Austria: Postcrossing Meet-Up in Innsbruck

I have received postcard from International Postcrossing Meet-Up in Innsbruck, held on 19th November 2016. Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol in western Austria. Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports center, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. Innsbruck also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012.

Stamp on postcard is Christmas, issued on 13.11.2015.

Thank you Inger!

Postcards from Mexico

I have received my first mail from Mexico,  registered cover with 13 awesome postcards inside, and with wonderful stamps on cover!

Though progress has arrived, the ancestral traditions and customs refuse to disappear. You can still see the muleteers carrying their merchandise on donkeys and horses.

Mexico is a country that still preserves a great variety of indian groups. This doll maker offers her handicrafts to the tourists.

The Cultural Institute Cabañas with its copper dome, show the way to the "Plaza Tapatia", an open space that ends at the Degollado Theatre.

An enormous plaza serves as vestibule to the Franciscan convent and the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan.

Chapala is the largest lake in Mexico.

Jalisco Stadium is home of the Chivas and Atlas soccer teams. It was inaugurated on January 31, 1960. In 1968 the Olympic games were held here, and in 1970 and 1986 the World Soccer Cup.

Another view of Franciscan convent and the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan.

 The delightful town of Ajijic, situated on the edge of Lake Chapala.

Main plaza and government palace are heart of Guadalajara. The palace was constructed by Manuel Jose Conique during the XVIII century. The kiosk of the plaza was made in Paris.

The facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapooan, finished in 1730, is located at the center pf the Franciscan Convent which dates from the XVI century.

Tlaquepaque is a small town of artisans very close to Guadalajara. Its plaza and the Church of Saint Peter are the heart of the "Villa Alfarera", as it called.

Jose Clemente Orozco painted between 1936-1939, at the Government Palace, this portrait of Miguel Hidalgo, who initiated the independence of Mexico, and in this same building abolished slavery in 1810.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of St. John of the Lakes s a Catholic church located in the city of San Juan de los Lagos.

And for the end this registered cover with fantastic stamps!

International Year of Crystallography, issued on 19.11.2014.
Fol Art: Horn Comb & Lacquered wooden chest, from set of 12, issued this year.
Archaeology - Xochicalco, complete set, issued on 01.10.2015.


Thank you very much Alonso!

Serbia: Art 2016

Every year Serbian Post have Art edition. This year we have eight new stamps and four First Day Covers.

 All this stamps marks date of births of this eight great artists.

225th anniversary of the Birth of Sima Milutinović Sarajlija, Serbian poet,
175th anniversary of the Birth of Laza Kostić, also Serbian poet

125th anniversary of the Birth of Stanislav Vinaver, Serbian poet and translator
125th anniversary of the Birth of Tin Ujević, Yugoslav and Croatian poet

125th anniversary of the Birth of Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writter
125th anniversary of the Birth of Lajos Zilahy, Hungarian novelist and playwright

150th anniversary of the Birth of  Wassily Kandinsky, Russian painter and art theorist
175th anniversary of the Birth of Antonín Dvořák , Czech composer

This stamps comes in this beautiful booklet full of informations on Serbian and English language. Release date is 23.11.2016.

The 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Fight for Czech Statehood

What a wonderful big commemorative miniature sheet The 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Fight for Czech Statehood from Czech Republic!

The upper definitive stamp in the background commemorates Czech historical persons, such as St. Wenceslas, Přemysl II Ottokar, and the major anniversary of Charles IV’s birth in 1316. The lower definitive stamp depicts widows and single mothers in the symbolic shadow of the Austrian imperial eagle.

The lower left-hand coupon contains portraits of persons who influenced the political development, such as M.R. Štefánik, T.G. Masaryk and Edvard Beneš. The lower right-hand coupon contains portraits of certain representatives of the involved countries, such as King Wilhelm II of Prussia, Generalfeldmarschall von Hindenburg, Tsar Nicolas II. The left-hand coupon displays events amidst the started war game, with Emperor Franz Joseph I dying on the 21st of November. The right-hand coupon portrays Charles I who became the new emperor on 21 November 1916 after the death of his great uncle Franz Joseph I. The upper coupons shows the flags of the involved countries, gaily fluttering above the images of destruction.

The path to statehood during the world war in 1916 is the theme of the third souvenir sheet in the series dedicated, after a century, to the years of 1914-1918


Thank you Klara!

Czech Republic: Nature Protection - Zoological Gardens

I have received this wonderful miniature sheet Nature Protection - Zoological Gardensfrom Czech Republic.

The CZK 16 stamp is dedicated to Jihlava Zoo: a pair of leopards with their offspring. This garden is located at a place close to the city centre, and yet it contains forested hillsides, meadows, rocks and water areas surrounding the small river weaving through the zoo. The zoo is the home of over 200 exotic species of animals, with a special focus on apes and felines, including snow leopard portrayed on the stamp.


The CZK 20 stamp presents Olomouc Zoo: a pair of Barbary lions with babies and an outline of a herd of antelopes - South African oryxes in the background. It is located in a beautiful forested landscape at the foothills of the Lower Jeseník mountains.

The CZK 24 stamp presents the second largest Czech zoo in Dvůr Králové, famous for the first African safari park in the country. This focus on African animals was the brainchild of Josef Vágner, the zoo’s director between 1695 and 1983 who organised several expeditions to Africa, resulting in many animals, especially ungulates, being brought into the collection. The stamp portrays a rare black rhino with a baby and a couple of hyena dogs in the front.

The CZK 27 depicts a herd of Przewalski’s horse, which is the emblematic species of Prague Zoo. Last year, the zoo was declared the fourth best zoo in the world by the largest travel site TripAdvisor, based on the opinions of hundreds of thousands of its regular users.


Thank you Klara!

Cover from Ukraine and minisheet Cats

I have received nice cover from Ukraine with this wonderful minisheet Cats, issued on 15.06.2007. You can see six breeds of cats: American Shorthair, Sphynx, Scottish Fol, Snowshoe, Russian Blue and Somali.

Perforation: frame 11½
Printing:Offset lithography
Size:33 x 29.5 mm
Face value:70 Ukrainian kopiyka
Print run:150,000
Design: Larisa Melnik

 

A lot of nice stamps on cover from Ukraine, as always! Here you can see:

National Football Team of Ukraine, issued on 22.05.2016.
Frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy, issued on 02.07.2016.
Republic of Crimea (from set of two), issued on 24.04.2013.
Fire Engines (from set of three), issued on 12.10.2016.


Thank you Gala!

Alu-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan

Ala-Kul is a rock-dammed lake in the Terskey Alatau mountain range in the Ak-Suu District of Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. It lies at an altitude of approximately 3560 meters.

A Russian traveller named Putimtsoff was the first to visit the lake in 1811. He gave a good description of it, mentioning about rocks of different colours in the lake, and the furious winds blowing around the lake. Thirty years later Alexander Schrenk explored the lake and its surroundings.
Literally, the name Ala-kul would mean 'variegated lake,' although it probably takes its name from the Ala-Таu mountains lying further north.

Stamps are The 70th Anniversary of the Birth of Nasirdin Isanov, issued on 01.10.2013.


Thank you Roman!

Bahrain International Circuit

The Bahrain International Circuit is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 and the annual Bahrain Grand Prix. The first Bahrain Grand Prix took place on 4 April 2004, making history as the first Formula One Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East. Bahrain fought off fierce competition from elsewhere in the region to stage the race, with Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates all hoping for the prestige of hosting a Formula One Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, the same architect who designed the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

Charity stamp, unknown release date
Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, issued on 15.07.2002.
50th Anniversary of Bahrain Garden Club, issued on 26.02.2015.


Thank you Edwin!

USA: Complete FDC set Views of Our Planets

I have received another wonderful complete FDC set - Views of Our Planets. During the modern era of space exploration, the planets of our solar system have been viewed with increasing clarity, thanks to the distant voyages of unmanned spacecraft and the development of ever-more powerful telescopes. With this pane of 8 stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® showcases some of the more visually compelling full-disk images of the planets obtained during this era.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System (0.055 Earth masses). Mercury has no natural satellites; besides impact craters, its only known geological features are lobed ridges or rupes that were probably produced by a period of contraction early in its history. Mercury's very tenuous atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the solar wind.

Venus is close in size to Earth (0.815 Earth masses) and, like Earth, has a thick silicate mantle around an iron core, a substantial atmosphere, and evidence of internal geological activity. It is much drier than Earth, and its atmosphere is ninety times as dense. It is the hottest planet, with surface temperatures over 400 °C, most likely due to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Earth is the largest and densest of the inner planets, the only one known to have current geological activity, and the only place where life is known to exist. Its liquid hydrosphere is unique among the terrestrial planets, and it is the only planet where plate tectonics has been observed. Earth's atmosphere is radically different from those of the other planets, having been altered by the presence of life to contain 21% free oxygen.

Mars is smaller than Earth and Venus (0.107 Earth masses).  Its surface, peppered with vast volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons, and rift valleys, such as Valles Marineris, shows geological activity that may have persisted until as recently as 2 million years ago. Its red colour comes from iron oxide in its soil. Mars has two tiny natural satellites (Deimos and Phobos) thought to be captured asteroids.

Jupiter, at 318 Earth masses, is 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets put together. It is composed largely of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter's strong internal heat creates semi-permanent features in its atmosphere, such as cloud bands and the Great Red Spot. Jupiter has 67 known satellites. The four largest, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa, show similarities to the terrestrial planets, such as volcanism and internal heating. Ganymede, the largest satellite in the Solar System, is larger than Mercury.

Saturn, distinguished by its extensive ring system, has several similarities to Jupiter, such as its atmospheric composition and magnetosphere. Saturn is the only planet of the Solar System that is less dense than water. The rings of Saturn are made up of small ice and rock particles. Saturn has 62 confirmed satellites composed largely of ice. Two of these, Titan and Enceladus, show signs of geological activity. Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System, is larger than Mercury and the only satellite in the Solar System with a substantial atmosphere.

Uranus, at 14 Earth masses, is the lightest of the outer planets. Uniquely among the planets, it orbits the Sun on its side; its axial tilt is over ninety degrees to the ecliptic. It has a much colder core than the other giant planets and radiates very little heat into space. Uranus has 27 known satellites, the largest ones being Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda.

Neptune, though slightly smaller than Uranus, is more massive (equivalent to 17 Earths) and hence more dense. It radiates more internal heat, but not as much as Jupiter or Saturn. Neptune has 14 known satellites. The largest, Triton, is geologically active, with geysers of liquid nitrogen. Triton is the only large satellite with a retrograde orbit. Neptune is accompanied in its orbit by several minor planets, termed Neptune trojans, that are in 1:1 resonance with it.


Thank you very much Charlotte!

Serbia: Children's Stamp 2016

Serbian Post will release tomorrow four new stamps and two First Day Covers! This four stamps depicts story "The frog is reading newspapers" by famous Serbian poet Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, was one of the best-known Serbian poets. He was a physician by profession. He wrote in many of the genres of poetry, including love, lyric, patriotic, political, youth's, etc. But he is best known for his children's poetry.

His family was an old and noble family. In his earliest childhood he showed a great desire to learn by heart the Serbian national songs which were recited to him, and even as a child he began to compose poems. His father, who was a highly cultivated and wealthy man, gave him his first education in his native city. After this he went to Ofenpesth, Prague, and Vienna, and in these cities he finished his studies in law.

 This was the wish of his father, but his own inclinations prompted him to take up the study of medicine. He then returned to his native city, where a prominent official position was offered him, which he accepted; but so strong were his poetical instincts that a year later he abandoned the post to devote himself entirely to literary work.

USA: Complete FDC set Star Trek 50th Anniversary

I have received beautiful complete FDC set Star Trek 50th Anniversary. Star Trek is my favorite TV show franchise. USPS had issued for stamps and four covers on 2nd September 2016. Starship Enterprise is used as postmark.

On September 8, 1966, Star Trek premiered. Centered on the interstellar voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the prime-time television program's mission was to boldly go where no man has gone before.With an intricate futuristic setting, multicultural cast, and story lines that touched on social issues, Star Trek pushed past the boundaries of popular science fiction and became a worldwide phenomenon.

Each of the four self-adhesive Star Trek stamps showcases one of four digital illustrations inspired by elements of the classic TV show: the Starship Enterprise inside the outline of a Starfleet insignia against a gold background, the silhouette of a crewman in a transporter against a red background, the silhouette of the Enterprise from above against a green background, and the Enterprise inside the outline of the Vulcan salute (Spock's iconic hand gesture) against a blue background.

This FDC set arrived in nice registered cover wit a lot of stamps

Stamps on cover:
Breast Cancer Research, issued on 29.07.1998.
Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), issued on 11.09.2011.
Pluto: New Horizons, issued on 31.05.2016.
Gingerbread Houses, issued on 06.11.2013.
Bobcat (Lynx rufus), issued on 01.06.2012.
Winter Fun, issued on 23.10.2014.
Global: Silver Bells Wreath, issued on 23.10.2014.
Batman 75th Anniversary, issued on 09.10.2014.
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), issued on 10.02.2014.
Pickup Trucks: 1938 International Harvester D-2, issued on 15.07.2016.


Thank you very much Charlotte!

Syria: Damascus

I have received my first postcard from war-torn Syria. Damascus is the capital city of Syria, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. First settled in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries.

Damascus was built in a strategic site on a plateau above sea level and about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon mountains, supplied with water by the Barada River, and at a crossroads between trade routes: the north-south route connecting Egypt with Asia Minor, and the east-west cross-desert route connecting Lebanon with the Euphrates river valley. The estimated population of Damascus in 2011 was 1,711,000. Damascus is the center of an over-crowded metropolitan area with an estimated population of 5 million.

Both stamps are National Environment Day, issued on 25.11.2015.

Thank you Tanya!

Fantastic cover from Costa Rica

I have received fantastic big cover from Costa Rica, with a lot of postcards, 3 mini sheets, 3 banknotes and one coin, map of Costa Rica, key chain and coaster! And it's very hard to tell what is my favorite from all this amazing stuff! Let's start with stamps.

This mini sheet is Art of Costa Rica, issued on 03.07.2008. On this stamps you can see art of Rudy Espinoza, Crisanto Badillo, Miguel Hernandez and Lola Fernandez.

Seconds mini sheet is Archaeological Sites, issued on 23.06.2016. This mini sheet is unique because statue on left side have rough surface, it feels like stone under your fingers!

Third mini sheet is National Park Marino Las Baulas, issued on 24.08.2016. Turtles (Dermachelys coriacea) on this mini sheet are embossed! You can see embossing on the back side on picture below.

This is fantastic set of 21 postcards with flora, fauna and nature of Costa Rica.

This is another set of postcard - Birds of Costa Rica

There is also a map of Costa Rica

Banknotes are 5 colones (24.01.1990), 50 colones (07.07.1993), and 100 colones (28.09.1993.)

This is backside of banknotes, and smallest banknote is beautiful!

Front and backside of 100 colones coin from year 2014.

Front and backside of beautiful leather key chain. On front side is Costa Rican volcano Arenal, and on backside are birds of Costa Rica and national motto Pura Vida - Pure Life.

And for the end, one nice coaster!

All that is received in this registered cover

Thank you very much Randall!