A Mixed Bag

    Blog # 1617--- Day 823 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hey it's Friday --  time for another update of The Blog. The first card for today is from Taiwan. It shows Yinshan Temple. It is the only fully preserved Hakka temple in Taiwan. The temple opened in 1922 on Denggong Rd , one of the first streets in New Taipei City. 

Yun Ting sent this card and used a stamp of which I couldn't find any info. 

Next up is a card from Switzerland. Deicing at Zurich Airport. Deicing of aircraft is the process of removing surface frost, ice or frozen contaminants on aircraft surfaces before an aircraft takes off.

Meelis used 3 copies of a 2022 River definitive. It is 1 of a set of 5. 

Today's 3rd card arrived from Spain. It's a hillside look at the small village of Aristot, located in Catalonia, Spain. It has about 30 inhabitants and is found at 1,223 metres above sea level. 

 Josep and Assumpta used a stamp from 2023 on this card. The large stamp celebrated Mediterranian Festivals. 

Now it's over to Poland to have a look at Dobczyce, a town of just over 6300 people in Southern Poland. The town is quite old, it obtained its town charter in 1310. The town has a partially rebuilt castle and ruins of a defensive wall, both dating to the 14th century. 

 Ana used a couple of stamps on her card. The left stamp is from 2021 and celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the reactivation of Caritas Poland. The right stamp, from last year, celebrates the Polish town of Garwolin.

Bosnia & Herzegovina is the subject of this next card. Alena's card shows a depiction of the Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque in the city of Mostar, from where this card was posted. The Ottoman architecture styled mosque was opened in 1618.

Alena's stamp was issued in 2016 and shows Panonska Lake.

Well I haven't profiled an aircraft / airline card in quite some time, so it's time for this one. It's a Condor  Boeing 767, registered as D-ABUY. It was delivered new to Condor, a German airline on 30 July 1991. After leaving Condoe in 1993, this B767 saw service with Air Europe Italy, Air Afrique, Volare Airlines, Sobelair, Dutch Caribbean Airlines and finally El Al Israel Airlines from  March of 2004 until Feb 2019 when it was stored. Then in September 2020 it met its fate, the scrape heap. 

Ravindra used these stamps on his card. The top stamp was issued in 2023. It celebrates Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka and Egypt.  The other two stamps ,from 2020 , are 2 in a set of 3 showing Ancient Maps.

This is a good spot to end off this update. Thanks for dropping in. Thanks for cards go out to Yun Ting, Meelis, Josep and Assumpta, Ana, Alena, and Ravindra. 

Cheers !

Dominique's Cards

   Blog # 1616--- Day 814 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Howdy folks . Here's another blog update. Today I want to showcase a bunch of cards sent by Dominique. Most were sent from France, along with one from Austria and one from Germany. 

The Austrian one is up first. It's a look at the Zugspitze. The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains and the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, and the Austria–Germany border is on its western summit. At the summit, scenic views of four countries and 400 surrounding mountain peaks in Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland are waiting. The mountain  is home to one of Germany's last glaciers . 

Dominique used a 2012 stamp. It is 1 of 3 in a Maps set showing maps of Austria, Europe and The World. 

 Berwartstein Castle is the focus of this next card. Berwartstein Castle is a castle in the Wasgau, the southern part of the Palatinate Forest in the state Rhineland-Palatinate in southwestern Germany. It was one of the rock castles that were part of defences of the Palatinate during the Middle Ages. It is the only castle in the Palatinate that was rebuilt and re-inhabited after its demolition. 

 The stamps on this card include a Flower definitive and a 2019 Young Raccoons stamp. 

Card 3 shown The Graoully in Metz, a city in northeast France with a 3,000 year history. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. The Graoully is a creature with the appearance of a dragon. According to legend it lived in the area of the Roman amphitheatre  and wiped out the youth of the city in the 3rd century. The legend goes on that Saint Clement of Metz fought the beast and saved the city by drowning the creature in the Seille. 

    The stamp -- Issued in 2024 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Belgian artist Andre Franquin.   

Here's a card showing The Tanners' House . Built in 1572 it's located tucked away in the half-timbered houses and canals of La Petite France in Strasbourg. It is one of the most famous landmarks of the city. The former tannery was turned into a restaurant in 1949. 

Dominique used 2 stamps from the 1960s on this card. The left stamp was issued in 1963 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Paris Postal Conference. The right stamp, from 1964, is 1 of 2 in a Tourism set. 

Next up is Stanislas Place, a large pedestrianised square in the French city of Nancy in the Lorraine historic region. Around the square you can find Nancy city hall, the Opera House and the Fine Arts Museum. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. 

 

The stamp on this card was issued in 1963 to showcase the Philatec Exhibition of Paris in 1964. 

 St Paul's Church in Strasbourg is the focus of my next card. It is a major Gothic Revival architecture building and one of the landmarks of the city. Built between 1892 and 1897, it has one of the largest domes in the world , with a height of 366 feet. If you find yourself visiting the church, be careful of what you say in the Whispering Gallery. You will be heard in the other end of the room. 

 

The stamp --- Issued in 2023 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of playwright and novelist Jorge Semprun.  

The Palais Longchamp is up next. Opened in 1869 this Marseille monument was built to bring water to the city. It also houses the Natural History Museum of Marseille and the Marseille Museum of Fine Arts. 

Dominique used another 1963 stamp on this one. It is 1 of 4 in a Tourism set. 

Okay, here's the final card for this time. It's a look at Lons Le Saunier, a spa town in eastern France, one with a saltwater bath at 32C. It is also the birthplace of Rouget de Lisle, author of La Marseillaise. The card also shows Place de la Liberte, a large open square with fountains and statues. 

 That was the final card, so here's the final stamp. Again from 1963. It is 1 of 5 in a set showing Celebrities of European Economic Community Countries .

Well we've come to the end of another update. All the cards shown today were sent by Dominique, so big thanks to Dominique.  Take care everybody, drop by again. 

Star Wars Day 2024, Bahamas, Grytviken, South Georgia, Mayotte, Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia , Cassis and Les Calanques

     Blog # 1615 --- Day 800 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Here's a new update to Gems World Postcards. My first card is from King Edward Point, South Georgia - not a location one gets a card from often.  King Edward Point is a permanent British Antarctic Survey research station on South Georgia island and is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The settlement is the smallest capital in the world by population. Currently twelve BAS personnel overwinter at the station, rising to around 22 in summer. 

Jean Pierre's card shows Grytviken, a hamlet on South Georgia, located at the head of King Edward Cove. Grytviken no longer has permanent residents but occasionally accommodates researchers and British administrative and military personnel. It is also temporarily inhabited during summer months by a few staff who manage the South Georgia Museum. The settlement has become a popular attraction for Antarctic cruise lines, with many tourists visiting the resting places of polar explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Frank Wild in Grytviken's graveyard.

Two highlights not to miss in Grytviken are the Museum and the Norwegian Anglican Church , built in 1913. You can see the church , lower left, on the card. 

 Jean Pierre used a definitive from a set of 12 issued in 2020, showing a Humpback Whale. 

I don't know about you but I would love to visit Grytviken on a cruise. How about it Teena  ? Sounds like a great way to celebrate our 50th anniversary in August. 

Card 2 for today arrived from the Kingdom opf Cambodia. It shows a portion of Ta Prohm Temple. This temple, located near the city of Siem Reap was built during the 12th and 13th centuries. It s referred to as the " Tomb Raider Temple " due to its depiction in the film Lara Croft : Tomb Raider. The temple was built without mortar and, after it was abandoned, trees took root in the loosened stones. The trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of the most popular temples with visitors to the area. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1992.

Alena used a 2019 stamp from a set of 7 showing Cats.

This next card shows a lovely view of the port of Cassis. This is a commune located east of Marseille on the French Riviera in Southern France. It is a popular tourist destination and was one film location in the movoe The French Connection. The  motto of the commune is "Qu'a vist Paris, se noun a vist Cassis, n'a rèn vist", which means "Who has seen Paris and not Cassis, has not seen anything".

Dominique used a 61 year old stamp . It was 1 of 5 in a set of Famous Europeans. This one show Belgian poet and art critic Emile Verhaeren.

 Here's a card that arrived from The Bahamas. It's a look at the two bridges connecting Nassau to Paradise Island. The original bridge, the Paradise Island East Bridge , in the foreground of Gina's card was built in 1966. The newer bridge , in the background, is named Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge, was built in 1997. 

Gina used a 2021 stamp from a set of 5 issued for Queen Elizabeth's 95th birthday.

Here's another card sent by Jean Pierre. It is from Mayotte. Mayotte is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique. It’s a department and region of France. The total area of Mayotte is about 374 km², which makes it by far the smallest French overseas department.

Jean Pierre used 2 Mayotte stamps and 1 French stamp on this card. The left stamp, issued in 2011 , is 1 of 3 in a set showing Country Views. The middle stamp, from 2008, was issued for Dance - le M'Biwi.  The right stamp, from France shows Common Gardens and was issued in 2023.

On February 2, 1997, Mayotte was granted postal autonomy, which allowed it to select its own stamp subject. Then use of French stamps resumed on April 1, 2012, though Mayotte stamps remain valid indefinitely.

It's now time for the last card for today. Another card from France sent by Dominique. It's a great view of Les Calanques. A Calanque is a unique kind of geological formation made of limestone.  They are big rocky coves forming a steep and narrow valley inland and are mostly found around the Mediterranean sea. Here, the Calanques National Park is a protected and highly regulated area, stretching over 20 km from Marseille to Cassis, with 26 Calanques of various sizes (25 in Marseille and 1 in Cassis). Some are easily accessible and others are a lot less, but regardless, the Calanques are an absolute must-see when you visit Marseille!

The stamp is from 1964 and is 1 of 2 in a Tourism set.

Well as they say in the movies, That's a Wrap. Thanks for these cards go out to Dominique, Jean Pierre, Gina and Alena. 

Once again to all you Star Wars fan out there   -- May The 4th Be With You. 

Later.