France - Poitou-Charentes - 17 Charente-Maritime - Oléron

Oléron island (Charente-Maritime 17)

Sent by Isabelle from Cantal, France.

Île d'Oléron (pronounced: [il doleʁɔ̃]) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait.

It is the second largest French island after Corsica (not counting French overseas collectivities). (read further)

Mexico - Cancún

CANCUN, MEXICO
Panoramic view of Cancun

Sent by Alma from Cancun, Mexico

Cancún (Spanish pronunciation: [kaŋˈkun]) is a city in southeastern Mexico, located on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a major world-renowned tourist destination, as well as being the seat of the municipality of Benito Juárez. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, and is one of the easternmost points in Mexico. Cancún is located just north of Mexico's Caribbean coast resort band known as the Riviera Maya. (read further)

Germany - Saxony-Anhalt - Magdeburg

Magdeburg

Sent by Xeniya from Magdeburg, Germany.

Magdeburg (German pronunciation: [ˈmakdəbʊrk]; Low Saxon: Meideborg, [ˈmaˑɪdebɔɐx]), is the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe.

Emperor Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the archbishopric of Magdeburg, was buried in the town's cathedral after his death. Magdeburg's version of German town law, known as Magdeburg rights, spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. The city is also well known for the 1631 Sack of Magdeburg, which hardened Protestant resistance during the Thirty Years' War. Magdeburg was destroyed twice in its history. (read further)

Mozambique

MOZAMBIQUE

Sent by Staf of Radisson Blu Hotel from Maputo, Mozambique. Kanimambo (thank you).

Grenada - La Source

La Source, GRENADA

Sent by Opeyemi from St. George's, Grenada. Thanks for the beautiful stamps.

Lebanon - Beirut - Rue Maarad

Lebanon
Downtown, Maarad Street

Sent by Agnieska from Beirut, Lebanon.

Rue Maarad (Arabic: شارع المعرض) is a main street in the Beirut Central District, the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of Lebanon". Severely damaged in the Lebanese Civil War, the street underwent a thorough reconstruction and development plan by the Lebanese real estate giant Solidere. The buildings along and around the street were preserved and restored emphasizing on their original character, and access to the street was limited only to pedestrian movement. (read further)

Luxembourg - Grand Ducal Palace

1. Soldat gardant l'entrée du Palais
2. Palais Grand-Ducal
3. Palais

Sent by Jean-Marc from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

The Grand Ducal Palace (Luxembourgish: Groussherzogleche Palais, French: Palais grand-ducal, German: Großherzogliches Palais) is a palace in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and where he performs most of his duties as head of state of the Grand Duchy. (read further)

France - Auvergne - 15 Cantal

Auvergne, Cantal.

Sent by Isabelle from Cantal, France. 

Cantal (French pronunciation: ​[kɑ̃.tal]; Occitan: Cantal, Cantau, Chantal, Chantau) is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous (Occitan language).

Cantal is part of the current region of Auvergne. It borders the departments of Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire, Aveyron, Lot, Lozère, and Corrèze. Its principal towns are Aurillac, Saint-Flour, and Mauriac. The highest point in Cantal is Le Plomb du Cantal at 1858 metres. (read further)

Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn Islands
* Bounty Bay
* Down Rope
* Ms. T

Sent by Pitcairn Islands Philately (PIP). This is our second arrangement with PIP. We'll be doing another order with them in early June. If you can offer us something that we cannot resist, please contact us, and a postcard sent postmarked from Pitcairn Islands is yours.

Russia - Kamchatka Krai

Heliolaters

Sent by Olesya from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia.

Republic of the Congo - Brazaville - Mémorial Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza

Thanks to Tian Zi Yi of China for arranging it to be sent from Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà, then known as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza (26 January 1852 - 14 September 1905), was an Italian explorer, born in the Papal States and later naturalized as a Frenchman. With the backing of the Société de Géographie de Paris, he opened up for France entry along the right bank of the Congo that eventually led to French colonies in Central Africa. His easy manner and great physical charm, as well as his pacific approach among Africans, were his trademarks. Under French colonial rule, the capital of the Republic of the Congo was named Brazzaville after him and the name was retained by the post-colonial rulers. (read further)

Armenia - Yerevan

ARMENIA
Yerevan and Ararat Mountain (5165 m).

Sent by Arsen from Yerevan, Armenia.

Yerevan (Armenian: Երևան [jɛɾɛˈvɑn]) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia.

The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. Erebuni was "designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital." After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled in the area. The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. In a few decades, Yerevan was transformed from a provincial town within the Russian Empire, to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government. (read further)

France - Auvergne - 3 Allier - Montluçon

Montluçon (Allier)

Cité Médiévale

L'Hôtel de Ville

L'Église Saint-Paul

Sent by Céline from Montluçon, France.

Montluçon (French: [mɔ̃.ly.sɔ̃] ; Occitan: Montluçon) is a commune in central France on the Cher river. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais. The town is in the traditional province of Bourbonnais and was part of the mediaeval duchy of Bourbon. (read further)

Myanmar - Yangon - Karaweik Hall

An unforgettable scenery of Karaweik Hall, Yangon, Myanmar.

Sent by Thitar from Yangon, Myanmar.

Karaweik (Burmese: ကရဝိက် ဖောင် [kəɹəweɪʔ pʰàʊɰ̃]) or Karaweik Hall is a structure and landmark on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi Lake, Yangon, Burma.

The word karaweik comes from Pali karavika (ကရဝီက), which is a mythical bird with a melodious cry.

The structure commissioned by General Ne Win, who was inspired by a Burmese pavilion displayed at the Expo '70 in Osaka, which in turn was modeled after the Pyigyimon royal barge used by Mandalay’s royal court (read more).

Mexico - Pyramid of the Sun

Pyramid of the Sun
Teotihuacan, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.

Sent by Cynthia from Mexico City, Mexico.

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. Found along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, and in the shadow of the massive mountain Cerro Gordo, the pyramid is part of a large complex in the heart of the city. (read further)

U.S.A. - New Jersey - State Capitol

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY
Located in the cultural Delaware River region, this New Jersey State Capitol, is the second oldest state capitol in continuous use.  Trenton was the site where George Washington attacked the Hessians on Christmas Day.  The Trent House, the Old Barracks, the State Museum / Planetarium and the State House stand as reminders of the historic significance of this town.

Sent by Pany from Trenton, USA.

The New Jersey State House is located in Trenton and is the capitol building for the U.S. state of New Jersey. Built in 1790, it is the second-oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the United States; only the After the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis is older. The building is currently home to both chambers of the New Jersey Legislature (the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey General Assembly), as well as offices for the Governor of New Jersey, Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey and several state government departments. (read further)

Indonesia - North Sumatera - Batak Traditional House

Batak Traditional House - Samosir Island Toba Lake (North Sumatera).

Sent by Jeri from Medan, Indonesia.

Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Alas, Kluet, Singkil, Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, and Mandailing which are distinct but related groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and customs (adat).

In North Sumatra, Toba people typically assert their identity as 'Batak', while other 'Bataks' may explicitly reject that label, preferring instead to identify as specifically 'Simalungun', 'Karo', etc. (read further)

Kenya - Nairobi (2)

NAIROBI - KENYA

Sent by Simon from Nairobi, Kenya.

France - Lorraine - 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle - Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy

LORRAINE
NANCY (Meurthe-et-Moselle)
Stanislas Square

Sent by Juliette from Nancy, France.

Nancy, the temporary residence of a king without a kingdom – Stanislas Leszczynski, later to become Duke of Lorraine – is paradoxically the oldest and most typical example of a modern capital where an enlightened monarch proved to be sensitive to the needs of the public. Built between 1752 and 1756 by a brilliant team led by the architect Héré, this was a carefully conceived project that succeeded in creating a capital that not only enhanced the sovereign's prestige but was also functional. (read further)

Mexico - Guadalajara

Guadalajara - MEXICO
FIESTA IN GUADALAJARA - During "fiesta" nights, the cathedral, finished and consecrated in 1968, is adorned by fireworks.

Sent by Juan from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Guadalajara (/ˌɡwɑːdələˈhɑrə/, Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaðalaˈxaɾa]) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality. The Guadalajara Metropolitan Area includes seven adjacent municipalities with a reported population of 4,328,584 in 2009, making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Mexico, behind Mexico City. The municipality is the second most densely populated one in Mexico; the first being Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl in State of Mexico. (read further)