Germany

 19/9/14
Nicole sent me this lovely multiview postcard from the Baltic Sea. The pictures make it feel like this might be somewhere more tropical but I went paddling in the Baltic this summer and it's definitely NOT tropical temperatures!

Thanks so much for the postcard!

*****

 18/9/14
This delightful postcard was sent to me by Verena. Her "juice" (???) took the photo of this Cattle Egret, which appears to be dancing across the mud! I wish I could look that good when I go walking through muddy fields or on the muddy beaches!

Many thanks for the postcard!

*****

 17/9/14
Lilly sent me this postcard of a cartoon seagull, which really made me smile. Then I read on the back that this card reminds her of her holiday to Scotland this year and I smiled even more, because that's exactly what I had been thinking (except my parents live there so I visit pretty often!) Sorry it rained when you visited - believe it or not, but it doesn't always rain in Scotland!

Thanks for the postcard, I love it!

*****

17/9/14
I received this card from a first grade class just outside Frankfurt. Apparently the school has recently been attacked by wasps which is not normal for the area. There is also a message from a pupil stating that their favourite holiday would be to visit Disneyland and sleep in the castle! I still wish to visit Disneyland and sleep in the Disney Castle (I have slept in or very close to a few castles, but not that one!)

Thanks so much for the postcard.

*****

16/9/14
Claus sent me this postcard showing some flamingos from Florida. He says that they always appear to be elegant and that it must be a magnificent site to see them flying in a big flock. I've only seen flamingos in Zoos, and once a passing glimpse from a train in Spain, but I would love to see them in the wild in huge pink flocks.

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

 (No date)
Verena sent me this postcard of an Osprey, which she often sees flying around her house. Sometimes it tries to catch her chickens, and is very fast.

Thanks for the postcard.

***** 

6/9/14
This lovely postcard of sketches of birds was sent to me by Kissy. She lives about 20 minutes away from the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin and these sketches were made by the director of the Zoo, Heinrich Dathe. I had just finished reading a book about Berlin Zoo, so it was interesting to find out that this city has two very well known and respected Zoo's! Makes me definitely want to visit!
Kissy is trying to learn about birds through their song, but says that most of the birds in the city are sparrows and pigeons.

Many thanks for the postcard and the information and the Zoo!

*****

5/9/14
This beautiful postcard showing a poppy field was sent to me by Lisa. Apparently it is a typical landscape around Berlin. Such a shame that it has been mostly lost from the UK landscape due to commercial farming.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

4/9/14
Steffi sent me this delightful postcard from the Spreewald. The village called Lehde has no cars allowed and is surrounded by rivers, so access is by these small boats. It sounds idyllic and very peaceful. Because of this, wildlife is great here, with plenty of fish in the river and foxes and storks on the islands. Somewhere I would love to visit one day!

Thanks so much for the postcard and all the information.

*****

30/8/14
Claus decided to send me some "exotic" birds for our Round Robin. He has only seen Penguins once in the wild when on holiday in South Africa. I can imagine that is strange seeing them all nesting on the beaches surrounded by sunbathers.

Thanks for the postcard.

*****

22/8/14
Blue Tits have always been a favourite of mine, so I was happy to receive this postcard from Leostahl as part of the official postcrossing group. They were working in the office due to some damp weather, but writing postcards during the break - maybe I should start doing that!

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

14/8/14
Another bird from Antje, but this was a very pleasant surprise! After my travels to Sweden this summer, I was disappointed to have not found any Bluethroats, but apparently they can also be found in Northern Germany! Maybe my next trip will be there!

Thanks so much for the postcard!

*****

11/8/14
Achim posted on a group asking if anyone would like a postcard from his holiday to Provence, and I couldn't say no! The combination of Lavender and Sunflowers in this photo is so vibrant, I love it! Apparently there is plenty to do in the region that he visits every year - maybe I'll get the chance to visit one day!

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

7/8/14
Daniella sent me this postcard showing the old Town Hall of Bamberg. It looks like it's built on a very small island with the bridge connecting it to the land. And I love that the facing wall is seemingly floating over the river - I bet that took some engineering when it was built!

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

4/8/14
Antje sent me this postcard of a female duck (I think Mallard?) She says that so many people don't notice these more common species, on the lookout for something different. But even the ordinary species are beautiful and she enjoys looking for them as much as the rarer or brighter coloured birds.

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

30/7/14
I've also started joining in with some dog groups and was happy to receive this card from Astrid. It looks very typical of any dog home I think - dog waiting patiently for walkies, with the wellies all lined up for the beach, forest, field, park... A very cute pooch!

Thanks so much for the card.

*****

25/7/14
I received this delightful postcard from Hannah, who works in a hospital as an Occupational Therapist. Last year she travelled to Thailand and saw lots of nice places, including some temples and shrines.
I love seals, they remind me of trips to some of the islands on the West Coast of Scotland, where there are many.

Thanks for the postcard, and happy travels!

*****

25/7/14
Rainer sent me this postcard of one of my favourite birds - a Kingfisher! He saw one once which was quick as lightning, which is about how I would describe them. In the UK, you often see the unmistakable blue streak heading upstream as they move to find fish.

Thanks so much for the postcard, I love it!

*****

25/7/14
Antje sent me this postcard showing Black Headed Gulls sitting on nests. They look different to her last postcard as they have black heads during the summer breeding season, but moult to white heads over the winter. Antje says that she is waiting for the end of September when she can go travelling, at the moment everyone else is going on holiday but she is stuck at home!

Thanks for another great postcard.

*****

 7/4/14
Walter sent me this multiview postcard of the area where he has lived for the past 25 years and will be moving away from later this year. It looks like an amazing place and I bet you'll miss it, but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity to visit.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and good luck with the move.

*****

 7/4/14
Mathias sent me this gorgeous Robin postcard. He had bought it from the post office after falling in love with it, so I am honored that you sent it to me! I was surprised that he was unsure about the species, so I sent him a quick message thanking him and giving a few details about Robins in the UK. I love sharing my birding knowledge, as well as learning from others.

Thanks for the postcard, I really do love Robins!

*****

7/4/14
Magdalene sent me this lovely postcard showing a Roe Deer Buck in snow. This was part of the "Animals with horns" tag, so I had no idea what I would receive, but was very happy to receive a wild native animal (one of my other collections). We have Roe Deer in the UK, and they are often seen close to towns and cities, or along train lines and main roads. I love watching them prancing around fields and it's amazing how high they can jump over fences.

Thanks so much for the postcard, and give your bunnies a cuddle from me.

*****

25/3/14
This gorgeous postcard of a Black Headed Gull in winter plumage was another sent by Antje. She took this photo herself, and I think it's really good contrasting red legs on white body on blue sky! It was taken at the Baltic Sea, which is an area I would love to visit on day!

Thanks for the postcard - I love receiving postcards using your own photos!

*****

20/3/14
Walter sent me this lovely watercolour postcard showing the Schwäbische Alb, the southern Highlands of Germany. He lives near the cathedral city of Ulm, where he was a teacher until retiring a few years ago. He has visited the UK on many occassions, but never Wales, so there is a return postcard on it's way to you, showing what you've been missing!

Thanks for the postcard, and I will definitely visit Ulm on my next trip to Germany!

*****

19/3/14
I joined a Round Robin on Birds using the postcrossing forum, and was very pleasantly surprised to receive this card from Claus, showing a Grey Plover tugging up a worm. I have yet to ring one of these waders, but I love watching them whenever I get the chance. The Wadden Sea seems like a great place for waders - maybe one day I'll visit and do some ringing.

Thanks for this postcard - it made me smile!

*****

11/3/14
Probably because of the Oktoberfest, but I never considered Germany as a big wine producing country. Steffi informed me that from March to October each village celebrates the local wines by having a wine festival, with more than 170 taking place each year in just one region!

Thanks for the postcard, it looks like a beautiful part of the country.

*****

 4/3/14
As part of Postcrossing, you never know what you'll get! Antje sent me this postcard of Marine Iguanas from the Galapagos. Like me, she would love to visit but has a long list of other, slightly more accessible places to visit first. Maybe one day we will get there to see these creatures for real.

Thanks for the TAG.

*****

 5/3/14
Angelique responded to my post on a group asking for Native Dog breeds. She sent me an envelope full of Germany breeds! I hadn't realised that poodles originated in Germany! These postcards were part of a set being sold to raise money to help train rescue dogs. A great idea to support local charities by buying postcards, might have to make some suggestions to my local animal charities.

Thanks so much for the selection and the chats about our dogs.

*****

27/2/14
This delightful postcard came from another TAG - this time "What did you do today?" Silver Thistle seems to have had a busy day, buying some food for cooking, walking the dog and writing postcards.

It was great learning a bit about German life, thanks!

*****

26/2/14
One of the ways of swapping postcards on postcrossing is by taking part in a TAG thread. I was interested in the "Photo you took yourself" thread, as most of the postcards I send out are my own. I was tagged by Lilley, who sent me this wonderful photo of the sky on her way to work. I like sunrise and sunset photos, so this was perfect!

Thanks so much for the photo!

*****

15/2/14
I met Sebastian through Couchsurfing when he was visiting Oban. We stay in touch via Facebook and when I set up my Postcard Exchange group he was one of the first to send me his address for a postcard! He's a busy guy commuting to this area every other week, but I wouldn't complain too much - it looks idyllic!

Thanks for the postcard!

*****

This was a lovely postcard from Mireille. I've done some volunteering with the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust in the past, so it was nice to see a bee feeding from a different country, part of a Biosphere Reserve in the Rhon mountains.
I contacted Mireille via Couchsurfing after seeing her post that she was decorating her apartment with postcards. I'm sure we'll both keep updating eachother on our progress over the coming months.
Thanks for the postcard - it fitted very nicely into the top corner of my current postcard wall!