POSTCARD N.254 - PORTUGAL

Postcard dated of 1st October; received on the 7th October 2026

Postcard image: Cabo Espichel, Portugal

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Postcrossing was a good idea and so was World Postcard Day, which I believe, was also the brainchild of the Postcrossing team, who established it in 2020, as a way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Correspondenz-Karte, the first  official post card, issued by the Austrian Post on the 1st October 1869.

Ever since the first edition of WPD, special commemorative cancellations have been created for the event by CTT, the  Portuguese Postal services provider and as usual I do not let pass the date without sending out a few postcards to friends and also one to my own self.

This year I used a postcard with a photograph of a place which I visit every now and then not only because it is absolutely beautiful but also because, come spring, I can find some wild orchids  there, something which is always a matter of joy and pleasure: Cabo Espichel, with its ancient sanctuary and church and its imposing lighthouse.

To send the postcard I chose a N20g (domestic up to 20g) stamp from this year's issue of the "Portuguese Contemporary art" series, dated of  12SEP2026, featuring a mural by Street Artist Vihls done with his trademark technique of surface perforation, part of his "Scratching the Surface" project.

Unfortunately, the work, dated of 2014, which was located in Avenida da Índia, Lisboa, very close to the Tagus river, does not exist anymore, since the building on which it was created, part of a sugar manufacturing plant,  was demolished in 2018.

The celebratory postmark is self-explanatory and was applied at the Chiado (Lisbon) Post office.

COVER N. 774 - GREECE

Postmark: Kolymvarion 21.06.2026 

Posted on 21st July;  Received on the 30th September 2026

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I very seldom get mail from Greece, so this was more than welcome, Still the kind letter, full of much appreciated  stamps inside, is shrouded in mystery, for it has no sender. Judging from the sticker on the front of the envelope, and the use of a quite formal "M." before my name in the address, it must have come from France, so, un grand merci pour l'ami qui m'a envoyé ce pli. J'étais ravi de le recevoir. 

I believe that the large sticker in the envelope with the legend Jardins de France was part of the 2007 issue of that series, which was dedicated to the Parc de la Tête d'Or, at Lyon. I was able to identify it because of the image of the gilded gate, which I could match to one I found on the Internet thanks to Google.

The two "Postcards Worldwide" Greek stamps are part of one of this year's three "Travelling in Greece" issues, dated of 27MAY2026, each one comprising four self-adhesive stamps, meant to be used for postcard sending in worldwide service.

They are part of the set dedicated to teh Cretan city of Chania and the top one is illustrated with a photograph of Elafonissi beach, while the bottom one carries a photo of Samaria Gorge.

The postmark hails from Kolymvari,a  coastal town at the southeastern end of the Rodopou peninsula on the Gulf of Chania, also in the Island of Crete.

POSTCARD N.253 - SRI LANKA

Postcard dated of 19th September; received on the 30th August 2026

Postcard image: Total Solar Eclipse with Corona

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The second "Wonders of the Universe" card I got from Ravi is dedicated to a theme that was pretty hot a couple of months ago, and I suspect will be even hotter next year: Total Solar Eclipses.

 

Bohoma Sthuthi, my friend. 

Quoting again from the card: 

"A solar eclipse's "diamond ring" effect occurs just before or after totality, when a single bright point of sunlight remains visible along the Moon's edge, creating a dazzling spectacle.

The sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, becomes visible, forming a breathtaking cosmic display"

Stamps:

An in the previous case, further to the identification of the country of issue and the face value (50 Rupee), the main stamp carries the same photograph as the card and the legend "Total Solar Eclipse with Corona".

Postage was completed with a 20 rupee stamp with a image of a Pale Ceylon line blue, (Nacaduba sinhala), a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka. 

This stamp is part of the 12 stamp issue dated of 01DEC2022, themed on Butterflies of Sri Lanka, that Ravi had also sent me and was the subject of posts regarding covers # 343/4/5.

Only one word can be inferred from the postmark: Cinnamon, but I know the card was posted at the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office at Colombo.

POSTCARD N.252 - SRI LANKA

Postcard dated of 19th September; received on the 30th August 2026

Postcard image: Galactic wreckage in Stephan's Quintet

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Ravi kindly sent me two postcards issued by Sri Lanka Post in conjunction with the "Wonders of the Universe" issue, dated of 25SEP2025, comprising 10 circular stamps illustrated with beautiful photographs of ... Wonders of the Universe; planets, stars, galaxies, constellations...

Bohoma Sthuthi, Ravi. It is a very nice set of stamps and cards.

These will also be easy to post since the cards contain a pretty detailed summary of the image, so all I have to do is quote :-)

There are several things to like about this postcard and stamp, but who wouldn't be instantaneously grabbed by a title that seems perfect for a surrealist painting or a jazz album review....  Galactic Wreckage in Stephan's Quintet... oh, what a poem!

"Stephan's Quintet is a striking group of five galaxies, four of which are locked in a cosmic dance of gravitational interactions.

This galactic wreckage, located about 200 million light-years away, shows intense tidal distortions, shock waves, and bursts of star formation as these galaxies collide and merge".

Stamps:

Further to the identification of the country of issue and the face value (50 Rupee), the main stamp carries the same photograph as the card (which I believe was taken by the Hubble telescope) and the legend I so much like: "Galactic Wreckage in Stephan's Quintet".

Postage was completed with a 20 rupee stamp with a image of a Pale Ceylon line blue, (Nacaduba sinhala), a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family, endemic to Sri Lanka. 

This stamp is part of the 12 stamp issue dated of 01DEC2022, themed on Butterflies of Sri Lanka, that Ravi had also sent me and was the subject of posts regarding covers # 343/4/5.

Only one word can be inferred from the postmark: Cinnamon, but I know the card was posted at the Cinnamon Gardens Post Office at Colombo.

COVER N. 773 - MOROCCO

Postmark: Premier Jour d'émission Meknès CD  29.07.2026/ Meknès C.D 15.09.2026 

Posted on 15th September;  Received on the 30th September 2026

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The second Moroccan FDC I got on the same day. Encore merci, Pierre, pour ce pli fantastique.

Morocco and Mauritania, before independence both French administered territories in the North of Africa, first established formal diplomatic relations in 1970. These, notwithstanding, would be severed in 1981 after an attempted coup d'état that occurred in Nouakchott, Mauritania's capital, against the government of Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, who would  accuse Morocco of instigating it.

At the core of the disputes between the two countries was the territory of the  former Spanish Colony of Western Sahara, which Spain  ceased to lay claim to in 1975. In the wake of Spain's decision both countries claimed rights to the territory and invaded it.

Meanwhile in 1973 an independentist movement - the Polisario Front - had been established in Western Sahara with the aim of achieving independence from Spain by political action and also armed struggle. When Spain left the territory, the military effort of the independentists was redirected against the occupying Moroccan and Mauritanian forces.

Mauritania would eventually abandon its claim to the territory, in 1979, recognising, in February 1984,  the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), established in 1976, and its founder, the Polisario Front, as the legitimate representative of the Saharawi people, a position also sustained by the United Nations. 

Morocco would go on to this day without recognising the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and at present a state of low intensity warfare remains, with armed actions from both sides occasionally taking place.

With Mauritania abandoning its claim to the Sahrawi territory and an internal coup in December 1984 that overthrew the pro-Polisario president of the country, the door was opened to the reestablishment of relations with its neighbour Morocco, what would formally take place in April 1985.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the re-establishment of formal diplomatic relations, the postal administrations of Morocco and Mauritania launched a common stamp issue, comprising two stamps. (I have found no information regarding the Mauritanian issue)

The Moroccan issue, dated of 29JUL2026, is featured on the official First Day Cover that Pierre sent me.

It consists of two stamps with face values of 4.10 and 9,80 Dirham,  illustrated with images of the Ancient Mosque of Chinguetti in Mauritania and the Fort of Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco, respectively.

Both structures are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Chinguetti Mosque (constructed of split stone and clay with a roof of palm beams on stone piers) dates from the 13th or 14th centuries, and is located in the Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata, in the Adar region of Mauritania.

The  Fort of Ait-Ben-Haddou, dating from the 11th century, is constructed in earthen clay, and is located in the Ouarzazate Province of Morocco, in the ancient route between the Sahara and Marakesh.

I had the opportunity to visit it in 2023 and seeing it on a stamp prompted me to go take a look at my photos.... always a pleasure remembering places we've been to.... 

COVER N. 772 - MOROCCO

Postmark: Premier Jour d'émission Meknès CD  13.07.2026/ Meknès C.D 14.09.2026 

Posted on 14th September;  Received on the 30th September 2026

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Merci, Pierre, pour les jolis plis premier jour. Two FDCs in one day is a nice score ;-)

One of the joys of stamps is the amount of knowledge they convey to those that care to look at them with a bit more than a "where does this come from?" preoccupation.

In fact, it wouldn't be exaggerated to say that stamps are tiny pages of an ever growing worldwide collaborative  encyclopaedia that is being constantly updated as new sets are issued across the planet.

Take the stamp on this beautiful cover.

I was familiar with the tiny colourful geometric ceramic tiles that are used to compose elaborate motifs that decorate walls and façades in Islamic architecture.

But I did not know where they originated from, neither what were they called.

Today, thanks to this year's Moroccan Euromed Issue, dedicated to this particular icon of Moroccan culture, I was prompted to do some reading and I learned that these tiles (as indicated on the cover cachet and the legend on the side of the 4.10 Dirham stamp issued on 13JUN2026) are called Zellige.

This is particular relevant for me, for the word would go down to my own laguage as Azulejo, this being what we call the ceramic tiles that cover so many of the old buildings of the historic quarters of our cities, in Portugal.

I also learned that for the most part zellige are  manufactured as solid colour square tiles that are then cut to the desired shape, once baked, so that they can be encrusted into the surfaces being decorated in the pre-determined patterns.

Not so with Tetouan's zellige, though, since their tiles are cut in the desired shape before being baked, what imparts durability to the small pieces of ceramic, at the expense of it being a bit harder to get a perfect fitting in a giving design pattern.

The celebrative stamp is illustrated with two images of a fountain, presumably in Tetuan, decorated with Zellige, giving the viewer a perfect idea of the intricate beauty of the patterns achieved with this age-old decorative technique.

The stamps were cancelled with the First Day Postmark, issued at Meknès, the same location that is inscribed in the actual circulation postmark.

POSTCARD N.251 - SPAIN

Postcard dated the 18th, postmark of the 23rd September; received on the 1st October 2026

Postcard image: Nazari Stucco work detail: Vegetable motifs, 14th century, Alhambra, Granada

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Serependity, some would say.... truth is it couldn't have arrived at a better moment.

Moltes graciès, Eva. Absolutely perfect timing, considering that this week's Thursday Postcard Hunt is dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Alhambra of Granada, Spain, is without shadow of a doubt the most famous Islamic palace located outside of today's countries of Islamic religion professing majority.

Located at the top of the La Sabika hill, at the base of the  Serra Nevada range, the construction of the magnificent palace was ordered "in 1238 CE by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of al-Andalus". (source: wikipedia).

Over the following centuries, the Palace would be subject to continuous modifications and enlargements, first by Muslim rulers and later by their Catholic counterparts after the Reconsquita, which ended with the conquest of Granada and the fall of Al-Andaluz in 1492.

The physical grandeur and richness of the history of the Alhambra cannot be potted in the few lines of a post in a Mail and Stamp collecting blog. Concurrently, it is quite easy to find information on the internet about this exceptional landmark, systematised  in a much better way than I would ever be capable of, so I invite any occasional reader of these lines to spend a few minutes at the Alhambra's official website and then progress to other obvious reference resources like Wikipedia of Britannica.

Better yet, consider a visit to the actual site on a forthcoming trip to Spain (but book admission tickets well in advance, because this can be a tricky matter....)

Acknowledging the relevance and singularity of the Alhambra as signs of  outstanding universal value, UNESCO inscribed it in the list of World Heritage List in 1984, considering that it fully met three of the ten criteria of which at least one must be met, in order for any landmark to be potentially eligible to integrate the list.

As such it was considered that The Alhambra fully met criteria:

1 - to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

3- to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

4 - to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

Eva's Postcard is illustrated with a  detail of probably the thing that I was most bewildered with when I visited the Alhambra. That is the incredible stucco work that covers columns walls and most of all domes and ceilings, so full of detail that it seemed to have come out of the hands not of masons but  of the most delicate embroiderers that ever lived. Absolutely stunning work.

On the card Eva used two stamps also illustrated with another of the great decorative elements of the palace. This time the Fountain of the Lions, that stands at the centre of the Lions Patio, ordered to be built by  Muhammad V, around 1380.

The 1 Euro stamp, issued on 05MAY2014 is part of a set of  7 (1 x 0, 92 + 6 x 1 €), issued as individual stamps throughout 2014, highlighting "The Brand Spain".

With the exception of ther 0,92 € stamp illustrated with the flag of Spain, all the other stamps carry a letter superimposed on the illustration, so that when seen all together the word ESPAÑA is formed.

As usual with Eva's mail, the stamps wer cancelled with the mechanical postmark of the Automated Treatment Centre of Valencia (CTA Valencia).