Another Bunch of Great Cards

                                      
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                                             CANADA STANDS STRONG TODAY

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Yes, it's time for another blog update and I have 8 great cards on the desk for this time. I don't know if I'll get them all in but we'll see how it goes.  I was away in Calgary for 5 days, so that explains some of my absence. I couldn't miss my little grand-daughter's 4th birthday. We had a great time with Ryann and our other grand-kids.

Now it's back to cards. First up is a card from Horsens, Denmark. Horsens is a Danish city in east Jutland. It is the site of the council of Horsens municipality. The city's population is 55,884 and the Horsens municipality's population is 85,662. Horsens lies at the end of  Horsens Fjord in eastern Jutland and is approximately 200 km (120 mi) from Copenhagen . One of the largest cultural events in Denmark is the annual European Medieval Festival on the last Friday and Saturday in August. The town centre of Horsens is transformed into the largest medieval market town in Northern Europe with activities and entertainment for families and children of all ages. Hans Jorgen's card gives a look at some of the local buildings .

Hans Jorgen used a superb selection of postage on this card. A beautiful souvenir sheet of 4 on the left and a block of 4 on the right. Both with perfect socked on the nose cancels. One doesn't see that too often these days. The souvenir sheet was issued in 1986 for HAFNIA 87, a World Philatelic Exhibition. The stamps on the right are definitives .

Today's second card comes from Iraq, not a country we see much mail from. When we receive mail from there, it makes for a good day. This Greetings From Iraq card shows a couple of scenes and such.

David used a 2014 Iraq Votes stamp. It is 1 of 3 in the Elections set. Don't forget to check out David's fine blog highlighting his many travels. You can access "Postcards A World Travelogue " here .

While looking at the Elections set , I noticed Iraq issued a really nice Aviation set for the 70th  Anniversary of ICAO. A set I'll have to try and add to my collection.


My next card arrived from  Ohrid, Macedonia. Ohrid is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and the seat of Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country with over 42,000 inhabitants as of 2002.
In 1979 and in 1980, Ohrid and Lake Ohrid were accepted as Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO . In fact, Ohrid is one of only 28 sites that are part of UNESCO's World Heritage that are both Cultural and Natural sites. At one time it was said that  there were 365 chapels within the town boundaries, one for every day of the year. Today this number is significantly smaller.

Ana's card shows a good view of Samuil's Fortress. This  is a fortress in the old town of Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia. It was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire during the rule of Samuil in the middle-ages.

The stamp used is from a Christmas / New Year set of 2 issued in 1998.

Be sure to give Ana's postcard blog a look, too. You won't be disappointed. It's called "My World of Postcards " and it's  here .

About 4 years ago, I was promised a card from Ohrid, but it never arrived . It was to be sent by my head waiter on a cruise I was taking. He assured me he would send it, and maybe he did, but as I said it never arrived. So I am glad to have this one from Ana.


Now for a card from Prague, Czech Republic. The card is titled  "Wings for the Republic (1945 ) ". I wish I could say I know the significance of the postcard, but truly I don't. Maybe someone will enlighten me with a comment.

Meelis had the card postmarked at Sberatel / Collector Fair 2014, the largest meeting of collectors in Central and Eastern Europe. It was held in Prague from September 3rd to 5th.  The stamp is a Painting stamp from a 2013 set of 3.

Now we have to fly back across the Atlantic for my next card, to LAX or Los Angeles. The card may say LAX but it was actually mailed at O'Hare Airport  in Chicago. Apparently , mailboxes  are quite scarce inside LAX. 

Leslie , who pens the blog "the postcard blog ! " arranged for this card to be sent to me. Her blog can be found  here . She arranged with her Dad for this card. The stamp is a 2014 Global Forever stamp featuring Sea Temperatures.

Malaga in southern Spain is where my next card originated. Málaga is a state and a municipality, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. On Jean Pierre's card we can see a map of the area along with a few of the sights.

 

Jean Pierre used 2 stamps from 2013. On the left is a stamp celebrating the 150th  Anniversary of the Barcelona-Sarria Railway.  On the right is 1 of 4 stamps featured in an Endangered Marine Life multi-sheet.

That's 6 of the 8 cards on the desk , so I think I'll call it a day. It's always good to have a few cards remaining to start the next update. Hope you enjoyed reading today.  Drop by again soon. Thanks for cards going out to Jean Pierre, Leslie and her Dad, Meelis, Ana David and Hans Jorgen.