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

France: Grenoble

I really like this card. It shows a pretty view of Grenoble at dawn. Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains, as well as its size, has led to the city being known as the "Capital of the Alps".

Stamps:
left:  Definitive Issue New Marianne (1 x 5 Cent + 2 x 10 Cent) - Issued: 15-07-13
right: Grues du Japon  - Issued: 07-11-13

Germany: Horumersiel-Schillig

My Second card is from Horumersiel-Schillig. Schillig got a famous campsite which is located on the North Sea beach. The town and campsite is about 20 Kilometers north of Wilhelmshaven. On the large picture you can see for example the small harbor of Horumersiel.

Stamp:
Reintroduction of Spices "Salmo trutta trutta" - Issued: 04-12-2014

Germany: Wilhelmshaven

Today I received two cards from Germany. My first card is from Wilhelmshaven. It is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea. Wilhelmshaven is the centre of the “JadeBay” business region (which has around 330,000 inhabitants). Wilhelmshaven is Germany’s only deep-water port, and its largest naval base. One of the main industrial sectors in Wilhelmshaven is the port industry with its wharfs, sea port service companies, service providers and repair businesses, transhipment and handling businesses, and agencies, etc. The “JadeWeserPort” – Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW) and the development of the neighbouring Freight Village provide prospects for employment in areas such as logistics and distribution.

Stamp:
Flowers "Convallaria majalis" - Issued: 06-05-2010

Germany: Traditional Costumes from Bavaria

My third card shows traditional costumes worn especially in Bavaria. Men usually wear the so called Lederhosen and women the Dirndl dress.

Stamp:
The 125th Anniversary of the First Bavarian Mountain Costume Association - Issued: 11-06-2015 with first day of issue postmark

Germany: Kiel

My second card is from Kiel. Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 240,832 (June 2014). Kiel lies approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea, Kiel has become one of the major maritime centres of Germany. For instance, the city is known for a variety of international sailing events, including the annual Kiel Week, which is the biggest sailing event in the world. Kiel is also the home of the Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, CAU).

Stamp:
350 years Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel - "Markenset" Issued: 07-05-2015 with special postmark of the Kiel Week

Germany: Bremerhaven

Yesterday I got three cards from Germany. My first one shows Bremerhaven (literally "Bremen's harbor"). It is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham. Though a relatively new city, it has a long history as a trade port and today is one of the most important German ports, playing a crucial role in Germany's trade.

Stamp:

150 Years German Maritime Search and Rescue Association - Issued: 07-05-15 with matching special postmark

The Netherlands: Renesse

Today I received two cards. One from Germany and one from The Netherlands.

Renesse is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 28 km west of Hellevoetsluis. It is also very a popular tourist resort, because it got a very nice seaside.

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

Thanks to my friends Jenny and Daniel for this nice card!

Germany: Paderborn

Today I received two cards. One from Germany and one from The Netherlands.

Paderborn is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and 'born', an old German term for the source of a river. The river Pader originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried. To honor St. Liborius, there is a famous festival every last week in July called "Libori". There are 145,000 inhabitants (as recorded in December 2009) living within the city, many of which moved to Paderborn during the last thirty years.

Stamp:
Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas "Chiemsee" (whole Set) - Issued: 01-07-15

Germany: Riesa

Today I got one card from Germany. Riesa is a town in the district of Meißen in the State of Saxony, Germany. It is located at the river Elbe, approx. 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Dresden. Riesa is also famous for it's food company.

Stamp:
Dresden Elbpanorama (right) - Issued: 03-04-14

Thanks to my friend Michael for this nice card!

Germany: Wangerooge

Today I received a nice card from Wangerooge. Wangerooge is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea located close to the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is also a municipality in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany.

Stamp:
Flowers: "Paeonia sp." - Issued: 04-12-2014