Cruising Thru Postcards 3

Hello again. Well, now that most of the postcards from my last cruise have arrived, it must be time to do a little Cruising Thru Postcards. This will be episode # 3 of Cruising Thru Postcards. So without further ado, let's cast off all lines, weigh the anchor and blow the ship's horn and sail away.

For this cruise we ( my lovely Teena & I ) sailed with Holland America Line on the MS Veendam. Captain Frank van der Hoeven was in command. With a crew of 580 and a passenger count of 1258 we set sail from Valparaiso, Chile on March 7, 2012. First of all we had to get to Chile. We flew from Calgary to Toronto on a Boeing 777-200LR. This was our first flight on a B777. Then from Toronto to Santiago , Chile we flew on a Boeing 777-300 ER, a much larger plane than the first one, 349 passengers to 270 . We arrived in Santiago 2 days early on March 5th. After enjoying the warm weather and 2 relaxing nights in Santiago we boarded a bus for the 2.5 hour ride to Valparaiso. Of course the last thing I did before boarding the ship was to find some postcards and stamps. So here's my Valparaiso card. You can see the many colorful houses built along the hills overlooking the port. The stamp I selected for this card is from a 2010 sheet of 10 honouring 200 years of the Chilean Army. Here's the stamp and the sheet .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------We departed Valparaiso at 5:12 pm en route to Puerto Montt, Chile , our first port of call, 644 nautical miles to the south. The fishing port of Puerto Montt marks the end of the beautiful Lake District of Southern Chile. It had been known for years as " the end of the line ", whether traveling by railway, road or highway. Of course, I found a postcard and managed to drop it in a post box. The card shows statutes of German Settlers arriving in the area in 1852. Also on the bottom of the card are some bottles of delicious sea urchins. The stamp is another from the same sheet mentioned above.

After departing Puerto Montt at 5:00 pm on 09 March, we sailed for 2 days through the Chilean Fjords and viewed Amalia Glacier. This glacier which descends from the Andes Mountains is approximately 73 square miles in area. The height of Amalia Glacier at the water's edge is about 20-30 feet while another 120 feet or so is underwater. From the glacier we sailed back through Sarmiento Channel and the Strait of Magellan enroute to Punta Arenas , Chile. Located on the southern tip of the Chilean mainland, the city of 100,000 lays claim to the title : "world's southernmost city ". We were certainly looking forward to docking in Punta Arenas however it was not to be. When we arrived , there was heavy rain, with major flooding. The port was closed and hotels had to be evacuated. The Veendam anchored offshore for most of the day awaiting an improvement in the weather but sadly we had to depart without visiting Punta Arenas. I know, some of you have received postcards from Punta Arenas, so how did that happen, you may ask ? Here's what happened. I purchased a number of cards and stamps on board , addressed and wrote them out and handed them in at the purser's desk. I asked that on their next stop at Punta Arenas , if they could be given to the ship's agent for mailing. They said no problem and it must have worked as I received one of these cards. My card shows many of the fauna in the Antarctic region including Arctic Terns, Chinstrap Penguins, Weddell Seals, Gentoo Penguins, Fur Seals and Subantarctic Skua. On this card you can see another of the stamps from the Chilean sheet.

Next we sailed through the Cockburn Channel, the Beagle Channel and Glacier Alley on our way to Ushuaia, Argentina. We arrived in Ushuaia at 11:50 am on 13 March. Located on a large island in the archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. The island is divided between Chile and Argentina. At 55 degrees south latitude, Ushuaians claim to live in the southermost city. I know, I know what I wrote about Punta Arenas above , well I won't even mention Puerto Williams. Let's just leave it at this- Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Williams all contend to be "the southernmost city ". Punta Arenas residents claim Ushuaia is a village and both call Puerto Williams an outpost. Guess it has to do with size, population and how the world views you. Do I have a postcard from Ushuaia ? Of course, it's a view from the water looking into the port. It's Ushuaia, Patagonia, Argentina. While in Ushuaia we boarded and rode The Train To The End of The World in Tierra del Fuego National Park. And the stamp- well I don't know , it's not exactly what I would have liked , but it's all I could locate. It is a DHL courier stamp showing a lighthouse in Ushuaia. And the sticker below the stamp , I don't know about. All I know is that it took months for the card to arrive using DHL.
Ushuaia was a nice place. Small enough, easy to get around and we encountered no problems ashore.

We left port at 10:55 pm on 13 March, heading for Cape Horn. Cape Horn , just the sound of it , gives shivers up the spine. Rough seas, high winds, fog, all contribute to many bad experiences Rounding the Horn. Ours was nothing like that. We arrived at the cape early morning on March 14. We experienced a little fog and some rain for the first couple of hours but then the weather cleared and it was quite nice for the rest of the day.We did some scenic cruising around the cape and eventually circled completely around, as Cape Horn is located on Hornos Island. It marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage. Here's a couple of cards showing The Cape.
So I guess I can knock off "Rounding Cape Horn " from The Bucket List. My Lovely Teena and I Rounded Cape Horn on the m.s.Veendam on 14th of March 2012. And we have certificates to prove it.

Next The Falkland Islands. We arrived in Stanley , Falkland Islands at 8:40 am on March 15th. Here is our first view of Stanley. The Veendam was unable to dock at the pier, so we had to go ashore in the ship's Tenders- their lifeboats , in fact. Located on the island of East Falkland, Stanley is the capital and had a population of 2,115 in 2006. One of the local tourist attractions , The Totem Pole is on this card.
Here's the stamp for this one. It is a 2003 Airmail Postcard Rate showing what else but Penguins.

Another Falklands card shows from top left- Government House, Museum and Upland Geese. From bottom left- Magellanic Penguin, WW1 Memorial and Lady Elizabeth Shipwreck. This one arrived with a 2008 Rockhopper Penguin stamp , 1 of a set of 6.

The Falkland Islands are a wonderful place, Stanley is a great place, small, quaint, easy to get around, friendly and oh so British. I would love to spend a week or so there. We visited Bluff Cove Rookery and walked among many hundred of penguins. That was an awesome experience and a lot better than seeing penguins in a zoo. The beach at Bluff Cove is as good as anywhere and strolling along it left you with the feeling that you were indeed somewhere special. If you ever find yourself there, be sure to drop in at The Sea Cabbage Cafe for great tea and pastries.

Now in addition to Stanley been a great place to walk around and visit, it also has a great Philatelic Center at the local post office. The clerk on duty when I visited was most helpful. She explained that I could arrange for postcards to be sent to South Georgia, British Antarctic Territory and four bases in Antarctic for postmarking and subsequent mailing . Of course I jumped at this opportunity. I was also allowed to look through the stamps and select whatever I wanted for the cards. I arranged for 6 cards from South Georgia, 5 from British Antarctic Territory and 1 each from the bases of Rothera, Halley, Port Lockroy and Signy. After the postmarking the cards are sent back to Stanley when they enter the mail stream.

Some of these may not arrive at their destinations until October or so. Here's one that arrived earlier than that, it's from South Georgia and here it is. It shows a group of Rockhopper Penguins on a rocky shoreline. The stamp was issued in 2010 and has a Macaroni Penguin on an Airmail Postcard Rate.
Here's another one that arrived earlier than expected. It's from Rothera Research Station, British Antarctic Territory. Rothera Station is located at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Grahamland, British Antarctic Territory, Antarctica, 67 degrees 34 minutes S. - 68 degrees 07 minutes W. Adelaide Island is 1860 km south of the Falklands and 1630 km south east of Punta Arenas, Chile. The summer ( Nov-Mar ) population at the station is around 100 and in winter ( Apr- Oct ) it drops to about 22. Here is the card showing a King Penguin. Note all the markings along with the stamp. Issued in 2011, it is 1 of 6 in a set of Research Ships.

Now getting back to the cruise, we departed The Falklands at 5:30 pm on march 15th. That was 90 minutes late as the Captain was late getting back from his shore excursion. I guess we couldn't leave him behind. Now if it was me, it would have been , good bye, so long , see you next time. From The Falklands we headed north for 2 days and arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay at 8:00 am on March 18th. Founded in 1726 Montevideo is the largest city, the capital , and the main port of Uruguay, the most "European "of the South American countries. I found Montevideo to be a really wonderful , beautiful city with great beaches. It is situated on the north shore of the Rio de la Plat, the arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the South coast of Uruguay from the north coast of Argentina. A note for all you soccer fans out there- Montevideo hosted all of the matches during the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.
Here a couple of cards posted in Montevideo. The first one is their Parliament Building. This neo classical building was completed in 1925 using local marble and granite. The second card is of Fabini Square. The square , also known as Plaza del Entrevero is located on Montevideo's main avenue- 18 Julio Avenue. The center of the square is a fountain with a big bronze and granite sculpture by Jose Belloni called El Entrevero. Both cards have the same stamp, a 2011 self adhesive definitive issued in a set of 2.
I know it's been a long trip but we have just one more port to go , then it's the long flight home again. After leaving Montevideo behind we sailed into Buenos Aires, Argentina at 8:20 am on March 19th. It was 23 C with rain showers, cloudy skies and a light breeze. After disembarking the ship we went on a tour of the city. We visited Plaza de Mayo- the very heart of the nation. Mothers have rallied at the site since the "Dirty Wars "of the 1970s when many of their sons mysteriously vanished. At the far end of the plaza, we saw Casa Rosada , the Presidential Palace and the 230 foot tall white Obelisco, an unmistakable city landmark. It was built in 1936 to mark the city's 400th anniversary. We also visited la Recoleta Cemetery. I don't normally visit cemeteries on vacation but I couldn't go home without a visit to this one. It features some of the most ostentatious tombs you will ever see. Among the most famous is Eva Peron's. Here's a postcard with The Pink House, the obelisk and Eva herself. Finally , we didn't leave Buenos Aires without seeing the Tango . While having a cold one in a cafe in Caminito, a traditional area with brightly colored houses and local artists selling their wares, we saw a wonderful performance of the Tango. Here's what it looked like. Both cards bear the same stamp. It is 1 of 7 definitives issued in 2009. A rather nice definitive set actually.
Buenos Aires marked the end of our cruise , 7 ports of call, the Amalia Glacier, Cape Horn, it was a trip to remember. Twelve night on the ship , 3702 nautical miles. Still a long way from home. We still had a long flight home, actually 3 flights. We had to fly from Buenos Aires to Santiago, then the long haul to Toronto and finally back to Calgary. It all went well except for a 2 hour delay sitting on the ramp in Buenos Aires in a thunder storm.

This concludes this edition of Cruising Thru Postcards , # 3. I hope you enjoyed reading and seeing the cards from the cruise. It has been a long update , I worked on it over a number of days , hence the date reads as June 19, it is now Jun 25. I hope if any readers received any cards from these travels, you might let me know via the comments. I like to know if they ever arrive.
Take care .

Be watching for edition # 4 of Cruising Thru Postcards in late September.

Things That Fly

Today's update deals with things that fly. I'm sure you know that will include planes. My cards this time come from Canada, Slovakia, Guernsey, U.S.A., Taiwan and France. These airplane cards will certainly add to my Aircraft/Airlines on Postcards collection.

First up is the card from Canada. It's a Wardair Boeing 747. Wardair was a Canadian airline founded in 1953. The airline was acquired by and folded into Canadian Airlines International in 1989. Wardair was famous for good service at lower than average prices. Quality meals on Royal Doulton china and seats with generous pitch were standard on Wardair. It is remembered as one of the most luxurious Canadian airlines. Sadly I never had the pleasure of flying Wardair or working for Wardair. My card , set by Pam in Kingston, shows aircraft CF-DJC, nicknamed the "Phil Garratt ". Garratt is a member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. Pam used 2 aviation related stamps from 1981 and 1982. The stamp on the left shows a Fairchild FC-2w1, while the other stamp shows the Avro Canada Jetliner. The Avro Canada Jetliner is the second jet airliner to ever fly, having its first flight just 13 days after the DH Comet's first flight. In April 1950 the Jetliner carried the world's first jet airmail from Toronto to New York in 58 minutes.

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Next to land is a Brussels Airlines Avro RJ100 on the tarmac at Poprad-Tatry Airport in Poprad , northern Slovakia. The altitude of the airport in the High Tatra Mountains is 672 metres above sea level. Robert used 2012 stamp, 1 of 2 in a souvenir sheet honouring Jan Koniarek.

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Now on final approach to landing is Aurigny Air Services. Aurigny operates betwen the Channel Islands, northern France and the United Kingdom. It is one of the longest serving regional airlines in the world and is one of the oldest established airlines in Britain behind Loganair and Monarch Airlines. The aircraft pictured here is G-RUND, a Saab SF340A, but Aurigny has since retired this aircraft type. They now operate ATR 72 aircraft. Jean Pierre used 3 Guernsey stamps on the card. The flower stamp on the left is 1 of 7 definitives issued in 2008. The flower stamp in the middle is 1 of 10 issued in 2009 and the stamp on the right was issued in 1984 showing the architecture of Le Variouf.

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Here's a card from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum showing 2 very famous aircraft. In the foreground we seen the Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis and in the background, the Bell X-1. Charles Lindbergh, in his Ryan NYP named Spirit of St. Louis, became the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo and nonstop. It took him 33 hours, 30 minutes at an average speed of 108 mph to fly from New York to Paris on May 20-21, 1927.

Flown by Capt. Charles Yeager, on Oct 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis was the first airplane to fly faster than the speed of sound. Under the power of its rocket engine, the X-1 penetrated the sound barrier and attained a speed of 1127 km/h ( 700 mph, MACH 1.06 ) .

That's two great pilots in two great planes.

I had the pleasure of visiting this museum about 15 years ago and saw these planes in the same location shown on the card. They have a lot of other great stuff to see so if you get the chance , it's well worth the visit. You can't go wrong.

Postcrosser Rose is the sender of this card and she used a 2012 Lancaster County stamp.

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This next card comes from Taiwan. It shows a Dragonair Airbus A330-300.That's a nice looking airplane and card.

Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited is the flag carrier of and headquartered in Hong Kong. It flies to 33 destinations in 12 countries. It operates an all Airbus fleet of A320s, A321s and A330s. Dennies used a number of stamps , all from 2011, to get this card to me. The 2 larger stamps are from a Tourism set of 20. The smaller stamp from a set of 4 Insects.

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On this last card , of Brittany, France, we aren't seeing an airplane, but these guys can fly, so that keeps this card in tune with things that fly. They're Puffins of course. Now , speaking of flying, puffins beat their wings rapidly ( up to 400 times per minute ) . Now that's moving. Jean Pierre used 2 really nice Puffin stamps . They were issued this year and are a Bird Protection issue.

That's it for today. I promise my next update won't have any airplanes so do come back again.
Thanks go to Pam, Robert, Jean Pierre, Rose and Dennies for all these fine cards.
As always, if you want to let me know how I'm doing here, feel free.
Take care.

Stamp Issuing Entrity # 257 and a Few Others

It's time for another update. With this one , I will knock off another one from the list over on the left. And that will be quite the trick, since it's not even on the list. That's right, I missed one, left one off the list - call it what you want, but the fact remains that I have now corrected that fact.

My new country or stamp issuing entity is none other than South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands , and is in fact # 257 of my collection. I don't know how come I left South Georgia off my list. I have often checked the list and just never thought about South Georgia. That's all behind me now, I welcome South Georgia to the fold.

South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, located about 1300 km East-South-East of the Falkland Islands, is a British overseas territory. With no native population, the present inhabitants include a British Government Officer , a Deputy Postmaster , scientists and support staff from the British Antarctic Survey. Bases are maintained at the capital- King Edward Point, Bird Island and Grytviken.

Here is how this postcard came to be. I wanted the card posted from South Georgia so this is the routine. I handed in this card at the Stanley, Falkland Islands Philatelic Office back on 15 March of this year. The clerk said that it would be forwarded to South Georgia for cancellation. It was postmarked at King Edward Point on 19 April and then sent back to Stanley where it got dropped in the mail stream. It arrived in Airdrie , Alberta, Canada yesterday , 3 months after I set it up.
On the card is a group of Rockhopper Penguins hanging around on a rocky cove. The stamp shows a Macaroni Penguin and was issued in 2010. It is rated for Airmail Postcards.

Just another of those really out of the way places that when I started this collection, I never dreamed I would ever receive a stamped postcard from, but I guess my little foray to the Falklands made it a lot easier.

Not to take away from South Georgia of course, but here is another really great card and it come from Canada no less. Another addition to my Aircraft on Postcards collection. This one is a CC-129 Dakota, a military version of the DC-3. This card is issued by the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario. This particular Dakota ( Tail 3 12963 ) is actually located at the museum. It served in India from 1944-1946. It was one of many DC3s used to transport supplies and troops to the British Army in Burma.

I received this card from Pam in Kingston, Ontario through a private swap. She used a couple of aviation related stamps to add to the theme of the card. On the left is a stamp from a 2006 set of 2 featuring The Snowbirds, Canada's military air demonstration team. The stamp on the right is a 1984 issue featuring pilots of The Royal Canadian Air Force.

Incidentally, my first aircraft flight was on a DC-3. I think it was around 1967 and I flew from CYQX ( Gander ) to CYWK ( Wabush ) with a stop in CYAY ( St. Anthony ) and return. That might just be why I ended up working with airlines for 28 years.

Folsom Prison is next on the agenda. Folsom State Prison is located in the city of Folsom, California, just 32 km northeast of Sacramento. It was opened in 1880. Over a 42 year period, from 1895 to 1937 , 93 condemned prisoners were executed , all by hanging. As of march 2012, the prison population was 2,912 - 443 over its design capacity. 443 prisoners over may seem too many and I'm sure it was, but in 2009 overcrowding was really an issue with 4,427 inmates. The card gives us a look at the main gate of the prison. This is another card from my brother Mel's recent trip to California. Once again we see the 2008 Tiffany Lamp definitive, the 2011 George Washington and 2 Aloha Shirts from 2012.Let's stick with a card from another of my brothers. This one is from Dale, traveling in Brazil. On his card we see Iguacu Falls, Brazil. The falls is part of Iguacu national Park , a UNESCO WHS since 1986. Iguacu Falls forms a 2,700 m wide semicircle while the water plunges over the falls from a height of 72 m. Here's the stamps , I showed them in my last update so have a look if you want.

Here's a card from Sri Lanka. Ravindra sent this one along and it is a view of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri lanka. The temple is in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. It is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Ravindra again used a number of new stamps as he usually does on his cards. The top 2 stamps celebrate Vesak 2012, observed on May 5th this year and often referred to as Buddha's birthday. The other 2 stamps were also issued this year with the larger one on the left celebrating Sustainable Energy For All. The lower stamp on the right marks 2600 years since the Lord Buddha attained Supreme Enlightenment.

My next card celebrates THAI Airways International . THAI , smooth as silk, with its Royal Orchid Service. I often heard it said that THAI has the most beautiful flight attendants and after looking at this card, that could be true. Nina sent this card and used a large 2010 stamp featuring a THAI DC-10 , celebrating the 50th anniversary of the airline. Another stamp for my Airlines on Stamps collection. The 2 stamps on the left are from a sent of 7 issued in 2009 featuring Orchids. It's interesting that Nina used 2 Orchid stamps on a card showcasing THAI's Orchid Service. The small stamp at the center is from a set of 10 definitives issued in 2010 featuring Thailand's King.


I think that should do it for today. Thanks to Ravindra, Dale, Mel, Nina, Pam for their cards and to the clerk in the Stanley , Falkland Islands Philatelic Office for her great assistance with the South Georgia card. Thanks for dropping by and I'll be looking for a comment from you all. Come on , fill the comment box.

An Open Ended ( Card Wise ) Update

I'm back with another update. I'm making no promises as to how many cards I'll get to this time, but let me just say that any that are featured , are great cards indeed. Here's the first one.

I am starting with what I consider to be a classic card, a beautiful aircraft card , one that has found a home in my Airlines on Postcards collection. It is a BOAC B707 Jetliner from the 1960s.
This 707 was powered by 4 Rolls-Royce Conway engines and had a cruising speed of 575-600 m.p.h. These 707s entered service with BOAC in 1960. For anyone who doesn't know, BOAC was British Overseas Airways Corporation. In 1974 BOAC merged with BEA ( British European Airways ) to form British Airways. I had the privilege of flying on a B707 back in 1975. It was actually a B707-320B , operated by Tap Airlines of Portugal. Pam of Kingston, Ontario, Canada swapped this card with me. She even used 2 copies of an aviation related stamp. The stamp was issued in 1987 and commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Air Canada. Featured on the stamp is an Air Canada Boeing 767-200. Thank you Pam for this most wonderful postcard. It made my day when I found it in my mailbox.

Here's another great card. When I saw it first I thought someone was sending me a card of The Calgary Stampede, The Greatest outdoor Show On Earth. It would have been quite appropriate as this year the stampede is celebrating it's 100th anniversary. Of course when I saw the Finnish words on the top I knew it wasn't related to our stampede. The translation goes something like this " Say you are coming to the adventure ". Well it's a nice card and these little cowpokes are certainly dressed for the stampede. Come July, there will be thousands of cowboys and cowgirls dressed like these little guys all over the city of Calgary. Now back to the card, it's from Liisa in Finland. She's a Postcrosser who lives in Southern Finland. I have no idea as to the adventure mentioned on the card. Perhaps there is a rodeo or stampede that takes place in Finland. Maybe I'll find out in the comments , if someone leaves one. Anyway I still think the card would make a great advertisement for our stampede. Liisa used a new stamp issued on May 7th of this year. It commemorates Bothnian Sea national Park. The park consists of approximately 98 % water.

We've all seen postcards and stamps featured here, now it's time for one of the guys who bring them to us. An old time postman from Russia with a stamped letter in his hand ready to deliver it to someone. This card from a Postcrosser in St. Petersburg has a number of large stamps on it from a number of different years. The top left and center stamps were issued in 2004 and are from a set of 3 featuring Ladies & Horses. The top right stamp, issued in 2011 , is 1 of 4 different stamps in a Clocks multi sheet. The large stamp on bottom left is from a 2002 set of 6 featuring different Government Ministries. Finally, the small definitive is from a set of 15 Animals issued in 2008.

The Nude Maja painting by Francisco Goya is next. The postcard shows 1 of 3 stamps issued by Spain in 1930. The painting from 1797 to 1800 is considered the first totally profane life-size female nude in western art. The Nude Maja is 1 of 2 Goya paintings featuring this lady. The second painting dated 1803 shows the same lady in the same pose but fully clothed and it is called The Clothed Maja. Incidentally , I happen to own the set of 3 stamps issued by Spain , so here they are. As a stamp, like on this postcard, The Nude Maja has been featured on stamps of Albania, Ajman, Paraguay, Guinea-Bisseau and Sao Tome. So, she does get around. One more note, when the Spanish stamps were issued in 1930, the US government barred and returned any mail bearing the stamps. I have no information as to when or even if that ban has been lifted , but at least the card got through. The card is part of a private swap with jt from Wisconsin. He used a nice assortment of stamps on this card. Jt posted his card from the small town of Van Dyne, Wisconsin. The 2010 census gave it a population of 279. Jt says that just about the only things left in the town are the post Office which was established in 1894 and the Fire Hall. Even though he doesn't live in Van Dyne, I think it's great that he goes to this small town to mail his postcards. One benefit must be next to nil lineups , so there.

The 2 large stamps are from a 1974 set of 8 featuring different Minerals. The 2 animal stamps are from a souvenir sheet of 8 issued in 1978 for CAPEX 78. The final stamp featuring the Palace of The Governors in Santa Fe is 1 of 28 in the 1954-61 Liberty Series.

Blackpool, England is the topic of my next card. It features the Blackpool Tower, which was completed in 1894 at a height of 158m. Blackpool is a seaside town in North West England by the Irish Sea. Interestingly a post box was opened at the top of the tower in 1949. I wonder if it is still operational. David used 3 stamps to mail this card including 2 Machin definitives. The larger stamp on the right is from the set of 6 Thomas The Train Engine series of 2011. It's not Thomas though, it's James.

Let's end today with Brazil- Buzios, Brazil in fact. This quaint resort town is located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, just 3 hours north of the city of Rio. The area and town was popularized by legendary movie star Brigitte Bardot in the 1960's. A statue of her sits along the main street , the Rua das Pedras ( Street of Stones ) . Bardot reportedly fell in love with the town and stayed for months longer that she planned. We can see on the card the Rua das Pedras, but not Bardot's statue. My brother Dale, travelling in the area since February sent this card along. Dale used a 2002 Trumpet stamp from a set of 10 Musical instruments , along with a 2011 stamp that I couldn't find any information on.
I think that will do for today. Some really good cards I think. Hopefully I might hear from you about one of them . Don't be shy, leave a comment or two.
Thanks to Dale, David, jt, Pam and Liisa for their cards.