Another Mixed Bag of Cards

Today's cards come from a number of countries. Taiwan, Canada, China, France, and Germany. Themes include trains, aircraft, landscapes , UNESCO WHS and history. So here we go.

The first card for today comes from Taiwan, Republic of China. The card shows the Alishan forest Railway. Ana, I'm sure you would like this one, but perhaps you already have it in your collection. The Alishan Forest railway is an 86 km narrow gauge railway running up to and around the mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. Taiwan's government has listed the railway as a potential World Heritage site. However, politics will most likely intervene and so it is unlikely to be recognized as a WHS anytime soon. The main line runs from the city of Chiayi, elevation 30m, to Alisham, elevation 2216m. The line was built in 1912. I have ridden on narrow gauge rail lines and they can be a bumpy ride. The card is from Taita, a Postcrosser. She used a 2004 stamp , from a set of 3 featuring flowers and plants.Card number two is from Canada. I actually don't receive many cards from Canada, so it is nice when one arrives. This one will be a great addition to my aircraft and airlines on postcards collection. The card is shows a Handley Page Dart Herald in the livery of Eastern Provincial Airways. Eastern provincial is where I started my airline career back in 1974. This 1950s turboprop aircraft entered service with Eastern Provincial in the early 1960s. The date of the postmark on this card, 2010-08-17 makes this a First Day of Issue card. The stamp was officially issued August 17th with First Day of Issue in Cupids , Newfoundland, Canada. Sadly, my card was not postmarked in Cupids, but it's still a great card. The stamp celebrates the founding of the birthplace of English Canada. In August 1610, Bristol merchant John Guy arrived in Cupids, Newfoundland, then known as Cuppers Cove. That marked the start of British overseas expansion by establishing the first English settlement in what would become Canada and one of the earliest permanent European settlements in North America.

Our next card is from Shanghai, People's Republic of China. On this card we can seen the Wulingyuan scenery of Yunqing Terrace. This card , from yet another Postcrosser, dates from 1998. The card is a post paid card with a preprinted stamp on it. Note , the picture on the cardis the same as that on the stamp.

A card from Jean Pierre of France is next. It is from Carnac, on the south coast of Brittany, in north-western France. Carnac is famous as the site of more than 3000 prehistoric standing stones. Time frame for these stone erections is around 3300 BC. Jean Pierre says Carnac could be on the UNESCO WHS list by 2012. Let's hope so, as I will already have the card. Jean Pierre used a 2010 stamp celebrating 50 years of African Independence of 14 countries.
Card number 5 comes to us from Regensburg, Germany. This city in Bavaria is located at the confluence of the Danube and regen Rivers. The large medieval center of the city is a UNESCO world heritage Site. Regensburg, one of Germany's oldest towns, dates backt to the Stone Age. Need I say it's also from a Postcrosser. She used 2 great stamps from this year. They are a set of 2 designed by Udo Lindenburg, themed on his songs, Andrea Doria and Sonderzug nach Pankow.

Finally our last card is again from Taiwan, Republic of China. It is from Wu Wei Yi, a frequent contributor to this blog, but who I haven't heard from for quite a while. It's good to have him on board again. The card tells the history of Taiwan , in that it shows the regimes in Taiwan from 1912-2010. The red dot from 1912-1945 represents the rule of Japan. The blue represents the Kuomintang of China and the green represents the DPP, Democratic Progressive Party. The stamps , from left to right are as follows. The left stamp was issued in 1985 and is 1 of 2 in a Peace set. The small stamp in the center was issued in 1996 and is 1 of 4 in a definitive set of fruits. The top right stamp from 2007 and shows a museum. The tiger stamp is from 2010 and celebrates The Year of the Tiger. I quite like this stamp.
Thanks to all who sent cards used in this update. I wouldn't have much to update without your contributions. See you soon.