Lisbon, Legs and Narbonne

 BLOG # 1481 - Still in Time of Covid

Well here we are again. I have just a couple of cards for today. They are from France, Portugal and Lithuania. So here goes. 

Today's first card is from France and shows us the Cathedral of Saint Justus in Narbonne, a town in the southern part of the country, on the Canal de la Robine, about 850 km from Paris. The Gothic Cathedral of Saint Justus was begun in the 13th century but was never finished. The reasons are many, but the most important is that the completed cathedral would have required demolishing the city wall. The 14th century also brought the plague and that was no time to be without a wall. 

Dominique used a 52 year old stamp on this card. A nice Aviation stamp, it Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the First Regular Internal Airmail Service in France.

Next is a card from Lisbon, Portugal. It offers a look at Praca Do Comercio , the large harbour facing square in the city. The statue is of King Jose I. The king on his horse, is symbolically crushing snakes in his path. In Feb 1908, the square was the scene of the assassination of Carlos I. 

Jean Pierre used a Mickey Mouse stamp, from 2018, celebrating the 90th Anniversary of Mickey. He also used another of the 75th Anniversary of TAP Air Portugal. A wonderful stamp for my Aviation Stamp Collection.

 My last card for today is from Vilnius, Lithuania and it's a look at legs. Then again maybe it's about shoes or even nylons. I don't know, you decide. You can let me know in a comment what you see as the main focus of this card. I googled legs and the first thing that popped up was ZZ Top's 1983 song Legs. There is also Rod Stewart's Hot Legs and Van Halen's Drop Dead Legs. The entries for shoes and nylons were not as interesting. 

  Ruta used 3 stamps on her card. On the left, from 2016, is 1 of 6 in a set showing Lithuanian Vytis (The White Knight ) . The top right stamp is a Tourism stamp from 2017 and the 3 rd stamp is 1 of 3 in a 2019 set of Lithuanian State Symbols. 

That about does it for this time. Today my thanks for cards go to Dominique, Jean Pierre and Ruta. 

Note to Dominique - The French card, posted Oct 9th arrived Oct 21st and the German card , posted Oct 09th arrived Oct 27th. It seems France is quicker than Germany. 

I should be back again tomorrow with another short update. Take care, Stay well

One more time - wear a mask, don't touch your face, wash your hands and keep your distance.

Madeira, Kutno, Toulon and Pogradeci

 BLOG # 1480 -  Still in the Time of Covid

Here I am back on the blog again. Hope all is well with all you readers. I have 5 or 6 or so cards for this time. How many show up here today depends on a number of things I have going on at this time. We'll see how it plays out. 

First up is a card from Funchal, the capital of Madeira Island, Portugal. Jean Pierre's card gives us a look at Madeira Airport or as it is known now, Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. Named after its native son, this airport is consistently identified as one of the scariest airports to fly into owing to its position between the ocean and high mountains. This often leads to a very difficult approach. When the airport was renamed after Ronaldo, a bust statue of his likeness was displayed in the airport. However if you look at the bust and at a picture of Ronaldo, the resemblance is quite questionable. Have a look .

Sorry , guess I'm a little off track, here's the card showing the runway. 

Jean Pierre used a wonderful Airline themed stamp , issued in May of this year. It it 1 of 3 issued commemorating the 75th Anniversary of TAP - Air Portugal. One of the three stamps was issued in a beautiful minisheet. 

My second card is from Kutno, a town located in central Poland with approximately 45,000 inhabitants.The Kutno town hall is shown in the top left of the card along with a couple of local churches and a few other buildings. 

 Martyna used 2 copies of a 2019 stamp Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Polish Politician Henryk Slawik. He helped save over 30,000 Polish refugees including 5,000 Polish Jews in Budapest, Hungary by giving them false Polish passports with Catholic designations. Worthy of a stamp for sure.

Here's a card from France now. It shows a few of the many French sailors one might see in and around Toulon. This is a city on the French Riviera with sandy beaches and is a major naval base, home to submarines and warships. Toulon Naval Base is also the home of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and the French Mediterranean Fleet. 

  Dominique used a fairly old stamp on this card. It's from 1941 and is 1 of 4 in a set showcasing Marshal Petain. Petain had a varied career. He served as Chief of Staff of the Army, Minister of War, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister and Chief of the French State. But in 1942 he became a puppet of the German military administration. After the war Petain was tried and convicted for treson. He was sentenced to death but the sentence was commuted to life in prison. Charles de Gaulle described Petain's life this way - from military obscurity, to hero of France, to collaborationist during World War II . de Gaulle further wrote that Petain's life was " successively banal, then glorious, then deplorable, but never mediocre ".  That's a lot of information for one stamp. 

I mentioned 5 or 6 cards but it'll have to be 4 this time around. This is the last card for today and it's from Albania. Indrit's card shows a view of Pogradeci, a city in the southeast of the country, about 140 km from Tirana.  The city lies on the shores of Lake Ohrid. 

Indrit used 2 stamps on his card. The left stamp is from 1990, 1 of 4 in a set showing Mushrooms. The right stamp is a Europa stamp from 2015 showing Old Toys.

 So, that's all for today. Thanks for cards this time go out to Jean Pierre, Martyna, Dominique and Indrit. To you readers, thanks for dropping in, do come back soon. 

Wear a Mask, Wash your hands, Don't touch your face and Keep your distance.  Remember we're all in this together but these four small things help.

Royalty, World Postcard Day, Belgian Reflections, and Toulouse

 BLOG 1479 - In the Time of Covid

Hello again. Here's a new update for you. All cards today , save one , are from Europe. So let me start with this Royal postcard from the Netherlands. On the right half of the card are two former Queens, Juliana and Beatrix. Queen Juliana abdicated in 1980 and Queen Beatrix in 2013. 

Jan used 2 large stamps on this card. On the left is a stamp that for the life of me I just can't identify. I know I should be able to either find it online or in my catalogues , but no. The right stamp is from a set of 5 issued in 2019 showcasing Classic Dutch Children's Books. 

Here's another World Postcard Day postcard that I received from The U.S.A. Posted on The Day, it is an original design from from the South Sound Letter Writers Society of Olympia, Washington. 

The stamp on this one is the 2020 Red Chrysanthemum Global Forever stamp.

My next two cards are from Belgium and both were sent by Johan. Both cards show a number of the old buildings in Mechelen and their reflections . The first card is a look at the three buildings that make up the city's medieval town hall. The left side is the former palace of the Great Council, dating from 1526. In the middle is the belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The part on the right is called the Cloth Hall.

Johan used a beautiful new stamp from a set of 5 in a minisheet, featuring Abbeys and Monasteries. Beautiful cancellation and First Day of Issue date.

Johan's second card shows Market Square and St. Rumbold's Cathedral. Groundbreaking for St. Rumbold's was in 1200. It's first use was in 1312 and it was finally completed in 1520. It made the UNESCO World Heritage Site list of belfries in 1992. 

Again we have a wonderful First Day of Issue cancellation. The stamp is dedicated to the Silence of Alzheimer's Disease.

 

Johan has a great blog that's worth checking out. It's called Johan Postcards.

Card # 5 arrived from Toulouse, France. Toulouse is located on the banks of the River Garonne about 680 km from Paris. The city is the centre of the European Aerospace industry and the headquarters of Airbus. 

Jean Pierre used a recent stamp from this year. It celebrates the town of Rodermack in northeastern France. 

So ends another blog. Thanks for today's card go to Jan, The South Sound Letter Writers Society, Jojan and Jean Pierre. Big thanks to one and all. Hope you found something you like here so you'll have a reason to come back. Take care and as always nowadays - wear a mask, keep your distance and don't touch your face. 

Marilyn, Vienna, Bilzen and Fort la Latte

 BLOG 1478

Still in Time of Covid

Well we did get the snowfall yesterday, Friday. So I guess winter has arrived early. Today it's cold and we have a wind chill. So a good day to be inside and blogging.

My first card for today arrived from Berlin. It's a Marilyn Monroe card and I know these are quite popular. Barbara, a postcard friend from the Netherlands collects Marilyn cards and I'm sure she'd love this one, if she doesn't already have it. 

Christian used a 2018 Europa stamp featuring a Bridge, along with 2 Flower definitives.

Next up is this card from Austria. Ir's a look at Vienna City Hall, located on the Rathausplatz. It was constructed between 1872 and 1883. 

 

Christian used a couple of stamps on his card. On the right - a Traditional Costumes stamp from 2019 and on the left - a Classic Car stamp from 2015.

My next card , from Belgium, is a look at a number of buildings in Bilzen, a town in the province of Limburg. The card shows Alden Biesen Castle, Apostelhuis restaurant, the old town hall and Saint Maurice Church.

Johan used a most wonderful stamp on this card , and received a great First Day of Issue cancellation. The large stamp is 1 of 5 different in a 2020 mini-sheet entitled Fauna-The Big Five of Europe. It's just a beautiful sheet. Right up there with the 2016 Endangered Animals mini-sheet. Another of my favourites. 

Today's last card is from France. It shows us Fort la Latte, a 14th century castle in northeast Brittany. It is a major tourist attraction in the St. Malo area. As old as the castle is, electricity only arrived there in 2015. 

Dominique used a stamp from this year. It is a Tourism issue showcasing Rodermack
in northeastern France.

Well that's another blog in the book. Thanks for today's cards go out to Christian, Johan , Dominique and the other Christian. 

Take care, Be Safe. Wash your hands and keep your distance.

World Postcard Day Cards, Smiles and More

 BLOG  1477

Still in the Time of Covid

Hey there, today is certainly a good day for a blog.  People have been saying lately that winter is coming. Well , let me just say Winter is here ! The last couple of days, the temperatures have been quite low  - low single digits. When I got up this morning it was  - 4 C and the ground is snow covered with  five  centimeters of the white stuff. Winter , but so early, oh well I do live in a northern country. I`m  going skating today at the local arena nearby. The next week is no better - all low single and minus  temperatures. Brrr !   One last note on the weather, we are expecting 25 cm of snow on Friday. Who would have thought . 

 Now it`s on to cards. 

I know it`s well past World Postcard Day but as is often the case, I`m always a little late to many things. My first two cards were both sent to celebrate World Postcard Day 2020. This first one was mailed Oct 1st from here in Airdrie. My Lovely Teena saw fit to send Smiles to me on that day. 

My Lovely Teena used a stamp from a Titanic Souvenir Sheet issued by Canada Post back on April 5th, 2012. Even though the Airdrie Post Office didn`t have a special World Post Day cancellation, the card did receive a nice clear dated postmark, showing it was indeed mailed on Oct 1st. 

My second card arrived from Fort Worth, Texas. It certainly celebrates the First World Postcard Day and was again mailed on Oct 1st. 

Sarilyn, a Texas Postcrosser sent this card and wrote that it was 27C there at the time. Some people got it tough for sure. She used a 2020 Global Forever stamp featuring a Chrysanthemum. 

 

Today`s third card comes from Germany. It`s a look at a wooden bridge or pier in the town of Graal-Muritz in the north of Germany. The town is a seaside health resort and is among the most popular German destinations for tourism. 

Isabelle used a Flower definitive and a new Baby Animal stamp on her card. The  stamp shows an Eurasian Otter. It is from a set of 2 issued in September of this year.

Now here`s a card from France. On it we can see Le Castel de Maussac. This is a historical landmark in the town of Collonges-la-Rouge, France. It was built in the early decades of the 16th century.  The town is built entirely with red sandstone. The idea to recognize the most beautiful villages in France was born in Collonges-la-Rouge in 1981. 

Dominique used a lovely stamp from July of this year showing the town of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.

Next is another card from France, a souvenir from Corsica and the 50th anniversary of the cross island trek. The GR20 is a GRfootpath that crosses the island of Corsica running north-south and is often described as ``one of the top trails in the world ``.  It is also referrred to as  `` the most difficult footpath in Europe `` . The trail is 180 km long and has a total elevation gain of 10,500 meters. 10,000 to 20,000 hikers attempt this trail every year. Average hikers can complete this trek in 15 or 16 days, some speedier ones in 5 to 7 days. The fastest time is 31 hours and 6 minutes , by Francois D``Haene in June of 2016. 

Jean Pierre used a large oval shaped stamp commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the GR20 Trek. It was issued on Jun 26th and the stamp received a special commemorative First Day postmark marking the occasion.

Well I think that about does it for today`s blog. Thanks for all the cards go out to My Lovely Teena, Sarilyn, Isabelle, Dominique and Jean Pierre. 

As always, stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands and don`t touch your face. One more thing - keep your distance.   

Kate Winslet and the Heart of the Ocean, the Klein Scheidegg and the Hartland Covered Bridge

BLOG # 1476  -  In the Time of Covid 

Hello again, my first card this time is from Switzerland. It's a look at a Search and Rescue helicopter in the Klein Scheidegg. This mountain pass at an elevation of 2061 m is located below and between the Eiger and Lauberhorn peaks. The area is a wonderful hiking area in summer and ski area in winter. 

Dominique used a stamp from 2016. It is one of four definitives issued showcasing Swiss Railway Stations. 

My next card arrived from Munich, Germany. It's a photo of British actress Kate Winslet wearing the Heart of the Ocean, the 1.75 inch semiprecious sapphire necklace set in white gold. It was created exclusively for the 1997 movie, Titanic. Winslet has received three British Academy Film Awards and is among a few performers to have won Academy, Emmy and Grammy Awards. Her first screen appearance was at the age of 15 in Dark Season. Her first film was Heavenly Creatures in 1994. Global stardom followed with the lead role in Titanic. She received her Best Actress Academy Award in 2008 for playing a former Nazi camp guard in The Reader. 

 Tania used a number of Flower definitives along with a 2020 stamp showing Drachenburg Castle. It if from a set of 2 showing Germany's Most Beautiful Panoramas. 

Next up are two cards from Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada. Hartland is the home of the longest covered bridge in the world. Both cards are quite similar but obviously the pictures were taken at  different times. The bridge crosses the Saint John River and is 1282 ft long and was built in 1899. 

Here's the second card.

Both cards are from Nicole, the Postmaster in Hartand. The stamps on both are the same. It shows the Hartland Covered Bridge and each received a nice special cancellation showing the bridge. Hartland Covered Bridge all the way. 

Well folks , that ends another update here on GemsWorldPostcards.  I have to thank Tania, Dominique and Nicole for today's cards.  One more thing - I didn't forget about World Postcard Day on Thursday October 1st. I just didn't get a blog up here. I did partake by sending eight postcards that day and that's what counts - sending postcards. Hopefully I will receive one or two with an Oct 1 postmark for World Postcard Day. 

Take care, and don't forget - wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance.