Postcrossing postcards

From the Czech Republic

I usually don't post the back of postcards, but this time 

the back was too pretty not to show. 

Plus it also gives information about the front. 

From Ireland

Views on Dingle

The stone building at the top right is the Gallarus Oratory

A set of two new 55c stamps marking two Significant Science Milestones: Dublin City of Science 2012 and the 350th anniversary of the formulation of Boyle’s Law.

The City of Science stamp shows a photograph of Dublin’s Convention Centre – the venue hosting the Euroscience Open Forum 2012 (ESOF2012) from 12th-15th July – alongside a graphic of DNA’s molecular structure, representing people and their individuality. A second stamp shows an image of Boyle, his infamous formula, with an explanatory diagram alongside.

I love mail

I received some very nice mail today, but I'll only show you the stamps on the envelopes and the postcards that were inside of one. Why? Because out of three envelopes two were stamp swaps, so I need to take some time to sort and scan them. 

Thank you Kasia for the lovely cards 
from Lithuania

Zicht op Kaunas

View on Kaunas

View on the Vilnius Cathedral

view on Druskininkai

Druskininkai is een stad in het zuiden van Litouwen ongeveer 130 kilometer ten zuiden van de hoofdstad Vilnius. De stad ligt aan de rivier de Memel. De stad is bekend om zijn kuuroord en ligt in een bosrijke omgeving. De orthodoxe kerk is een bezoek waard. Niet ver van Druskininkai ligt het park Grutas, een museum met standbeelden en monumenten uit het Sovjet tijdperk.

Stamps of the day  

Our former King Albert II and 

a close view on the penguins in the Zoo of Antwerp

And a Finnish Postcrossing stamp! 

Collecting Christmas stamps

Canada

The 1970 Christmas stamps, issued on October 7, 1970, featured twelve drawings submitted by children to a Canada Post Office national stamp design project.

The 1976 Christmas set of three stamps was issued on November 3, 1976

1982 (set of 3)

If you know more about these stamps please let me know.

Collecting Christmas stamps

The Netherlands

December stamps 2002

(series of 20)

December stamps 2003

Apparently this is a stamp which reacts to warmth, the blue bar shows a fitting sentence when heated to 22°C. (I didn’t notice anything, but then again this is a ten year old stamp, series of 20)

December stamps 2009

You can look at the stamps in two different ways,  the gifts also serve as windows through which you look into a house from outside. You, the viewer, can choose between gift or window.

(series of ten)

Salty stamp from Slovenia

Zicht op Bled eiland

View on Bled island

A new issue in the Fauna series by Posta Slovenije shows four characteristic denizens of the Slovenian sea: Damselfish (Chromis chromis), Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and Golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) stamp in miniature sheet.

The stamps were printed using a very special thermography technique, and Posta Slovenije is proud to be the first national postal service to issue stamps on which part of the design is covered with real salt from the Piranske Soline saltworks.

For my own collection

I went to a Postcrossing meeting in Ghent, and of course I couldn't resist to buy something small for my own collection. 

 Silly cat card

Op deze postzegel van België uit 1975 zien we ‘Madonna met Kind’. Dit prachtige werk van Michelangelo was bedoeld voor het Piccolomini altaar van de Dom van Siena. Maar het werd gekocht door de Brugse koopman Jan van Moeskroen en in 1514 aan de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Bruggegeschonken. Franse en Duitse bezetters haalden het werk diverse malen weg, maar het werd steeds naar Brugge teruggehaald.

On this Belgian stamp from 1975 you see "Madonna with Child". This beautiful work by Michelangelo was meant for the Piccolomini altar of the Siena Cathedral. But it was bought by the Bruges merchant Jan van Moeskroen and donated in 1514 to the Church of Our Lady (Bruges). French and German occupiers took the artwork away several times, but it was always brought back to Bruges.  

Collecting Christmas stamps

I can fill several posts with stamps from Canada (and the USA) alone,

I'll make small posts, but with at least 8 stamps per post, to keep this

nice and interesting. 

Canada 

Left stamp: 2008 - Right stamp 2009

 These stamps celebrating the Nativity feature phenomenal sculptures by renowned Italian-Canadian sculptor Antonio Caruso.

The international stamp features the Shepherd; the domestic stamp features the Madonna and Child; and the U.S. stamp features the Magi. The figures are arranged on the souvenir sheet as they appear in the crèche.

Toronto graphic designer Joe Gault explains, “When positioned side by side, they work together as a set and tell a story.” However, he notes, “The three stamps also vary considerably, each working as a unique artwork when applied to envelopes individually.” Last year’s Nativity stamp also appears on the souvenir sheet and first day cover, enhancing collectibility by bringing all four together as a set. (2009)

Mail from Russia

A lovely facebook swap from Russia

Thanks Elena! 

Look at the pretty envelope! 

Even the back looks nice.

"Awakening" by Aleksandr Uglanov

Popular Russian movie stars

("Stamps of Russia" series)

Post office logos

"Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf"

by Viktor Vasnetsov

Valentina Tereshkova

First woman in space (in 1963)

Arts and Crafts of Russia - shawls (4 stamps)