Final flight of Endeavour

Space Shuttle Endeavour soars into orbit, embarking on its final scheduled mission, STS-134, to the International Space Station. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida occurred at 8:85 a.m. EDT on May 16, 2011.

Stamp is Christmas Animals: Polar Bear, issued on 2.11.2015.

Thank You Ronda!

Serbian Monasteries Listed as Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

These are first new Serbian stamps in 2016!
Release date is 28.1.2016.

Mother of God Ljeviška is a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox church in the town of Prizren, located in southern Kosovo. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into a church in the early 20th century.The construction of the church was commissioned in 1306–9 by Serbian King Stefan Milutin. It was built on the site of the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church, whose original name Metera Eleousa was preserved in Slavic as Bogorodica Ljeviška.

Gračanica is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Kosovo. It was rebuilt by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321 on the ruins of a 6th-century early Christian three-naved basilica. Gračanica represents the culmination of the Serbian medieval art of building in the Byzantine tradition.

Construction began during the reign of Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski in 1327 and the original founding charter from 1330 has been preserved. Dečanski was buried in the still incomplete Visoki Dečani monastery in 1331 and its construction was continued by Dušan. The monastery's main architect was Fra Vita, a Franciscan monk from the Montenegrin coastal town of Kotor. Construction of the monastery lasted for a total of 8 years, and ended in 1335

 The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Peć, in Kosovo. The precise date of the foundation of the Patriarchate is unknown. It is thought that while Saint Sava (d. 1235) was still alive that the site became a metoh (land owned and governed by a monastery) of Žiča monastery, then the seat of the Serbian archbishopric.

Archbishop Arsenije I (d. 1266) built the Church of the Holy Apostles, as he wanted the seat of the Serbian Church to be at a more secure location and closer to the centre of the country. Soon, around 1250, he ordered it decoration. Archbishop Nikodim I built the Church of Saint Demetrius around 1320, north of the other church. A decade later, around 1330, his successor, Archbishop Danilo II built a third church, south of the original one - the Church of the Holy Virgin Hodegetria to the south of which he added the small Church of Saint Nicholas. Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355) raised the Archbishopric at Peć to Patriarchal status.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands (T.A.A.F.): Terre Adélie

This is my first mail from French Territories in the Antarctic! Cover was traveling very long time, but it's finally here!

This is FDC François Tabuteau, 1921-2000, issued on 17.04.2015.

After his studies at the Collège de Clermont, he prepares the Naval Academy and then passes the tests of EOR (Reserve Officers Pupils) in Algiers in 1943, became an officer in the "Transat" and Master Mariner in 1948. Detached from Transat in July 1949, he participated in the first trip and the first two Charcot Antarctic expeditions of Paul Emile Victor in Terre Adélie in Port Martin in 1950 and 1951, as hydrographer, observer Astronomical and navigator.

After his return, he wrote in 1955 a novel Yaka, with preface by Paul Emile Victor, which tells the real life of a little dog Terre Adélie among a group of explorers in this polar universe.


Thank You very much Axel!

Yugoslavia: Old Olive Tree in Mirovica

In Mirovica, near Bar, there is old olive tree. It's considered to be old more than 2000 years! Tree is protected by the state. Treetop is around 100 square meters, and volume of tree is 10 meters!

Stamp is issued on 15.09.1984.

Yugoslavia: The 100th Anniversary of the First Serbian Railway Line Belgrade-Niš

Struggle for liberation of the Serbian people, after centuries of oppression, was crowned during the 19th century with creation of two states, Serbia and Montenegro. After the Congress of Berlin, these two independent states started their life within new borders. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the expansion of the development of railway traffic in this area, on the territory of states of that time: Serbia, Montenegro, Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

In 1878, at the Congress of Berlin, Serbia was declared an independent state and four new districts were annexed to it – Niš, Pirot, Vranje and Toplica districts. At the Congress, Austria-Hungary helped Serbia to gain new territories, conditioning Serbia, however, to sign a new convention. The convention obliged Serbia to construct the railway line from Belgrade to Vranje and Turkish and Bulgarian borders in three years. But because of lack of money, it's only constructed  line from Belgrade to Niš.

Stamp is issued on 09.04.1984.

Lithuania: Morning coffee for two

This is my first postcard from Lithuania and it's beautiful. Illustration is Morning coffee for two, by Ina Lukauskaitė.

Stamp is also nice - Introduction of Euro, issued on 02.01.2015.


Thank You very much Irena!

Yugoslavia: Europa CEPT 1984 - 25th Anniversary of the CEPT

In order to celebrate the 25 years of the CEPT, it has been decided to use a common design again as it was the case before 1974. On this two interesting maxicards, you can see all previous Europa CEPT stamps from Yugoslav Post!

Stamps are issued on 30.04.1984.

Christmas postcard from Germany

Another nice holiday postcard :)

Stamp is The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Otto von Bismarck, 1815-1898, issued on 02.04.2015.

Thank You Julka!

Yugoslavia: The 40 Years of Slovenian Monetary Institute

During the WWII, Slovenian Monetary Institute is established to be a bank, to print Partisan's money, and to give credits. On this maxicard you can see one of the money bills from that period. Stamp is issued on 12.03.1984.

Postcard from Braunschweig and new German stamps

My friend Dustin sent me postcard of his city and new German stamps.

These are new German stamps from January 2016:

These are truly big automotive icons: Porsche 911 Targa and Ford Capri 1, issued on
02.01.2016.

Löwenburg, issued on 02.01.2016.
Bavarian Forrest, issued on 02.01.2016.
1250 years of Schwetzingen, issued on 02.01.2016.

Stamps on cover:
Tagetes, issued on 07.07.2005.
The 200th Anniversary of Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, issued on 03.12.2015.


Thank You very much, Dustin!

Vatican City: The Creation of Adam

This is my first postcard from Vatican City -  The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo!

The Creation of Adam is a fresco painting by Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted c. 1511–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God breathes life into Adam, the first man. The fresco is part of a complex iconographic scheme and is chronologically the fourth in the series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis. It is the most well-known of the Sistine Chapel fresco panels, and its fame as a masterpiece of art is rivaled only by Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

The stamp is Christmas (from a set of two), issued on 19.11.2015.


Thank You very much, Luca!

USA: Kennedy Space Center

Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of human spaceflight since December 1968. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Though the first Apollo flights, and all Project Mercury and Project Gemini flights took off from CCAFS, the launches were managed by KSC and its previous organization, the Launch Operations Directorate.

Additionally, the center manages the launch of robotic and commercial crew missions, researches food production and In-Situ Resource Utilization for off-Earth exploration, and more. Since 2010, the center has worked to become a multi-user spaceport through industry partnerships, even adding a new launch pad in 2015.

Among the unique facilities at KSC are the 160 m tall Vehicle Assembly Building for stacking NASA's largest rockets, Operations and Checkout Building which houses the astronaut crew quarters, and 4,8 km long Shuttle Landing Facility. There is also a Visitor Complex open to the public on site.

Stamps:
Coastal Birds: Red Knot, issued on 01.06.2015.
Star-Spangled Banner: Flag and Fireworks, issued on 28.01.2014.
Charlie Brown Christmas: Linus by a tree, issued on 01.10.2015.


Thank You very much Lisa!

Turkey: Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey.
Atatürk was a military officer during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, he led the Turkish National Movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns led to victory in the Turkish War of Independence. Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern and secular nation-state. Under his leadership, thousands of new schools were built, primary education was made free and compulsory, and women were given equal civil and political rights, while the burden of taxation on peasants was reduced. His government also carried out an extensive policy of Turkification.

Stamp is Occupations Sinking into Oblivion (from a set of four), issued on 03.09.2015.


Thank You Yağmur!

Volkswagen Beetle on Kennedy Bridge in Hamburg

This is nice old photography of Volkswagen Beetle on Kennedy Bridge in Hamburg by Walter Lüden.
The Volkswagen Beetle is a economy car manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. The need for this kind of car, and its functional objectives, were formulated by Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, wishing for a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for the new road network of his country. He contracted Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 to design and build it, after telling him in 1933 "This is the car for my roads" of the extremely similar Tatra V570. Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design, and said of the Tatra influence "sometimes I looked over his shoulder and sometimes he looked over mine". In 1965, a payment of one million Marks was made to Tatra-Ringhoffer for numerous patent infringements by the Beetle design. With 21,529,464 produced, the Beetle is the longest running and most manufactured car of a single platform ever made.

This beautiful stamp is Mercedes Benz 220 S, issued on 02.04.2015.


Thank You Susanne!

Illustration from Russia

This beautiful illustration is artwork by Andrey Tatarko.

Stamps:
Bridge over Matsesta, Sochi, issued on 12.08.2009.
The 150th Anniversary of the County Mail, issued on 26.03.2015.


Thank You very much, Julia & Dmitriy!

Lovely day for a Guinness

This wonderful beer card is my first postcard from Slovenia!

Guinness is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803) at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. It is brewed in almost 60 countries and is available in over 120. Annual sales total 850 million litres.
I love their beer, it's awesome!

This is one of the stamps from my wishlist! Postcrossing stamp is issued on 29.05.2015.


Thank You very much Iztok!

Yugoslavia: Nature protection 1983

Kopaonik's national park was established in 1981. Deciduous forests and native coniferous woodland make up most of the forested land in the park. Kopaonik has many species of birds, such as rock partridge, scops owl, red-backed shrike, and the wood lark. Soil erosion is great threat as there is a lot of logging and deforestation in the park.

The national park is situated on a relatively flat region, at an altitude of about 1,700 m. This central Kopaonik plateau is called Suvo Rudište. It is surrounded by mountain peaks. To the north and northwest of this plateau stretches Banjski Kopaonik, which is the location of Jošanička Banja spa, whose strong springs' waters reach the temperature of 88 °C. Directly below the Suvo Rudište plateau starts the attractive and picturesque valley of the Samokovska River, characterized by its steep run, numerous rapids, falls and gorges.Kopaonik has over 200 sunny days annually and over 160 days covered by snow.

The Sutjeska National Park is a national park located in the Republika Srpska. Established in 1962, it is Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest national park. It includes the highest peak of Maglić at over 2,386 metres, on the border with Montenegro. The Montenegrin part of Maglić massif in the park has also formed the Trnovačko Jezero. The Strict Nature Reserve “Perućica”, one of the last two remaining primeval forests in Europe, is part of the park. The park is also famous as being the location of the Battle of the Sutjeska in 1943 during World War II. It is an affiliated member of EUROPARC Federation.

Stamps are issued on 10.09.1983.

Coffee Beans in a Scoop

Coffee Beans in a Scoop is photographic print by Steven Morris. I have received this postcard from Germany.

Stamps:
Tagetes, issued on 2005-07-07
Germany World Champion Football Brazil 2014, issued on 2014-07-17


Thank You Angelika!

Yugoslavia: The 100 Years of Birth of Ivan Meštrović

Ivan Meštrović  was a Croatian sculptor and architect. He was born on August 15, 1883, in Slavonia, Austria-Hungary, which is located in modern-day Croatia. At the age of sixteen, a master stone cutter from Split, Pavle Bilinić, noticed his talent and he took him as an apprentice.

In 1905 he made his first exhibit with the Secession Group in Vienna, noticeably influenced with the Art Nouveau style. His work quickly became popular, even with the likes of Auguste Rodin who once said that Meštrović is the greatest phenomenon among sculptors and even greater sculptor than he was.

He was a contemporary and friend of Nikola Tesla.


Stamp is issued on 1983-08-15.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I have received this wonderful postcard from Postcrossing meeting in Krasnoyarsk!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is the first installment in a three-part film adaptation based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is followed by The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), and together they act as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The film's screenplay was written by Peter Jackson, his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and Guillermo del Toro, who was originally chosen to direct the film before leaving the project in 2010.

Stamps:
Novgorod Kremlin, issued on 2009-10-01
Astrakhan Kremlin, issued on 2009-10-01
Arts and Crafts of Russia - Ceramic Tiles from Moscow, issued on 2015-08-04
Fox 0.5, issued on 2008-08-29


Thank You very much Oxana and all participants of meeting!

Christmas card from Russia

Hire is nice Christmas postcard with Pippi Longstocking by Natalia Anurchenkova.

Stamps:
Kolomna Kremlin, issued on 2009-10-01
Bear 25р. (from set of eight), issued on 2008-08-29


Thank You Maria!

Mini Cooper

The Mini is a small economy car made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s.

In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the Citroën DS and Volkswagen Beetle.

The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S," were successful as rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967. In 1966, the first-placed Mini was disqualified after the finish, under a controversial decision that the car's headlights were against the rules.

Stamp is Toy Story (from set of five) , issued on 2012-10-23.


Thank You very much Iris!

Chile: 2 Gatos presentandose by Loro Coirón

This is my first postcard and stamps from Chile! This is artwork 2 Gatos presentandose by Chilean artist Loro Coirón. This postcard is huge! Dimensions are 12,5x29 cm!

Stamps are beautiful!

Cartografía: Isla Robinson Crusoe, issued on 2015-11-01
Cartografía: Antártica, issued on 2015-11-01
Cartografía: Isla Robinson Crusoe, issued on 2015-11-01
Art - Paintings by Chilean Artist Matta (from set of nine), issued on 2008-03-26


Thank You very much Daniela!

Yugoslavia: EUROPA CEPT 1983 Ivo Andrić

Ivo Andrić (9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under Ottoman rule.

Born in Travnik in Habsburg-occupied Bosnia, Andrić attended high school in Sarajevo, where he became an active member of several South Slav national youth organizations. Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, Andrić was arrested and imprisoned by the Austro-Hungarian police. As the authorities were unable to build a strong case against him, he was placed under house arrest for much of the war, only being released following a general amnesty for such cases in July 1917. After the war, he studied South Slavic history and literature at universities in Zagreb and Graz, eventually attaining his Ph.D in Graz in 1924. Between 1920 and 1941, he worked in the diplomatic service of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

In 1939, he was appointed Yugoslav ambassador to Germany but his tenure ended in 1941 with the German-led invasion of his country. Shortly after the invasion, Andrić returned to German-occupied Belgrade. He lived quietly in the city for the duration of World War II, writing some of his most important works, including the The Bridge on the Drina (this famous bridge is on first maxicard) . Following the war, he was named to a number of ceremonial posts in Yugoslavia, which had come under communist at war's end.

In 1961, the Nobel Committee awarded Andrić the Nobel Prize in Literature, selecting him over the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Frost, John Steinbeck and E.M. Forster. The Committee cited "the epic force with which he traced themes and depicted human destinies drawn from his country's history". Andrić died in Belgrade in 1975.

Stamps are issued on 1983-05-05.

Guernsey: Spock

This is Touchnote card from Guernsey. I sent this to my wife as a surprise. We are both big fans of Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek TV show.

Spock, commonly Mr. Spock, is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. Spock was first portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, and also appears in the animated Star Trek series, a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, eight of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek novels, comics, and video games. In addition, numerous actors portrayed the various stages of Spock's rapid growth, due to the effects of the Genesis Planet, in the 1984 Star Trek film Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. In the 2009 film Star Trek, Nimoy reprised his role with Zachary Quinto, who depicted a younger version of the character, existing within an alternate timeline. Both reprised their roles in the 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness and Quinto will reprise his role again in 2016 Star Trek Beyond.
 

There is no real stamp on this card, as Touchnote send this cards as a prepaid cards. Too bad.