


Many thanks to Jean for this nice Cover!

Germany: Siegen

Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region. The university town (18.600 students in the 2013–2014 winter semester) is the district seat. In 2015 the city population was about 103.000. On the card you see St. Nicholas’ church (Nikolaikirche) with its coronet, the city’s landmark.

Stamp:
Lighthouses "Staberhuk" (from a set of two) - Issued: 07-07-2016

Canada: University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo (commonly referred to as Waterloo, UW or UWaterloo) is a public research university with a main campus located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The institution was established on 1 July 1957 as the Waterloo College Associate Faculties, a semi-autonomous entity of Waterloo College, then an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario. he university is co-educational, and as of 2016 has 30,600 undergraduate and 5,300 postgraduate students.

Stamp:
Canadian Photography "Grey Owl" - Issued: 13-04-2016


Many thanks to Nancy!

France: Calvi (Corsica)

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to France. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia. Calvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on Corsica. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana. According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.

Stamp:
Marianne (Blue) - Issued: 04-09-2015


Thanks to Ramona for this nice card!

USA: "Star Trek" 50th Anniversary

Exactly 50 years ago, on 8th September 1966, a science fiction television series called "Star Trek", debuts on NBC in the United States with its first episode, titled "The Man Trap". Since that Star Trek has been a cult phenomenon for decades. But did you know that after three seasons the original series was canceled in 1969 because of poor ratings? However, today the Star Trek franchise spans a wide range of spin-offs including games, figurines, novels, toys, and comics and addicted millions of so-called "Trekkies". Like Canada earlier this year, the US Postal Service commemorates this with special series of four stamps issued on 2nd September 2016.

I'm very lucky to receive these nice cards today. They show two of the main characters of the series. First, Mr. Spock (played by: Leonard Nimoy) and second Captain Kirk, aka: James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk (played by: William Shatner)

Stamps:
left: North American Wildlife (from a set of 50) - Issued: 13-06-1987
right:  "Star Trek" 50th Anniversary (from a set of four) - Issued: 02-09-2016

Stamps:

left: North American Wildlife (from a set of 50) - Issued: 13-06-1987

right: 2x "Star Trek" 50th Anniversary (from a set of four) - Issued: 02-09-2016 

UPDATE 27-01-2017:

Some days ago I received this nice card. It shows the most famous characters of the Star Trek TV Series. Top left is Nyota Uhura. The character was portrayed by Nichelle Nichols through the sixth Star Trek film. Top right shows Dr. Leonard Horatio "Bones" McCoy. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series.

Stamp:
"Star Trek" 50th Anniversary (from a set of four) - Issued: 02-09-2016 with First Day Postmark of the Hollywood, CA Poststation

Many thanks to Eric for these great Cards and Stamps with Cancellation on First Day!

Greece: Chania (Crete)

Chania (Greek: Χανιά) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north coast of the island, about 70 km (43 mi) west of Rethymno and 145 km (90 mi) west of Heraklion. The official population of the municipal unit (the former municipality) is 53,910, while the municipality has 108,642 (2011) inhabitants. Besides others, the city is twinned with Wellington, New Zealand.

Stamp:
Tourism (from a set of three) - Issued: 08-08-2014

Germany: The Bayreuth Festival

The Bayreuth Festival (German: Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special festival to showcase his own works, in particular his monumental cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and Parsifal. Performances take place in a specially designed theatre, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. This year's Festival took place from 25th July to 28th August 2016.

Stamp:
Flowers "Convallaria majalis" - Issued: 06-05-2010 with special postmark

Liechtenstein: Flag-Card

I received this nice card some weeks ago from Rosmarie. It shows the flag of Liechtenstein. The flag consists of two horizontal blue and red bands charged with a gold crown at the canton. Adopted in 1921 after being officially enshrined into the nation's constitution, it has been the flag of the Principality of Liechtenstein since that year. The crown was added to the flag in 1937 after the country found out at the Summer Olympics held the previous year that their flag was identical to the flag of Haiti.

Stamp:
Archaeological Finds in Liechtenstein - Utensils (from a set of three) - Issued: 07-03-2016


Thanks to Rosmarie for this card!

Ukraine: 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

Today is the last day of the Games of the XXXI. Olympiad. The games took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 5th August to 21st August. More than 11,000 athletes from 207 National Olympic Committees, including first time entrants Kosovo, South Sudan, and a Refugee Olympic Team, took part.  With 306 sets of medals, the games featured 28 Olympic sports, including rugby sevens and golf, which were added to the Olympic program in 2009.

Stamps:
right: Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Issued: 23-07-2016
left:  Flora - Definitive - Issued: 11-01-2013


Many thanks to Roman for this cover!

USA: Alma, CO (Highest Post Office in the USA)

Some days ago, I received this nice cover. It comes from Alma, Colorado, USA. At an elevation of approximately 10,578 feet (3,224 m), the town is the highest incorporated municipality in the United States with permanent residents. In 2010 the population was 270. The town is also quite interesting, because it is also home to the highest US Post Office.

Stamps:
3x Go Green (from a set of 16) - Issued: 14-04-2011


Many thanks to Postmaster Connie for the great work!

UK: Return-to-Sender from Lerwick, Shetland Islands

This cover was also made by myself and I sent it to Shetland. Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands, is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of the island of Great Britain and forms part of the United Kingdom. The islands lie some 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney and 280 km (170 mi) southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is 1,466 km2 (566 sq mi) and the population totalled 23,210 in 2012. The islands' administrative centre and largest settlement is Lerwick.

I sent it on April 29th and it arrived back after 96 days on August 3rd.

Stamp:
Tourism - Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas 'Moselle' (from a set of two) - Issued: 07-04-2016

Germany: Lighthouses in Germany

Staberhuk Lighthouse is one of five Lighthouses of Fehmarn Island at the Baltic Sea in Germany. The tower was originally built with yellow bricks but it turned out that those were not suited for severe Baltic Sea winters. Therefore the north and west sides were later covered in red bricks which makes the lighthouse appear to have vertical red and yellow stripes. The Fresnel lens installed in the lantern was originally used in the Heligoland lighthouse while that North Sea island was under British administration in the 19th century. It was transferred to Staberhuk when the lighthouse in Heligoland was replaced in 1901.

Stamps:
Lighthouses "Staberhuk" - Issued: 07-07-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark


The Kampen lighthouse is located on the geestland core of the German island of Sylt, south of Kampen. It is a white conical stone tower with a broad black band. The Lighthouse was automated in 1997 and from 2004 to 2005 it was elaborately renovated and was therefore completely scaffolded for several months. On 4 June 2006 the 150th anniversary was celebrated with a Turmfest and the rare opportunity was provided to scale the newly renovated tower.

Stamp:
Lighthouses "Kampen" - Issued: 07-07-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark

Italy: The 90th Anniversary of the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia

The Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana was founded in 1925 by the businessman and philanthropist Giovanni Treccani. His project was to publish the large Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti (appearing in 35 volumes, 1929-1937, updated with appendices to the present day) and the Dizionario biografico degli italiani.  Both of these works were lacking in Italy at the time. From 1925 to 1943 the scholarly supervisor of the Istituto was philosopher Giovanni Gentile. Included among the rich list of publications are encyclopaedic-lexicographic works (from the Dizionario enciclopedico italiano, 1955-61 to La Piccola Treccani, 1995-97), a vast range of Italian dictionaries, works of historical-literary scope (Enciclopedia dantesca, Enciclopedia virgiliana, Enciclopedia oraziana, Federico II. Enciclopedia fridericiana). Since 1975 the Istituto has produced specialized encyclopaedias on various fields such as art, archaeology, the social sciences, law, cinema, fashion, sport, the human body, the life sciences and the history of cities (Storia di Milano, Storia di Venezia), in addition to art books (Pompeii, Venezia, Firenze).In keeping with the needs of contemporary society the Treccani’s editions are targeting an ever wider audience, branching out into different formats and channels of communication, from paper to multimedia support both on and offline (CD, DVD, Website).

Stamps:
Minisheet "The 90th Anniversary of the Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia" - Issued: 31-10-2015 with special postmark
Posta Italiana - Self Adhesive Stamp (0,25 €) - Issued: 13-02-2013


Many thanks to Ivan of this great Cover!

Austria: Mirabell Gardens

The Mirabell Gardens (German: Mirabellgarten) are part of the Mirabell Palace (German: Schloss Mirabell) a historical building in the city of Salzburg, Austria. The palace with its gardens is a listed cultural heritage monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace was built about 1606 on the shore of the Salzach river north of the medieval city walls, at the behest of Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau. Mirabell Gardens was completely redesigned under archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun in 1690 and in 1854, Emperor Franz Joseph made Mirabell Gardens open to the public for the very first time.

Stamp:
EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 14-05-2016


Many thanks to Dustin for this nice card!

Germany: Goslar

Goslar is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines of Rammelsberg are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As the 2013 the Population of was 50,681.

Stamp:
Wild Germany - Saxon Switzerland National Park - Issued: 02-06-2016


Thanks to Michael, Sabrina and Niklas for this nice card!

Crimea: Sevastopol

Sevastopol (Ukrainian: Севасто́поль) is a city located in the southwestern region of the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea. As a result of the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, the city is administered as a federal city of the Russian Federation, though Ukraine and most of the international community continue to regard Sevastopol as a city with special status within Ukraine.

Although Crimea is not a separate country, but because of the difficult political situation I listed it as an own country.

Stamps:
State Awards of the Russian Federation (from a set of 18) - Issued: 19-02-2016


Many thanks to David for this great card!

Canada: Return-to-Sender from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

This cover arrived some days ago. I came back from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. The town is located on Victoria Island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and got a population of about 1,477. It is named for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, while the traditional Inuinnaqtun name for the area is Ikaluktuutiak (old orthography) or Iqaluktuttiaq (new orthography) meaning "good fishing place". Cambridge Bay is the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Arctic Ocean's Northwest Passage.

I sent it on 16th May and it arrived back after 74 days on 29th July 2016.

Stamps:
left: The 500th Anniversary of the German Beer Purity Law - Issued: 07-04-2016
right: The 100th German Catholic Day - Leipzig, Germany - Issued: 02-05-2016

Cambridge Bay: ♁ 69° 07' N 105°03 W