Germany: Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.

The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 61 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with as many as 6,000 per day in the summer.

 Stamp is The 100th Anniversary of the Möhnetalsperre Dam, issued on 04.04.2013.


Thank you Barbara!

India: Qutb Minar

Qutub Minar, at 120 meters, is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and the second tallest minar in India after Fateh Burj at Mohali. Qutub Minar, along with the ancient and medieval monuments surrounding it, form the Qutub Complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower is located in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India. Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutub Minar is a 73-meter tall tapering tower with a diameter measuring 14.32 meters at the base and 2.75 meters at the peak. Inside the tower, a circular staircase with 379 steps leads to the top.

In 1200 AD, Qutub-ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Delhi Sultanate started construction of the Qutub Minar. In 1220, Aibak's successor and son-in-law Iltutmish added three storeys to the tower. In 1369, lightning struck the top storey, destroying it completely. So, Firoz Shah Tughlaq carried out restoration work replacing the damaged storey with two new storeys every year, made of red sandstone and white marble.

Stamps:
Mahatma Gandhi, issued on 01.03.2009.
The Kuka Movement, issued on 24.12.2014.


Thank you Shashi!

Foam mice on bicycles

This is folk craft Foam mice on bicycles, from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. This is part of International Folk Art Foundation Collection, in Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of New Mexico. Photography by Blair Clark.

Stamp is Global: The Moon, issued on 22.02.2016.

Thank you Nancy!

Canada: Year of the Monkey 2016

This nice postcard is issued by Canada Post. Year of the Monkey begins February 8, 2016, and ends January 27, 2017. The ninth creature in the lunar cycle is an all-powerful symbol of honour, luck, riches and longevity, according to Chinese custom. Monkey symbols traditionally include an element of “-godliness”– one of the reasons they are ubiquitous in classic Chinese art and architecture.

Those lucky enough to be born in the Year of the Monkey count brilliance, flexibility, skillfulness and inventiveness among their traits, along with an excellent memory, an iron will and a strong drive to succeed. On the downside, Monkeys are said to be easily frustrated by delays, tend to look down on others and have a fast-flaring temper that (fortunately) cools quickly.

 This postcard is prepaid.

Thank you Ruxandra!

Clash of the old ones by Russell Bloor

This is digital abstraction by Russell Bloor, freelance photographer/artist based In Manchester.

 This stamp is Nature - Visiting Cards from Finland (from set of two), issued on 26.02.2016.


Thank you Auli!

Dominican Republic: Cayo Levantado

My first postcard from Dominican Republic!

The Dominican Republic is a sovereign state occupying the Eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population the Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,445 square kilometers and 10.4 million people. On this postcard you can see tropical island of Cayo Levantado in the Samana Bay.

What a beautiful stamps! First stamp is The 25th Anniversary of Selection of Nicolas de Jesus Cardinal Lopez Rodriguez as Archbishop of Santo Domingo, issued on 25.05.2007. And other two stamps are from set of ten - Welcome to the Dominican Republic Carnaval, issued on 27.02.2012.

Thank you very much Valery!

Estonia: Tallinn

This is my first postcard from Estonia, with beautiful views of capital city Tallinn. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Approximately 32% of Estonia's total population lives in Tallinn.

Founded in 1248 but the earlisest human settlements date back to 3000 years BC, making it one of the oldest capital cities of Northern Europe. Due to its important strategic location the city soon became a major trade hub, especially between the 14th to 16th century when it grew to be a key center of commerce within the Hanseatic League. Tallinn's Old Town is one of the best preserved and intact medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was known as Reval from the 13th century until 1918 and again during the Nazi occupation of Estonia from 1941 to 1944.

Stamps:

Posthorn, issued on 16.10.2015.
Euro coins, issued on 25.09.2014.

Thank you Julius!

Romania: Merry Cemetery in Săpânța

Very interesting postcard of very unusual cemetery in Romania! The Merry Cemetery is a cemetery in the village of Săpânța, Maramureş county, Romania. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons who are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.

The unusual feature of this cemetery is that it diverges from the prevalent belief, culturally shared within European societies – a belief that views death as something indelibly solemn. Connections with the local Dacian culture have been made, a culture whose philosophical tenets presumably vouched for the immortality of the soul and the belief that death was a moment filled with joy and anticipation for a better life.

Stamp is  Brilliant Romanians: George Enescu, 1881-1955, issued on 18.03.2016.


Thank you Andra!

Serbia: European Nature Protection 2016

Two new stamps in European Nature Protection series by Serbian Post!

First stamp is Kučaj-Beljanica mountain range.

Kučaj mountains is a mountain range in eastern Serbia. Its highest peak, Velika Tresta has an elevation of 1,284 meters above sea level. They belong to Serbian extension of Carpathians. Kučaj separates the valleys of Great Morava and Timok. Beljanica is a mountain in Homolje region in eastern Serbia, near the town of Žagubica. Its highest peak has an elevation of 1,339 meters above sea level.

 Second stamp is Pešter field.

Pešter is a karst plateau in southwestern Serbia, in the Raška region. It lies at the altitude of 1150–1492 m. The plateau is actually a large field surrounded by mountains of Jadovnik (1734 m), Zlatar (1627 m), Ozren (1693 m), Giljeva (1617 m), Javor (1519 m), Golija (1833 m), Žilindar (1616 m), Hum (1756 m), Ninaja (1462 m) and Jarut (1428 m).The soil is mostly karst interspersed with pastures.

The Odd One Out by Britta Teckentrup

This is detail from front cover of spotting book The Odd One Out by Britta Teckentrup. Britta Teckentrup is a fine artist who has written and illustrated many well-loved books for children. Born in Hamburg, Germany, she studied at St. Martin’s College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London.

Stamps are The 400th Anniversary of the Death of William Shakespeare, 1582-1616 (from set of ten), issued on 05.04.2016.


Thank you Cristina!