February's Second

I'm back with a few cards for this time. My first card today comes from Spain and gives us a look at the Soller Railway. The railway runs between the towns of Soller and Palma on the island of Mallorca. Work on the 27 km rail line started in 1911 and the railway was opened in 1912. 

Fabienne is the sender of this card. We have swapped cards quite often , however I received this card from my participation in Postcrossing. Fabienne requested a name to send a card to and luckily mine came up. This is actually the second time this has happened. Last year Ana from Macedonia got my name through Postcrossing and sent me a card. Like Fabienne, Ana and I have swapped cards for about 6 years. Fabienne used a number of stamps on her card. The vertical stamp on the left dates from 1958 and was 1 of 6 in a set celebrating the Railway Congress held in Madrid. The Juan Carlos definitive was issued in 2008 and was part of a set of 6. The stamp on the right was issued in 2012 and showcases the Postal Infrastructure of colonial times.

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My second card is also a railway card. This one is the Bluebell Railway and runs 14.5 km along the border between East and West Sussex, England, The steam engine operated railway will be extended to 20 km later this year. It will then link up with the main line at  East Grinstead. Interestingly, Bluebells flower along the tracks of the Bluebell Railway in April and May.





David , a Postcrosser in England used 3 Machin definitives along with a 2012

Landscapes stamp showing Urquhart Castle in Scotland. The landscapes issue has 14 in the set.














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Here's another great Airlines card from Johan in Belgium. It shows passengers loading aboard a Sabena  Belgian World Airlines aircraft. Sabena ( Societe Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aerienne ) was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001. 

Johan of  Johan Postcards sent this card and used a 2011 stamp from a 5 stamp foil booklet called Highlights of Belgium.  Here is the stamp.

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My next card comes from Dominique in France. It gives us a look at the European Parliament building in Strasbourg. Dominique wrote on his card that he collects postcards of Seats of Power, like this one. I will be sending him a card of Canada's seat of power , the Parliament Building in Ottawa.  























Dominique used a recent 2012 stamp with an attached tab. It is a stamp celebrating the Frederic Bartholdi 1880 sculpture  The Lion of Belfort. The sculpture located in Belfort is 22 meters long and 11 meters high. Bartholdi also sculptured The Statue of liberty in New York. The lion symbolizes the heroic French resistance during the Siege of Belfort, a 103 day Prussian assault. Instead of facing Prussia to the east as was intended, it was turned the other way because of German protests.



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I think that's my update for this go round. Thanks for cards go to Dominique, Johan, David and Fabienne. Great cards, great stamps all around. Take care and enjoy your postcards. Later