Bluenose 1921-2021, Fort Boyard, FUN, Tinos, Estuary of the Charente and St.Jaume de Frontanya

 BLOG nbr 1535 -   Day 507 of the Pandemic

Hello postcard lovers. Welcome once again to GemsWorldPostcards. The cards you will see today are from France, Greece, Tuvalu, Spain and Canada , if I get that far. 

My first card shows the estuary of the Charente River. The Charente is found in western France, and flows into the Atlantic , it is 360 km long. 

Dominique used a semi-postal stamp from 1972. It shows French industrial paper manufacturer Aristide Berges. The surtax was for the Red Cross. 

My second card is also from France and also sent by Dominique. It`s a view of Fort Boyard, located off the west coast of the country. The fort was constructed between 1801 and 1857. It is 68 m long and 31 m wide. The walls are 20 m high.

It is the location for the filming of both the French and international versions of the famous TV game show of the same name. The Fort Boyard show was first broadcast on July 7, 1990. There has been 34 foreign versions of the show and a total of 1782 episodes filmed. 

 Dominique was lucky enough to use a stamp on its First Day of Issue, 21 June on this card. It shows the Solar Impulse, the zero fuel consumption airplane that completed the first round the world solar flight. 

 

Now here`s a card from Tinos, Greece. Tinos is one of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. Its population is around 8,600. Shown is a Pigeon house of which there are over 600 on the island. This one is a 220 square metre villa and is built adjacent to a 100 year old pigeon house. 

Jean Pierre used a 2020 stamp showing an Octopus. 

A card from Funafuti, Tuvalu is next. It`s a look at Funafuti International Airport and a couple of aircraft you might see on the ground there. The airport , with the IATA code of FUN was built in 1943 and is at an elevation of 3 metres above mean sea level. It`s one runway is 1,524 metres in length and has zero runway lighting so operations are restricted to daylight hours. The airport is somewhat unusual in that the runway is used as a common area for sporting and social activities when not in use. Sirens sound when a plane is landing, warning civilians to stay clear. 

  

Jean Pierre used a couple of older stamps on this card. The top left stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2000. It is a WWF issue for Endangered Species, in this case a Sand Tiger Shark. The bottom left stamp is from 2006 and is 1 of 12 in a set showing Corals. The stamp on the right was issued in 1976 and is 1 of a set of 10 showing Local Motives, in this case a sleeping mat. 

Here is the second to last card for today. It`s from Spain and shows the village of St. Jaume de Frontanya, one of the smallest towns in Catalonia, with just 30 people. It is located in the Pyrenees below the peak of Pedro de Tubau. The village is first mentioned in documents in the year 905. Back in 1970 the population was only 21 - I guess the place is on the move now. 

  

Josep and Assumpta used a rather large stamp from 2020. It celebrated Urban Architecture - in this case Wanda Metropolitan Stadium. 

Don`t much like the ugly pen cancel though.

Be sure to check out their fine blog called  ` Letters and postcards from everywhere `.

Have I saved the best for last - you can decide. The last card arrived from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia , Canada. It is a look at The Bluenose, The Pride of Nova Scotia and Canada`s most beloved schooner. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the launch of Bluenose. Launched 26 March , 1921 at Lunenburg, she won the International Fisherman`s Trophy races in 1921, 1922, 1923, 1931 and 1938. Bluenose has adorned the 10-cent coin of Canada almost exclusively since 1937, is featured on Nova Scotia`s current licence plate, was immortalized in song by folk singer Stan Rogers and has appeared on four previously issued Canadian stamps. The schooner is also one of the very few non-human inductees in Canada`s Sports Hall of Fame. Sadly, Bluenose foundered on a reef  28 January 1946 off Haiti.

The Postmaster at Lunenburg was kind enough to use a new commemorative postmark-cancellation on the 2 newly issued Bluenose stamps from Canada Post.  

Well so ends another GemsWorldPostcard update. My thanks this time go to Dominique, Jean Pierre, Josep and Assumpta , and the Lunenburg Postmaster. Take care all and see you again soon. 

 

  

Carrancas, The Mighty Churchill, Hohenschwangau, Air Malta, and The Govenor's Palace in Metz

 BLOG # 1534 - Still in the Time of Covid

Hello once again. Today's cards will showcase 3 buildings , an aircraft and The Mighty Churchill. The first building is the Carrancas train station. Carrancas is a city in Brazil and the train station is located about 15 km outside the city. The station was built in 1903 and trains stopped at the station until 1995. 

 Diego used a Rio Olympic stamp from 2015. It is one from a mini-sheet of 20 different stamps showing different sports. Badminton is represented on the stamp on the card. 

My next card is the latest addition to my Towns of Newfoundland and Labrador postmarked cards. Churchill Falls is located on the mainland portion of the province of Newfoundland. Churchill Falls exists because of the mighty Churchill Falls and the huge power project that was built there. The power plant is the 10th largest hydroelectric underground power station in the world. The plant's power house was hewn from solid granite 300 metres underground. It is 300 metres long and as high as a 15 story building. The cost of the project was almost a billion in 1970 Canadian dollars . 

The town of Churchill Falls is a company owned town. If you live there, you work there, if you don't work there, you can't live there. Just about everybody works at the power plant or in town services. Most of the town amenities are found in one building - the Town Centre. The school, curling rink, gymnasium, library, grocery store, theatre, pool, post office, restaurant, and hotel - all under one roof. 

My card shows Churchill Falls as it looked before the power project. 

Now here's a look at it after  .....

Doesn't have quite the same magic !

I received this card from the Postmaster at Churchill Falls and it arrived with a 2009 stamp showing the Silver Dart. It commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the First Flight in Canada. 

 

Now here's a card showing Hohenschwangau, a castle built in 1832 in southern Germany. It was badly damaged over the centuries and rebuilt around 1832 by King Maximilian II of Bavaria. . 

Dominique used 2 copies of the 2019 Endangered Animals stamp featuring Harbor Porpoises.

Here is the next addition to my Airlines & Aircraft on Postcards collection. It`s an Air Malta A319 , shown landing at London ( LHR ) in November of 2012. Registered as 9H-AEM it had its first flight in January of 2005. It flew with Air Malta until February of 2017. In April of 2017 it started service with Volotea  Airlines under a new registration. 

Jean Pierre used 2 great stamps on this card. They are 2 of 10 in a 2019 sheet showing Maltese Festas. 

Nice postmarks from San Giljan. 

Here`s my last card for this time. It`s from France and shows the Governor`s Palace in Metz. The city in the northeast of the country has a 3000 year history. In Metz you can find the oldest working opera house  and the oldest church in the country along with the largest expanse of stained glass windows in the world. The Governor`s Palace was built between 1902 and 1905. There are 31 living rooms and 70 other rooms. 

Dominique again used a 1972 stamp on this one. It commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Translation of Egyptian Hieroglyphics by Jean-Francois Champollion.

   

There you have it. Another update complete. Thanks for these cards go out to Diego, Churchill Falls Postmaster, Dominique and Jean Pierre. I wouldn`t be doing this without people like you guys. 

Covid is still with us so do whatever you need to , to stay safe. Take care.

 

POSTCROSSING is 16 Years Old Today

BLOG # 1533  and  Still in Covid Time

How is everyone today ? I hope everyone is doing well and looking to the end of Covid time. I know I am, but we're not there yet. Today is July 14th and the great postcard project Postcrossing started 16 years ago this date . So Happy Birthday to Postcrossing. I joined Postcrossing on March 9th,  2006, eight months after start-up. I have been a member for 5,606 days and received 3,022 postcards from my membership.  Postcrossing now has 803,922 members in 208 countries. 62,518,282 postcards have been sent and received by those members. Congratulations to all those Postcrossers. 

Since today is a special day for Postcrossing, I think it only right that I show cards I have received as a Postcrosser. I'll start with a card from Ukraine.  It shows the Tunnel of Love,  a section of industrial railway located near Klevan, Ukraine, that links it with Orzhiv. It is a railway surrounded by green arches and is three to five kilometers in length. It is known for being a favorite place for couples to take walks. It might well be The Tunnel of Love, but that guy looks a lot like the Grim Reaper, even if that's a stick and not a scythe. 

 

 Katya used a number of different stamps on her card. The large stamp on the left is 1 of 4 in a 2013 mini-sheet of 6 called Generous Ukraine Autumn. The bottom right stamp is from a mini-sheet of 6 issued in 2006 showing Official Symbols and Things of Bogdan Khmelnitsky. The other 2 stamps are Flora definitives from 2013.

Card # 2 is from Lithuania. It shows a view of Nida, a resort town in the country. Nida is located on the Curonian Spit between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. It is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic states. Author Thomas Mann had a house built in Nida as seen on the card. After only three summers , Mann and family were forced into exile when the Nazis seized power. 

 

Alexandra , who hails from Klaipeda, the gateway to the Curonian Spit, sent this card. She mentioned that she had recently flown in a hot air balloon, something I also enjoyed a number of years ago. Alexandra used two stamps on her card. On the left is 1 of 3 issued in 2019 showing Lithuanian State Symbols. The right stamp, from 202, commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Wars of Independence. 

Freckles seems to be the theme of this next card from Poland. It shows a picture of a young lady as seen by Agata Dobrzanska. a wedding and portrait photographer located in Wroclaw, Poland. 

Marcin used a couple of recent stamps here. Both were issued last year. On the left is 1 of 3 in a mini-sheet showing The World in the Eyes of the Youth. On the right, above the label, is a stamp commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Solidarity Trade Movement.

 

Well I think I'll call it a day here now. I had another great card lined up but I'll hold it for next time. I'm off to watch my grandson in a soccer game . I know it's not the Euro or World Cup  , but I enjoy watching him just the same. Sometimes it's just as exciting. Go Blizzard Go !

Today my thanks for cards go out to Marcin, Katya and Alexandra. 

Take care now everyone, don't let covid make inroads again. 

A Library, Aircrafts, Bay De Verde and Maison Kammerzell

BLOG # 1532 - Still in the Time of Covid

Hello once again. 

It's time for another edition of this blog. Today I have cards from Germany, France, Netherlands and Canada. 

First up is a Lufthansa Airbus A 300. Registered as D-AIAA it flew with Lufthansa from Feb 1976 until Dec 1983. It was then reregistered as F-BAUM and flew with Air Inter until May 1994. Then it was broken up and scrapped at Paris ORY. 

Jean Pierre and Rafal collaborated on this card and used a Europa stamp from this year. It highlighted Endangered National Wildlife. 

Today's second card is of Maison Kammerzell, one of the most famous buildings in Strasbourg. It was built in 1427 with further work done in 1467 and 1589. It is located about a 1 min walk from Strasbourg Cathedral. 

Dominique used a 1972 stamp showing a French sailing ship. It is the Cote D'Emeraude, built in 1925 in Saint Malo and used in the cod fishing industry off Newfoundland.

Speaking of Newfoundlland here is the latest addition to my Towns of Newfoundland card collection. This time it's Bay De Verde. Bay de Verde is an incorporated town in Conception Bay on the northern tip of the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The first recorded inhabitants at Bay de Verde arrived in 1662. Bay de Verde became an incorporated town in 1950.The town's population is approximately 450 give or take. 

The Bay De Verde postmark / cancellation is quite clear on this one and the stamp is from this year. It is 1 of 2 in a set showcasing Legends of Canadian Ballet. Shown is Fernand Nault.

 

The 4th card for today is from the Netherlands. It shows the library at Strahov Monastery in Prague. The abbey was founded in 1143. 

Rianne used 2 stamps from 2003. They are 2 of 10 in a set entitled The Old Days.

The 3rd stamp, from 2009 is 1 of 2 Europa stamps showcasing Astronomy.

Well my first card today was an aircraft card so I guess it's only right to end with another. This one is an Aero Lloyd Airbus A321, registered as D-ALAH , shown with a little advertising for TRIGEMA - Germany's largest manufacturer of sportswear. The aircraft had its first flight in Feb of 1998. It flew as D-ALAF for Aero Lloyd until Oct of 2003. It had a number of registrations after 2003 add flew for Livingston, Volare Airlines and Onur Air. It has ben stored since Mar of 2020. 

   

Maike used a 2020 stamp which I have wrote about before.

That's it for this update of GemsWorldPostcards. Thanks today go out to Rafal and Jean Pierre, Dominique, Bay De Verde Postmaster, Rianne and Maike. 

Remember folks, Covid is still out there so we all need to still be careful and get vaccinated. 

Red Boxes, Winterton, Gozo and Air France B777

BLOG #1531  In Covid Times

Hey there. Hope everyone is doing good. I'm back with a few more cards to show off.

I'll start with a card showing Red Boxes, mostly Post Boxes or Telephone Booths. The card arrived from Torquay, a seaside resort town on the English Channel in Devon, south west England. The town had a few famous residents , Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Barret Browning both lived there one time or another. Here's an interesting fact about Torquay - It was while staying in the town at the Gleneagles Hotel in 1971, that John Cleese found inspiration for the very popular series Fawlty Towers. I loved those shows. 

 Sam used a 2020 stamp from the Rupert Bear set of 6. 

Here now is another Aircraft / Airlines postcard. It's an Air France B777-300, registered as F-GSQN. This aircraft had its first flight on May 1st, 2006. It flew for Air France until it was parked in May of this year. F-GSQN is shown on its inaugural flight to Orly on Jun 1st , 2005. 

Jean Pierre used a Marianne definitive along with a 2020 stamp celebrating the 400th Anniversary since the province of Bearn was attached to France.

Now I have another card for my Towns of Newfoundland postcard collection. This time it's  Winterton, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland. Winterton is located on the western side of the Avalon Peninsula and was settled in 1675. It was originally called Scilly Cove and in 1912 the town was renamed  for Sir James Spearman Winter. It currently has a population of approximately 480.  The town has the Wooden Boat Museum of Newfoundland, showcasing ancient techniques and tools used in boat building. 

The Postmaster in Winterton used a new Junos 50 stamp and postmarked it with a nice Wooden Boat Museum cancellation. The stamp showcases a special anniversary statuette, marking 50 years of honouring the best in Canadian music. The first televised Juno Awards , hosted by Canada's Paul Anka of  "1957s Diana fame " took place on March 25, 1975. 

Next up is a card from Gozo, Malta depicting a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's a look at the Ggantija Temples. Gozo is an island part of the Republic of Malta. The Ggantija Temples are classified as the oldest structures in the world. They were founded around 3600 BC and are even older than the pyramids of Egypt. These megalithic temples have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980.

 The card was posted in Victoria, the capital of Gozo Island. Jean Pierre used two stamps on this card. The stamp on the left is 1 of a set of 3 issued in 2021. They show Malta Healthcare Heroes and the stamps were issued to Combat Covid-19. The stamp on the right, 1 of 2 in a set from 2020, is a SEPAC Issue, showing Artwork in the National Collection.

SEPAC , for any beginners out there , is Small European Postal Administration Cooperations. 

So ends another update. That's all I have for today.

Thanks for today's cards go out to Sam, Jean Pierre and the Winterton Postmaster.

Covid is still with us, so you all know the drill by now. 

Northern Ireland and Switzerland

BLOG # 1530 --  In the Time of Covid 

Hey there, it's great to see you back again. Before I get to today's cards, I need to make a correction to yesterday's blog. In my little news item about Lytton, I mentioned that everybody was able to escape the fire storm that engulfed the town. Sadly we now know that was not the case. At least two residents did not make it out of Lytton. There are also a few others that are unaccounted for at this time. Very sad indeed. 

My first card for this time arrived from Switzerland. The picture on the card is really not that interesting as you can see . 

Edward used a strip of 2 stamps with a vignette between them. It was issued in 2020 and celebrates the Ceneri Railway Tunnel. 

The second card for today shows scenes from County Down in Northern Ireland. David sent the card from Newcastle, a small seaside resort town.  Since 2010 Newcastle has held an annual 'Festival of Flight' airshow which attracts upwards of 100,000 people to the event. The RAF Red Arrows are usually the star attraction of the show which is heavily supported by both the RAF and Irish Air Corps as well as the Irish Coast Guard. 

David used a new value definitive that was issued in Dec of 2020. 

 David, it's been quite a while, Good to here from you again.

Well that's the update for this time. Two cards is all for today. 

Thanks to Edward and David for the cards you saw today. 

Now before I go, what do we say ? Be careful and follow your local covid protocols.

If you're not vaccinated yet, now is the time. Go for it.