Harvesting and baling hay in South Greenland

This is my second postcard from Greenland. First one was with flag, this is first view postcard. It shows harvesting and baling hay in South Greenland with nice background with frozen mountains.
South Greenland was a Danish colony on Greenland consisting of the trading centers and missionary stations along the southwest coast of the island. Its capital was at Godthaab, (today Nuuk). Boundary between South and North Greenland ran at around 68°N degree of latitude, and in the South, South Greenland stretched to 59°30'N. It was united with North Greenland in 1950.

This round stamp is Pole to Pole - Joint Issue with Ross Dependency, issued on 20.10.2014.


Thank you Rosmarie!

Lucie and Raymond Aubrac on FDC from France

Raymond Aubrac was a leader of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Samuel was serving in the French army as an engineering officer on the Maginot Line at the outbreak of the Second World War. Samuel was taken prisoner by the German army on 21 June 1940, but he managed to escape from the internment camp with the aid of his wife. He and Lucie joined the French Resistance in 1940. In the autumn of 1940, they formed one of the first underground Resistance groups in Lyon. Raymond Aubrac was arrested by the Milice on March 15, 1943 in a routine raid. His captors had no idea whom they had captured. He was eventually released two months later. On June 21, 1943, Aubrac was one of eight senior Resistance leaders  secretly meeting in the Lyon suburb of Caluire when Gestapo officers, under the orders of Klaus Barbie, stormed the place and arrested all the eight leaders. The eight leaders were interrogated and tortured under the direction of Barbie. Aubrac was sentenced to death by a Paris court, but the execution was not quickly carried out because the authorities still hoped to obtain intelligence from him. Lucie Aubrac helped to organise his escape from the prison. She claimed to be his fiancée, saying he was named "Ermelin" (one of his aliases) and that he had been caught in the raid while innocently visiting a doctor. She was told that he was to be executed for resistance, and asked to marry him; a French legal clause allowed engaged people to marry if one of them was soon to die. Later, when he was being brought back to prison after the supposed marriage, he and fifteen other prisoners were rescued by resisters in cars, led by Lucie, who attacked the vehicle he was in.


Thank you Axel!

Indonesia: Year of The Dog 2018

I received this fine maxicard from Indonesia dedicated to Year of The Dog 2018. The Dog is eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
This stamp is from set of three stamps issued on 1.2.2018.

I also received this postcard with this cute and unusual marsupial animal - common spotted cuscus. The common spotted cuscus is about the size of a common house cat, weighing 1.5 to 6 kilograms.

Postcards arrived in this cover with two stamps:
Towards Vision 2045 Development Program, issued on 29.9.2017.
World Press Freedom Day, issued on 3.5.2017.


Thank you Mia!

Flags of the World Series: Bolivia

This my first postcard from Bolivia, landlocked country located in western-central South America. The capital is Sucre while the seat of government is located in La Paz. Its geography varies from the peaks of the Andes in the West, to the Eastern Lowlands, situated within the Amazon Basin. It is bordered to the north and east by Brazil, to the southeast by Paraguay, to the south by Argentina, to the southwest by Chile, and to the northwest by Peru. One-third of the country is within the Andean mountain range.

Unfortunately, post office ran out of stamps, but after all problems with Bolivian post, i am happy to receive this postcard even with this meter stamp.


Thank you Ronald!

Another cover from Samoa

This is my second cover from Samoa, but first with overprinted stamp in many, many years. I don't remember when i last time received mail with overprinted face value. When i was kid, they often overprinted stamps in Yugoslavia. My first Samoan was sent from capital city Apia, but this one is sent from Salelologa, a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market selling fresh produce and arts and crafts.

Stamps on cover:
Overprinted stamp is previously issued on 28.09.2005, as a part of set Legends of Samoa, but i didn't found info when is overprinted.
Second stamp is Sunset at Savaii, from set The 3rd Pacific SIDS Conference - Small Island Developing States, issued on 29.8.2014.

Thank you Wolfgang!

Monaco: Legendary Race Cars

I received cover from Monaco with whole set Legendary Race Cars, issued on 16.2.2018.
Two famous racing cars are on this stamps: Mercedes Benz W196 & Lotus 49.

The Mercedes-Benz W196 was a Formula One racing car produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 F1 seasons. Successor to the W194, in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the only two world championships in which it competed. Its crash at Le Mans that year ended not only its own short-lived domination on the WSC circuit but spelled the end also for the W196, as Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing in 1955 and did not return for another three decades.

The Lotus 49 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1967 F1 season. It was designed around the Cosworth DFV engine that would power most of the Formula One grid through the 1970s. Jim Clark won on the car's debut, in 1967, and it would also provide him with the last win of his career, in 1968. Graham Hill went on to win that year's title and the car continued winning races until 1970. 


Thank you Ricardo!

Flags of the World Series: Brunei

Brunei , officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace, is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, the country is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak. Brunei gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984.

Stamp on postcard is from set The 50th Anniversary of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, issued on 31.5.2012.

Thank you Dewi!

Fiji: Traditional weapons

Fijian War clubs were the most cherished weapon of the Fijian warrior. Different clubs were for different fighting scenarios. Some Fijian War clubs were for fighting in the jungle while others for grasslands. Many clubs were also status items and were only owned by chiefs or priests.Fijian War clubs with large amounts of mana were sometimes placed in a temple to the gods of war. They became ritual objects in funerary rites and certain craft ceremonies.

Stamps on postcard:

Christmas on Fiji, issued on 5.12.2016.

Navatanitawake, from set Traditional Houses, issued on 20.3.2007.

Thank you Wolfgang for this beautiful postcard!

Cover from Samoa

I received my first cover from Samoa, also known as Western Samoa. The entire island group, which includes American Samoa, was called "Navigator Islands". The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a unique Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity. Cover is sent from capital city Apia.

Stamps on cover are from WWF set Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), issued on 3.9.2006.


Thank you Wolfgang and Jinesh!

Cover from Belgium

I received mail from Belgium after long time. And this is my first cover from Belgium, i had only postcards so far. Stamp on cover is King Philippe, definitive stamp for Europe, issued on 28.10.2013.

Inside was used Belgium stamps for my collection.

Thank you Jacques!

Indonesia: Year of the Monkey with matching stamp

The Monkey is the ninth of 12 animals in the recurring 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. Monkey years include: 1932, 1944, 1956,  1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016. The monkey is a clever animal. It is usually compared to a smart person. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), the dignified Chinese official title of marquis was pronounced 'Hou', the same as the pronunciation of ‘monkey’ in Chinese. The animal was thereby bestowed with an auspicious meaning.

Earthly Branch of Birth Year: Shen
Wu Xing (The Five Elements): Jin (Metal)
Yin Yang: Yang

Stamps on postcard:
Asian Games, issued on 18.1.2018.
Year of the Monkey, issued on 23.1.2016.
Istiqlal Festival, issued on 15.10.1991.


Thank you Wiwiet!

Indonesia: International Year of Astronomy

The International Year of Astronomy was a year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th century. The Year was declared by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. Many countries issued stamps dedicated to this topic, and Indonesia is one of them. This stamp set is issued on 2.5.2009.

Stamps arrived in this cover, but stamps are not canceled. Stamps on cover:
Five Year Development Plan (from set of two), issued on 1.4.1990.
Bridges (from set of three), issued on 3.12.2017.
Visit Indonesia Year (from set of four), issued on 1.1.1991.
Olympic Games in Barcelona  (from set of five), issued on 1.6.1992.

Inside cover was also this card, about saving and releasing orangutan in Borneo.


Thank you Alfinnadzifah!

Flags of the World Series: Guernsey

Guernsey is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. With several smaller nearby islands, it forms a jurisdiction within the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency. The jurisdiction is made up of ten parishes on the island of Guernsey, three other inhabited islands (Herm, Jethou and Lihou), and many small islets and rocks.

Awesome stamps from set Guernsey Folklore, issued on 19.7.2017.


Thank you Rosmarie!

Postcard from Aitutaki cancelled on One Foot Island

This is my first postcard from Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. The main village is Arutanga on the west side. Author of this postcard is my friend Wolfgang, who took picture from airplane approaching Aitutaki.

This huge and fantastic cancellation represents Tapuaetai or "One Foot Island", one of 22 islands in the Aitutaki atoll of the Cook Islands. They call it One Foot Island because, from the air,  it resembles a left foot. But there is also legend: A tribe once attacked the main island and a man and his son escaped by canoe to an unnamed islet.  The father carried the boy across the beach and hid him in a tall coconut tree.  Then he paddled all the way to Rarotonga for help.  When the attackers reached the islet they saw only one set of footprints on and off the island and they left.  The boy remained safely hidden until his father returned with help.  And from then on, the islet was known as One Foot Island.

Stamp on postcard is Southern Giant Clam (from set Aitutaki Marine Research Centre), issued on 25.7.2011.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Sunrise over Singapore Harbour

My friend Wolfgang took this amazing photo with famous Singapore Flyer and incoming airplane SIA A380 in background! He printed this as a postcard and sent me from Singapore! The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel in Singapore. Described by its operators as an observation wheel, it opened in 2008, construction having taken about 2½ years. It has 28 air-conditioned capsules, each able to accommodate 28 passengers. The Flyer has an overall height of 165 meters and was the world's tallest Ferris wheel until the 167.6 m High Roller is  opened on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada on 31 March 2014.

This stamp is reprint from set Vanishing Trades, originally issued on 26.11.2014, and reprinted in 2017.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Flags of the World Series: Easter Island

Easter Island is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. It is believed that Easter Island's Polynesian inhabitants arrived on Easter Island sometime in the 12th century AD. They created a thriving and industrious culture, as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone moai and other artifacts. However, land clearing for cultivation and the introduction of the Polynesian rat led to gradual deforestation. By the time of European arrival in 1722, the island's population was estimated to be 2,000–3,000. European diseases, Peruvian slave raiding expeditions in the 1860s and emigration to other islands further depleted the population, reducing it to a low of 111 native inhabitants in 1877. Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888. In 1966, the Rapa Nui were granted Chilean citizenship.

Fantastic moai postmarks and a lot of nice Chilean stamps:
Four stamps from set Chilean Cartography, issued on 4.11.2015.
Christmas, issued on 28.11.2011.
Two stamps from set Indigenous People - Selk'nam, issued on 29.12.2016.


Thank you Ronald!

Alderney: The View from the Lover’s Chair

Two beautifully scenic stamps have been produced by Guernsey Post to celebrate Valentine’s Day and they are released at Stampex 2018, the big British Stamp Show. Guernsey Post’s contribution, released on Valentine’s Day features ‘The View from the Lover’s Chair’, the work of Paul Jacob Naftel who was the Island’s most famous and successful artist during the 19th century.


Thank you Rosmarie!

Postcard from Saba

Saba is a Caribbean island which is the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands, and part of Caribbean Netherlands together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius. It consists largely of the potentially active volcano Mount Scenery, at 887 meters the highest point of the entire Netherlands. The vegetation of Saba is mainly composed of woodland forest with ferns and damp soil, and many mango trees. Visitors refer to Saba's forests as "the Elfin Forest" because of its high altitude mist, and mossy appearance. A woodland reserve was created and named "Elfin Forest Reserve". Saba's lush plant and animal wildlife is diverse and is cared for by the Saba Conservation Foundation.

Stamp on postcard is Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), issued on 10.11.2014.


Thank you Wolfgang!

What do you know about Series: Portugal

I received my second postcard from What do you know about Series, this time from Portugal. I like that fun fact about pastry on this postcard, so unique! I already know about famous yellow trams and blue tiles, but this with pastry make me laugh :)

This time machine cancellation is on right side of postcard, but is barely visible. Pale red ink is not good choice for cancellation. Stamps on postcard:

Traditional Portuguese Festivities, issued on 20.7.2012.
The 500th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint Teresa of Jesus, issued on 11.9.2015.
The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Saint John Bosco, issued on 3.9.2015.


Thank you Bruna!

Flags of the World Series: Portugal

 Portugal is a country located mostly on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. It is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, bordered to the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the north and east by Spain. Its territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments.

Stamp is Geothermic Plant of Ribeira Grande (from set Electricity in Portugal), issued on 19.3.2018.
Stamp is not cancelled, because postal clerk put wrong side of postcard in machine. You can see machine cancellation on upper part of front side of postcard :)




Thank you Bruna!

What do you know about Series: Czech Republic

I received my first postcard from What do you know about Series. My first received country in this series is Czech Republic. I like fun facts and illustrations in this postcard series, and on this postcard Krteček is my favorite.

Stamp on postcard is Postcrossing, issued on 2.9.2015.

Thank you very much!

Russia: The 150th Anniversary of the City of Mariehamn!

I earlier arranged cover with this mini sheet for my Nina, but sheet was stolen from cover, and it's sent again, but this time inside cover. Mini sheet is dedicated to The 150th Anniversary of the City of Mariehamn, and is issued on 21.2.2011. Mariehamn is today capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty, but it was part of Russian Empire and named after Russian empress Maria Alexandrovna.

Stamps used on cover:
Coat of arms of the town of Alexandrov, issued on 18.6.2013.
The 25th Anniversary of the Republic of Ingushetia, issued on 4.6.2017.
Novgorod Kremlin, issued on 1.10.2009.

Inside was also this nice philatelic postcard.

Thank you Ekaterina!

Flags of the World Series: Tanzania

This is my third postcard from Tanzania, this time from Flags of the World Series. United Republic of Tanzania is a sovereign state in eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Stamps on postcard:
Waterbuck, from set Wild Animals of Africa, issued on 28.10.2010.
Kuria lady from Mara, from set Ceremonial Costumes of Tanzania, issued on 30.11.2013.


Thank you Yangyang Hong!

Europa CEPT 2018 on cover from Liechtenstein

I received cover from Liechtenstein sent by my friend Mirek. He used Europa CEPT 2018 stamp, issued on 5.3.2018. On this stamp you can see old bridge over the Rhine in Vaduz. This is a covered wooden bridge linking the municipalities of Vaduz and Sevelen. Measuring 135 meters in length, it was completed in 1901 and is today the only remaining wooden bridge spanning the Rhine.


Thank you Mirek!

USA: Postcard from Pennsylvania

I received Postcrossing postcard after a very long time. Lately i do only private swaps, so it's a little bit refreshing to receive surprise postcard. This one is from Pennsylvania, a state located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The Appalachian Mountains run through its middle. Pennsylvania is the 33rd-largest state by area, and the 6th-most populous state according to the last official US census count in 2010. It is the 9th-most densely populated of the 50 states. Pennsylvania's two most populous cities are Philadelphia (1,567,872), and Pittsburgh (303,625). The state capital and its 15th largest city is Harrisburg.

Stamps on postcard:
George Washington, issued on 11.4.2011.
Jimi Hendrix, issued on 13.3.2014.
Bioluminescent Life: Deep-ocean Octopus, issued on 22.2.2018.


Thank you Nadine!

Cover from South Africa and various African stamps

I received another fine cover from South Africa, with mint stamps from South African  Bantustans Venda and Transkei, and my first stamps from Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) and South West Africa (today Namibia)! Stamp on this cover is Merops apiaster, from set Bee-eaters, issued on 18.5.2017.

Venda: Musical Instruments, issued on 13.11.1981.

Transkei:

 The 10th Anniversary of Airline "Transkei Airways", issued on 5.2.1987.

Transkei Beadwork, issued on 22.5.1987.

The 10th Anniversary of Independence issued on 26.10.1986.

Rhodesia: The 75th Anniversary of Powered Flight, issued on 18.10.1978. 

South West Africa: The 75th Anniversary of Aviation in South West Africa, issued on 18.5.1989.

Here is also this date stamps card, with stamp from set The 30th Anniversary of Republic. Scientific and Technological Achievements, issued on 31.5.1991. Card is cancelled on 11.9.1991. in Botshabelo Museum.


Thank you Willy!