Germany - Wartburg Castle

Wartburg Castle.

Sent by Dagmar from Mühlhausen, Germany.

Wartburg Castle blends superbly into its forest surroundings and is in many ways 'the ideal castle'. Although it has retained some original sections from the feudal period, the form it acquired during the 19th-century reconstitution gives a good idea of what this fortress might have been at the height of its military and seigneurial power. It was during his exile at Wartburg Castle that Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German (read further).

USA - Arizona - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

 

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT DESERT IN BLOOM - ARIZONA
This national park was created in 1937 as a way to preserve a representative area of the Sonoran Desert. This new monument was part of a movement in the National Parks to protect not just scenic wonders but also the ecological wonders of the country. Over 75 years later, Organ Pipe Cactus is now one of the best preserved examples of the Sonoran Desert wilderness. A scenic drive, wilderness hike, or a night of camping will expose you to a living desert that thrives.

Sent by Jessica from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the senita and organ pipe cactus grow wild.  Along with this species, many other types of cacti and other desert flora native to the Yuma Desert section of the Sonoran Desert region grow in the park. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is 517 sq mi (1,340 km²) in size. In 1976 the monument was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and in 1977 95% of Organ Pipe Cactus was declared a wilderness area (read further).

Vietnam - Hanoi Train Street

 

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Hanoi Train Street is a narrow train bypass in Hanoi which sees a twice-daily train pass close to buildings on either side of the tracks (the railroad tracks take up nearly the entirety of the "train street"). The track was built by the French in 1902 and is still an active rail line as of 2025 (read further).

Indochina - Mapcard

I bought this postcard during my trip to Indochina countries (Vietnam and Laos) as well as Thailand on 10th - 18th January 2025 and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina or the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It includes the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Peninsular Malaysia.

The term Indochina (originally Indo-China) was coined in the early nineteenth century, emphasizing the historical cultural influence of Indian and Chinese civilizations on the area. The term was later adopted as the name of the colony of French Indochina (today's Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). Today, the term Mainland Southeast Asia, in contrast to Maritime Southeast Asia, is more commonly referenced (read further).

Vietnam - Travel Route

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Hanoi - 1000 Year Old Capital

Multiviews of interesting places in Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during the trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Hanoi's Central Post Office.

Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội) is the capital and second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red and Black Rivers). As a municipality, Hanoi consists of 12 urban districts, 17 rural districts, and one district-level town. The city encompasses an area of 3,359.84 km² (1,297.24 sq mi) and as of 2023, a population of 8,587,100. Hanoi had the second-highest gross regional domestic product of all Vietnamese provinces and municipalities at US$51.4 billion in 2022, behind Ho Chi Minh City (read further).

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).

Germany - Aachen Cathedral (3)

Sent by Cardeaux, a Postcrosser from Boltrop, Germany.

My previous postcards of Aachen Cathedral are HERE and HERE.

Russia - Kul Shariff Mosque (2)

An illustration of Kul Shariff Mosque in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. I was in this mosque in July 2024, wearing national costumes of Malaysia, praying Zohor and Asar, met an Imam's mosque, and had video recording for Malaysian Independence Day (31st August).

Sent by Galina, a Postcrosser from Moscow, Russia.

My other Kul Shariff Mosque postcard is HERE.

Russia - Republic Dagestan - Makhachkala

 

Sent by Kadizhat who lives in Republic Dagestan, Russia.

Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye (1844–1857) and Port-Petrovsk (1857–1921), or by the local Kumyk name of Anji, is the capital and largest city of Dagestan, Russia. The city is located on the Caspian Sea, covering an area of 468.13 square kilometres (180.75 square miles), with a population of over 623,254 residents, while the urban agglomeration covers over 3,712 square kilometres (1,433 square miles), with a population of roughly 1 million residents. Makhachkala is the fourth-largest city in the Caucasus, the largest city in the North Caucasus and the North Caucasian Federal District, as well as the third-largest city on the Caspian Sea. The city is extremely ethnically diverse, with a minor ethnic Russian population (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. 

Vietnam - Vietnam By Night

I visited Hanoi during my Indo-China vacations (10th-12th January 2025) and bought this postcard. The stamps are cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi. I brought home myself this postcard along with the others.

 

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. 

Old Swimwears

Sent by Jana, a Postcrosser from Bremen, Germany.

USA - New Mexico - Carlsbad Caverns National Park (2)

Located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southern New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains over 120 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down 265 million years ago. American Indians lived in the area twelve to fourteen thousand years ago; their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the park's boundaries.

Sent by Erica, a Postcrosser from Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Thanks for getting the postcard stamped by the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

USA - Kentucky - Mammoth Cave National Park (3)

MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK - The 400-mile cave system in central Kentucky is the heart of this park wth underground treasures including the stunning Frozen Niagara - named so because it looks like a waterfall.

Sent by Karen, a postcrosser from Ohio, USA.

Malta - Valletta

The Maltese Islands.

Sent by Silvan, a Facebook friend from Malta.

Valletta, pronounced [vɐlˈlɛttɐ]) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157.As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city (read further).

China - Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City

Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City.

Sent by a Postcrosser from China.

Located in the Yangtze River Basin on the south-eastern coast of the country, the archaeological ruins of Liangzhu (about 3,300-2,300 BCE) reveal an early regional state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation in Late Neolithic China. The property is composed of four areas – the Area of Yaoshan Site, the Area of High-dam at the Mouth of the Valley, the Area of Low-dam on the Plain and the Area of City Site. These ruins are an outstanding example of early urban civilization expressed in earthen monuments, urban planning, a water conservation system and a social hierarchy expressed in differentiated burials in cemeteries within the property (read further).

Bonaire (3)

 

Sent by Strasy from Kralendijk, Bonaire.

Bonaire (2)

 

Sent by Strasy from Kralendijk in Bonaire.

Post 2010's dissolution: 

Bonaire (/bɒˈnɛər/ bon AIR, Dutch: [boːˈnɛːr(ə)] Papiamento: Boneiru [bʊˈne̝i̯ru]) is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a special municipality (officially "public body") of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC islands, 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of Venezuela. The islands have an arid climate that attracts visitors seeking warm, sunny weather all year round, and they lie outside the Main Development Region for tropical cyclones. Bonaire is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination because of its multiple shore diving sites, shipwrecks and easy access to the island's fringing reefs (read further).