POSTCARD N.235 - SPAIN

Postcard sent on the 12th of June; received on the 25th June 2026

Postcard image: The Guinness Paella World Record 

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Lately, if you're in the habit of dropping by to see what's cooking (pun intended....) you might have noticed that Paella has been a theme for friendly Iberian discussion with Eva, the dedicated keeper of the Mail Adventures blog, from across the border.

To wrap up our exchange on such a relevant icon of Iberian gastronomic culture, Eva good-humouredly sent me a postcard that is exemplary of the pride that Valencia puts in its most famous dish. 

Interestingly enough, I think there is more in that postcard than the simple fact it showcases: the cooking up, in 1992, in Valencia (where else?)  of the biggest paella ever made, (in what is probably also the largest paellera ever built)  enough to feed 100000 souls, under the supervision of chef Juan Carlos Galbis, a feat acknowledged by the supreme registry of unusual, curious or downright idiotic accomplishments: The Guinness Book of Records.

And it is this passion for food related record breaking and for its inscription in the Guinness Book of records that I find is very much an Iberian thing.

When I first looked at Eva's postcard, I immediately thought of a portuguese counterpart for the Guiness paella: The  biggest Feijoada à Portuguesa (Portuguese bean stew) ever served, that was consumed by 17000 people on the longest table ever laid (5 km) - also a Guinness record - on the inauguration of Vasco da Gama Bridge linking Lisbon to Montijo, over the Tagus, in 1998.

But then, as far as Portuguese gastronomic Guinness records are concerned,   there is also the largest chestnut roaster in Vinhais, the Largest Omelette ever made, in Ferreira do Zêzere; the biggest limpet rice, in Madeira, the biggest sardinhada (grilled sardines) in Setúbal; the biggest Bolo-rei (our version of the French Galette des Rois), in Matosinhos, and I am sure, a handful more...

And if on our side, there are so many records,  Eva's side does not fall behind with the largest ‘bocadillo de jamón’ (ham sandwich) in Huelva, the biggest gazpacho (cold soup) in Almeria ; the biggest tortilla de patata (potato omelette) in Vitoria, and some other, I'm sure.... even the original  Paella record has already been broken by the same chef, this time cooking in Madrid, not in Valencia...

Be it as it may, food is something that it taken very seriously in all of the peninsula and people are indeed very proud of their traditional gastronomic heritage on both sides of the border. 

I would even say that the Portuguese and the Spanish are as related in kind in their languages as they are in their cuisine, which in essence is as simple and creative as it is hearty.

In fact, if you never been to the Iberian Peninsula and never tasted any of the dishes that people call theirs, you really don't know what you are missing....

- Tourism represents 15.5 % of Spain's GDP. Such an high stake in the country's production of value does not come without its share of inconvenience, and achieving sustainability in tourism has to be an ever present goal for the government either at national or regional or even municipal level.

Sustainable tourism in Spain is also the theme of the A (domestic 20g) Tariff stamp on the cover, issued on 20FEB2026 as part of a set of two (1 x "A" + 1 x "D") self-adhesive stamps dedicated to Tourism in Spain.  The stamp is illustrated with  the image of a mother and a child cuddling a cow, with the legend Turismo sostenible y regenerativo (Sustainable and regenerative Tourism).

- The 23rd world Handball Championships took place in January 2013 in Spain. Incidentally, the end result could not be more satisfying for the organisers, since Spain was also the team that won the event.

Celebrating this fact, Correos de España issued  the 1 € stamp on the cover on  09JUL2013, the stamp being illustrated with a hand holding a handball ball in Spain's national colours: red and yellow.

- Felipe VI became the King of Spain on 19 June 2014. The first definitive series featuring his portrait was issued on 19JAN2015, and the 0,04 € stamp on the cover is part of that issue which comprised 6 values (0,01; 0,04; 0,10; 1;L 2; 5 €), the stamps being all equal but printed in different colours.

COVER N. 733 - UK - BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES - BRITISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY 

Postmark: British Antarctic Territory - Rothera  05.03.2026

Posted on the 5th March;  Received on the 6th June 2026

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Antarctica. The last bit of land still relatively protected from international abuse, thanks to an international treaty that froze all territorial claims so as to ensure that Antarctica is a territory devoted to science and peace.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed on the 1st December 1959 by the 12 countries who had and have since maintained scientific missions in and around Antarctica - Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now the Russian federation), the United Kingdom, and the United States of America - and it effectively puts a ban on any new territorial claims, while maintaining the current status quo (but not formally recognising) as to existing territorial claims on the continent.

One of the original treaty signers was the UK who, since the beginning of the 20th century, maintains a claim for what is known as the British Antarctic Territory, for the  region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes 20°W and 80°W,  a claim that in itself partially overlaps those of Chile and Argentina (an example of how important this treaty is....)

UK presence in the continent is managed under the auspices of the British Antarctic Survey established in 1962, which operates five research stations in the claimed territory; Rothera on Adelaide Island; Halley Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf; Signy Research Station on Signy Island; Fossil Bluff logistics facility on Alexander Island and Sky Blu logistics facility in Ellsworth Land.

With the help of the Phantom, I was able to secure a cover from the British Antarctic Territory, namely from Rothera Station, to my collection. Danke Sehr, Alex!

- RRS Ernest Shackleton was launched in 1954 in Sweden as MV Arendal (III), having been bought by Falkland Islands Dependency Survey, the predecessor of the British Antarctic Survey, in 1955, when it was refurbished and renamed as RSS Ernest Shackleton. She stayed with the British Antarctic Survey until 1969, and after having passed through several owners, she was finally scrapped, as Sea Profiler, in 2011.

- Royal Research Ships was also the theme of a 6 x 76 p stamp set issued on 20NOV2017, illustrated with photographs of ships that have operated for the British Antarctic Survey. 

RRS James Clark Ross Icebreaker as launched in 1990  and served with the British Antarctic Survey until 2021, when it was sold to the Ukraine, where it now operates under the name Noosfera. Her final voyage as James Clark Ross, in 2021,  is the theme of a set of 4 stamps (68; 78 p; 1.04; 1.26 Pound) issued on 23NOV2021, illustrated with photographs of the vessel.

Postmark from Rothera Research Station, on Adelaide3 island  - 67°34′08″S 68°07′30″W .

COVER N. 732 - KIRIBATI

Postmark: Butaritari Republic of Kiribati Postal Service 19.05.2026

Posted on the 19th May;  Received on the 12th June 2026

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Kiribati. A new country joins the list thanks to the generous help from Eric, the Flying Dutchman, and his friend  Wolfgang. who mounted the operation. A huge many thanks to both of you. 

I've said it before: This blog is as much as mine as of some friends who relentlessly try to enrich it with mail from origins I would never ever think of, or even know about. 

Without being exhaustive at all, take Ravi's Rattlesnake island, Alex's Abkhazia, Roland's Lundy or Eric's present Kiribati covers, to name but four friends and as many uncommon origins. How on earth would I ever add these pearls to my collection without their more than generous and friendly help?

I am in debt to all of you. Without your help, I am sure my friend Mr. Postman would never get the chance to wonder "How on earth does this guy manage to get such strange mail sent to him...?"

Kiribati became famous a quarter of a century ago (my, does time pass....) for being the first country to enter into the new millennium.

Another not so happy call to fame that the Pacific Island State can unfortunately claim is that there is a strong possibility of all of its territory being submerged due to the rise of the sea levels as a consequence of climate change. As a result of this menace, Kiribati's government has already bought some land on Fiji with a view to the relocation of population in the future....

Kiribati comprises 32 Islands and atolls, 12 of them being uninhabited, and its territory spreads over an  oceanic area of 3,440 square kilometres and an extension of 2,900 kilometres, its economy relying mostly on tourism and  fishing licences on its waters.

The country, a former British protectorate, known as  Gilbert and Ellice Islands, became independent, as Kiribati, in 1979, now encompassing the Gilbert islands (Ellice Islands becoming Tuvalu) the Line islands and the Phoenix group.

Stamps:

Sir Rowland Hill  is a name that needs no introduction to Philatelists, for this teacher, inventor an social reformer who lived between 1795 and 1879, is the person to blame for originating the hobby they pursue since his was the idea of using a bit of pre-paid adhesive paper  on the letters as proof of payment of postage... we all know the concept, right?

On the centenary of his passing, which coincided with Kiribati’s year of  independence, Kiribati issued,  on 04OCT1979, a set of four stamps (10; 20; 30; 45 Australian cent) on a souvenir sheet featuring a logo mimicking a postmark, with the words Sir Roland Hill 1795 1879 and a line version of Kiribaty's coat of arms with its motto  "Te Mauri, Te Raoi, Ao Te Tabomoa," ("Health, Peace, and Prosperity").

The stamps include fac-similes of  stamps of the former Gilbert and Ellice Islands protectorate.

The marriage of the then Prince Charles to lady Diana Spencer was one of the most resonating pieces of news (if not the most...) in 1981.

Many if not all of the former British colonies and protectorates issued stamps sets celebrating the occasion, and Kiribati was no exception.

A set of four stamps (2 x 12; 2 x 50 Australian cents) was thus issued on 29JUL1981 (the date of the wedding).

Two of the stamps (12 and 50 cents) featured the portraits of the couple alongside an image of  royal yachts of days gone, namely the Katherine and the Osborne (the latter being the stamp on the cover), while the other 12 + 50 cents pair, in an elongated format,  carried the message "Congratulations from the people of Kiribati" ib between the portraits of Charles and Diana.

Postmark from Butaritari, one of the atolls of the Gilbert islands.

COVER N. 731 - GREENLAND 

Postmark: 3911 06.05.2026

Posted on the 6th May;  Received on the 8th June 2026

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Roland sends me a lovely cover from Greenland. Un grand Merci, mon ani.

Greenland, The largest island in the world and an Autonomous Region of the Kingdom of Denmark, whose name in the language of its nationals, Kalaallit Nunaat, says all that needs to be said to a few who think that the world is their playground: Our Land.

Tusass is the Post and Telecommunications services provider in Greenland, after a merger of both the previous post and telecom providers, that took place in 1997 and a rebranding from the original "Tele-Post"  that ensued.

The origins of the telecommunication services in the Island, according to Wikipedia, can be traced back to 1879. so the  company under a previous iteration had already been well established when the first telegram was sent from the Island "from Qeqertar suaq to King Christian X in Denmark on 6th September 1925 at 2:23 p.m." (cf. the release notes on "Greenland Collector"). 

Marking the 100th anniversary of this important event Tusass issued on 06SEP2025, the two stamp set on this cover, with faces values of 3 and 25 Danish Krone, featuring two joyful Greenlanders clad in typical attire on a  happy telephone conversation, one using a fixed terminal and the other a mobile device.

Both stamps carry the "Tusass 100" celebration logo.

The Postmark was applied at Sisimiut, Greenland's second largest city, located in the centre west of the island, with a population of roughly 5.5 thousand inhabitants.

POSTCARD N.234 - CZECH REPUBLIC

Postcard sent on the 4th of June; received on the 10th June 2026

Postcard image: The Infant Jesus of Prague  (Pražské Jezulátko)

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Francisca sends me a much welcome surprise from one of the cities that I have been to that I love the most: Prague.

Muito obrigado Francisca. É sempre um gosto receber um postal seu, mais ainda sabendo do gosto e cuidado que foram colocados no envio desta bela lembrança da não menos bela cidade de Praga.

The Infant Jesus of Prague is one of the more venerated and famous images of the Infant Jesus in the world. 

Its origin can be traced back to 1556, the year when a Spanish noblewoman, D. María Maximiliana Manriquez de Lara y Mendoza took it to Bohemia, on the occasion of her marriage to the High Chancellor of Bohemia, Vratislav II of Pernštejn.

Legend has it that the 48 cm tall image had been given to D. María's mother by none other than the Carmelite nun that would go into history as Saint Teresa of  Ávila. 

Same has it had happened with her, D. Maria passed on the image to her daughter, Polyxena as a wedding gift for her first marriage, in 1587,   to Wilhelm von Rosenberg.

Polyxena, who would become Polyxena of Lobkowicz upon her second marriage, in 1603, to Imperial High Chancellor Zdeněk Vojtěch Popel of Lobkowicz, gave the  image to the  Discalced Carmelites of the Carmelite Church of Our Lady Victorious in 1628, the place where it has been preserved ever since that day .

The image is highly venerated by Catholic believers and through its history has been offered precious vestments as a sign of devotion.

Throughout the year the image is thus dressed following the liturgical code of colours, red as featured in the images on the postcard and stamp being worn on Christmas and Easter.

The legend on the back of the postcard informs that the vestment worn on the photograph is the oldest that is still preserved, which was given by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, in 1650.

Francisca couldn't have used a more matching stamp to post her postcard. The self-adhesive "E" (Europe) tariff  stamp bearing the image of the Infant Jesus of Prague, dressed in a festive red and gold vestment was issued on 30NOV2021.

The postmark, as expected, was applied at Prague.

COVER N. 730 - USA 

Postmark: Rattlesnake Island Local Post 01.06.2026/ Port Clinton Lighthouse 125th anniversary 1896 - 2026 Port Clinton Ohio 43452 02.06.2026

Posted on the 1st June;  Received on the 12th June 2026

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The last cover I got from Ravi, from the United States, is a true gem: a fantastic envelope from a little island on lake Erie, Michigan, sent through what is the only private local mail service of the USA: Rattlesnake Island Local Post. Another huge Bohoma Sthuthi, Ravi. You're spoiling me...

Rattlesnake Island is a very exclusive place, it seems. The Island belongs to the members of the Rattlesnake Island Club which are limited in number to 65 and only them or their invitees can set foot on the island, armed security guards making sure there are no trespassers...

Anyway, besides that bit of Hollywoodesque trivia, what is really interesting to stamp lovers is the fact that the Island has had an operating  Local Post Service on several occasions, which until today is still  the only one of its kind in the United States of America, being fully recognised by USPS.

The story of RILP dates back to August 1966, when the then owner of the island started it to overcome the refusal of USPS in delivering mail to the Island.

Since then and up to 1989 the service was provided with air mail from the island being carried first in Ford tri-motors of  Island Airlines,  being rerouted, once it reached the mainland, by USPS through Port Clinton, in Ohio. From May 1979, though, when the Island was sold to a new owner, stamps were no longer used, these being only used for First Day Cover issue purposes.

The second iteration of RILP began in 2005 and ran up to 2010, again under the supervision of the founder of the service, Dr. James Frackleton. The aircraft now used were the DeHavilland Beaver and Piper Saratoga of Griffing Flying Service.

In 2022, RILP was again set in motion, now under the supervision of Post Master Dave Gill, who has been the person responsible for RIPL stamp issues ever since.

Ravi also included a very nice postcard also issued by RILP with an aerial view of the tiny island which from tip to tip measures about 1 km in length.

The green "padded" level area is the airstrip, which doubles as an 18 hole golf course, when planes are not in sight....

The stamps on the cover are the 2024 RILP stamp issue featuring aircraft used for mail services to the island, namely the above mentioned  Piper Saratoga - 50 Cent; DeHavilland Beaver - 75 Cent and Thin Lizzie (Ford Trimotor) -  1 Dollar and they are obliterated by the classic diamond shaped RILP postmark.

I think I also read that the triangular stamps result from an imposition by USPS for them not to be confused with USPS stamps, but I can't go back to where I think I read it...

The cover also carries an USA Forever Stamp, (1794 Compass Rose, issued on 24JAN2025) for the "regular"  international service to Portugal, obliterated with a lovely Postmark celebrating Port Clinton's Lighthouse 125th anniversary.

All in all a fantastic cover. Thank you so much, Ravi!

COVER N. 729 - USA 

Postmark: Boston 2026 World Expo 250th Youth and Family Day - Station Boston MA 02205 30.05.2026

Posted on the 23rd May;  Received on the 11th June 2026

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Third cover I got from Ravi from the Boston World Expo features an amazing line up of  American lighthouses, on a prepaid envelope with an American Flag pre-printed stamp. Bohoma Sthuthi, Ravi.

Looking at Ravindra's cover it is easy to understand why Lighthouses is a popular theme amongst stamp collectors, Ravi being a dedicated one himself.

In fact,  these structures are not only quite frequently located at incredibly beautiful, and often protected sites but they also exhibit a baffling diversity in architectural terms, given that in their essence they are basically a tower with a lantern on top.

Add to this the  conspicuity of the high visibility paint scheme that is also a feature of many a lighthouse, the fact that they  are quite frequently centuries old, often with many a story to tell, plus the romantic aura they exhale (especially on stormy winter days) and there is no escaping their allure... 

Between 1990 and 2021 USPS issued a total of 7 issues based around the same concept: a 5 stamp se-tenant strip (self-adhesive, from 2003 on) dedicated to the lighthouses of a given region of the US (the first issue escaping this categorisation, for it includes lighthouses that cross the full span of the country, from Washington in the Pacific coast to New Jersey, on the Atlantic side).

For this cover, Ravi used precisely the original issue, that of 1990, comprising 5 x 25 cents stamps.

From left to right, the lighthouses depicted in the beautiful paintings are:

- Admiralty Head, Washington  

Now deactivated, this 9.1 m tall lighthouse, was built in 1903.

- Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Built in 1870 and twice relocated (last time in 1999) Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, is 64 m in height.

- West Quody Head, Maine

Located at the easternmost point of the contiguous United States, this 15 m tall lighthouse was built in 1808.

- American Shoals, Florida

Located off shore of Key West, Florida, the 34 m high American Shoals lighthouse was constructed in 1880.

- Sandy Hook, New Jersey

The oldest operating lighthouse in the United States, the 31 m high Sandy Hook lighthouse was built in 1764.