Ayia Napa, Encamp Tower, Year of the Dragon Art, Old Tbilisi and Puigcerda

                                                           Blog # 1693

Day 1636 ( That's One Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty Six Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Here we go , I'm back again. My first card is my first card for a reason. It is an unexpected card on my part and was sent from Halifax , Canada. It pictures an inside view of a library in the Halifax Public Library system. 

Now the card is from a lady named Deshantha and she wrote that this card is the beginning of a postcard exchange. Well it's one that I don't remember taking part in. So Deshantha if you are reading this  please leave a comment and tell me the information about the exchange and about you. It's all a mystery to me. 

This next card is from Andorra and shows a view of Encamp , one of the seven parishes
that make up the Principality of Andorra, located at an altitude of 1,266 meters in the heart of the country. You can see the tower of the Church of Santa Eulalia . Built during the 11th and 12th centuries the church is a historic Romanesque church in the center of Encamp. The tower stands at 23 meters and is the tallest in Andorra. 

 

Josep and Assumpta used a 2025 stamp on this card. It showcases Merce Ubach Filba , the first woman to serve as a police officer in the country.

Here's another card from Josep and Assumpta. On this one we see the town of Pujgcerda and Cerdanya  -  the natural area it is located within. 

A nice train stamp on this one. It was issued in 2024 showing the Strawberry Railway. It was opened in 1851 , and was Madrid's first rail line. Of course they served strawberries on board. 

Next up is a card from Cyprus and gives us a partial view of Ayia Napa , a resort town at the far eastern end of the southern coast of the country.  The town is  known for its beaches. The town's main landmark is the storied, Venetian-era Ayia Napa Monastery, which stands in the central square of Plateia Seferi, surrounded by bars and clubs.

Meelis used 3 stamps on his card . On the left is a 2026 Refugee Stamp symbol. 
The Cyprus refugee stamp, known locally as Prosfigosimo, is an obligatory postal tax stamp introduced by the government in September 1974 following the Turkish invasion. It raises funds for displaced persons and remains widely used on mail today. 

They appear to be a rather insignificant little stamp and I would think , not collected by many. Of course I have to be different. I consider them to be quite collectable . I have 15 so far and just 37 left to collect for " completness ". The middle stamp is from 2024, 1 of 2 in a set . The right stamp is from 1 set of 4 issued in 2024 , showing Motorcycles. 

Now it's a card from Tbilisi, Georgia. Rather a cool looking card with a lot happening in Old Tbilisi. 

Alena used a stamp from 2024. It is 1 of 2 in a Europa set showing Flora and Fauna.

Now here's a cool card from the Netherlands. It's a Chinese New Year card celebrating the Year of the Dragon 2024. It's a self drawn card by the sender Barbara. Very nice design. 

Barbara used a 2023 Year of the Rabbit stamp on this one. 

So ends another update on The Blog. Thanks to Josep and Assumpta, Meelis, Alena and Barbara for their cards. . Take care all.

Minsk, Bushmill`s Distillery, The United Nations, Sigiriya, Seven Maidens, and Cankill II

                                                                    BLOG # 1692            

     Day 1621 ( That's One Thousand Six Hundred and Twenty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Hello again. Well today is Heritage Day here in Alberta and as such there is no mail delivery . So a day to catch up a little with the cards already on hand .

As I mentioned last time , today I will show a few cards sent by David and Ravindra. 

So here we go .  Here`s a card I received quite a while ago. Only David will know how long ago. I`m sure he thought it had gotten lost crossing the pond. But no, it`s just been on my desk, so to speak. It shows the Old Bushmill`s Distillery, the world`s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. 

The Old Bushmills Distillery is an Irish whiskey distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, established in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. 

David used a stamp from a set of 8 issued in 2023, highlighting Terry Pratchett`s Discworld. 

 

Card 2 -  from David arrived from Minsk, Belarus. Now I haven`t  been showings cards from Belarus lately due to their involvement with and support of Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war. I make this exception due to the card coming from a very regular contributor to my blog. 

David`s card provides a street level view of two apparently identical buildings in Minsk. After looking quite closely at both , and if I ever find myself in Minsk, I now know where to get a meal of KFC. Have a look at the left building just above the car going by. 

KFC is in red. 

The stamp , what to say, what to say. I quite like the stamp. It is 1 of 2 in a 2026 set showing Myths and Legends of Belarus. The other stamp in the set is a winner , too. 

Great postmark on this one , also.

Here now is a card from NYC, United States of America. It was actually posted at the UN post office. So, Greetings From The United Nations. 

I visited New York City many , many years ago. I was driven around the city, and saw the UN Building. Thinking back on it, I don`t know why we didn`t stop and visit the building. Of course at that time I was neither a stamp collector or a postcard collector. 

Enough of those personal reminiscences . Do you see your countries flag on display on the card. I don`t see my country`s flag but I know it has been there since 1945. 

David used a 2026 United Nations stamp in a souvenir sheet issued to honour America on it`s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026. 

 It`s now half-time here on the blog. Ravinder`s cards are next. 

Here`s the first one , from Sri Lanka, showing Sigirya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m high. It was placed on the UNESCO WHS list in 1982.

Ravindra used 3 stamps on this card, a rectangle, a circle and a square. Starting to sound like a geometry lesson. 

The rectangular stamp was issued in 2022, to mark the 100th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Athletics. The round stamp is from 2025, one of a set of 10 , marking the 60th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Planetarium. The 3rd stamp is not a square but another round stamp . I guess I did learn something in Geometry class after all. It was issued in 2007 to showcase the Highest Wicket Ever Taken in Test Cricket , by Muthiah Muralidaran.  

Card 2 -- Ravindra`s card shows us a view of Mountain Biodiversity of Sri Lanka. It`s the Seven Maidens Mountain Range, located near Lakshapana waterfall. The highest mountain in this range is 1276 meters high.

 So this is The Seven Maidens  in Sri Lanka, well we have The Three Sisters here in Alberta Canada. 

Have a look. 

The left stamp and the bottom stamp on this card from from a set of 20  Wild Species Threatened by Trade in Sri Lanka. The other stamp, from 2024,  shows Scouts Camping.

It`s time now for today`s last card, another from Ravindra. It`s a look at The Sangiliyan Statue. The Sangiliyan statue was dedicated to Cankili II, a Tamil martyr and the last king of Jaffna Kingdom. The statue is seen as a landmark of the city of Jaffna. The Sangiliyan statue was built 1974. It was removed in 2011 and a new statue was built albeit with some changes, mainly the location of the King`s sword. 

This card arrived with 4 stamps. The small stamp on the top left is 1 of a set of 20 issued in 2007 showing Constellations. The other 3 are from a set of 6 issued in 2014 for Pigeon Island National Park.

So ends another update here on The Blog. Thanks to David and Ravindra for today`s cards and stamps. 

More coming soon, don`t miss out !  

Avignon, Niedermorschwihr, Nauru , Aircrafts and others

                                                                   BLOG # 1691            

     Day 1618 ( That's One Thousand Six Hundred and Eighteen Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE   

Well I have been pretty lax in blogging here as any regular reader will know. It's been a while, make that a long while. What's the problem one might ask. The weather has been good, maybe too good to stay inside and blog. Then again I am having a little problem with this computer, and it seems more troublesome when writing a blog. My Lovely Teena wanted to give me a new computer for my birthday, but I told her, I can get by . I guess I should have listened to her , she sure knows best.  Christmas is coming if I don't end up on the naughty list. Of course postcards continue to arrive. I guess I own my regular contributors some sort of apology for my slackness. I have 46 cards on hand from Dominique that have not yet made an appearance on my blog, 38 from Jean Pierre, 20 from David, 11 from Ravindra, 5 from Josep and Assumpta, 5 from Meelis, 2 from Alena, 4 from Jobbo, 1 from Barbara, 1 from Deb and Bill, 9 from my cruises, and 91 from various Postcrossers. That's pretty sad if you ask me. 

So here goes, it's catch up time. 

Let's start with a couple of cards sent by Dominique. First up is a view of The Chateau d'If, a prison in Marseille, France.    The Château d'If is a fortress located on the Île d'If, the smallest island in the Frioul archipelago, situated about 1.5 kilometres off Marseille in southeastern France. Built in the 16th century, it later served as a prison until the end of the 19th century. It opened in 1527. 

Dominique used a stamp from 2008. It celebrates Le Havre, a major port city in Seine Maritime department. 

My second card for today was also sent by Dominique. It's a cozy view of Niedermorschwihr , a commune in the northeastern French department of Haut-Rhin. The town boasts one of the only crooked spires in Europe ! It's slightly visible on the spire in the center of the picture. 

Dominique used 2 stamps from 2009 , both commemorated The Navy.

Dominique's 3rd card shows us the Port of Avignon . The port is a major river cruise and boating stop on the Rhone River in southeastern France. Avignon is often called 'The  City of Popes' .  Between 1309 and 1378, Avignon as a hub of Roman Catholicism and hope to seven successive popes.  Also seen in the photo is the medieval Saint-Benezet bridge with four remaining arches. Built between 1177 and 1185 , it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1995.

This card arrived with a 2024 stamp celebrating French novelist Francois Sagan.

Next is a couple of cards sent by Jean Pierre. First up is this beautiful Air Seychelles Airbus A330, landing at Mahe in November of 2012. It is registered as A6-EYY.

Before service with Air Seychelles this airframe flew with Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, Oman Air and Gulf Air. It was with Air Seychelles from July 2012 to April 2018. Then After that is was on to Carlyle Aviation and Air Mauritius. It is now out of service and stored at TEV - Teruel , Spain

 Jean Pierre used 4 lovely stamps on this card. The two on the left are from a set of 4 issued in 1988. They all stowed Turtles. The middle stamp, also from 1988 is 1 of a set of 4 showcasing the Tercentenary of Lloyd's of London. The stamp on the right was issued in 1997 on the Occasion of the Golden Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II. 

Here's a 2nd card from Jean Pierre. It's from the Republic of Nauru - the only independent republic in the world without an official Capital city. A Flags of the World card , it has a few interesting facts about Nauru, a few I accept and a couple I might dispute. I do think though that their Flag is a nice one with clear design and good , bold colours.

For a really small country Nauru issues great stamps , as evidenced by the ones on this card. Frim left to right on top - a Royal Visit stamp of 1982, 1 of 3 in a set. Next is a label attached to the right stamp. It was issued in 1981 to mark the 30th Anniversary of the Nauru Legislative Council. The bottom stamp was issued in 1993 to mark Constitution Day 1993. 

The 6th card today is another sent by Jean Pierre, this time from Yogyakarta, Java,  Indonesia. And it's another Aviation themed card, of which I have many , but there's always more that are welcome in my collection. 

Here we see a Batik Air A320 Airbus, registered as F-WWBO. It is shown landing at Toulouse in September 2014. That was a temporary registration used by Airbus until the aircraft was delivered to Batik Air in November 2014 , as PK-LAF. It is still in service with Batik Air. 

 

Jean Pierre used a 2023 stamp showing an Indonesian Banknote. It is 1 of 2 in a set. 

 I think that all for this time. Thanks to Dominique and Jean Pierre for these cards.  Next time it will be cards from David and Ravindra. 

 Take care all. 

An Old Pharmacy

                                                                   BLOG # 1690            

     Day 1581 ( That's One Thousand Five Hundred and Eighty One Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                            GLORY TO UKRAINE   

      Welcome back, it's been a few days so here's a new card to have a look at. 

This card arrived from France. It's a look at the pharmacy of the princely court, a historical monument located in Bischwiller in the French department of Bas-Rhin. Construction on the building started in 1681.

Dominique used a 2013 stamp issued for the opening of Pont Jacques Chaban Delmas, a vertical lift bridge in Bordeaux.   

A rather short update if I do say so. Thanks to Dominique for sending this card. Take care all. 

Stamps, a Cathedral and a Monastery

                                                                                      BLOG # 1689            

     Day 1564 ( That's One Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty Four Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second )   Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .   

                                                                  GLORY TO UKRAINE  

Howdy once again. Here are a few more cards and a few more stamps to have a look at. 

My first card for today arrived from Greece. It shows the Esfigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos. 

Mount Athos, located in northeastern Greece on the Athos peninsula, is the  spiritual Centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. It is also known as the "Holy Mountain", it is a semiautonomous theocratic republic comprising 20 historic monasteries. Famous for its strict "Avaton" rule, the peninsula is exclusively open to male visitors and entirely closed to women. 

Dominique used a stamp from Greece issued in 2023. It is a Postcards Worldwide rate  stamp.

My next card is a photomontage of Estonian postage stamps, by Hannes Nagel.

Meelis used 2 Train stamps from 2024.

This next card shows the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It opened in 1874. The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo, known locally as Saborna crkva u Sarajevu, stands as a magnificent testament to the cultural and religious tapestry of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located in the heart of Sarajevo, this cathedral is one of the largest Serbian Orthodox churches in the Balkans .

Postcrosser Dragana used a couple of stamps on her card. On the left A Train-Railways stamp from 2000. It is 1 of a set of 4.

The blue stamp on the right was issued in 2004 to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Nikola Tesla. 

As Bugs Bunny often said -- That is all folks ,  at least for today.  Thanks for the stuff you see here today go out to Dominique, Meelis and Dragana.  

See you the next time.