Rhodes, The Pinnacle, Val d'Or, Lille, Land of Arlon and a Garuda A330

BLOG # 1585 --- Day 862 of the Pandemic --- Day 147 of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                       GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello again, it's been a number of days since my last update. The Calgary Stampede , the ten day exhibition is now over. The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth ended last Sunday evening after an attendance of 1.2 million people during the 10 days. So no more cowboys, no more horses, cowboy boots, outdoor pancake breakfasts, haybales or shouts of YaHoo for another year. The town will be back to normal in a day or two. 

I have  8 cards here on the desk to blog with today. Not sure if I will get all 8 done, but I'll give it a shot. This first card shows us Camping Val d'Or, Luxembourg. This is one of the most charming campsites in the country. located in the north of Luxembourg, it offers walking, biking and motorcycling. 

 

Meelis used 2 stamps on this card. On the left is a stamp issued in 2008 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of MAMSA - NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency.  The right stamp, from 2021, is 1 of 2 issued to showcase Tourism in Rural Areas. 

Today's second card was also sent by Meelis, this time from Belgium. It shows the area in south western Belgium called the Land of Arlon. It is a traditional and cultural region with strong Luxembourgish ties to the neighboring Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Shown on the card is the interior of Saint-Martin Church, Reine-Astrid Square, the ancient gate of Saint-Martin Church and a rather bucolic view of Arlon. 

 Meelis used a mixture of 2 stamps. On the left is a TBC-Post Europe stamp. On the right is a 2015 stamp, 1 of 10 in an  Animals on the Move set.  It was issue by Bpost. 

TBC-Post is a private postal player in Belgium. Not sure how the 2 different issued stamps work together on a card or letter, but they did work.. 

First aircraft card of the day. This is a Garuda Airlines A330, registered as PK-GPG. The picture was taken at Sydney in July 2011. This  A330 is 25.3 years old , having its first flight in March of 1997. It was delivered to Garuda on April 14 , 1997. It is still in service with the airline. 

 Jean Pierre used a Flora and Fauna of Indonesia stamp of Indonesia from 2019. It was 1 of 2 in a rather cool minisheet. 

Have a look at this stamp. It received a cancellation postmark but that wasn't enough for someone. Looks like the Great Stamp Defacer struck again. You know , I really have a hard time deciding which is worse. Between defacing the stamp with a pen or marker and not cancelling the stamp altogether, I hate it when a card receives no postmark or cancellation, as I feel that the stamp hasn't done its work, and I hate it when the stamp gets ruined for no reason. However  as a long time stamp collector I think I would rather add a card with a defaced stamp, at least it's cancelled , than to receive a card with the stamp not cancelled at all. I always want to send them back for a cancel.

How do you all feel about this  ?  Leave a comment if you want and let me know.  

Now we're off to South Africa. The card shows The Pinnacle, a quartzite pillar of rock, towering 30 m above the lowveld of Mpumalanga. The ravine below, Driekop Gorge,  was formed over the centuries by the Ngwaritsane River. 

Bruce used a stamp from 2017 that celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Krugerrand. It was 1 of 3 in a Minisheet.

This next card is of Lille, a city in northern France, near the border with Belgium. Lille has 17th century brick town houses, cobbled pedestrian streets and the Grand Place - the large central square. Shown on the card is a part of the Grand Place and in the foreground the Column of the Goddess. This monument was inaugurated on October 8, 1845 and commemorates the heroism of the people of Lille during the siege of the city in 1792. 

Dominique used a current 2022 stamp that showcases French painter Henri Rouart.

Rhodes Old Town is the subject of my next card. Rhodes - the largest of the Greek Islands has an Old Town featuring the the medieval Street of the Knights of St. John and the castlelike Palace of the Grand Masters. The Medieval Old Town has been declared s World Heritage Site. 

 

The column on the card with the deer on top stands where a foot of the Colossus of Rhodes is believed to have stood. The Colossus was a giant statue , about 110 feet tall, of the Greek sun-god, Helios. It only stood for 56 years, when it was toppled by an earthquake in 226 BCE. Huge chunks of the former statue stayed on the beaches of Rhodes' Mandraki Harbour for over 800 years. 

David used a Postcards Worldwide , Rhodes Tourism stamp from 2019. It is from a set of 5. 

Well I didn't get all 8 cards I mentioned earlier done, but 6 is good. So this ends another blog update. Thanks today go out to Dominique, David, Jean Pierre, Bruce and Meelis. Thanks fellas, I appreciate it.