Halloween

Happy Halloween!

This weekend my mum was in Innsbruck (Austria) where she bought a nice Halloween souvenir sheet for me.

This is how the sheet looks like:

Halloween (issued 14-10-2013)
- a ghost, a witch, a spider
- a vampire, bats
- a skeleton, a cemetery with a arm emerging out of the earth
- pumpkins

It is a very great sheet, because the stamps have the form of puzzle pieces.

Saltwater Fish

Yesterday I got a cover from Slovenia and inside were my first mint stamps from Slovenia.

Slovenia is a country in Central Europe bordering on Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Slovenia is a member of the UN, the NATO, the EU and the OECD. Slovenia's capital is Ljubljana.

The stamp set is this:

Marine Fauna (issued 27-09-2013)
- Damselfish (Chromis chromis)
- Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis
- Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) in a souvenir sheet

It is a really great set, because the animals on the stamps are covered with salt. The salt comes from the Piranske Soline saltworks. Slovenia is the first country using salt on stamps.

Thank You very much Mateja!

Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig

On Friday I bought the new German stamps.

One stamp was this:

100 years of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig (issued 10-10-2013)

The Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig is the biggest monument in Germany. The monument is 91m high and has a weight of 300,000t. It was built between 1900 and 1912. It was opened in 1913 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Nations.

I bought also a first day sheet and...

front side:

back side:

a anniversary FDC ("Jubiläumsbrief") with...

a pamphlet and...

front side:

back side:

a postcard inside.

front side:

back side:

Ludwig Leichhardt

On Friday I bought the new German stamps.

One stamp was this:

200th birthday of Ludwig Leichhardt (issued 10-10-2013)
(It is a joint issue with Australia)

Ludwig Leichhardt was born in 1813 in Prussia. In 1841 he left for Australia. In 1844 he started his first expedition to explore the continent, in 1846 he started his second expedition. After he started his third expedition in 1848 he disappeared trackless.

I bought also a first day sheet on which is also the Australian issue (issued 15-10-2013).

front side:

Actually will the Australian issue be issued on 15th October, but I already bought it on 11th October

back side:

Georg Büchner

On Friday I bought the new German stamps.

One stamp was this:

200th birthday of Georg Büchner (issued 10-10-2013)

Georg Büchner was born in 1813 in Goddelau in the near of Darmstadt. He spent his childhood and teens in Darmstadt and in 1831 he moved to Strasbourg to study doctor’s stuff. In 1833 he moved to the university in Giessen. When he was there he sampled the bullying of the authority, so in 1834 he wrote the anonymous pamphlet “Der Hessische Landbote”. Because of this he was pursued by the public authorities, but in 1835 was able to escape to Strasbourg. In this year he also wrote his first stage play “Danton’s Death”. He died in 1837 in Zurich. He is one of the most significant German dramatist. 

I bought also a First Day Sheet.

front side:

back side:

John Paul II

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

I bought also a cover with a great stamp:

front side:

back side:

Stamp:
25 years of the pontificate of John Paul II (issued 20-03-2003)
(It is a joint issue with Poland)
It is a silver stamp.

The civic name of Pope John Paul II is Karol Józef Wojtyła. He was born in Wadowice, Poland, on 18th May 1920. He is the pope since the 16th October 1978 after Pope John Paul I died. He was the first Slavic pope. He died on 2nd April 2005 and his follower became Benedict XVI.

Edict of Milan

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

1700 years Edict of Milan (issued 12-06-2013)
(It is a joint issue with Italy)

The Edict of Milan was closed in 313 AD in Milan, the place were the daughter of Constantine (emperor of the west) married Licinius (emperor of the east). The Edict of Milan assured the freedom of religion.

The Renaissance Popes

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

The Renaissance Popes (issued 30-08-2013)
- Julius II
- Leo X

Julius II was the follower of Pope Pius III. His civic name was Giuliano della Rovere. He was born in 1443. Before he became the Pope he was the head of the opposition against Alexander VI, the Pope from the House of Borgia. He became the Pope in 1503. He was the founder of the Swiss Guard and in 1506 he induced the laying of the first stone of the St. Peter’s Basilica. He died in 1513.
After the death of Julius II Giovanni de’ Medici became the Pope. He was born in 1475 in Florence. His papal name was Leo X. The Protestant Reformation began in his regency. He died in 1521. His follower became Adrian VI.

Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner (issued 30-08-2013)

Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 and died in 1901. He was an Italian composer famous for his operas like La traviata and Aida. He opened also the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, a retirement house for musicians in Milan.

Richard Wagner was born in 1813 and died in 1873. He was one of the most famous German composers and he made the opera to a Gesamtkunstwerk while writing text, music and stage direction.

Pope Francis

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

Pope Francis (issued 02-05-2013)
(It is a joint issue with Argentina and Italy)

The civic name of Pope Francis is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17th December 1936. He is the pope since the 13rd March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI had abdicated (the first abdication since 1294!). He is the first pope from South America.

Sistine Madonna and Madonna of Foligno

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

500 years Sistine Madonna and Madonna of Foligno (issued 01-03-2012)
(It is a joint issue with Germany)

Both pictures were painted by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino who is also called Raphael.
Raphael was an Italian painter and architect who was born in 1483 in Urbino. Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci are the Great Masters of the later Renaissance and had a big influence on the art of the Western Hemisphere. He died in 1520 in Rome.

EUROPA 2009

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

One stamp set was this:

EUROPA (issued 20-05-2009)
- “The Sun” by Donato Creti
- “Saturn” by Donato Creti

Definitives of the Vatican City State

This week I was on a trip to Rome. When I was there I also visited the Vatican City where I bought my first Vatican stamp sets.

The Vatican City State is a enclave in Rome and the smallest accepted state of the world (44 ha). The Head of State is the Pope, so at the moment Pope Francis. The whole territory of the Vatican City State is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Vatican City State arose from the Papal States and was founded in 1929 per the Lateran Treaty closed between Pope and Benito Mussolini.

One stamp set was this:

Definitives “The Sistine Chapel 1508-2008” (issued 06-03-2008)
- Libica
- Eritrea
- Delfica
- Cumana
- Daniele
- Giona
- Ezechiele
- Zaccaria