Porto and Marseille

BLOG # 1484  Still in The Time of Covid

Hey, how's it going today? Not much has changed since my last blog update. We're still in the throes of covid, the numbers are increasing every day. Those vaccines can't come quick enough. 

I just have a couple of cards for today. The first one arrived from Porto, Portugal. Porto is located in the northwest of the country. It is known for its bridges and port wine production. The city's historic center was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. 

 

Jean Pierre used a wonderful Aviation themed stamp marking the 75th Anniversary of TAP Air Portugal. 

Card # 2 is from France and gives us a look at the Cathedral of Saint Mary Major in Marseille. The city is located in southern France and is one of Europe's oldest, founded around 600 BC. 

Dominique used one of his seemingly endless supply of older French stamps. This time it is from 1963, 1 of 5 in a Tourism set. 

 Well, that's all for today. Just 2 cards, cards are getting a little scarce these days. Maybe it's the coming Christmas season, or the higher mail volume and cards not moving as fast, or it might even be covid related, people not going out to mail cards. Who knows ? 

Thanks to Jean Pierre and Dominique for the cards put forth today. 

I know you all have heard it a million times, but here it is once again. Wash your hands, wear a mask and and keep your distance.  Be safe. 

Pelee Island, Rhinos, Dinard and The Master Bird

 BLOG # 1483 --- In The Time of Covid 

Hello again, hope you all make it through Friday the 13th. Watch out for those black cats and all those ladders around, and we don`t want to break any glass today.. 

I've got four cards for today. I'll start the day off with a card from Canada. It`s from a special place in Canada - Pelee Island , the southernmost populated point in the country. Pelee Island with a population of 235 is located in the western half of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. The island has beautiful vineyards, warn sandy beaches and a very nice mild climate. The population can swell to 1500 or more in summertime . Pelee Island is serviced by 2 ferries, one to mainland Canada and one to Sandusky, Ohio, USA. My card shows one of the ferries at sunset. 

   Janice sent this card along and used a nice Canada Post Foundation semi-postal stamp. 

My next card is from Nelspruit, South Africa. This city is the gateway to Kruger National Park and as such, home to elephants, zebras and rhinos. It`s two rhinos on the card and it`s easy to see the resemblance of this mother rhino and her young calf. 

Bruse a Rhino stamp from 2014. It is 1 of 5 in a Big 5 set.

Now for a card from France showing the seaside town of Dinard. Located in northwestern France, it is blessed with good beaches and a mild climate. Dinard is regarded as one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in all of France. As a result of this , many famous people have lived or spent time there. Here are a few of them - Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Alfred Hitchcock, even Joan Collins. The Bard of the Yukon, Robert W Service lived in Dinard from 1913 to 1929. 

Dominique used a stamp from 1969. It was issued for the National Congress of Philatelic Societies. 

Hang in there, there`s just one more card to go for this time. It`s from Bucharest, Romania. It`s a train card  showing a CFR locomotive. It has a painting of The Master Bird on the side. This is an unconventional urban art exhibit. The exhibit is called Moving Art and is part of the Colors of Romania campaign.

Cristina used a July 2018 stamp featuring Marcel Iancu, a visual artist. It is from a set of 9 Famous Romanians.

There you have it , another blog done. Thanks for cards go out to Janice, Bruce, Dominique and Cristina. 

Take care, stay safe. The covid numbers are rising everyday in my area. It`s going to be a long winter. 

Remember, wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance. I know we`ve all heard it a million times but it`s all we can do until  a vaccine shows up. 

Madeira, JAL 777, Heidelberg and Reinhardstein Castle

 BLOG # 1482  - In The Time of Covid

Well October has come and gone, we're in to November now. The month may have changed but the world seems to have not. We're still in the thick of it with no end in sight. We can only hope for a vaccine sooner than later.  Now, moving on ...

My cards today are from Portugal, Japan, Germany and Belgium and let's take them in that order. The Portugal card is a map card of Madeira Island. The island's capital is Funchal and is located on the main island's south coast. Madeira is volcanic, green and rugged, with high cliffs and pebbly beaches. It is at the top of a massive shield volcano that rises 6 km from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Jean Pierre used a stamp from 2016 on this card. It is 1 of 3 in a set showing Christmas and New Year Festivites. 

Jean Pierre posted this card on World Post Day - October 09th. And of course that's not to be confused with World Postcard Day  - October  01st .

My second card today is from Osaki City, Japan. It's a look at a Japan Airlines ( JAL ) Boeing 777-300.  The airline actually has 40 B777s in its fleet. Of those 40 aircraft , 17 are 777-300s as shown on the card. The other 23 are B777-200s. 

 Kuzuko , a Postcrosser in Osaki, used a current stamp on her card. It is 1 of 9 in a set , all showing Mount Fuji. 

Heidelberg Palace or Castle is featured on my next card. The old arched bridge is also quite visible as well. The first structure of the castle was built before 1214. It was struck and largely destroyed by lightning in 1537 and again in 1764. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures North of the Alps. 

The Old Bridge shown on the card was opened in 1788. It crosses the Neckar River and is the 8th bridge built on the site since the 13th century. 

Dominique used a 2018 stamp commemorating the 1000th Anniversary of the Wormser Dom , the Worms Cathedral.

Here's another castle to end the day with. This time it's Reinhardstein , a 14th century castle in Belgium. It was totally rebuilt in the 1970s and is now a private property , however it can be visited on guided tours. A nice enough castle although it is technically a 20th century building. 

Gerda used a number of stamps on her card. The left stamp, from 1985 celebrates Stamp Day 1985. The middle stamp, a semi-postal, was issued in 1984 to celebrate Children. A set of 3 was issued . The right stamp, from 2020, is 1 of 5 in a set celebrating the History of Pigeon Racing.

Gerda has a great postcard blog called " My Postcard-Page ". Check it out  here .

Well we've come to the end of another update. Thanks for today's cards go out to Jean Pierre, Kazuko, Dominique and Gerda. 

Remember we're in the midst of it, so wear a mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and don't touch your face. 

Take care, stay safe.