[Postcrossing] Maxi-card from Australia

I really love to get maxi-cards. They are so pretty with a matching stamp. It is the second time that I got one with Postcrossing. Amazing. 

I would like to send out also some cards like this but I have no idea how to get such cards in Austria. There are no official issues except one of modern art and it's not very pretty. 

It shows the most known plant of Australia- the Eucalyptus

[Sunday Stamps] Harvest/ country life/ autumn

Today is Sunday and the topic of Sunday Stamps is harvest, country life and autumn.

It was very easy to find some stamps in my little collection of the GDR. In the GDR, agriculture was a big piece of life. The GDR tried to produce everything in their own country. My family lived in a little village and so they worked also in the field of agriculture, more or less. It was normal that in autumn everyone was helping with the harvest -even they worked normally in other jobs. My mother always told me how she was helping to collect potatoes after school in this time and in the end of the day everyone was participating in a potato-fire where they were sitting around a little fire and grilling some potatoes.

The GDR issued  a lot of country life stamps.These are my favorites:

This stamp connects harvest and art. It is a painting of Egger Lienz in 1907. 

Agriculture and cows. 

If someone has problems with following my blog, it's because I changed the address a little bit. Now you can find me with exploringstampsandcards.blogspot.com. I thought it is a good idea to change the address because this blog is now more about stamps and cards than anything else.

[Postcrossing] Russia - the paintings of Konstantin Makovsky

I got only 3 cards of Russia- ever. And two of them are from the same artist. One I received 2009 and the other one, a few days ago. Another thing special is the stamp. The stamp of the Russian card in 2009 shows nearly the same photo like the card in 2014. And also the little stamps are of the same kind, even as today Russia uses normally the new animal stamps. It is like the sender knew, that I will receive this card in future.

Isn't it amazing that this stamp looks like the second card, which I got 5 years later from another random person?

 I am in love with Russian stamps. To be honest, I like animals but the stamps of architecture are a little bit more special to me. I always think about a collection of architecture stamps, but as there are so many, I think that would be impossible.

The artist of the two postcards is  Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915), he seems to be very known in Russia for his talent to paint the Russian life in high detailed art. His paintings always seems to be a little bit dreamily and affirmative.

[Sunday Stamps] Se-Tenant

Normally I collect only used stamps and stamps that I want to use in instance on postcards or letters. But this stamp is special in many ways. I bought it only for my collection, as the usage is a bit difficult. The worth of 2,50 Euro is in Austria..not a letter. Not a postcard. Really I don't know what to send with 2,50. Perhaps a really big letter. And you need a big letter because the stamp is also very big. The size of the scan is nearly the original size.

The stamp shows the city of Salzburg painted in 1829 as a panorama of Johann Michael Sattler. The original high is 4,86 meters and the length is about 25,53 meters.

Something special is also, that the picture shows exactly the city to this time. It is like a photography and everything is in his place, even the windows of the houses. And it shows the shadows of the mountains in exactly 4 p.m.  But of course the picture was painted about 4 or 5 years.

After the artist has finished his painting, he took it with him on tour across Europe, to show everyone the beauty of Salzburg. I can not imagine how he took the huge picture with him to this time...Perhaps like a big top for a circus with a lot of work to construct and to deconstruct.
Salzburg became very fast popular. It was the first promotion of a city for tourism.

Today you can see the original and restored panorama in Salzburg in the panorama museum.

[Sunday Stamps] Childhood Memories

Today is Sunday. Time for showing some interesting stamps. Today is a free choice and I would like to show you my all time favorite stamps. 

This is a yellow rose and was released for the international fair of roses in the GDR 1972. This stamp is a very special stamp for me. This stamp is the beginning of my collection and my love for stamps. I was a child of 10 years when I saw it. Between all the other old stamps of my grandfather, showing boring history or architecture (in the eyes of a child), this stamp caught immediately my attention. Colorful and bright- I was impressed of the beautiful flower. As my mother is a florist, the love for nature is natural in our family. As a child I visited also some fairs with her. 

Austria has had different common stamps of really beautiful plants. I like the most the 4 Cent stamp of a dandelion. It is my favorite stamp ever. Every little piece of this plant is shown in great detail -almost perfect. The artist arranged photos of real plants. It shows the fragile beauty of a very simple and lovely plant. Also this plant is connected with some beautiful memories of childhood. Like a lot of other children, I loved to play with this flower in the wind.

[Postcrossing] German Stilt Houses

I found this amazing card in my letterbox. Another UNESCO whs, I am always happy to find one of these cultural and historical gems in the postbox. These are the prehistoric stilt houses in Germany.  It is always a little bit strange to imagine how the life could have been in this time. It was constructed around 4000 B.C. The same architecture can be found in different places and different countrys around the alps. 

Also some pretty stamps. One of the common flower issue and the Nuremberg castle. It was constructed about 1000 years ago. The municipal buildings are now used as a youth hostel. I would like to spend a night there. That would be great. Living in a castle- every little girl's dream.

[Sunday stamps] Mammals

I have chosen some stamps from Russia and the German Democratic Republic. I have also a stamp from Austria, with a panda...but there are no pandas in Austria, just in the zoo. But the zoo is famous for their pandas and so it happened that Austria has a stamp of a panda. I will show it another day. I like it more, when there are shown animals which you can really find in the country.  

As you can see on the postmark, the Russian stamps are very little. I like little stamps for postcards because you can put many on the card. The Austrian stamps are always very big, there is no chance to stick more than 1 or 2 on the card. 

I love the stamp with the squirrels. They are my favorite animals. I know a special place in the forest where are a lot of cute squirrels and they are not shy! I take always some nuts with me when I visit them. They are so friendly and sometimes a brave squirrel climb up to my knees to get the nuts in my hands. I am so in love with them. 

It is not a big mammal, but it has the biggest place in my heart.

[Postcrossing] Finland official

Another card from Finland. I love this card because I like to collect cards of special plants with a connection to the country.  The plant is called Yarrow and was the finnish plant of the year in 2012. But you can find it nearly all over the world (Amazing fact). I liked so much that Gunnel wrote about the usage of this plant. I saw this plant sometimes in Austria, but I never thought about it. After receiving the card, I collected some of these plants. A few weeks later, after pressing in a big old book (Don Quixote), it looks like this:

[Sunday Stamps] Automobiles

Here we go. First time, that I participate with the Sunday Stamps. I thought that it would be very easy to find some stamps about automobiles. I found a lot of trains, ships and airplanes, but very rare automobiles. 

This stamp is a new 2014 stamp from Austria. It shows the Austro Daimler  ADR 22/70 automobile which was produced till 1931 in Austria. It was a high class automobile and was sold very expensive all over the world. The maximum speed was about 105 km/h.

When I went to the post office, I asked for some special and pretty stamps. Here in Austria normally you get automatically the common stamps from the edition of the year- cheap in production and high in circulation. Nearly always the same picture.
So the man who worked at the post office said, that there is one special stamp left. What? One big post office has only one special issue stamp? And that doesn't mean, that there is only one type of stamps, no, really there was only one stamp in general. It was this stamp.
In the end I was feeling a little bit disappointed about the post office. Happy, that I get one finally, but also sad, that the time, when you can go to the post office and choose a pretty stamp, has come to an end.

I found also a very interesting stamp between my little collection of the German Democratic Republic. As my origin is there, I love the stamps of the GDR.  This one shows an ambulance in 1963. The stamp was a special issue for the centenary of the international medical aid organisation Red Cross,

[Postcrossing] Tunisia official

I was so happy when I found this card from Tunisia. I really really love arabian culture, but still there are not many postcrossers. So I never thought that I would receive such a wonderful arabian card in the beginning as there are so many other country that it is really luck to get one of Tunisia. 

Here you can see the city of Kairouan and the Mosque Okba. I love the calligraphy in the mosque and also on the stamp.

[Postcrossing] Official Italy

This card was send by a young russian girl who was on her vacation trip to Italy. What is this stamp? I am curious about the stamp. Seems to be a GPS video message. But I was not able to figure out how it works. I tried the code at the website, but nothing happened. I am not sure if there is a massage in general. If anybody knows more about this postal service, let me know. It seems to be a nice idea to connect media and postcards.

I like the card. It shows the famous UNESCO world heritage site "The Colosseum" in Rome. I am even more happy about it, because I was there. It was an amazing trip. Italy is amazing if you like historical heritage sites. I can highly recommend a trip.

[Postcrossing] Japan official

A card with a beautiful waterfall from Japan. It has some cute stamps on it. I like the round stamp. 

The waterfall is near to the city Sendai. It is written on the card, that Sendai is called "the forest city". I think I would love this place. It looks very calm and natural. But also it reminds us that peace and beauty are not for eternity. Sendai suffered from the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The woman who send this cards, wrote in her profile that she is now working as a social worker to help the people who were or still are suffering from this catastrophe. She is my hero! 

And that's a wonderful thing about postcrossing, to get to know amazing people  all over the world.

[Postcrossing] Netherlands official

I got mail from the Netherlands. A beautiful vintage card with two lovely kids. This card reminds me a little bit of some old photos of my grandparents. 

The stamp has a priority sticker included,  I never saw this before. It shows the king Willem- Alexander of Netherland. 

[Postcrossing] Belarus official

I received this beautiful card from Belarus. What I love the most about the card, is that on the stamp is the same flower like on the card. Also the stamp is very clean and pretty.
It is the first time, that I received a card with a stamp on the front. Seems to be a little bit unusual for me but looks very nice.
You can find these flowers in the central gardens of Belarus.  This kind of rose is called Rosa Peace.

[Found card] Mexiko

I found this card in a second hand book. What a great surprise! It is from Mexico and shows the pre-Hispanic Maya city of Uxmal. It is a UNESCO world culture heritage site. You can see the pyramid of the magician. It is one of the most important pyramids of the Maya culture. 

More about Uxmal and the pyramid.

[Postcrossing] Finland official

This card comes from Jani. He is 12 years old and lives in Finland. It's such a cute card and it makes it even more cute, that it is send by a child, who loves it. Postcrossing is a great way to teach children about our world and to improve their English skills.  

Secrets (english)

This blog is written in German and English. I know my English is not very good, but books, stamps and postcards are somehow an international issue and I would like to get in contact with people all over the world. I hope I can improve my English.

This site is about my hobby to collect postcards and old books.
It's not only about collecting, but more about the personal secrets and history in every book or card. I am not collecting something with worth, but I collect interesting things. I like to explore the story behind everything. I do not collect something to "have" it in my collection, I like also to let free or give away something. I like the idea that something has a worth behind money.

Postcards
I like postcards, letters and stamps. I collect old ones and also new ones.
In our fast and internet based world, it is something special to send a postcard.
I am registered at postcrossing.com. Great site- check it out if you like to receive postcards.
I like also the idea, that stamps and postcards teach you something about our world, culture or history. I am such a curious person. Always when I get a postcard or a stamp, I want to know exactly where and why it is produced, what it shows and what it is about.

Books
Everything started with my passion for really old books. They have something special and long time I tried to figure out what it is. Now, I am sure. It is the story behind the book. Can you imagine who has read this book before? How many people were happy about it? Can you remember your first childhood memory connected with books?
Sometimes I find different things in books, like old letters, names, bills or flowers. It is always an adventure to get to know the person who has owned a book before.

I am an explorer of the world. Not with traveling, but through books and mail. I like to take you with me to some of my adventures here. 

Geheimnisse (German)

Das Geheimnis der Postkarten:

Ja ich liebe nicht nur Bücher und Postkarten, sondern so ziemlich alle Belege auf Papier. Darum sammle ich auch alte und neue Postkarten und lerne so die Welt noch besser kennen. Auch Briefmarken, Briefe und sonstige Belege erzählen eine Geschichte. Ich sammle jedoch nicht nach Wert, sondern ich sammle die Geschichten.
Mir gefällt die Idee, dass man durch Postkarten und Briefmarken die Welt entdeckt und gleichzeitig etwas über Kultur und Geschichte lernt. Ich bin von klein auf ein sehr neugieriger Mensch und möchte immer wissen, was auf den Karten und Marken abgebildet ist. 

Über diese Seite:

Die Idee zu diesem Blog ist mir gekommen, als ich einfach in Richtung meiner Büchersammlung schaute. Hier finden sich nämlich auch jede Menge antiquarische Bücher. Bücher die ich einfach besitze, meist geschenkt bekommen habe, jedoch in den seltensten Fällen komplett gelesen habe. Immer wieder zieht es mich zu diesen alten Schinken hin und ich frage mich, wieso? Einfach weil ich Bücher an sich mag. Alte Bücher. Neue Bücher. Oftmals nutze ich jede Gelegenheit zu Büchern zu kommen und bei Gelegenheit, lasse ich sie auch wieder ziehen. Das Besitzen ist nicht so wichtig, eher das Stöbern und Entdeckern.
Ja und teilweise sind es auch meine eigenen Geschichten, die ich mit Büchern verbinde. Mich interessiert es, welche Bücher von anderen Menschen gelesen werden. Zeig mir deinen Bücherschrank und ich sage dir, was für ein Mensch du bist.
Ich mag auch Bücher, die wohl niemand wieder in die Hand nimmt. Welche keine neuen Auflagen haben und wohl irgendwann verschwinden werden. Welcher Mensch hat diese Art von Büchern wohl gelesen? Und welcher Mensch, hat dieses Buch wohl geschrieben? Solche Fragen regen mich zum Träumen an und zum Erfinden von ganz neuen Geschichten.

Ein ganz besonderes Erlebnis hatte ich, als ich eine antiquarische Ausgabe von Don Quichotte auf dem Flohmarkt erstand. Denn in diesem Buch fand ich einen Brief. Einen Liebesbrief aus dem Jahre 1950. Seitdem halte ich die Augen offen, was sich noch in Büchern finden lässt: Widmungen, Gasrechnungen, Lesezeichen, Postkarten, Exlibris, Einkaufszettel. Ich habe schon einige erstaunliche Dinge gefunden.
Auch alte Fachbücher zählen zu meinen Favoriten. Es ist einfach interessant, wie die Menschen früher die Welt gesehen haben.

Wo sind die ganzen Bücherliebhaber und Postliebhaber?:

Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob ich alleine bin, mit meiner Vorliebe für seltsame und alte Bücher und Poststücke, ich kenne zumindest niemanden, der sich auch dafür interessieren würde. Darum starte ich diesen Blog, um herauszufinden, ob es noch mehr Menschen gibt, die das Drumherum von Büchern und Post interessiert. Dies ist wohl kein Bücherblog oder Postkartenblog im normalen Sinne, sondern eine Reise. Eine Reise zu allem, was damit in Zusammenhang steht und unsere Fantasie anregt. Und vielleicht schaffe ich ja auch jemanden zu begeistern, zu schauen was für Schätze er wohl auf dem Dachboden versteckt hält. Inspirieren und meine Begeisterung weitergeben. Und vielleicht habt auch ihr Geschichten über Bücher, die ihr gerne erzählen möchtet.

Email:  salinda[äät]hotmail.de