Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Binz auf Rügen

Beach villas on the promenade of Binz on the island of Rügen.

Sent by Silke who visited Rügen.

Binz (German pronunciation: [bɪnts]) is the largest seaside resort city on the German island of Rügen.

It is situated between the bay of Prorer Wiek and the Schmachter See (a lake) in the southeast of the island. To the north of Binz stretches the Schmale Heide (the "narrow heath"), a tongue of land which joins the Muttland region of Rügen to the Jasmund peninsula. The land to the south and east of Binz is hilly, reaching a height of over 100 metres above sea level.

Binz is known for its well-kept historical resort architecture and natural scenery, close to the Jasmund National Park and its chalk cliffs.

Its Polish name is Bińce, as recorded and documented in 1937 (read more).

USA - Hawaii - Maui

Using digital elevation models, a very accurate rendering of Maui has been created. Here is a view of the entire island as seen during the green winter months from an elevation high above the West Maui Mountains. Along the coastline in the foreground are Laihana, Kaanapali anad Kapalua.

Sent by Colleen from Honolulu in Hawaii, USA.

Maui is the second-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km²). It is the 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of Maui County's four sizable islands, along with Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe.

In 2020, Maui had a population of 168,307, the third-highest of the Hawaiian Islands, behind Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Kahului is the largest census-designated place (CDP) on the island, with a 2020 population of 28,219. It is Maui's commercial and financial hub. Wailuku is the county seat and was the third-largest CDP as of 2010. Other significant populated areas include Kīhei (including Wailea and Makena in the Kihei Town CDP), Lāhainā (including Kāʻanapali and Kapalua in the Lāhainā Town CDP), and Upcountry Maui (including Makawao, Pukalani, Kula, and Ulupalakua), although Lāhainā was mostly destroyed by fire in 2023.

Once part of Maui Nui, Maui is dominated by two volcanic features: Haleakalā in the southeast, and the West Maui Mountains in the northwest. The two are connected by an isthmus about six miles wide that gives the island its nickname, the Valley Isle.

Maui has a significant tourism industry, with nearly three million visitors in 2022. A 2023 report based on 2017 data concluded that nearly 40% of Maui County's economy was tourism-related. Popular tourist destinations include the resorts in the Kāʻanapali, Kapalua, and Kihei/Wailea/Makena areas; Hāna and the Hana Highway; ʻĪao Valley; Haleakalā National Park; and its many beaches (read more).

Tanzania - Zanzibar

Dhow at sunset - Zanzibar

Sent by Camille of Los Angeles from Zanzibar, Tanzania. Thank you very much. I have never expected of this.

Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

Zanzibar is also a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964, and formed the present-day United Republic of Tanzania. The archipelago's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. The main spices produced are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, and black pepper. The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985, to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via five ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.

Zanzibar's marine ecosystem plays a vital role in its fishing and algacultural industries, these ecosystems act as nurseries for Indian Ocean fish populations. Moreover, the land ecosystem is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard. Environmental pressure from the tourism and fishing industries, as well as larger threats such as sea level rise caused by climate change, are creating increasing environmental concerns throughout the region (read more).

Germany - Lower Saxony - Juist

Beach view on the island of Juist, a car-free island in the East Frisian Islands of Germany, located in the Wadden Sea.

Sent by Martina from Juist Island in Germany.

Juist (German pronunciation: [ˈjyːst]; Low German: Juist) is an island and municipality in the district of Aurich in Lower Saxony in Germany. The island is one of seven East Frisian Islands at the edge of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea in the southern North Sea. It is located between Borkum Island (west), Memmert Island (southwest) and Norderney (east). The island is 17 km (11 mi) long and from 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, depending on the tide levels. There are two villages on the island: the main village Juist, and Loog. The island is separated from Norderney by the Norderneyer Seegatt.

The tallest buildings on Juist that can be seen from the North Sea are the water tower and an old hotel. There is a lighthouse on the island, but it is not in use. At the western end of the island is the Billreef, a large sandbank where birds such as dunlins, grey plovers and knots rest during their migration. In the western part of the island, the beach and the dunes are eroded by the sea. The edge of the dunes moves about five metres south each winter. On the western third of the island is Lake Hammersee, a freshwater lake (read more).

Finland - Ostrobothnia - Kaskinen

Kaskinen, an island in west coast of Finland.

Sent by Alisa from Järvenpää, Finland.

Kaskinen (Finnish: [ˈkɑskinen]; Swedish: Kaskö) is a town and island in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Kaskinen is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kaskinen approximately 1,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 17,000. It is the 284th most populous municipality in Finland.

Kaskinen covers an area of 10.64 km² (4.11 sq mi) (excluding sea areas) of which 0.16 km² (0.062 sq mi) is inland water (1 January 2018). The population density is 120.11/km² (311.1/sq mi).

Kaskinen is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 55% Finnish speakers, 28% Swedish speakers, and 17% speakers of other languages, which is well above the national average (read more).

Germany - Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Usedom Island

A collage of various location on Usedom Island, also known as "Germany's Sunniest Island".

Sent by Danniela from Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Usedom (German: Usedom [ˈuːzədɔm], Polish: Uznam [ˈuznam]) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea.

It lies north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the Oder river. About 80% of the island belongs to the German district of Vorpommern-Greifswald in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The eastern part and the largest city on the island, Świnoujście, are part of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The island's total area is 445 square kilometres (172 square miles) – 373 square kilometres (144 square miles) in the German part and 72 square kilometres (28 square miles) in the Polish part. Its population is 76,500 (German part 31,500; Polish part 45,000).

With an annual average of 1,906 hours of sunshine, Usedom is the sunniest region of both Germany and Poland, and it is also one of the sunniest islands in the Baltic Sea, hence its nickname "Sun Island" (German: Sonneninsel, Polish: Wyspa Słońca)..

The island has been a tourist destination since the Gründerzeit in the 19th century, and features resort architecture. Seaside resorts include Zinnowitz and the Amber Spas in the west, the Kaiserbad and Świnoujście in the east (read more).

Canada - British Columbia - Sturdies Bay

STURDIES BAY, Galiano Island

Located on the south eastern tip of Galiano Island on Active Pass. Search and rescue ship Racer is in the background.

Sent by Svetlana from Toronto, Canada.

Sturdies Bay is on the south east part of Galiano Island in British Columbia, Canada's Gulf Islands. It is known primarily for its ferry terminal, that connects it to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and the other southern Gulf Islands. At the ferry terminal there is also a public dock, serviced in the summer by an inter-island water taxi, and in the school year the same vessel picks up students here to bring them to schools on Pender and Saltspring Islands.

There is a small settlement at Sturdies Bay consisting of several businesses, including four restaurants, a food truck, two stores, a post office/tea store, a gas station/grocery store, and an inn. There are also a few private residences and moorings located around the bay.

On some nautical maps it is listed as "Port of Sturdee."

In 1954, Sturdies Bay became last port of call for the St. Roch, the first ship to transit the Northwest Passage west to east, when it stopped there on its way to the Vancouver Maritime Museum (read more).

Russia - Saint Petersburg - Vasilyevski Island (3)

View of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.

Sent by Roman from Russia.

This is my third postcard of Vasilyevsky Island; the othert two are here and here.

Netherlands - Friesland - Ameland

Greetings from Ameland.

Sent by Geert frm Netherlands.

Ameland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːməlɑnt]; West Frisian: It Amelân [ət ˈaːməlɔ̃ːn]) is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes and is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the west and Schiermonnikoog to the east. This includes the small Engelsmanplaat and Rif sandbanks to the east.

Ameland is, counted from the west, the fourth inhabited Dutch Wadden island and belongs to the Friesland (Fryslân) province. The whole island falls under one municipality, which carries the same name. The Wadden islands form the border between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea, which lies on the south side of the island file. The municipality of Ameland had a population of 3,746 in 2021. The inhabitants are called Amelanders (read more).

USA - Michigan - Detroit's Belle Isle

Belle Isle Aquarium is the oldest aquarium in the country, built in 1904.

Sent by Taylor from Michigan, USA.

Belle Isle Park, known simply as Belle Isle (/bɛlˈaɪəl/), is a 982-acre (1.534 sq mi; 397 ha) island park in Detroit, Michigan, developed in the late 19th century. It consists of Belle Isle, an island in the Detroit River, as well as several surrounding islets. The U.S.-Canada border is in the channel south of Belle Isle.

Owned by the city of Detroit, Belle Isle is managed as a state park by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through a 30-year lease initiated in 2013; it was previously a city park. Belle Isle Park is the largest city-owned island park in the United States, and Belle Isle is the third largest island in the Detroit River, after Grosse Ile and Fighting Island. Belle Isle is the second most-visited state park in the U.S., after Niagara Falls State Park in New York. It is connected to mainland Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge (read more).

USA - Michigan - Mackinac Island

Greetings From Mackinac Island.

Sent by Eliana from Grand Rapids in Michigan, USA.

Mackinac Island (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə; French: Île Mackinac; Ojibwe: Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; Ottawa: Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering 4.35 square miles (11.3 km²) in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was long home to an Odawa settlement and previous indigenous cultures before European colonization began in the 17th century. It was a strategic center of the fur trade around the Great Lakes. Based on a former trading post, Fort Mackinac was constructed on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the northern border was settled and the US gained this island in its territory (read more).

United Kingdom - Scotland - Sanday, Orkney

Sanday, Orkney

Sanday is the largest of the North Isles and is low-lying with many lovely sandy beaches and dunes. The island is famous for its archaeology and wildlife. Quoyness chambered cairn and Start Point lighthouse are two man-made attractions. The local inhabitants are known as Grulie Belkies, a somewhat derogatory term meaning, Fat Bellies.

Sent by Emma who lives in Orkney, Scotland.

Sanday (/ˈsændiː/, Scots: Sandee) is one of the inhabited islands of Orkney that lies off the north coast of mainland Scotland. With an area of 50.43 km² (19.5 sq mi), it is the third largest of the Orkney Islands. The main centres of population are Lady Village and Kettletoft. Sanday can be reached by Orkney Ferries or by plane (Sanday Airport) from Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. On Sanday, an on-demand public minibus service allows connecting to the ferry (read further).

United Kingdom - Scotland - Isle of Skye

M24 NEIST POINT

Sent by Team Loch Bay in Isle of Skye, Scotland, United Kingdom. Thank you very much.

Tripadvisor Top Ten Restaurants in Isle of Skye : Loch Bay Restaurant.

The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country. Although Sgitheanach has been suggested to describe a winged shape, no definitive agreement exists as to the name's origin (read further).

Laos - 4,000 Island

4000 Islands - LAOS

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

The Si Phan Don (Lao: ສີ່ພັນດອນ; meaning '4,000 islands') is a riverine archipelago in the Mekong River, Champasak Province in southern Laos. Si Phan Don is part of Khong District, including the islands and part of the mainland in the east. Si Phan Don is dotted with numerous islands, half of which are submerged when the Mekong River is in flood. The principal islands of Si Phan Don are Don Khong (the largest), Don Som (the second largest), Don Det and Don Khon. Si Phan Don borders Cambodia and historical and cultural ties link the people on both side of the border. Pakse is the closest of the bigger cities in Laos to the area (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Havelock Island

Elephant Beach in Havelock Island, in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

I went to this island on 2nd January 2025 by cruise ship from Haddo Jetty in Port Blair. Bought this postcard and others and got the stamps cancelled at the Havelock Island's Post Office.

Havelock Island, officially known as Swaraj Dweep (transl. Self-Rule Island), is one of the largest islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, to the east of Great Andaman within the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city, Port Blair (read further).

United Kingdom - England - Lundy Island

This is my second postcard of Lundy Island. What made this one is so special? It was sent by Ash and the team who are part of the 28 populations in Lundy Island. And the special stamp of Lundy Island.

My previous postcard of Lundy Island is here. 

Russia - Karelia Republic - Chapel Of The Three Saints

Kizhi. Chapel of the Three Saints from the village Kavgora. The second half of the 18th century.  Sent by Stanislav, a Postcrosser from Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The Chapel of the Three Sanctifiers, also known as the Chapel of the Three Saints or Prelates, is an old wooden chapel on Kizhi Island in Russia. The island is part of the Kizhi Pogost, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.