North Cyprus, Empress Elizabeth, Du Fu Tower and Les Antiques

 Blog # 1672 --- Day 1373 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Seventy Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 

Hello once again. I have a few more cards for you to peruse. First up today is a card from Chang Sha City , China. It's a look at the Du Fu Riverside Tower. This pavilion is located in Chang Sha's Hedong District, near the West Lake Bridge at the intersection of Central Xiangjiang Road and Xihu Road. This antique architecture along the riverside was built to commemorate Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu. It is 18 metres high and was opened in September 2005. It houses a Souvenir shop, the Du Fu Memorial Hall, an exhibition hall and a reception hall.

A Postcrosser named He Jun sent this card along and used 3 stamps. I don't have much luck identifying Chinese stamps for some reason. I did find the top right stamp with the red symbols. It was issued in 2006 , a Happy New Year stamp. The other two, no luck with those.

My next card is from St Remy de Provence, France. Dominique's card shows the historic site and monument Les Antiques. It's a great view of the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum. The Roman ruins include two monuments: the mausoleum (or cenotaph), dating from 30 to 20 BC, which has an unusual structure, and the triumphal arch, dating from 20 CE, which is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Caesar's conquest of Gaul.

Dominique used a current 2025 stamp. It celebrates the French philosopher, economist and military officer Claude Henryi de Rauvroy. The stamp was issued on the 265th Anniversary of his birth.

Here's another card from Northern Cyprus. On this one we see Kyrenia Harbour which is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

David's stamp is from this year and is 1 of 2 in a Europa set celebrating Archeology.

Now here's my last card for today. it's from Austria. Here we see Empress Elizabeth, the most beloved and famous empress of Austria. Elisabeth (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie; German: 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898),^] was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination 1898. While travelling in Geneva in 1898, Elisabeth was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. 

Chris used a recent definitive Hat stamp on his card.

The End for this time. Thanks today go out to He Jun, Dominique, David, and Chris.

Take care till next time. 

Northern Cyprus, Singapore Tower and Alsace

  Blog # 1671 --- Day 1363 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .  

    

Hello once again. Just here with a few more of the cards that arrived in my mailbox. Thanks to all you folks that read this. First up is this card from Alsace, a historical region in northeastern France on the Rhine River plain. Bordering Germany and Switzerland, it has alternated between German and French control over the centuries and reflects a mix of those cultures. It shows the Hotel-Restaurant Le Brochet, a traditional Alsatian restaurant located in Barr, France.  Take note of the fountain with the young boy holding a shell to his ear. Could he be listening to all the gossip coming from the restaurant ? 

Dominique used a stamp issued in 2006. It was issued as a Europa stamp that year showing Integration through the eyes of young people.

My second card is a look at Singapore's Changi Airport control tower. It is 81 meters tall above sea level and was opened in 1981. The tower and staff handle approximately 1000 movements a day. 

 Jean Pierre used a 2008 stamp , 1 of 2 in a set showing Fruits . It was a Joint Issue with Vietnam.

Here's the last card for today. It arrived from North Cyprus. David wrote it from Famagusta, a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus currently controlled by the de facto republic of Northern Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. The city is also called  Gazi Magusa as shown on the postmark. 

Northern Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state comprising the northern third of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, with the international community considering it territory of the Republic of Cyprus under Turkish military occupation.

David's card shows a few of the city's historic sights.

David used 2 stamps from a set of 4 showing Insects and Birds issued in 2024. 

There you have it. So ends Blog #1671

Thanks for the cards this time go out to Dominique, Jean Pierre and David. 

Kowloon Walled City, UPU at 150 , a Painted Lady

 Blog # 1670 --- Day 1360 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .      

Happy Saturday to all.

Today's first card is from Hong Kong and shows a jet flying over Kowloon Walled City in 1994.

Kowloon Walled City was an extremely densely populated and largely lawless enclave of China within the boundaries of Kowloon City.

The walled city had a population density of approximately 1,255,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,250,000/sq mi) in 1987, making it the most densely populated spot in the world.

Jean Pierre used a postal label from a vending machine located in the airport. 

My next card arrived from Lithuania. The sender describes herself as a bookworm, tea sipper, flower lover and crazy cat lady  who lives and works in Siauliai, in northern Lithuania.

Strangely I have nothing to say about this card, I leave it to you readers to interpret it as you wish. But it is a nice painted lady card !

Edita used 2 stamps on her card. Both were issued in 2023. The small left stamp is 1 of 3 in a set of Lithuanian Rulers. The right stamp shows a sailing boat.

The last card for today is a Maximum card from Sri Lanka. It celebrates 150  years of the Universal Postal Union  ( UPU ). 

And here's the matching stamp that Ravindra used.  

There you go, the last of it for this time. Thanks for today's card go to Jean Pierre, Edita and Ravindra.

Georgia Art, Bernhard II, Indonesian Airways ,and Sark and Sark Stamp

   Blog # 1669 --- Day 1359 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .       

Hello once again. I'm back with a few cards from here , there and somewhere. Actually there won't be any cards from  here, only there and somewhere. So here goes. 

First an aviation card from Indonesia. Here is a Garuda Indonesian Airways Airbus A330. It is registered as PK-GHD and shown landing at Seoul in August 2019. Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier for Indonesia. PK-GHD was delivered to Garuda in August 2016 and has only seen service there since then.  

Jean Pierre used a stamp from 2023. It is from a set of 2 showing Banknotes for Republic Day 2023. 

 Today's second card arrived from France. It shows a statue of Bernhard II von Baden. He was born in either 1428 or 1429 and died in 1458.  He  tried to alleviate hardship and poverty wherever he could. He spent most of his income assisting the poor and those in need.  He died of the plague, on 15 July 1458 in Moncalieri in northern Italy.

Dominique used a 2025 stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the German Academic Exchange Service. 

Next is this card from Georgia. Alena's card shows artwork by Fridon Nizharadze. He is often referred to as the " Georgian Salvador Dali " for his surreal, emotionally charged paintings and unique artistic vision. The painting on Alena's postcard is one of three in a triptych showing the connection of the Svan people with their natural environment. 

 

Alena used a stamp from 2022 commemorating 30 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan .

Here is the last card for this time. It is from Sark in the Guernsey Islands. Sark is an island in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, and part of the archipelago of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Balliwick of Guernsey a self-governing British Crown Dependency, with its own set of laws based on Norman law, and its own parliament. It was a royal fiefdom until 2008, when the Constitution of Sark went into effect.

Sark has a population of about 500. Including the nearby island of Brecqhou, it has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km²)

Sark is one of the few places in the world where cars are banned from roads, and only tractors, bicycles, and horse-drawn vehicles are allowed. In 2011, Sark was designated as a Dark Sky Community and the first Dark Sky Island in the world.

Jean Pierre's card show us Guernsey's capital city of St. Peter Port.

The stamps on this card are interesting. The far right stamp was issued by Guernsey in 2021, 1 of a set of 6, celebrating the 95st Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Birth 

The middle stamp was issued this year by Sark . It is from a set of 15 Flower definitives. 

 The island of Sark issued its first postage stamps this year. The first stamps were released on August 27, 2025, with a second set following on September 3, 2025, under the postal administration of Guernsey Post. The initial issue commemorated the 80th anniversary of the island's liberation from German occupation during World War II, while the second is a definitive series featuring Sark's wildflowers. 

The left stamp is another of which I could find zero information. If any reader knows anything about it , feel free to leave a comment and enlighten me. 

As mentioned above that was the last card for this time. My thanks today go out to Jean Pierre, Dominique and Alena. Take care, drop in again soon. t 

Remembrance Day -- 2025

 

Today , November 11th is Remembrance Day in Canada, a national holiday. Today is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of Canada's Armed Forces in times of war. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I on this date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

Lest We Forget

Canadians have died in the Boer War, World War I , World War II, the Korean War, The War in Afghanistan and 1 Canadian died in Syria fighting Against ISIS. 

                                                                     We Remember Them      

Ucluelet Lighthouse, South River and Split

                                                          

   Blog # 1667 --- Day 1351 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .       

                                                              

Well it's been 3 weeks or so since I was last here. The last 2 weeks have been quite difficult for me so I thought a new blog today might actually be beneficial . My first card is from Split, Croatia showing a few of the local buildings. 

 

Isa used a stamp from 2020, 1 of 3 in a Natural Wonders set. 

Next is a card from Ucluelet, B.C, Canada. Ucluelet is a district municipality on the Ucluelet Peninsula, on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Ucluelet comes from Yuułuʔił which means "people of the safe harbour" in the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth language and is the homeland of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ. The population of Ucluelet is a little over 2000. Teena's card shows us Amphitrite Point Lighthouse in Ucluelet, Vancouver Island. The light as you see today was built in 1915.

My Lovely Teena sent this card as she always does whenever we go anywhere.  We had a lovely , short getaway there back in late September. Her stamp honors  French Canadian author Maire-Claire Blais. The stamp is 1 of a set of 5 , all authors. 

This next card is my last for today. I'll just sort of ease back slowly. Here we see a view of South River, Newfoundland. It's another addition to my Towns and Postmarks of Newfoundland. South River is an incorporated municipality in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located at the south-southeast side of Bay de Grave, in Conception Bay. The town had a population of 674 according to the 2021 Canadian census. The river itself forms a natural boundary with neighbouring Clarke's Beach and is a scheduled salmon river. A second river, known as the Gould Brook, forms another natural boundary with the unincorporated local service district of Makinsons. Modern-day South River comprises a number of very old, smaller settlements, namely, The Broads and Springfield. Salmon Cove Road (commonly referred to as just Salmon Cove, not to be confused with the nearby municipality of Salmon Cove) occupies the north side of a hill known as Long Harry, the south side of which is occupied by Cupids, the oldest English settlement in North America. There are three cemeteries in South River; a Roman Catholic cemetery on Hodgewater Line, and two Anglican on Salmon Cove. The earlier of the two Anglican cemeteries dates to the early-mid 19th century. In addition, there are marked graves scattered along Long Harry in areas known as The Cupids Road and Adam's Grove. These graves likely pre-date the cemeteries. There are several families in the area, particularly on Salmon Cove, which have lived there for centuries. These families names include Bussey, Wells, Batten, Noseworthy, Andrews, and more. A geological formation on the shore of Salmon Cove known as Stake Cove is reputed to be the location where a woman, Catherine Snow, murdered her husband John by hitting him with a stake maul, hence the name of the cove. Catherine was convicted of the crime and hanged at St. John's, the last known woman to have been hanged in Newfoundland.

Between South River and Cupids sits an area of provincially-protected pastureland. Used primarily by local cattle farmers, a portion of the pasture has been allocated for use by Newfoundland Ponies, Newfoundland's only designated heritage animal. 

The Postmaster at South River sent this card along. The stamp was issued this year, 1 of 3 showcasing Indigenous leaders. This stamp shows award winning Inuit singer , songwriter, actor, director, producer and activist Elisapie.

 

Well folks that's it for today, Thanks to Isa, My Lovely Teena and the South River Postmaster.

Take care, see you soon.