Nov 21, 2015

Borne | The Netherlands

This is a multi-view postcard sent by Jantsje from Borne via postcrossing [NL-3215637].

Borne is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Its inhabitants also have the nickname Melbuul [which I am very intrigued to find out what it means]. Borne is the sister city of the German town Rheine.




It was postmarked on 10 November 2015 in Zwolle.

Vilnius | Lithuania


This is my first postcard from Lithuania! It is a multi-view postcard of Vilnius sent by Margarita via postcrossing [LT-473862]. 

Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, is known for its baroque architecture, seen especially in its medieval old town. But the buildings lining this district’s partially cobblestoned streets reflect diverse styles and eras, from the neoclassical Vilnius Cathedral to Gothic St. Anne's Church. The 16th-century Gate of Dawn, containing a shrine with a sacred Virgin Mary icon, once guarded an entrance to the original city.

It was postmarked on 02 November 2015 in Garliava, Lithuania.
Date of issue: 8th November 2014
Designer: Augustina Gruzdyte
Paper: chalky
Printing process: offset
Perforation: comb 13 1/4 : 13
Size of a stamp: 30 x 40 mm.
Sheet composition: 50 (10 x 5) stamps.
Printing run: 750.000
2.80 Lt. multicoloured. Santa by a balloon.

Gruss aus Nurnberg | Germany

 

I am not a big fan of painted postcards, but this one is really special! I love the illustration and the vintage feel it has. It was sent by Florian from Germany via Postcrossing [DE-4626965].

Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, is distinguished by its medieval architecture, including the fortifications and stone towers of its Altstadt (Old Town). At the northern edge of the Altstadt, surrounded by red-roofed buildings, stands Kaiserburg Castle. The Hauptmarkt (central square) contains the Schöner Brunnen, the gilded “beautiful fountain” with tiers of figures, and Frauenkirche, a 14th-century Gothic church.

It was postmarked with a Schloss Ludwigslust stamp.
Theme: Series "Castles" - Castle Ludwigslust
Nominal Value: 0.80 €
Issue Date: 2 January 2015
Design: Nicole Elsenbach

Nov 7, 2015

Italian Family business | Italy

Mrs N. Drury must have been a lovely lady. I found two postcard sent to her by her children and grandchildren in two subsequent years.


The first one was sent by her grandson, Richard, from Rimini, Italy. Mrs Drury lived in Middlesex, England.


He wrote: 'Dear Grandma, The weather is very good here, and I am having a most enjoyable time. Give my love to all at 59 [the number of their house], and I hope you are all well. Love, Richard'. It was postmarked on 24 June 1967. The first two stamps used were of 5 and 10 lire. The third one commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Republic [2 June 1946-1966].

Love story from 1904 | Austria

 

This cute postcard was postmarked in Vienna, Austria. I can not read the date but I did a little research on the stamp used.


It depicts Emperor Franz Joseph and had a value of 5 heller. Granite paper with varnish lines Lackstreifen in 1904; without after November 1905. Valid only until 31 October 1908. It was also used in the Levant post-offices. So I guess the postcard was posted between 1904 and 1905.

Nov 6, 2015

A little French mystery... | France


This postcard was sent from France via Postcrossing [FR-589799]. It shows the painting 'Place du Theatre Francais' by Camille Pissarro. Camille Pissarro (10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but then in the Danish West Indies). His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Pissarro studied from great forerunners, including Gustave Courbet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. He later studied and worked alongside Georges Seurat and Paul Signac when he took on the Neo-Impressionist style at the age of 54. [wikipedia]



It was postmarked on 30 October 2015. These amazing stamps were issued in 1960s [!!!]. They are from the Cote of Arms series. They show the coat of arms of Mont de Marsan, of Nevers - the administrative capital of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France, of Oran and of Fox. I do not know if they are authentic or reproductions and how they were accepted by the French Post, but I like them a lot!!

Russian Textiles and Kremlins | Russia


This postcard was sent by Irina from Russia via Postcrossing [RU-4129126].


It was postmarked on 26 October 2015 in Moscow. They belong in the Sixth Definitives series - Russian Kremlins. The first one shows the Zaraisk Kremlin and the second one shows the Ryazan Kremlin.

La Giralda | Spain


This beautiful postcard was sent by Joey from Spain via Postcrossing [ES-377660]. It shows La Giralda. The Giralda (Spanish: La Giralda ; Arabic: الخيرالدة‎) is a bell tower of the Seville Cathedral in Seville, Spain. It was originally built as a minaret during the Moorish period, with a Renaissance style top subsequently added by Spaniards. The Giralda was registered in 1987 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO along with the Alcazar and the General Archive of the Indies. The tower is 104.1 m in height and remains one of the most important symbols of the city, as it has been since medieval times. [wikipedia]

The stamp used was issued in commemoration of the International Year of Water Cooperation [2013].