Yunhe, Sainte-Odile and Avalokiteshvara

BLOG 1497 - - - Still in the Time of Covid 

Hello once again. I have three cards for your perusal this time. They arrived from China, France and Sri Lanka and I`ll present them in that order. 

My first card arrived from Zhejiang, a province in eastern China. The area is known for the best tea in China. On the card you can see a portion of the Yunhe Rice Terraces, the biggest terrace group in East China. It covers an area of 51 square kilometers and rises between 200 and 1,400 meters. 

 Xiangheng used 2 stamps on her card. The top one I know nothing about so I`ll just move to the second. It is 1 of 16 issued in an Ancient Towns of China set. Shown is Qiantong, founded late in the Song dynasty, around 1200.  

Dominique`s card shows us Hohenburg Abbey, the monastery at the top of Mont Sainte-Odile, the 764 metre high peak in Alsace. 

The stamp on this card is 55 years old. It was issued in 1966 for the International Chess Festival held at Le Havre.

Now on to the last card for today. Ravindra sent this one showing an image of a bronze statue of Avalokiteshvara, a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. The Sri Lanka statue dates from around the year 750.   

The three stamps used here are from a et of 20 issued in 2020 highlighting Wild Species Threatened in Sri Lanka.

So thank you to Ravindra, Dominique and Xiangheng for the cards shown today. I have zero cards left again so it will be a few days before I got anything to say here again. Be sure to check in every couple days though, just in case something turns up. 

Take care now ----- wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. 

FlyEgypt and Angelicia Sinensis

BLOG 1496  --  Still in the Time of Covid

Hey there again, I`ve just a short update for today. Let`s start with this Airline postcard - a favourite theme of mine. Here we have a FlyEgypt B737 shown on the ground in Prague in 2019. This aircraft is just over 13 years old, having started out with Air Berlin in late 2007. It saw service with Germania from 2015 until 2019. It has flown for FlyEgypt since then. 

Jean Pierre used a couple of nice stamps on this card. The left stamp , from 2020, was issued for Post Day.  The right stamp, also from 2020, celebrates the 47th Anniversary of the October 1973 Victory in the Yom Kippur War. The small definitive stamp is from 2017.

The second card today arrived from China. It shows a sketch of Chinese Angelica or Angelicia Sinensis, a herb indigenous to China. The yellowish brown root of the plant is harvested in the fall and is a well known Chinese medicine which has been used for thousands of years. 

Monkey, a Postrosser, used a 1998 stamp of a World Heritage Site on this card. There were 2 stamps in a set. Now I am no expert on China but the stamp may show a part of the Forbidden City panorama. 

Well there you have it, short and sweet today. Two cards and two cards only.

Thanks to Jean Pierre for his card and thanks to Monkey for the other. 

Take care, and as always - wash your hands, keep your distance and wear a mask.

Canal du Midi, Cairo Mosques and the Trump Shuttle

BLOG   1495 ---  Year 2 of Covid

Hello again. I don`t have many cards for this update, just 2 . It`s just that I want to get this update in before ``you know who`` leaves office tomorrow. I haven`t had much political content on this blog at all, so I`ll just be making a small comment at the end. I think it will suffice. 

My first card is from France. It`s a look at Canal du Midi, a 240 km long canal in southern France. The canal was at one time considered one of the greatest construction works of the 17th century. It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. The canal was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. 

Dominique used a large stamp from 2015 on this card. It is 1 of 2 stamps issued in a Joint Issue with Mexico. The stamps celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Gilberto Bosques Saldvar, Mexican diplomate and former militant in the Mexican Revolution. Gilberto is credited with saving thousands of lives in World War II. As I mentioned the stamps celebrate the 20th anniversary of death, but I prefer to think of it as the 123rd Anniversary of Gilberto`s Birth. But that`s just me !

My second card arrived from Cairo, Egypt. It`s a look at two mosques in the city. The Muhammad Ali Mosque, located in the Citadel of Cairo was completed in 1848. The Al Hussein Masque was originally built in 1154. It was later reconstructed in 1874. It is located on one of the holiest Islamic sites in Egypt. 

 Jean Pierre used a small definitive from 2017 along with 2 stamps issued in 2020. They were issued for the Combat Corona Campaign - A Tribute to the White Army.  

I know many countries have issued stamps to bring attention to Covid-19 but this is the first I have received. 

Now before I end off today, I want to show an old picture I recently came across. The picture doesn`t need much comment as you can see. It wasn`t a great way for a flight to end and when I looked at it, the only thing that came to mind was the way his presidency is ending tomorrow. The Trump Shuttle crashed on landing and his presidency just about crashed and burned. A little history repeating itself ! 

Well that`s all I have for this time. Thanks to Dominique and Jean Pierre for the cards. Be sure to tune in again soon for my next installment. 

We`re still all in it so, wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. Get your vaccine when you can. 

Pals, Seville and Bonnieux

BLOG # 1494

Hey there. I'm back with a few more cards that arrived the past few days. This time I have one from France and two from Spain. Let's start with this one from Seville , Spain. It's a look at The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, commonly called Seville Cathedral and La Giralda tower. This Roman Catholic cathedral was built between 1401 and 1528. It is the 4th largest church in the world. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. The bell tower, perhaps the city's most well known symbol, is 104.5 m high. The Giralda is the former minaret of the mosque that stood on the site under Muslim rule. 

  

Jean Pierre used a 2020 stamp highlighting International LGBTQ Pride Day. The card received a wonderful postmark on 3 November showing the Giralda. 

My second card is a look at an old fountain in Bonnieux, a commune in southeastern France. This fountain in the square of Bonnieux is one of several located among the 19th century houses, ancient stone walls and medieval fortifications of the town. 

Dominique used a fairly old stamp on this card. It was issued in 1974 and I remember that year well. My Lovely Teena and I were married in 1974. The stamp was issued for the opening of Charles de Gaulle Airport. This stamp with the Concorde flying over the airport will be a nice addition to my Aviation stamp collection. 

Here now is the last card for today. It's a small look at Pals, a beautiful Medieval village in northern Spain in Catalonia region. The tower on the postcard was built between the 11th and 13th centuries. Known as the Tower of the Hours , it is a 15 metre high clock tower. 

This card was sent by Josep & Assumpta and it arrived with two stamps from 2020.

 The left stamp is 1 of 2 issued to celebrate the 6th DiSello Competition, a National Stamp Design Competition.The larger right stamp is 1 of 3 showcasing Museums. Shown is the Museum of Human Evolution , located in Burgos, Spain. 

Josep & Assumpta have a great postcard blog and you can check it out right here. 

Well that's my blog for today. Thanks for today's postcards go out to Jean Pierre, Dominique and Josep & Assumpta. 

I have exhausted my cards now and will have to wait for a few to arrive. Good luck to me on that. 

See you soon, but before I go --- wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. That way, it's not only yourself you are keeping safe, but others too. Remember we're all in this together. 

The First Cards of 2021 Happy New Year

BLOG  1493 

Well it`s that time - time to showcase the first cards of the new year , 2021. I received two cards yesterday and one card today. But before I get to them, let me take this opportunity to wish you all Happy New Year. It can only be better than 2020 turned out. 

I don`t have fireworks to celebrate but here goes  --   Happy New Year, Bonne Annee, Feliz Ano Nuevo, Buon Anno, Frohes Neues Jahr, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, Gezuar Vitin E Ri, and Bon Any Nou . 

Languages are not my strong point , so hopefully I have those right, if not leave a comment and let me know. If I left your language out, let me know that too. 

Now on to the cards. First up is this Merry Christmas - Happy New Year card from Belgium. 

Gerda posted this card on Dec 10 and it arrived on Jan 5. It arrived with the 2 Christmas stamps that were issued on Oct 26th. 

Gerda has a wonderful postcard blog called My Postcard-Page and you can find it right here .

My second card arrived from Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Posted on Dec 17, it arrived on Jan 5th. It`s a look at a Santa and Christmas themed manhole cover. If you can make the scan out, it looks like a Santa and a Reindeer. The manhole cover is located at Awone Shirakami Jyuniko Resort, which used to be Santa Land Iwasaki in Aomori Prefecture , Japan. The resort, with its Finnish style cottages , is located at the foot of Mt. Shirakami in the beautiful Tsugaru Quasi-National Park. 

 Barbara used an assortment of stamps on her card and I`ll just talk about the three on the top. The left stamp is 1 of 10 , issued in 2007 , to celebrate December. The middle stamp , from 2004 , is also from a set of 10 self adhesive Christmas stamps, The right stamp, again 1 of 10, is a 2020 Christmas stamp. 

 It is important to note that Barbara took the picture of the manhole in 2019 and also designed the card . Good job indeed. 

This next card, the final one for today, is another photographed and designed by Barbara. This one took a little longer to reach me. Posted on Nov 14, it arrived today Jan 6th. 

This card shows the former Amsterdam Main Post Office, built in 1895-99. It is now the home of Magna Plaza shopping mall. The slots in the wall that you see, served as mailboxes for `domestic `, `city `, and `international ` mail. 

Barbara used a 2020 Europa stamp - Ancient Postal Routes. It is from a set of 2. 

Well there it is, my first update for 2021. Thanks to Gerda and Barbara for the cards today. 

Look for me to be live here again soon.  Take care, stay safe.

The year has changed but my message is still the same . Wear a mask, wash your hands and keep your distance and you won`t go wrong.