Saturday, January 29, 2022

Marion Dufresne, Carcassonne, and Air St Pierre

BLOG # 1561   ---   Day 691 of the Pandemic

Hello postcard people. I'm back again with a few postcards to enlighten your day . My first card is from Port Aux Francais, Kerguelen Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands , in the south Indian Ocean. The card shows The Marion Dufresne II , a research and supply vessel launched in 1995. It is a replacement for the slightly smaller Marion Dufresne I that served the TAAF from 1973-1995. 


Jean Pierre used a number of stamps on this card. The small Bird stamp , issued in 2018 shows a Penguin. The stamp underneath was issued in 2017  and is 1 of 2 in a minisheet showcasing Tuna Fishing. The large stamp on the right, also from 2018, shows a Refuge in the Canyon of the Black-Browed Albatross. 



My next card shows Carcassonne, a city in southern France. It is famous for its medieval citadel La Cite. It has many watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. The first walls were built in Gallo-Roman times ( 260-274 ) with additions in the 13th and 14th centuries. The city has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list since 1997. 



Dominique used a nice stamp from 2021 here. It was issued to showcase Caving. It brought back memories of the caves I have been in , in Bermuda, Barbados and Viet Nam. 



Here it is , final card for this time. From St Pierre & Miquelon. An Air St Pierre ATR42-600  , registered as F-WWLZ. The card shows it landing at Toulouse in December 2020. The airline is a French airline based in St Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity. 


This time Jean Pierre used 2 stamps. On the left , from 2019, a stamp featuring Langlade  -- Land of Shipwrecks. On the right, from 2021, 1 of 2 in a set showing SPM Ferries. 


On a personal note - the last time I visited St Pierre was in 1974. Guess a lot has changed since then. Back then one couldn't take a car over to the island, cars were left in Newfoundland, Canada. A new ferry, perhaps the one pictured on the stamp, allows visitors to take a car when visiting. 

That's all for today. Thanks to Jean Pierre and Dominique for todays' cards. 

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