POSTCARD N.4 - England - UK

Postcrossing Postcard posted on the 21stJ une; received on the 30th June.
Potscard image: Waves and time, near Thixendale, Yorkshire Wolds
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Landscape art. That I can remember, no such form of art graces the horizon in the country that I live in. And this beautiful postcard that Alan was so kind to send me, makes me wonder why. Surely we have the canvas and the frame readily available either in the hills of the North or the plains of the South. Hopefully one day I might buy a postcard with a view as beautiful as the amazing “Waves and Time” by Chris Drury, a whirlpoolish land sculpture that blends perfectly with the soft curves of the slopes of the valley it nestles in, drawing "the lines of flow of the glaciers which once covered the valley" one can read in the artist’s official website.

The nice aviation themed stamp of Tariff E (Europe, up to 20g, international Standard), with a picture of the tail of a Hawker-Siddeley Trident of British European Airways (BEA), one of the airlines amalgamated into the current British Airways (the other, of course, being BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation) is part of a 5 stamp set issued in 2002, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of jet travel.

The machine applied cancellation reads  Royal Mail North&West Yorkshire 21/06/21 21:23:09

 COVER N.16 - France

Postmark: Bureau Philatelique Lyon Vaise - 21JUN2021
Posted on the  4th june; received on the 23rd June.
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I love all things that fly (well I’m not particularly fond of cockroaches, I admit, but there are always exceptions to the rule).  I cannot hear a sound coming from above without immediately turning my head towards to sky, trying to see where it comes from, and this not only applies to heavier than air machines but also to flying creatures like birds, or less conspicuous air dwellers like butterflies and damselflies or dragonflies (although the engines on these are much quieter…)

So I confess to have been thrilled to the marrow to receive this wonderful cover with 3 aviation related stamps. Thank you so much Éric.

Stamps, left to right:

The first woman ever to hold a Pilot’s licence, issued by the Aero-Club de France and  acknowledged by the FAI Féderation Aéronautique International. Her name was Élise Leontine Deroche, but she would be better known by her artistic name Raymonde de Laroche and her licence was n.36, issued on the 8^th March 1910. A  friend of Aircraft designers and constructors Charles and Gabriel  Voisin,  she learned to fly in one of their planes. Throughout her short aviation career, epitomising the dangerous nature of the days of Those magnificent men (or women in this case), in their flying machines, she participated in several meetings and races and held some records for women, namely altitude (4800m) and distance (323 km).Sadly, Baroness Laroche, as she also became known, would die in her first day of work as test pilot, on the 18^th july 1919, when the plane she was co-piloting  crashed on lading.

The 0,58€ stamp with her picture and the image of what appears to be a Caudron G.3 aircraft is part of a 6 identically priced stamp set, issued on 18OCT2010, honouring les Pionniers de l´Aviation (Aviation Pioneers) . The set was also issued as a miniature sheet.

Pierre-Georges Latécoère, born in 1883,  would be famous for designing and building planes in the aftermath of the first world war and starting the aeronautical industry of Toulouse which fostered the pan-european giant Airbus. But his most notable achievement would be his Lignes Aériènnes Latécoére, later to be known as Aéropostale, for ever associated with perennial names  in the history of aviation like Mermoz , Guillaumet or Saint-Exupéry.

The 1,05 stamp is a single issue commemorative stamp issued on 16AUG2013. Behind the portrait of Latécoère, there is an image of Latècoére 28-3, F-AJNQ, with which Jean Mermoz, Jean Dabry and Leopold Gimié connected non-stop Saint-Louis du Sénegal  to Natal, Brazil, on the 12^th and 13^th May 1930, in what was the first ever nonstop air crossing of the South Atlantic (the first non continuous crossing  being that of Portuguese aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, in 1922).

James Gordon Bennet  Jr. , the owner of the New York Herald, which he inherited from his father, the founder, was every bit of a playboy, living the highlife of Paris and London in the transition of the 19^th to the 20^th centuries. A passionate sports lover, he promoted several “firsts” in sport, such as the first polo and tennis matches in the US, and created three trophies that bore his name, one for airplane racing, one for ballooning and another for car racing.

The first edition of the Gordon Bennet Aviation Trophy took place in Reims in 1909, having been won by pilot and aircraft designer Glen Curtiss, in a Curtiss no.2 .

This is the aircraft that is depicted on the 0,56€ stamp emitted by la Poste to commemorate the centenary of the Gordon Bennet Aviation Trophy on 27JUN2009

 COVER N.15 - Burundi

Postmark: Service Philatelique Burundi - 04JUN2021
Posted on the  4th june; received on the 23rd June.
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Burundi? I confess my ignorance. Well, not total, but apart from knowing that this is a Republic in the great lakes region in Africa, whose capital was Bujumbura (how can one forget such a melodic name)...

Thankfully, calling on help of Wikipedia, in the time it takes to open another window on the screen of my computer I am almost immediately put to shame for not knowing that Burundi was also prey to the violent conflict that  has opposed Tutsis and Hutus which had its most horrific and publicised climax in the ethnical cleansing  that occurred in neighbouring Rwanda in 1994.

Although its genesis dates to pre-colonial times when the Kigdom of Burundi was created in the 17th century, Burundi’s history, as most if not all of the current African States is deeply linked to a story of colonial past,  that has its roots in the conference of Congo (or conference of Berlim) of 1884/5, wherein the western colonial powers divided Africa and its many resources between themselves. Burundi  was  part of the German share of the bargain, a state of affairs that would continue until the end of the 1st World War. With the German defeat,  in the wake of the Versailles Treaty, its African colonies were redistributed  among the winners. Thus  Burundi and Rwanda, both part of the former German East Africa, fell under Belgian rule as a single administrative entity, this being probably the reason why one of its official languages is French, nowadays, the others being Kirundi and English.  Independence would come in 1962, after a period (1946-1962) when the country was administered by the United Nations.

Where in the world would I be able to get a nice philatelic cover from Burundi if not for the help of Roland, and the LCC? Thank you so much!

Stamps from left to right:

The 10 Burundian Franc  stamp is part of a 10 stamp definitive set themed on Mushrooms, with  10, 15, 20, 30, 75, 85, 100, 120, 130, 250 Burundian Franc denominations. Of note is the fact that the 75 F and  the  85 F stamps appear to be exactly the same, except for the different denomination. This set was issued on 30SEP1992.

The 150 BF stamp illustrated by a passion fruit flower is part of a 5 stamp set (90, 150, 500, 810, 1500 Burundian Francs) issued on 24DEC2008, dedicated to Fauna and Flora.

The 1690 fbu  with a picture of a ruff ( Philomacus pugnax) is a  bit of a mystery. Every resource I consulted only show one issue of stamps in 2018, this apparently being the last one ever emitted or acknowledged by  the postal administration of the country, dedicated to  the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Burundi. As such I know nothing about this one. Any information on this particular stamp would of course be most welcome.

POSTCARD N.3 - United States of America

Postcrossing Postcard posted on the 3rd June; received on the 21st June.
Postcard image Pittsburgh - The Little Red car at Duquesne Incline
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Quotting the official website “Take a step back in time on a century-old cable car and see the best views of downtown Pittsburgh while riding one of the few remaining inclines in the country. Opened on May 20, 1877, the Duquesne Incline was rescued and restored by a group of local residents in 1963 and still delights residents and visitors with its original, elegant, wooden cable cars”

 

Facts:

Opened to the Public: May 20, 1877
Cost to Build: $47,000
Length of Track: 794 feet
Elevation: 400 feet
Grade: 30.5 degrees
Speed: 6 miles per hour
Passenger: Capacity 18 per car

The "Forever"  Global rate  self-adhesive Stamp was issued as a single stamp on 24APR2020

The postmark was machine applied in the city of Pittsburg, PA.

 COVER N.14 - Spain

Postmark: Oficina Postal de Avilés - 18JUN2021
Posted on the 18th june; received on the 22nd June.
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¡ Holla! said the  nice looking cover when I opened my mailbox. 

Spain, a new country in the collection, one that really holds a place in my heart because we’re neighbours and due to that, all over the years, I’ve travelled many a kilometre along its roads, getting to know and enjoying the countless captivating aspects of its diverse and multiple regions.

From Andalusia, in the South, to Navarra, Aragon and Catalonia the provinces that share the Pyrenean border with France, not forgetting the Balearic and Canary Islands, Spain is a place of wonder and discovery (much as my little country, of course) and well recommend for its vivid and plural culture, natural beauty, gastronomy and, most of all, its proud and welcoming people.

Having once shared the world, as we knew it, we also shared a story of successfully emerging from dictatorships to democracies and joining the EU in the last quarter of the 20th century and if not for anything else, geography will always make sure we stay together as good friends and neighbours.

Asturias, is one of my preferred Provinces of Spain. Not only for its cider (which unfortunately I can no longer drink) and delicious fabada, but for its incomparable natural beauty that offers all one might want to have: from mountains to gorgeous beaches, from rivers to forests, Asturias has plenty of it all. Muchísimas gracias for reminding me of that Ángel!

The stamp on the right is part of the first annual emission - 10MAR2017 - of self adhesive stamps dedicated to “Pueblos con encanto” (Charming Villages), of Tariff A (domestic, up to 20g) and it depicts the charming (what else?) village of Lastres. I, and particularly my wife, have a not so happy  and quite painful memory of the place, though: she unluckily stepped on a pece escorpión (weever fish) in the Playa de la Griega, and because of that I never got to see the Dinnosaur footprints that are only accessible at low tide. Maybe next time.

TheTarifa A stamp on the left,  is a self adhesive stamp issued on 29MAY2020 also dedicated to the natural resources of Asturias, since it depicts the Azabache (Asturian Jet) a deep black mineraloid used in jewlery.

The last two 0,05€ stamps, a single self-adhesive definitive stamp emission, issued on 01FEB2017, crown (pun intended 😀) the cover,  again highlighting the Asturian theme that percolates throughout the nice envelope, since they depict His Majesty King  Felipe VI, who from the 1st November 1977 until his proclamation as King of Spain on the 19th June 2014, held the title of Príncipe de Asturias.

Of note is also the charming postmark, issued by the Post office of Avilés, where the cover was posted, I presume.

If only covers had music on them and I’m sure the astounding Isaac Albéniz’s  “Asturias” would play everytime someone would touch it.

 

POSTCARD N.2 - Japan

Postcrossing Postcard sent inside envelope, (posted on the 4th June; received on the 21st June)
Potscard image location unknown
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Postcard depicts Mt. Fuji , seen from Arakura Sengen Shrine, founded in 705.

COVER N.13 - Japan

Postmark: Kobe Japan
Posted on the 4th june; received on the 21stJune.
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Fi­ttingly, my­ first cover from the Land of the Rising Sun arrived on my mailbox on the lo­ngest­ day of the year, the first day of summer, what I can only take as a good omen for the season, even if I really think that of all four, this is the season I like the less.

For me, August, not April, - sorry T.S. - is the cruellest of the months, breeding queues out of the museum doors, mixing sweat with sunburn... etc. etc.

I got this lovely cover through Postcrossing and I’m really thankful for all the care put into it, with 7 nice stamps on the cover and a beautiful postcard inside. My most sincere Thanks Ren. You’ve made my first summer’s day!

Stamps from left top right:

The 1 Yen Stamp depicts the founder of the Japanese Postal System, that began operating on April 1871,  Baron Maejima Hisoka (January 24, 1835 – April 27, 1919). The stamp is part of a 12 stamps definitive emission, issued on 02FEB2015.

The 2 Yen Stamp depicting an arctic hare (Lepus Timidus) is part of  a 7 stamp definitive set, issued on 03MAR2014, themed on Fauna, Flora and Cultural Heritage.

The 7 Yen Stamp is illustrated with a detail of one of the works - Canary and Peony - of the great  woodblock print master Katsushika Hokusai ( 31 October 1760 – 10 May 1849). It is part of a set of 2 stamps (7 Yen and 70 Yen) issued on 10SEP2020 to commemorate the International Letter Writting Week.

The second 7 YEN Stamp was also issued in commemoration of the international Letter Writing week, this time on 09OCT2019. Its is part of a 6 stamp.

The 10 Yen Stamp depicts a Japanese Crested Ibis (Nipponia Nippon). The stamp is part of a 12 stamps definitive emission, issued on 02FEB2015.

The last 1 Yen stamp depicts Posukuma, the Mascot of the Japanese Post and was issued on 14APR2121 as part of a 2 stamp set (1YEN; 84 Yen).

The 82 Yen stamp is part of a set of two even priced stamps, also issued in se-tenant format, issued on 01JUN2017 that constitute series 2 of an emission dedicated to Japanese Architecture (series 1 having been issued in 2016). It depicts the 5 storey pagoda of the Kyo-o-gokoku-Ji budist temple, in Kioto. Its sister stamp depicts the Eiffel Tower inspired Tokyo Tower, in Tokyo.

 

A stamp collecting club?  Stamps? What is that? Does it run on playstation 5 or what?

Prejudiced. Iam. I accept it.

Amongst the millions of young kids out there, there must be some who would still find it enthralling  to pursue such an hobby, should someone guide them through its essentials, much the same as we were once led through the path of discovery by others that did the same to us.

Let me get once thing straight, though: I was never a very serious philatelist, and I claim the same status nowadays. I don’t have a huge collection (not even a big one, for that matter, and I don't even know if I qualify as a collector...); I did collect in a more organised fashion in the late 70’s early 80’s but most of my collection vanished like a lost girlfriend; i am not a very organised guy, the type that would spend nights going over his collection, perusing it and marvelling at its intricacies...

As such I don’t talk from any acknowledge deserving pulpit and  I’m no authority on anything but me.

I think I simply like stamps. That’s all.

Much the same way as I like art, not being an artist myself. Yes, that’s probably it: I go through stamps as I go through the rooms of an art museum, satisfying myself with the pleasure of admiring beauty and creation.

Of course, as with art, there are stamps I absolutely adore, and stamps I loathe but that’s subject matter for another of my episodic streams of consciousness, because now I digress...

My original point was that no matter what  brave new world technology puts at the ends of our fingers, there are features innate to our strange species  that should not be left to decay into some sort of dormant state and that, if correctly tickled and motivated, should still provide sound paths for the development of skills and acquisition of knowledge that I feel are sometimes hindered by the all inclusive ready served quality of a large part, if not most, of  today’s pastimes.

Curiosity, is one such feature.

Again, I may sound prejudiced, the quintessential boomer talking, but I feel kids were much more curious a few decades ago. Sure they are now much more competent digitally wise and they handle anything with a screen like second nature from tender age, but what about wanting to know? What about inquiring themselves and the world? The world does not run on a playstation.....

The  way forward is probably, as usual, to revisit the old, adapting it to the new, to get the best of both worlds.

And this probably what the Clube Filatélico o Ilhéu has achieved. Somehow, it found the way to motivate and enthral young lads and lassies in a time when the attention grabbing offer for  “just use it, don’t ask why or how” appliances is ever-growing and well implanted.

I suspect though that behind the curtain there’s a good reason for the more than 25 years of well active history. A driving force that, thankfully, is as needed today as it was yesterday, continuously fostering that curiosity in kids that are about to discover the world and its complexity, in the best place to do it: their school.

A teacher! A good and fully commited teacher, in a public school, a good School.

For once, all prejudice aside, reading the history of 25 years of the Clube de Filatelia o Ilhéu of Escola Secundári a Manuel de Arriaga  (O Ilhéu -The Islander Philately Club of Manuel de Arriaga HighSchool, in Horta, Faial Island, the Azores)  makes me strongly suspect I’m right.

Am I not, teacher Carlos Lobão?

 

 COVER N.12 - Sweden

Postmark: absent, although the cover circulated normally
Posted on (?), received on the 14th June.
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Something of a mistery. I don't know how common this is, but the very nice cover I got from my good old friend Neil, from Sweden, landed on my mailbox without any postmark. This is a thousand times better than a cancellation by pen or pencil, as we sometimes see, but still it is strange to get a letter with no postmark at all. Makes an even nicer addition to the collection, in the curiosity department, though. Thank you so much, Neil.

Neil and I met because we share a common interest: Plastic scale models. And so he went that extra mile to find an interesting envelope on to glue the very colorful stamps he chose, related to another of his passions: motorbikes and motorbike riding.

The International Plastic Modellers Society was created in the UK, back in 1963, when plastic scale modelling was one of the most pursued hobbies all over the world. Those were the high days of brands that were well known to Santa Claus, so many were the mentions they got in the letters he received each year by November, early December: Airfix, Frog, Revell, Monogram; Aurora, Lindeberg, to name a few...

Neil tells me the envelope dates back to the 70s, so it is a rarity in itself.

The  nice colourful stamps are part of a 2002 (05OCT02) emission of 8 even priced (5Kr) stamps dedicated to Motorcycle sports. Apart from the stamps on the cover, illustrating the Motorcross, Trial, Enduro and Speedway disciplines, the set included 1 more stamp dedicated to motorcross and another 2 on the subject of roadracing.

 COVER N.11 - Portugal

Postmark: Taxa paga - Horta, no date
Posted on the 3th June (?), received on the 11th June.
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The Azores have a special place in my heart. In fact some of the most happy days of my life were spent there when I was a child, in a little spot of land in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, called Santa Maria Island. Like Di Caprio, I was “King of the World”, not because I was sailing on the Titanic, but just because I had my bicycle and fishing rod and could go anywhere I pleased and do whatever I wanted to do, enjoying a freedom that not many kids nowadays have the possibility of enjoying.

In our days of electronic everything, things would probably be different, I guess. In fact, at the time, not even TV was available there, as I have already written somewhere in this blog.

And this is why I found it intriguing that not only  a Secondary School in the  Island of Faial  had a philatelic club, but also that this was a very active club, with an history that is already 27 full years long and that, from the looks of it, is well alive and kicking.

For family and personal reasons Airports have always played a key part in my life, and on reading that the “Clube the Filatelia “O Ilhéu” – Escola Secundária Manuel de Arriaga” had issued a card a stamp and a special cancelation mark to commemorate the 50 years of Horta Airport (the airport of the Island of Faial) I contacted it in order to try to obtain such a piece for my collection.

Some days later, this nice cover, commemorative of the 60^th anniversary of the eruption of the Capelinhos volcano, in Faial, found its way to my mailbox, with the  commemorative postcard in it.

I have written about generosity in this blog elsewhere and again I am at loss for words to thank Carlos Lobão, the club’s Director, for being so helpful and generous. My most sincere Obrigado, Carlos.

The postcard, stamp and cancellation mark show a picture of one of the Portuguese Air Force DC-6s on lease, in the late 70s, to SATA (Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aéreos, now SATA Air Açores (Serviço Açoreano de Transportes Aéreos). The stamp on the card is rated N20g for “domestic service, up to 20g”

 

 COVER N.10 - Czech Republic

Postmark: Illegible place and date, maybe 3.6.21
Posted on the 3th June (?), received on the 11th June.
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10, a round number on my growing collection. How fitting that this milestone could be occupied by a letter from a friend.

I know, letters...., surely a thing from the past, but what a pleasure to read again an actual letter, handwritten on actual paper, only to find (and I hope I’m making no disclosure of intimate details here) that it was written with equal pleasure and joy.

Thank you so much, Michal!

I will resort to Michal’s own words to describe the two very nice stamps that graced his most welcome letter.

As such:

The stamp on the right, denominated at 25kĉ, was issued in 23SEP2015 as part of a se-tenant 2 stamp issue on the theme of historic machines (the other identically priced stamp showing the Tatra T3 Tram). It features an image of “the most famous steam paddle boat “Primátor Dittrich”, sailing on the Vlatva river”.

With a little help from the Czech Post website we can also learn that “The paddle steamer Primátor Dittrich was named after the founder of Prague Steamboat Company (1865), Prague’s mayor (in Czech “primátor”) František Dittrich”.

The stamp on the left, issued in 20JAN2021, for the B tariff (Ordinary Letter – Standard up to 50 g in domestic Economy service) commemorates the life and work of Václav Zapadlík  “famous Czech painter and illustrator specialised in paintings of historic cars. He did a lot of post stamps with cars also”, in the words of Michal.

The Czech Post website adds that “several foreign museums, mostly in the United States, display permanent expositions of his artwork. He also designed several working car bodies emulating those of old 1930s cars.... In 2012, he started designing Czech postage stamps featuring car drawings...”.

And I do remember watching a documentary on TV about his love for cars (that was also passed on to a close relative... son, nephew..?).

 COVER N.9 - France

Postmarks: machine applied "Illegible FRANCE" and manual "Corbigny - Nievre"
Posted on the 5th June, received on the 11th June.
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A large C5 envelope, for nothing smaller would accept the outstanding bloc-feuillet that graces the left side of the cover, measuring an hefty 143 x 105mm, shone inside my mailbox today. I've wrote of generosity on this same blog, and the warming and kind handwritten words inside only serve to prove me right. Thank you so much Jean-Pierre.

Nothing epitomises better the  sentiments  and  reactions a name evokes, famous and everlasting as it may be,  than the well-known gesture Ludwig van Beethoven  had on the manuscript of his third symphony, when he furiously scrapped off with a knife, to the point of actually cutting off  a piece of the paper with the offending name, the initial dedication he had enthusiastically  written  two years before.

Bonaparte.

A soldier by trade, that at some point in history personified  the ideals of the French revolution  - Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité – and the struggle for a freer and equalitarian society, but who could not resist the temptation for personal grandeur and egocentrism, making himself an example of what he fought against, as he declared himself emperor of an empire that would stretch from Spain to what is now Poland and led Europe into more than a decade of fierce wars of expansion that would end in 1815 in the fields of Waterloo, in what is now Belgium.

Whatever the Beethoven in you might think, Napoleon’s  legacy to Europe (and to the world for that matter) cannot be underestimated. The end of feudalism, important reforms  in the education system, the separation of Church and State, the introduction of the metric system in France, but most of all, the Napoleonic Code that would set  the base for many of the legal systems now in force in Europe (including the Portuguese) are examples of an heritage that ironically would come full circle, when the European Council in 1972 elected a fragment of Beethoven’s ninth symphony as the official hymn of Europe.

The beautiful miniature sheet issued by La Poste on 19APR2021, on the occasion of the 200^th anniversary of Napoleon’s death, contains two 1,50€ stamps enclosed by a fitting neoclassical  “empire style” border. 

 

POSTCARD N.1 - Germany
Postcrossing Postcard. Postmark "Briefzentrum 86" , almost illegible date, probably posted on the 31st May, received on the 6^th June
Potscard image location unknown
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It is only fitting that the first card I receive is from Germany, given that the first one I sent was also mailed to the land of Schiller and Beethoven. Danke Sehr Julia.

The 0,95€ stamp is part of the 2 stamp set (0,95€ and 2,70€), issued on 01MAR2021, of the series U-Bahn-Stationen (U-Bahn Stations). It depicts the Übserseequartier Station of the Hamburg U-Bahn.

Credit: Deutsche Post

Officially, the Special Postmark reading "Gemeinsam Gegen Corona sich selbst und andere Scützen..." (Together against Corona, protect yourself and the others...) began to be machine applied on correspondence in Germany on the 1st June 2021, even though in this case it might have been applied on the 31st May.

Generosity, when considering  the qualities we reserve for our species (given that qualities and defects seem to derive from a degree of awareness and rationalism only attainable by beings with the capacity to make judgements about themselves and others) is one of the qualities I value most.

In fact, and I would be lying if I were to say otherwise, it gives me great pleasure to be the subject of the generosity of others, in much the same way as it pleases me to reciprocate such gestures or  to have them, unexpectedly,  towards others.

This thought comes to mind because, very recently, people who have never seen me, do not know me, know nothing about me, performed generous acts of offering  of which I was the beneficiary , only because they knew that the objects they offered, in this case collectible postage stamps, would please me.

Perhaps if they knew me better, disagreed with my opinions, found me lacking in qualities, found me full of defects, or simply - as so often happens with us being unable able to explain it - "didn't like my face", they would still do it.

And this is really what I like to think.

Despite all the differences, value judgements, prejudices, good or bad ideas, there may always be a point of contact, a link in the chain, a least common denominator that brings us together and accommodates us as a diverse, plural, multitudinous species.

A stamp and what it represents - the right to travel, an affirmation of nationality (and not of nationalism, as it is so fashionable today, for the worst reasons) and sovereignty - and what it focuses on - a cultural landmark, an anniversary, a scientific achievement, our heritage, natural or constructed, etc., etc. - is perhaps a perfect example of this.

All over the world, there are people like me who are unaware of others who share an interest with them. The main thing is that this interest be positive, constructive, a net contributor to concord and understanding (not unanimism and chauvinism). In a word, it is fundamental that this interest is supported  by a cultural dimension.

And then, it is no less fundamental that we discover each other  and let ourselves be taken up by our duty as the cultural ambassadors that we all are, due to our upbringing in one (or several) cultural reality(ies) wherein, through the simple act of living, we forged our tastes, usages, beliefs (or lack thereof).

Because if culture is the basis, fulcrum and support of relationships that generate understanding and progress, being this or that; from here or there; like this or like that is, let's not forget, the work of chance. We did not ask our parents to be, or to be born, much less here or there.

Let us not lose the capacity to question ourselves. We were not sent into the world with a mission. We take the path we choose, always, and that path can always have room to accommodate others walking with us, everyone, as long as they share our will to walk, or a sincere and generous gesture such as the one that I was a beneficary of, when people who have never seen me, do not know me, know nothing about me, offered me highly appreciated stamps.

COVER N.8 - Germany

Postmarks "Berlin - Deutsche Post Philatelie" and "Berlin Erstausgabe - Gefärdete nationale Wildtiere" (Berlin First Day - Threatened National Wildlife)
Posted on the 27h May, received on the 1st June.

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On the 1st June, the International Children's day, it was only natural that I would feel like a spoiled child after having receivd a most wondeful present, as no other words could convey my feelings when looking at the outstandingly beautiful First Day Cover I got from Ulf, from Germany. Thank you so much!

I do have a soft spot for some types of insects, especially coleoptera, odonata and lepidotra, so scientific illustrations of bettles, dragonflies or butterflies will always awe me, as it was the case with the stamp issued this year by Deutsche Post for the annual "Europa" Series, dedicated to "Endangered National Wildlife".

Also, when talking about endangered species, it is preety common to hear about mamals, birds, even reptiles, but insects don't usually get that kind of general public attention, so "Well done" Deutsche post for chosing endangered beetles for the Europa stamp.

Reading a machine translated version of the notes on this emission in the Deutsche Post philatelic newsletter, it is possible to learn that the three coleopters on the 0,80€ stamp are:

 - Mycetoma suturale, the Harzporling-Dusterkäferis as it is called in German, considered to be a relic of  the primeval forest that thrives in undisturbed habitats, something that is getting scarcer and scarcer nowadays, hence its presence in the Red List of  endangered species. The species belongs to the Melandryidae family, and measures 6 to 7,5 mm.

 - Ceruchus chrysomelinus, or Rindenschröter as it is called in German, a member of the Lucanidae family, measuring 11-16 mm. It has also Red List status, being found far west as Siberia and as far north as Sweden and Finland. 

 - Tragosoma depsarium, a beetle of the  Cerambycidae family, whose main feature is their long antennae. Its conservation status ranges from endangered to critically endangered and although it prefers the cool regions of the North and Siberia, it can also be found in the Alps. The species measures between 18 and 36 mm.

Presumably included to attain the tariff needed for expedition to Portugal the cover also includes on the left side  a 0,30€ stamp, depicting a Tiger daylily (Hemerocallis fulva), issued in 2020 as part of the definitive "flowers" emission started in 2005. 

  COVER N.7 - France

Postmark Clamecy - Nièvre - posted on the 25h May, received on the 31st.
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My third French cover of the day  flew in to Portugal from Clamecy, a small town not to distant from the French Capital, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, having to its credit the fact that it was the birthpalce of Romain Rollan, the Nobel of Literature laureate of 1015. Thanks a lot jean-Pierre, for such a beautiful cover.

The cover is adorned with the beautiful souvenir sheet of the 2021 edition of the  "Trèsors de Notre Dame" (Treasures of Notre Dame) stamp, an annual emission highlighting the many wonders of that most famous of all French churches. 

The series, which began in 2020 with a rectangular stamp dedicated to the intricate facades of the cathedral, is continued this year with a circular 1,5€ stamp showcasing the Adam and Eve stained glass window, one of the very few original stained glass panels of the cathedral that have survived the rigors of both time and man.