Thursday, December 25, 2025

Christmas Postcards for Christmas 2025

Blog # 1675                                      MERRY CHRISTMAS 2025

                        



It's still Christmas Day and I have a few moments of down time , so it's blog time.  While it's still Christmas time I have 3 Christmas themed cards that arrived a couple of days ago.  One is from Belgium, one is from Germany and one is from Canada. So here goes. 

From Gerda in Belgium :


  Gerda used 2 Christmas stamps, one from 2025 and one from 2024. 




From Isa in Germany :



Isa used 3 stamps including one Christmas stamp from 2014. 



From Marilyn & Gerry in Canada ;



M & G used a stamp from the 2024 Far and Away series.



That's it for Christmas cards this time . Thanks to Gerda , Isa and Marilyn & Gerry. 


Now once again as always I want to add my message to you all and to the whole world.

Once again as Christmas Day is upon us, I want to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow postcard collectors , cover and stamp collectors and bloggers , along with all my readers a very Merry Christmas. My Christmas wishes for all of you are again summed up in the 3 Christmas stamps issued by Canada Post in 2007. Hope , Joy, and Peace.












Tuesday, December 16, 2025

JAL B747 and Neuschwanstein Castle

 Blog # 1674 --- Day 1394 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Ninety Four Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            
                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 


It`s definitely time for an update, so here it is. 

My first card arrived from Shibuya, Japan.  AS an airplane card collector there is no better card to collect than one with a B747 landing or taking off.  That`s as good as it gets. This Japan Airlines B747 is quite old, 37.9 years. It was registered as JA8186 and flew for Jal from Feb 1988 until Oct 2008. Then it saw service with Orient Thai Airlines and finally Max Air from 2009 until 2015. It has been stored at Kan , Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Nigeria since Sept 2015.The picture was taken at Haneda in Dec 1995.




Jean Pierre used a White Dove stamp.




This next card is from Germany and is a great view of Neuschwanstein Castle.  The palace is a 19th-century palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, near the border with Austria. It was constructed between 1869 and 1886. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site this year.


David used 2 definitive stamps on this card. The left stamp is from 2024, a Peacock definitive and the right one is from 2022, a nice aviation themed Biplane definitive. 




There you have it for this time. A short update, but that happens sometimes.
Thanks to Jean Pierre and David for the cards highlighted today.   

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Zagreb, Royal Jordanian Cargo, and A Muuga Windmill

  Blog # 1673 --- Day 1383 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Eighty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

                                                                            
                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 




Howdy everyone. I believe a week or more has passed since my last update. So here I am with another one.  My first card for this time arrived from Germany and is of my favourite postcard genre -- an airline and aircraft card. This one shows a Royal Jordanian Cargo A310 landing at London in September of 2008. The registration of this A310 is JY-AGQ. This aircraft has been around for quite a while. It was delivered to Royal Jordanian in March of 1990. Since then it has seen service with four other airlines - Malaysia Airlines, Sudan Airlines, Lloyd Aereo and Tunisair, all while leased from Royal Jordanian. It re-entered with Royal Jordanian in March of 2003 and continued until July of 2023, when it was withdrawn from use and stored at AMM-Queen Alia International Airport in Zizya, south of Amman. 



Isa used a couple of stamps on her card. The top stamp showcases the Jewish Center in Munich. The bottom stamp commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the Mining Academy in Freiburg, making it the world's oldest continuously operating university of mining science and technology. 



 
My second card is from Zagreb , Croatia. 
Zagreb, Croatia’s northwestern capital, is distinguished by its 18th- and 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architecture. At its center, Upper Town is the site of the Gothic, twin-spired Zagreb Cathedral and 13th-century St. Mark’s Church, with a colorfully tiled roof.



Ana used 2 stamps here. The left stamp, a nice airplane stamp was issued in 1991, as an airmail definitive. The right stamp is from a 2024 set of 2 issued for Tourism.






Here is the last card for this time. It is from Estonia and shows a Muuga Windmill. 
The "Muuga windmill" is a historical windmill located at the Mugga manor in Vinni Parish, Laane-Viru County, Estonia. It dates to the end of the 19th century and is an example of a historic Estonian windmill, which typically had four blades. 


Meelis used 7 different stamps , even if some look alike. They were issued in 2007, 2013, 2016, 2021 and 2023.




Well so ends another update. Thanks go out to Isa, Ana and Meelis. 
Next update will be soon. 

Monday, November 24, 2025

North Cyprus, Empress Elizabeth, Du Fu Tower and Les Antiques

 Blog # 1672 --- Day 1373 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Seventy Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .                                                                     

       

                                                                   GLORY TO UKRAINE 




Hello once again. I have a few more cards for you to peruse. First up today is a card from Chang Sha City , China. It's a look at the Du Fu Riverside Tower. This pavilion is located in Chang Sha's Hedong District, near the West Lake Bridge at the intersection of Central Xiangjiang Road and Xihu Road. This antique architecture along the riverside was built to commemorate Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu. It is 18 metres high and was opened in September 2005. It houses a Souvenir shop, the Du Fu Memorial Hall, an exhibition hall and a reception hall.




A Postcrosser named He Jun sent this card along and used 3 stamps. I don't have much luck identifying Chinese stamps for some reason. I did find the top right stamp with the red symbols. It was issued in 2006 , a Happy New Year stamp. The other two, no luck with those.




My next card is from St Remy de Provence, France. Dominique's card shows the historic site and monument Les Antiques. It's a great view of the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum. The Roman ruins include two monuments: the mausoleum (or cenotaph), dating from 30 to 20 BC, which has an unusual structure, and the triumphal arch, dating from 20 CE, which is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Caesar's conquest of Gaul.



Dominique used a current 2025 stamp. It celebrates the French philosopher, economist and military officer Claude Henryi de Rauvroy. The stamp was issued on the 265th Anniversary of his birth.





Here's another card from Northern Cyprus. On this one we see Kyrenia Harbour which is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.



David's stamp is from this year and is 1 of 2 in a Europa set celebrating Archeology.




Now here's my last card for today. it's from Austria. Here we see Empress Elizabeth, the most beloved and famous empress of Austria. Elisabeth (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie; German: 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898),] was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination 1898. While travelling in Geneva in 1898, Elisabeth was fatally stabbed in the heart by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. 





Chris used a recent definitive Hat stamp on his card.



The End for this time. Thanks today go out to He Jun, Dominique, David, and Chris.
Take care till next time. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Northern Cyprus, Singapore Tower and Alsace

  Blog # 1671 --- Day 1363 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Three Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .  

    


Hello once again. Just here with a few more of the cards that arrived in my mailbox. Thanks to all you folks that read this. First up is this card from Alsace, a historical region in northeastern France on the Rhine River plain. Bordering Germany and Switzerland, it has alternated between German and French control over the centuries and reflects a mix of those cultures. It shows the Hotel-Restaurant Le Brochet, a traditional Alsatian restaurant located in Barr, France.  Take note of the fountain with the young boy holding a shell to his ear. Could he be listening to all the gossip coming from the restaurant ? 


Dominique used a stamp issued in 2006. It was issued as a Europa stamp that year showing Integration through the eyes of young people.



My second card is a look at Singapore's Changi Airport control tower. It is 81 meters tall above sea level and was opened in 1981. The tower and staff handle approximately 1000 movements a day. 



 Jean Pierre used a 2008 stamp , 1 of 2 in a set showing Fruits . It was a Joint Issue with Vietnam.



Here's the last card for today. It arrived from North Cyprus. David wrote it from Famagusta, a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus currently controlled by the de facto republic of Northern Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. The city is also called  Gazi Magusa as shown on the postmark. 

Northern Cyprus , officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state comprising the northern third of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, with the international community considering it territory of the Republic of Cyprus under Turkish military occupation.

David's card shows a few of the city's historic sights.


David used 2 stamps from a set of 4 showing Insects and Birds issued in 2024. 


There you have it. So ends Blog #1671

Thanks for the cards this time go out to Dominique, Jean Pierre and David. 

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Kowloon Walled City, UPU at 150 , a Painted Lady

 Blog # 1670 --- Day 1360 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .      




Happy Saturday to all.

Today's first card is from Hong Kong and shows a jet flying over Kowloon Walled City in 1994.
Kowloon Walled City was an extremely densely populated and largely lawless enclave of China within the boundaries of Kowloon City.
The walled city had a population density of approximately 1,255,000 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,250,000/sq mi) in 1987, making it the most densely populated spot in the world.



Jean Pierre used a postal label from a vending machine located in the airport. 




My next card arrived from Lithuania. The sender describes herself as a bookworm, tea sipper, flower lover and crazy cat lady  who lives and works in Siauliai, in northern Lithuania.
Strangely I have nothing to say about this card, I leave it to you readers to interpret it as you wish. But it is a nice painted lady card !


Edita used 2 stamps on her card. Both were issued in 2023. The small left stamp is 1 of 3 in a set of Lithuanian Rulers. The right stamp shows a sailing boat.





The last card for today is a Maximum card from Sri Lanka. It celebrates 150  years of the Universal Postal Union  ( UPU ). 


And here's the matching stamp that Ravindra used.  


There you go, the last of it for this time. Thanks for today's card go to Jean Pierre, Edita and Ravindra.

Friday, November 14, 2025

Georgia Art, Bernhard II, Indonesian Airways ,and Sark and Sark Stamp

   Blog # 1669 --- Day 1359 ( That's One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty Nine Days ) Since the Start of the  Current ( Second ) Russian Invasion of UKRAINE .       



Hello once again. I'm back with a few cards from here , there and somewhere. Actually there won't be any cards from  here, only there and somewhere. So here goes. 
First an aviation card from Indonesia. Here is a Garuda Indonesian Airways Airbus A330. It is registered as PK-GHD and shown landing at Seoul in August 2019. Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier for Indonesia. PK-GHD was delivered to Garuda in August 2016 and has only seen service there since then.  



Jean Pierre used a stamp from 2023. It is from a set of 2 showing Banknotes for Republic Day 2023. 





 Today's second card arrived from France. It shows a statue of Bernhard II von Baden. He was born in either 1428 or 1429 and died in 1458.  He  tried to alleviate hardship and poverty wherever he could. He spent most of his income assisting the poor and those in need.  He died of the plague, on 15 July 1458 in Moncalieri in northern Italy.


Dominique used a 2025 stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the German Academic Exchange Service. 




Next is this card from Georgia. Alena's card shows artwork by Fridon Nizharadze. He is often referred to as the " Georgian Salvador Dali " for his surreal, emotionally charged paintings and unique artistic vision. The painting on Alena's postcard is one of three in a triptych showing the connection of the Svan people with their natural environment. 


 
Alena used a stamp from 2022 commemorating 30 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan .




Here is the last card for this time. It is from Sark in the Guernsey Islands. Sark is an island in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, and part of the archipelago of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Balliwick of Guernsey a self-governing British Crown Dependency, with its own set of laws based on Norman law, and its own parliament. It was a royal fiefdom until 2008, when the Constitution of Sark went into effect.

Sark has a population of about 500. Including the nearby island of Brecqhou, it has an area of 2.10 square miles (5.44 km2)

Sark is one of the few places in the world where cars are banned from roads, and only tractors, bicycles, and horse-drawn vehicles are allowed. In 2011, Sark was designated as a Dark Sky Community and the first Dark Sky Island in the world.

Jean Pierre's card show us Guernsey's capital city of St. Peter Port.



The stamps on this card are interesting. The far right stamp was issued by Guernsey in 2021, 1 of a set of 6, celebrating the 95st Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Birth 

The middle stamp was issued this year by Sark . It is from a set of 15 Flower definitives. 

 The island of Sark issued its first postage stamps this year. The first stamps were released on August 27, 2025, with a second set following on September 3, 2025, under the postal administration of Guernsey Post. The initial issue commemorated the 80th anniversary of the island's liberation from German occupation during World War II, while the second is a definitive series featuring Sark's wildflowers. 

The left stamp is another of which I could find zero information. If any reader knows anything about it , feel free to leave a comment and enlighten me. 




As mentioned above that was the last card for this time. My thanks today go out to Jean Pierre, Dominique and Alena. Take care, drop in again soon. t