Russia: Ufa

Ufa (Russian: Уфа́) is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic with a Population of 1,105,667 as in 2015. Ufa is situated in eastern Europe near its land boundary with Asia, at the confluence of the Belaya (Agidel) and Ufa Rivers, on low hills forming the Ufa Plateau to the west of the southern Urals. On the card you can see "Bashkir State Philharmony".

Stamps:
1x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Novgorod Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009
3x Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Moscow Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009


Many thanks to Aigul for this nice card!

Germany: Düren

Düren is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur.  As in 2014 in population of the city was 89,024. The city of Düren was located on the main fighting front during the Allied invasion of Germany in World War II and was almost completely destroyed by Allied air bombings.

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


Thanks to Michael for this card!

Greenland: "Leap Year" Cover from Uummannaq

I received this self-made cover from Greenland today. Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,282 inhabitants in 2013, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Uummannaq is located 590 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on Uummannaq Island located in the south-central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord. The island is also home to Uummannaq Mountain, rising very sharply to the height of 1170m. I'm very happy about the postmark, the cover was cancelled on 29th February, which was not intended but I'm happy they did it on that date. On the postmark you can see the Uummannaq Mountain.

Stamp:
Hunters’ Lives (whole Set) - Issued: 19-01-2015

This is also my 200th Post on this Blog!


♁ 70°40′ N 52°07' W

Canada: Year of the Monkey Domestic Stamp FDC

Today, I also received this nice FDC from Canada. The Year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016 and ends on January 27, 2017. Brilliance, flexibility and inventiveness are solid traits of those born under this simian sign, as are an excellent memory, skillfulness, an iron will and a strong drive to succeed. But beware: Monkeys are said to be easily discouraged by delays, tend to look down to others, and have a fast-flaring temper that (fortunately) cools down quickly. Passionate but sometimes flighty lovers, Monkeys are most compatible with Dragons and Rats.

Stamp:

Chinese New Year - Year of the Monkey - Issued: 11-01-2016

Thanks to Tristan for this great FDC!

Malta: Balluta Bay

Today I received a nice card from Malta. Malta is a Southern European island country comprising an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English. The card is from Balluta, which ist is a bay on the northeast coast of Malta within St. Julian's. It is a popular recreation spot used for swimming, diving, and water sports, with a triangular pjazza surrounded by cafés and shaded by Judas trees. Its skyline is dominated by the neo-gothic Carmelite Parish Church and the stunning art nouveau Balluta Buildings.

Stamp:
Christmas (from a set of 3) - Issued: 14-11-2015


Thanks to Roger for this nice card!

Germany: Expo 2000 Hannover

This time I would like to show an old cover, which I got in my collection. Its from the Expo 2000. The Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hannover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hannover fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. In total, 155 nations took part in this World's Fair.

Stamps:
4x EXPO 2000 Hannover - Issued: 13-01-2000 with special postmark of the opening day

Canada: "Leap Year" Cover

Today I received another Leap Year cover, this time from Canada. It was posted on 29th February in Carlisle, Ontario. Many thanks to Brenda for sending me this nice cover.

Stamps:
2x Beneficial Insects (from a set of 5) - Issued: 12-10-2007
Mammals - Issued: 27-10-1998

Germany: "Leap Year" Cover

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or a bissextile year) is a year containing one additional day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have the same number of days in each year drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track. By inserting (also called intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar, each leap year has 366 days instead of the usual 365, by extending February to 29 days rather than the common 28.

I set up this cover myself with several ATM stamps showing 29-02-2016 and with an additional 0,03 € stamp for the right postage and a cancellation on 29th February.

5 x ATM Stamp  - Issued: 24-10-2008

Greenland: Sisimiut

Today I received this great card from Greenland. It shows the greenland flag. The flag of Greenland was designed by Greenland native Thue Christiansen. It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of centre. The top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white. It was adopted on June 21, 1985 and is the only national flag of a Nordic country or territory without a Nordic Cross. The card was cancelled in Sisimiut. Sisimiut, formerly Holsteinsborg, is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately 320 km (200 mi) north of Nuuk. It is the administrative center of the Qeqqata Municipality and the second-largest town in Greenland, with a population of 5,598 people in 2013.

Stamps:
left: Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 22-10-2012
right: Charity Stamp - Child Rights Institution MIO - Issued: 18-01-2016


♁ 66°56 N 53°40′ W

Germany: Martin Luther

Martin Luther (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, former monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He proposed an academic discussion of the power and usefulness of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517. His refusal to retract all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor. His translation of the Bible into the vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, which had a tremendous impact on the church and German culture. Luther died in 1546 in Eisleben, Germany. The card shows him around 1540.

Stamp:
ATM Stamp "Post Tower - Bonn" (0, 45 €) - Issued: 24-10-2008 with special postmark commemorating the 470. Anniversary of his day of death

Germany: The 25th Anniversary of the 112 European Emergency Number

112 is the common emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from most mobile telephones and, in some countries, fixed telephones in order to reach emergency services (ambulance, fire and rescue, police). 112 was first standardised by a Recommendation by the CEPT in 1972 and later by a decision of the EU Council in 1991 and subsequently reaffirmed in 2002 by article 26 of the Universal Service Directive and its subsequent amendments.

Stamps (left to right):
ATM Stamp "Brandenburg Gate – Berlin" (0,05 ct) - Issued: 24-10-2008
Definitive Issue - Flowers "Tagetes erect" - Issued: 07-07-2005
The 25th Anniversary of the 112 European Emergency Number - Issued: 11-02-2016 with special first day of Issued postmark

Germany: The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Ernst Litfaß (1816-1874)

Ernst Amandus Theodor Litfaß (11 February 1816 – 27 December 1874) was a German printer and publisher. He invented the free-standing cylindrical advertising column which bears his name in German (Litfaßsäule). In 1854 Litfaß proposed putting up columns in the streets of Berlin for announcement and advertising purposes. Allegedly, he was disgusted by the unsystematic and ubiquitous posting of pamphlets, notices and other materials on walls, doors, fences and trees. In December that year he was granted permission to erect such Annoncier-Säulen columns, and on 1 July 1855 the first 100 Litfaß-Säulen were presented in Berlin. Litfaß had a monopoly on his advertising columns and grew rich fast. After his death in Wiesbaden in 1874, the idea of putting up Litfaßsäulen (Litfaß columns or Litfaß pillars) quickly spread to other German cities. Today, they can be found in other countries as well.

Stamps:
2x The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Ernst Litfaß (1816-1874) - Issued: 11-02-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark

Germany: Little Red Riding Hood

"Little Red Riding Hood", or "Little Red Ridinghood", also known as "Little Red Cap" or simply "Red Riding Hood", is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings. The story was first published by Charles Perrault and later reedited by the Grimm Brothers.

Stamps:
Charity Stamps - Little Red Riding Hood (whole Set) - Issued: 11-02-2016 with special first day of Issue postmark

Thailand: Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, and has a population of over 8 million, or 12.6 percent of the country's population. Bangkok is subdivided into 50 districts. The city is also one of the world's top tourist destination cities. The Department of Tourism recorded 26,861,095 Thai and 11,361,808 foreign visitors to Bangkok in 2010. Since 1962 Bangkok is twinned with Washington, DC.

Stamps:
left: The 10th Anniversary of Thailand Post Company Limited - Issued: 14-08-2013
right:  Amphibians (from a set of 4) - Issued: 10-07-2014


Many thanks to Kwanjira for this great card!

Sri Lanka: Turtles

Yesterday I received my first card from Sri Lanka. Officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India. Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest. Its documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a Semi-presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

Stamp:
Moonstones, Guardstones & Balustrades of Sri Lanka (from a set of six) - Issued: 12-12-2012


Many thanks to Ramona for this great card!

USA: Reno, NV

Reno is a city in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Northern portion of the state, approximately 36 miles (58 km) from Lake Tahoe. Known as "The Biggest Little City in the World", Reno is famous for its casinos and as the birthplace of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. It is the county seat of Washoe County, located in the northwestern part of the state. The city sits in a high desert at the foot of the Sierra Nevada and its downtown area (along with Sparks) occupies a valley informally known as the Truckee Meadows.

Stamps:
2x American Design - American Clock - Issued: 24-01-2003
Patriotic Waves - Issued: 12-01-2015


Thanks to Caleb for this card!

Russia: Bashkortostan

The Republic of Bashkortostan (Russian: Респу́блика Башкортоста́н) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa. With the population of 4,072,292 as of the 2010 Census, Bashkortostan is the most populous of the republics in Russia.

Stamps:
Happy New Year - Issued: 12-12-2014
Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Moscow Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009
Definitive Issue. Kremlins "Novgorod Kremlin" (from a set of 12) - Issued: 01-10-2009


Thanks to Svetlana for this card!

Indonesia: Cover with Postcards

Today I received a nice cover from Indonesia. Indonesia is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. It is the largest island country in the world by the number of islands, with more than fourteen thousand islands. Indonesia has an estimated population of over 255 million people and is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority country. The world's most populous island of Java contains more than half of the country's population. The capital and largest city is Jakarta.

Stamps:
Upper row: Indonesian Defence Industry (whole set) - Issued: 05-10-2015
lower row: The 70th Anniversary of the House of Representatives (whole set) - Issued: 29-08-2015

Inside the cover I found these great cards:

Jakarta by Night

Island and Province of Bali

Senggigi Beach, Lombok

Many thanks to Justin for this great cover and postcards!

Russia: Novosibirsk Akademgorodok

Akademgorodok (Russian: Академгородо́к; Academic Town) is a part of the Sovetsky District of the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, located 30 km south of the city center and about 10 km west of the Science town Koltsovo. It is the educational and scientific centre of Siberia. As you can see on the card it is surrounded by a birch and pine forest on the shore of the Ob Sea, an artificial reservoir on the river Ob. Located within Akademgorodok is Novosibirsk State University, 35 research institutes, medical academy, apartment buildings and houses, and a variety of community amenities including stores, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and cafes, cinemas, clubs and libraries.

Stamps:
left: Coat of Arms - City of Derbent - Issued: 16-06-2015
right: Paintings - The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Pavel Andreyevich Fedotov (1815-1852) - Issued: 23-06-2015


Many thanks again to Tonya!

Germany: Schwetzingen

Schwetzingen is a german town situated in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, around 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Heidelberg and 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Mannheim. Schwetzingen was mentioned as "Suezzingen" for the first time in 766, therefore the city is celebrating its 1250th Birthday this year. To commemorates this event the German Post issued a special stamp and postmark. Both you can see on the back of this card.

Stamp:
The 1250th Anniversary of the City of Schwetzingen - Issued: 02-01-2016 with special postmark

USA: Jackson Square, New Orleans

I received this card from New Orleans. New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The population of the city was 343,829 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. On the card you can see the Jackson Square. Formerly called the Place d'Arms and dominated by St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square was the social and cultural center of the Vieux Carre. The Jackson monument is an outstanding example of perfect balance; the entire weight of the statue rests solely on the hind legs of the horse.

Stamps:
left: Music Icons - Elvis Presley, 1935-1977 - Issued: 12-08-2015
right: Butterflies - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Issued: 01-06-2015


Thanks to Arnold for this nice card!

Germany: Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in the southwestern part of Germany, the third-largest in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. Mannheim is among the twenty largest cities in Germany, with a 2012 population of approximately 295,000 inhabitants. Mannheim is located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar in the northwestern corner of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen, just to the west of it in Rhineland-Palatinate, and the border of Baden-Württemberg with Hesse is just to the north. Mannheim is downstream along the Neckar from the city of Heidelberg. Besides others, Mannheim is twinned with Riesa.

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

Switzerland: Lavaux Vineyard Terraces (Lake Geneva)

On saturday I received this cover with a beautiful stamp on it. The stamps are showing a great view on Lake Geneva . Lake Geneva (French: lac Léman, le Léman, sometimes lac de Genève  German: Genfersee) is a lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. The view on the stamps is from Lavaux. It is a region in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, in the district of Lavaux-Oron. The Lavaux consist of 830 hectares of terraced vineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. Since July 2007, the Lavaux is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Stamps:
UNESCO World Heritage - Lavaux (whole set) - Issued: 09-09-2011


Thanks to Hansjürg for this nice Cover!

Greenland: Ilulissat

I also received this nice cover from Greenland today. It was hand-cancelled in Ilulissat, which is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately 350 km (220 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. The city was formerly known as Jakobshavn or Jacobshaven and with population of 4,541 as of 2013, it is the third-largest city in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut. In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Kalaallisut word for "Icebergs". The nearby Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has made Ilulissat the most popular tourist destination in Greenland.

Stamp:
Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 13-05-2015


♁ 69°13′N 51°06′W

Czech Republic: Offical Postcrossing Stamp

Today I received a nice cover from the Czech Republic. It symbolize the never-ending flow of postcards, from hand-in-hand, connecting different people all around the world. The stamp was launched in early September at the yearly Sběratel/Collector's fair.

Stamp:
Postcrossing - Issued: 02-09-2015

Many thanks to Klara for this nice cover!