POSTCARD N.78 - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 31st March; received on the 27th May

Postcard image: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future
______________________________________________________________________________

"Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ through sustainability, mobility and opportunity. This was motto and the purpose of EXPO 2020, which was held in Dubai, UAE, from the 1st October 2021 till the 31st March 2022, after its opening having been postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.

World Expos are always a magnificent showcase for the future, Participating countries trying to impress the world with their most recent achievements in the fields of Science and Technology (broadly speaking) compete in notoriety, always with the underlying aim of fostering business opportunities for their own economies.

I was lucky to have one such expo in my own country - EXPO 98, dedicated to the oceans and even if it would not bring about anything more (and it did indeed ) than the terrific transformation that an old, derelict, polluted riverside area of our capital went through it would still be worth the effort. Lisbon was alive in a way it never had been until then,  and the event was very well received by the Portuguese People, who proudly spoke of the EXPO as one of those moments that will never be forgotten.

I remember being awed with all that I saw during my visits - Lisbon's Oceanário was the centre piece of the exhibition and is still a reference at world level -  and most especially to enjoy the many shows that took place everyday.

This was almost 25 years ago - that is to say, a quarter of a century. I can't even imagine what was on display in Dubai with the progress Technology has underwent in the past decades...

Anyway, I have to Thank Vijayan, a fellow Postcrosser, for having sent me this official EXPO 2020 Postcard, which I was very pleased to receive, the more so since it allows me to add another country to my Philatelic Atlas.

The stamp on the card is part of a five, 3 dirhams stamp set included in a souvenir sheet issued on the day of opening of the expo, 01-OCT2021, showcasing the 5 main nucleolus  of the EXPO: the Dubai Pavilion (my stamp), the Opportunity Pavilion; Al-Wasil Plaza; the Mobility Pavilion and the Sustainability Pavilion, which, incidentally, are also those that feature in the "Turtle" image of the Postcard.

COVER N.119 - KYRGYZSTAN

Postmark:  Kyrgyz Express Post Bishkek - 729001 18.05.2022
Posted on the 18th May; received on the 27th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Kyrgyzstan. Another former Soviet Republic on the silk road, neighbouring  other 3 same such "...ystan" - what translates as "the land of" -  countries: Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the West, Tajikistan to the South and China to the East.

Thanks to the usual suspect, I can now add another nice entry into my philatelic Atlas. Un très grand merci, Roland!

An independent Republic since Christmas day 1991, the history of Kyrgystan has since been one of political and social unrest, as far as I could learn here and there on the internet. This notwithstanding the country is always described as  immensely beautiful and the pictures I've looked at, do indeed support this allegation.

Kyrgyzstan has two designated postal operators - "Kyrgyz Pochtasy" SE and "Kyrgyz Express Post" LLC. both issuing stamp sets.

The cover I received was posted with the two stamps of the set issued by Kyrgyz Express Post on 07JUL2017, celebrating the  19th International Botanical Congress that took place in Shenzen, China, during the week of 24-28 July 2017, which was attended by more than 6,000 botanists from around the world.

The International Botanical Congress is the body entrusted at world level with the supervision of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), so any formal changes in the taxonomy of algae, fungi and plants has to be validated by this body, I presume.

The two very beautiful stamps  are denominated at 50 and 100 Kyrgyzstani som, the lesser value stamp being illustrated with a Peony, while the higher value stamp bears the image of a Chrysanthemum.

The very clear postmark indicates that the cover was mailed from the country's capital, Bishkek.

COVER N.118 - SPAIN

Postmark:  43 Vila-Seca 20.05.2022
Posted on the 20th May; received on the 24th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Spain, our next door neighbours. Such a big and multicentre country, Spain is. I know it quite well from top to bottom, since many were the times that I've crossed the border to visit its wonderful natural wonders and lively cities and also to enjoy its culture, its gastronomy, its traditions, all truly kaleidoscopic due to the immense regional diversity, one of Spain's greatest assets, if you'd ask my opinion....

Spain boasts a very complete catalogue of geographic features. Mountains? they' ve got it; desert? they've got it; luxuriant forests? they've got it; sandy beaches? they've got it; rocky coastline they've got it... in all truth, I feel it is hard to tell what they don't have ...

Unexpected villages full of charm and history in unexpected places? so many they have that the Spanish Correos have decided, starting in 2016 to issue an annual set of self-adhesive stamps dedicated to "Pueblos con encanto" - Villages with charm.

Series VII , as usual featuring 4 tariff A stamps, was issued on 21MAR22  and this was the set from which the main stamp on the nice cover I have to thank Ángel for was taken. The stamp is illustrated with a picture of Tudanca, a small (148 inhabitants in 2021) village in the Autonomous Region of Cantabria, in the north, not far from Santander, its capital. 

And come to think of it... I can't remember ever passing through Tudanca, so next time I drive to the north of Spain I'll be sure to include it on the menu.

Incidentally, this set also features the beautiful village of Olivença (although Correos chose to spell it Oliveza), which is technically Portuguese soil, but we're so good neighbours that this fact does not in any way impair the excellent relationship we've maintained, the more so now that we are all part of a greater geographic unit, the EU.

To complete the postage need to mail the cover to this side of the border, Ángel used three different iterations of definitive series featuring the effigy of Spain's King Felipe VI

The 0,05 € stamp was issued on 01FEB2017; the 0,10 € was issued on 19JAN2015 and the Tariff A (up to 20 g, domestic) was issued on 02JAN2020.

The postmark tells us that the cover was processed through the postal centre  of  Vila-Seca, in Catalonia.

COVER N.117 - POLAND

Postmark:  OKR WF COP 1936-1939  11.05.2022 Koszalin 1
Posted on the 11thy May; received on the 23rd May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Another beautiful cover hailing from Poland, with a nice connection to my theme of choice, aviation. Thank you so much, Roman!

Roman tells me that the special commemorative postmark was issued in connection with the Regional Philatelic exhibition "COP 1936 -1939" that could be visited between 11 -14 May in the Koszalin University of Technology.

The theme of the exhibition was the celebration of the creation and  importance of the Central Industry District during the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939) and also to highlight the role of the Polish defence industry in the 1936-39 period.

The connection between the Central Industry District and aviation is readily apparent in the  image of a Polish Air Force aircraft, (probably a PZL.37 Łoś medium bomber)  flying over working factories (one can tell it by the smoke coming out of the 3 chimneys 😀)

Stamps left to right:

5 Zł stamp, illustrated with the image of a rose, part of a definitive emmision themed on fruits and  flowers that was started in 2015. The stamp  with a rose was issued on 15SEP2015.

50 groz stamp, part of the same definitive emission, depicting a Coneflower (Centaurea cyanus), issued on 20JAN2016 (although the date on the stamp reads 2015).

2.60 Zł, self-adhesive stamp, part of a 5 stamp set of the same denomination dedicated to the armed forces of Poland, issued on the day of the centenary of the armistice of the "War to end all wars", 11NOV2018, This particular stamp is dedicated to the air force and  is illustrated with images of pilots wearing uniforms from the  1st and 2nd world wars.  The remaining stamps are dedicated to the Infantry; the Artillery and Cavalry; the Navy and the contemporary armed forces.

COVER N.116 - FRANCE

Postmark:  Bureau Philatélique 69 - Lyon Vaise - 16-05-2022
Posted on the 16thy May; received on the 20th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

On the  15th April 2019 all news services started with unfortunate images from the city of lights: a huge fire was destroying almost 9 centuries of Christian symbolism and one of the most beloved landmarks of Paris: La Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris  was on fire.

Firemen and volunteers rushed to the place to save all that could  still be protected form the ravenous flames and thanks to the sturdy stone structure, the fire was contained on the roof that was totally devastated, including the iconic spire that was supported by a wooden framework which also fell prey to the flames and collapsed.

Reacting swiftly to the sad event the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, immediately assured Parisiens that their beloved city symbol would be reconstructed and launched a fund raising campaign so as to reconstruct Notre Dane in time for the 2024 Olympics, but this goal is probably a bit ambitious, given the nature and amount of damages the cathedral suffered.

Calling on the attention of the public in general and of phillatelists in particular, starting on 17JUL2020, La Poste inaugurated a new annual stamp series, that will run during the years of the reconstruction of the cathedral, dedicated to the treasures of the much beloved building.

The issues have the format of  beautiful in taglio printed souvenir sheets with one stamp of the value for an international letter at the time of issuing.

So far, three of these beautiful souvenir sheets have been issued and I had been lucky to receive examples of the 2021 and 2022 issues, but now, thanks to Eric, to whom I could not, of course, be more grateful, my collection has samples of the 3 so far issued souvenir sheets.

The 2021 issue can be seen here

the 2022 issue can be seen here or here.

Stamps:

Single 1,40€ stamp souvenir sheet, issued on 17JUL20, first of the Trésors de Notre Dame annual series. The stamp highlights the immensely rich stone work of the façades of the Cathedral.

0,88 € stamp, issued on 14JUN2019,dedicated to the Abbey of Saint Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, one of the few remaining examples of Carolingian architecture, dating back to the 9th century AD. 

POSTCARD N.77 - TAIWAN

Postcrossing postcard sent on ?; received on the 17th May

Postcard image: Think for others but live for yourself
______________________________________________________________________________

Taiwan. Another flag joins the list. Thank you so much, sorry that I don't your real name.

A simple postcard with a quote in Chinese (Mandarin?) and its translation, that reads " Think for others but live for yourself". Not a bad equation, and all things considered, another iteration of the old biblical suggestion of doing unto the others as you would have them do unto you,

12 New Taiwan Dollar stamp issued on 20JUL2017 illustrated with an image of a watermelon fruit and plant in the background, part of a 4 definitive stamp set dedicated to fruits, mango, orange and grapes being the fruits depicted on the companion stamps (3; 5,5 and 32 NT$, respectively).

COVER N.115 - ITALIA

Postmark:  Pratovecchio 52015 - 11-05-2022
Posted on the 11thy May; received on the 17th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Curious cover I got from Italy. Thanks a lot, Roberto!

Usually, covers with one single stamp may look a bit naked, but this one is far from that. Not only is the stamp quite big and interesting, but it also features additional machine applied postage that had to be applied upside down, because of the location of the address lines , I guess. On top of that, there is yet another machine applied postmark, on the back of the cover issued at Firenze CMP, in the same date, the 12th May.

You can't go to Florence without at least taking a peep through the door at Florian's in Piazza San Marco.

Florian, established in 1720, is said to be the oldest caffé in the world, something which is not hard to believe, given the somewhat decadent  aura (after all you're in Venice...) that exhales from its lavishly decorated rooms and from the silverware where the espresso cups come to your table. 

My first encounter with Florian was quite accidental: one summer night in 1980 I was inter-railing through the south of Europe and I stopped in Venice, one of the landmarks of my journey. Students we were so empty pocketed we were too and if  Italy was expensive, than Venice was way above our standards... moreover, August (not April, sorry T.S.) is the cruellest of the months and we couldn't find a place to sleep since all youth hostels there were were completely full. so we took our backpacks and  ended up in Piazza San Marco, late at night wondering what to do. We  went around the galleries in the  square and noticed that other travellers like us were sleeping on the flor, so we decided that if this was good for them, it would be just as good for us. We picked the nicest spot available: a couple of doors to the side of Florian, If I remember correctly, there were a couple of stair steps and we unfolded our sleeping bags and readily fell asleep so tired were we. 

Mid way through our invigorating nap, I was awaken by a warm breath blowing into my face and I have this vision of a dog showing me its teeth while someone was holding it on a leash.

"Sorry guys, I have to go inside to make the round. I'll let you be here, but at 5 o'clock you'll have to pack your things together and get out of here". The nicest security guard I'll ever know, I'm sure. Turns out we were sleeping right in font of the door of a museum, or some other important public instituion, and we were blocking off the entrance to the Security guard who was doing the night round.

The following morning, at 5, we packed  and went somewhere else, not without first going by Florian's windows, taking a peek inside and wondering "hmmm good place for the morning coffee...."

On the 03DEC2020, Poste Italiane issued a nice self-adhesive B Tariff stamp celebrating the 300th anniversary of this famous Venice institution, this being the stamp used on my cover.

COVER N.114 - MALTA

Postmark:  Malta Post - Msida  06MAR22
Posted on the 6th March; received on the 17th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

A cover with two fine motives for stisfaction: it was sent by a fellow countrymen and it allows me to add another country to my philatelic atlas. Muito Obrigado Eduardo!

Malta, the tiny Mediterranean archipelago. I once visited the Maltese archipelago during the month of August (or was it late July? It was quite a long time ago and I can't precisely remember it now). The moment I walked out of Air Malta's 737, I felt like I was hitting a wall, so dense and humid was the air. This state of affairs would not change the full length of our stay and it made what should be a very enjoyable visit, a bit of a tribulation, but I did love it anyway (general availability of cold beer did help... I guess 😀)

There's so many things to enjoy in Malta, the sights, (Malta is an architectural  showroom, with relevant constructions, mainly of religious, defence and administrative character raging from pre-historic times to 20th century modernism),  the sea, the history, the fishing villages, the people, of course,  even the old historic buses... but take my word for it, if you're not used to warm and humid climates, avoid the summer months 😀😀

As a side note,  Malta does have a historical connection to my own country: the Maltese islands,  from 1530 up until the 19th century, were governed by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. It so happens that at least three of the Grand Masters of the order and inherently the rullers of the country were Portuguese nobleman:

Luis Mendes de Vasconcellos - 1623
António Manoel de Vilhena. - 1722 to 1736
Manuel Pinto de Fonseca - 1741 to 1773.

Stamps, left to right:

ON 16SEP2009, Malta post issued a 4 stamp set with 0.02, 0.07, 0.37 and 1.02€ denominations showcasing some landscapes of the Archipelago. 

Malta is a  Member of SEPAC - Small European Postal Administrations Cooperations - whose members (currently 13) yearly issue a stamp subordinated to a common theme. The theme for 2009 was "Scenery" and  the stamp on my cover was the Maltese entry for the year, as clearly indicated by the inclusion of the SEPAC logo on the bottom right of the stamp that feature a photo of the Xwejni saltpans, in the island of  Gozo.

The theme for the 2019 SEPAC emission was "Old residential houses" and on 30JUL2019, Malta Post issued a four stamp set (0.10, 0.59, 0.63 and 1.00€) subordinated to the theme, the honour of carrying the SEPAC logo falling on the 0,59€ stamp.

The stamp on my cover is the highest value of the set, which is illustrated with a photograph of the Bubaqra Tower, a fortified house, located in Żurrieq, island of Malta, erected in the late 16th century (didn't I tell you that Malta has a lot to offer to Architecture fans...?)

 POSTCARD N.76 - Russia

Postcrossing postcard sent on  12th April (?); received on the 20th April
Postcard image: Soviet pilots from the 9th Guards Air Division of the Red Army Air Force in front of a P-39 Airacobra
______________________________________________________________________________

9 May. Victory Day  against fascist Germany, reads the legend in this postcard evocative of the celebrations of  Victory Day in Russia, that Julia kindly included in the nice cover she sent me. Thanks a lot, Julia.

In fact, the Germans signed their surrender on the evening of the 8th May, Victory in Europe day, in Berlin, but given the difference in times zones between Berlin and Moscow the signing act took place already on the 9th May, from the Russian viewpoint and this would be the date that would go down on the Russian calendar as the Victory Day.

Anyway, this is a well known photo depicting soviet pilots from the 9th Guards Air Division of the Red Army Air Force in front of  one of Roosevelt's Lend Lease P-39 Airacobras... 

Quoting directly from an internet site where I found a reproduction of the photo .

"The Soviet pilots from the 9th Guards Air Division of the Red Army Air Force against the backdrop of Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter of Grigory Rechkalov.

The Soviet pilots from left to right: Alexander Fyodorovich Klubov (twice Hero of the Soviet Union, shot down 31 planes personally, 19 in a group), Grigory Andreevich Rechkalov (twice Hero, shot 56 planes personally and 6 in a group), Andrei Ivanovich Trud (Hero of the Soviet Union, 25 planes personally shot down and 1 in the group) and the commander of the 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment Boris Borisovich Glinka (Hero of the Soviet Union, shot down 30 aircraft personally and 1 in the group)."

Look at their faces....   they are all young men in their twenties, so full of life and future... Klubov wouldn't make it through the war and would die in 1944, his companions had better luck though.

War is really such a waste... and yet in the face of aggression, there is no other solution than to resist...

Looking at the photo I can't help but think how could someone, purportedly  heir to such a memory, choose to play the part his parents fought against, bringing death, pain and destruction to millions of people for the sake of ...what, precisely?

In the immortal words of John Donne  quoted by Hemingway as a title for one of his greatest books

"Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.".

COVER N.113 - RUSSIA

Postmark:  ПОЧТА РОССИИ - КАЛУГА ПОЧТАМТ УООПО 248099 (Russian Post - Kaluga Post Office 248099)
Posted on the 5th May; received on the 16th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

I am always awed by the amazing covers I get from Julia, from Russia, who always does her best to find another interesting addition to my collection, knowing that my interest in all things aviation. Thank you so much Julia!

I presume that the beautiful cover themed on the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the ending of what the Russians call the Great patriotic War and we call the Second World War seems to be part of a series dedicated to pilots, who have won the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union, because this is already the second such cover that Julia sent me.  This time, the honours go to Viktor Vasilevich Talalikhin, (1918-1941) whose picture appears on the left side of the envelope while on the background his Polikarpov I-16 attacks what seems to be a Junkers 88, his first confirmed air victory of the seven we would claim before he himself was shot down and killed.

Talalikhin was also known for having been the first pilot to successfully ram an enemy aircraft at night, as a way of downing it, since he was out of ammunition.  Not an easy feat and certainly an act of courage but a manoeuvre that seems to have a certain Russian pedigree, since the first ever air ramming in history had been performed by Piotr Nesterov (also the first to ever loop the loop) during the First World War.

The air ramming theme is central to the eight stamp 15 Ruble minisheet that was issued on 18APR2014 celebrating pilots who became heroes of the Soviet union for such a deed, of  which the two on my cover are part of. Left to right:

Boris Kovzan (1922-1985) rammed 4 aircraft out of a total of 28 air victories that would cost him an eye, but he lived to tell the story and pursue a career in the soviet air force

Aleksey Stepanovich Khlobystov (1918-1943) is credited with being the only pilot to have rammed two aircraft in one single combat sortie and lived to tell the tale (that is until is death in combat in 1943).

COVER N.112 - FRANCE

Postmark: Service des Oblitérations Philatéliques 24 - Boulazac 10-05-22
Posted on the 10th May; received on the 16th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

The Pays de Grasse, in the Alpes Maritimes Department of France has had a centuries’ long association with a creation that far from being French in its inception has become one of the symbols that France is always remembered for: Le Parfum.

The need to hide one's not so pleasant odours or to exacerbate our attractiveness through sensitive strategies is as old as man itself, and France would became the centre of the perfume industry in Europe from the XVI century, after the reign of Henri II and Catharine de Médicis who employed a famous Italian parfumier ,René Bianchi, who, it is said, doubled as the queens poisoner (hmm.. is that why Dior chose to name one of his most famous perfumes “Poison”?).

Perfumes need scented molecules and before our current days of synthetic everything. most of those would come from all walks of nature: mineral, animal and vegetal, so it comes as no surprise that the cultivation of odorific plants in order to extract its precious essences would be fundamental to support the developing industry.

And it seems that nowhere has this aim taken more seriously than in the Grasse region, of France, the city itself being considered as the world's capital of perfume. The microclimate of the region is propitious for flower farming and as such the industry grew to amazing levels (no less than 5,000 tons of flowers were harvested yearly in the 40's of last century), before the already mentioned advent of synthetic molecules, which impacted quite dramatically in natural essences production and consequently in flower farming, that as of 2000 was registering no more than 30 yearly tons.

The stamps on the cover which I thank Roland for celebrate the fragrant flowers cultivated in he Grasse region, and were issued on 12JUN2020 as part of a four 0,97 € stamp souvenir sheet with beautiful illustrations of la tubéreuse (Agave amica); la violette (Viola odorata) - these being the stamps on my cover - la fleur de l'oranger ( Citrus × sinensis) and la rose de mai (Rosa × centifolia)

COVER N.111 - USA

Postmark: New York NY 10199 20-01-22 / Year of the Tiger January 20, 2022 New York NY10199 First day of Issue
Posted on the 20th January; received on the 10th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

There's a saying that is probably quite common at worldwide level. Here, in my sunny country, it is expressed as "mais vale tarde do que nunca", and I will save you the trouble of running it through the translator, and use the Anglo-Saxon version "better late, than never".

We all have known delays in postal services during the past years due to the worldwide public health situation that finally seems to be under control due to the effects of vaccination, but on this front too, things are beginning to flow at a much better pace (even though I still haven't heard about a letter I posted to South Africa on the 1st of February this year arriving at its destination...😟)

The beautiful cover I got today with a First Day of Issue cancellation, and for which I  thank Ray a lot, is postmarked 20th January, New York...that is to say four and a half months ago...I suspect it came swimming across the pond 😀.

I confess my ignorance regarding the intricacies of the lunar new year, and so I had to go and check Wikipedia to learn that the animals that feature in the Chinese horoscope - and under the auspices of each one of them, cycles of 12 years unfold - were those that heeded the call of Buda to participate in some sort of fest, being, by order of arrival (thus the sequence of animals in the 12 year cycles): rat; ox; tiger; rabbit; dragon; serpent; horse; lamb; monkey; cock; dog; pig or boar.

2022 is again the year of Tiger, and so many postal administrations have issued stamps allusive to this fact, (I suspect that the theme must have a lot of collector fans), including the USPS, that on 20JAN2022 issued the  nice self-adhesive Forever rated stamp that features on my cover, with an "image of a fierce tiger mask adorned with green flowers to symbolise spring", in its own words. 

The other Forever stamp on the cover is the 2022 "Flag" issue, which began to circulate on 09JAN22 as a single auto-adhesive stamp available in quite a number of dispensing possibilities.

COVER N.110 - CZECH REPUBLIC

Postmark: 73984 PISEK 02-05-22
Posted on the 2nd May; received on the 9th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

One of the film scenes I will never forget is poor old Brian on the cross while the rest of the crucified guys sing  "Always look on the bright side of life".

This is the sort of advice that I really think one should adhere to, even if I understand that life itself can sometimes fully hide its bright side from the most argute view.

All this a propos the cover I received today from someone whom I don't know, but who was immensely kind and whom I truly thank for all the kind collaboration. The story goes like this: my wife was in the Czech Republic with some of her little students in an Erasmus visit and I, of course, would not let her go away without giving her a fully addressed envelope and a plea to go to the post office and get it delivered with a nice stamp back to me.

It so happens that she had a very busy programme and could not do it herself, but she relied on the very kind assistance of one of her colleagues to post the letter, after her departure from the Czech Republic.

This is the letter that was posted with a very nice Tariff E (Europe Priority up to 50g) stamp, issued on 09SEP2020 along with another stamp of the same tariff, as part of a multi issue series dedicated to birds that had 2 stamps issued on 11MAR, plus two other on 17JUN.

The birds on my stamp, and what a beautiful stamp it is, like most of Czech issues, are members of  the Aegithalidae and Passeridae families. The former comprises ten species of smallish long tailed passerines, the sole European example being the long tailed tit whose image features in the stamp and the latter includes the Old World sparrows, snowfinches and relatives, with two very common sparrows being illustrated: the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Eurasian tree sparrow, (Passer montanus).

For some unfortunate reason, during traffic part of the stamp was torn off  so it became mutilated  but.. hey.,  always look on the bright side of life... accidents do happen and since this isn’t the first, I think I'll add another tag to the tag rostrum: “Accidents”. I'm sure, in time, I can come up with an interesting collection.   

The very clean and clear postmark tells us that the letter was mailed from Pisek, a city of some 30,000 inhabitants, located in the South Bohemia region.

COVER N.109 - FRANCE

Postmark: Bureau philatélique - 69 Lyon Bellecour 02-05-22
Posted on the 2nd May; received on the 6th May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Unexpected surprises - yes I know it is a pleonasm, but, somehow, I think it makes sense - always have a special appeal and the ability to enlighten one's day - again, not that today is a particularly sombre day,  but the moment I opened my letterbox and noticed a nice unannounced cover inside, my internal light meter just went up one full scale point!

Thank you so much, Eric, for this beauty!

I have already mentioned the lovely souvenir sheet that constitutes this year's La Poste emission of the Les Trésors de Notre Dame series.

Issued on 18APR22, the very beautiful sheet encapsulating one 1,65€ stamp is dedicated to the Great Organ of the cathedral that is at present being restored following the unfortunate fire of 2019.

The main Organ of Notre Dame was completed in 1867 and it shares the title of  biggest musical instrument of France with the organ of the Sainte Eustache Church, also in Paris, both instruments having more the 8000 tubes each. 

Of note is the fact that prior to the fire, every Sunday afternoon, the great organ could be played by anyone who wished to do so, although the waiting list ran into more than two years.

Luckily, the organ was not touched by the fire, and was dismantled for a complete overhauling, and should be back to its former glory before 2024.

The 1,43 €stamp is also a very recent stamp, having been issued on 11ABR22, as a single stamp issue honouring  Henri Rouart, 1833-1912, whom, I read, besides having made a name in the art world as one of the main names behind the impressionist movement, both as a painter and collector and also as a patron, is also connected to the history of the French mail service, since he invented a network of pneumatic tubes for message distribution in Paris, that ran from 1866 to 1984, just shy of the centennial celebration... The importance of this network was such that on its heyday it ran for 427 km of pipes below the streets of Paris, through the sewage channels, with a total of 130 offices.

Rouart was a close friend of Edgar Degas, another of the great impressionists, who painted his portrait which was now used for the evocative stamp.

. 

 COVER N.108 - POLAND

Postmark: Special Commemorative Postmark #SOLIDARNIzUKRAINA - MИ З BAMИ (Solidarity with Ukraine, we are with you) 21-04-22
Posted on the 21th April; received on the 3rd May 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

In times such as those we ungratefully and ungracefully go through at present, solidarity takes on a concrete and pragmatic meaning and it comes as no surprise that stamps translate this stance. 

Thank you so much, Roman, for this beautiful cover with special cancellation.

Ever since the Russian leadership decided to invade Ukraine, initiating a totally unjustifiable war that has already caused a number of deaths that is unknown but is suspected to go at least into the tens of thousands, Poland, one of its EU neighbours has been at the forefront of the Union's efforts to receive and accommodate all those, especially women and children, fleeing the horror that unfolded over their once peaceful dwellings. 

This much needed solidarity, has meant that millions of innocent people have found at least a safe haven where they can walk with their heads high without fearing that a bullet, shrapnel, a mine, a  torturer or a rapist might find and harm them.

This is the same solidarity that some have missed in the past, though... after all, the world is but one and the bullets bit just as hard in Kiev as in Alepo or Kabul or  any of the other not so mediatic places of human conflict, but seeing it materialise so strongly here is encouraging,  to say the least.

Times like these are prone to foster pride, of all sorts: personal, if you're involved like many Polish people gracefully are; professional, if you belong to any of the professions more involved with the effort, like  health and social care professionals; national, if your country, as a whole, is doing so much to help.

Pride translates easily into symbols, and that's what the S tariff stamp issued on the 23rd March on my cover is about: two arms painted in the national colours of Poland and Ukraine shake hands... "We are with you" legend: strong image, nothing more needs saying.

(as a side note I should emphasize that pride, nationalism, symbols are not a risk free equation, though. Let's take a pure fictional example: one country invades another crying out that the soldiers of the latter are extreme right radicals.... with its action, they turn the object of its action into heroes and martyrs.... heros and martyrs are the staple of symbols... hmmmm, clever move, to say the least...)

The A tariff stamp on the cover was issued on 02MAY2018 and with its "My homeland" theme is a worthy companion, if anything but for semiotic reasons, to the "we are with you" stamp, 

COVER N.107 - JAPAN

Postmark: First Day of Issue Postmark: Philately Week 04-04-20 (Japanese date system) / Shizuoka - Japan 20-04-22 (Western date system)
Posted on the 20th April; received on the 29th April 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

A beautiful FDC from Japan. Thank you so much, Fumiaki!

I had to go and look, because I was confused by the several postmarks on the stamps. I couldn't make out the different dates, until I remembered (fx: sound of slap on forehead): the Japanese  Calendar is not the same as ours! Even though the days and months follow our pattern, we are now in year 4 of the Reiwa era, hence the 4.4.20, on the postmarks that cancel the stamps.

The FDC carries two of the three84 Yen  stamps issued on 04APR22, to celebrate Philately Week 2022.

Not familiar with the concept I did a bit of searching and came across an article in a philatelic e-magazine which mentions that the Japanese  Philately Week dates back to 1947 when it was created by the Ministry of Communications with the aim of promoting the dissemination of Japan's culture through philately.  I also learned there that the paintings depicted in the 2 stamps are, respectively:

-  Woman Exhaling Smoke from a Pipe, by  Kitagowa Utamaro 

-  Actor Ichikawa Ebizo in the Role of Takemura Sadanoshin  by Toshusai Sharaku 

According to the Postmark, the FDC was sent from the city of Shizuoka, the capital of the Prefecture with the same name, in the Island of Honshu.

COVER N.106 - JAPAN

Postmark: Shinagawa - Japan - 20.04.22 
Posted on the 20th April; received on the 29th April 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

More mail coming in from Japan. A very clean but just as nice cover with one of the latest stamps issued in commemoration of the International Letter week.

And it just had to happen... That I remember, since I started my blog, this is the first time I received a cover with the main stamp being a duplicate of another I have received previously.  Of course the sender had nothing to do with it and I am delighted with his cover just the same, it's just another curio for the record. 

Thanks a lot Tetsuo. Beautiful clean cover and thanks too for the goodies inside!

The stamp being a duplicate, I'll also duplicate what I've written before :-):

Tetsuo used one stamp of the five stamp set (denominated at 7, 70, 90, 110 and 130 Yen) issued on 08OCT2021 to celebrate the International Letter Writing Week, thus continuing a long standing tradition of the Japanese Post of celebrating this event with the emission of a stamp set.

The international Letter Writing week takes its roots in the 14th Congress of the Union Postale Universelle, held in Ottawa, Canada, when the following recommendation wad adopted by its members:

“The Fourteenth Congress of the Universal Postal Union urges all member countries of the Union to consider the possibility of making the week in which 9 October falls [International Postal Day] International Letter Writing Week. It expressed the formal opinion that the United Nations and specialized agencies, whose aims and objects coincide with those to be achieved by the said International Week, should assist effectively in introducing it. “quote taken from https://stampaday.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/world-post-day-international-letter-writing-week/"

The Japanese 2021 International letter writing week stamp set honours none other than the great Japanese master of the woodblock printing technique Katsushika Hokusai, the stamps reproducing five of its many masterpieces. The one on the 110 Yen stamp on my cover is called "Across the Tatekawa and Honjo District"

The postmark indicates that the letter was mailed from the city of Shinagawa,  a ward of the city of Tokyo, that had a population of about 380,000 in 2016.

 COVER N.105 - PALAU

Postmark:  - ROP Philatelic Office , Koror, PW 08-04-22 / Honolulu HI 967 18-04-22 

Posted on the 8th April  received on the 26th April 2022

__________________________________________________________________________________

Second cover I got from the Republic of Palau, and I was not at all waiting for it, so it came as a great surprise. Thanks a lot Stephen.

Let me quote from a Nat Geo article I read on the Portuguese Nat Geo website:

"Approximately two years ago, Palau officialy designated some 500 thousand km2 of its maritime territory as protected marine reserve, where no fishing or extractive activities are allowed. The reserve became the sixth largest of the type at worldwide level - the island of Palau is smaller than the city of New York and, on the other hand, the country's protected maritime area is larger than the state of California"

The article goes on to say that the reserve proved its worth and that biomass in it was twice that of the unprotected areas.

This is the kind of news that makes you believe there is still hope for mankind, in spite of the constant reminders that it just might not be that way, if we as a species are not able to deal with our own creations ... a capital bombed when the Secretary General of the UN was visiting it; temperatures running into the 50ºs C in India and Pakistan; a country in the hands of a bunch of alienated people who prohibit  music and education, and the list goes on, and on...

further down the article states:

Palau relies, to a great measure, on an healthy marine ecosystem. It has one of the highest biodiversity rates in the whole world and  a significant part of its economical revenues are generated by environmental tourism.

Hail Palau! let your success be the success of us all.

In a country so deeply dependent on nature, it is no great wonder that a lot of its stamp emissions are centred on fauna, flora and scenery (although you can find a lot of stamps one other themes not so easy to correlate, like Elvis....) even if not always local.

I can't resist mentioning something I noticed when researching for these lines:

in 2020, Palau issued two souvenir sheets dedicated to butterflies. they feature each 4 stamps, the butterflies being identified by legends as the same on each block, that is to say, there would be 2 photographs of each butterfly species, one in each block. so far so good, but....

One of the species featured is the Pieris rapae, the well known cabbage butterfly, but in one of the blocks the image is not of this species but of another member of the Pieridae family, probably the Euchloe crameri, and this I am 100% positive, because both species are common around here, and I've photographed them.

Euchloe crameri

Pieris rapae

Anyway, it can happen to the best, and I suspect that the second "corrected" souvenir sheet was issued to replace the first, but then there would be no point in replacing all the other photos... anyone knows anything about this?

Stamps on the cover, left to right

The second stamp emission after Palau's independence that ocurred in 1983, was of a block of four 20 Cent stamps, issued on 16MAY1983, dedicated to the Birds of Palau.

One of them is that on my cover, with the illustration of a Palau Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus pelewensis), the national bird of the country, endemic and common, and an absolute smasher in terms of beauty. 

I could not find any information on the 22 Cent stamp dedicated to the UN International Year of Peace, but I'm sure it is a rather recent item. The stamp is illustrated with a classic scene .. a propeller of a WW2 aircraft surrounded by colourful fish  of the kind we'd expect to see in Palau's waters.

the 44 C stamp pair is part of a block of four issued on 19FEB1988, dedicated to "Ground Dwellers". the lovely illustrations are of the Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus)on the leftside stamp and of the Buff-banded Rail (Rallus philippensis), on the right side stamp.

The Nankeen Night Heron (Nycticorax caledonicus) like all herons is a member of the Ardeidae family, and it can be found in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Java, New Caledonia, Palau, and the Caroline Islands, Federated States of Micronesia.

The Buff-banded Rail is a small chicken like bird of the ralidae family which is quite common across australasia. 

Both birds have a least concern conservation status in the IUCN classification.

The cover exhibits 2 postmarks, one manual from the philatelic office of Palau in  Koror, and another, machine applied in Honolulu, Hawai, where I presume the cover transited through, (I think I've read it is the USPS that handles Palau's mail).

COVER N.104 - SWEDEN

Postmark:  - ? - 15-04.22 
Posted on the 15th April  received on the 26th April 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

I don't know why, but Sweden is not a country that I would immediately associate with trains, so I went and did some research and ... 15 600kms of train lines in all of Sweden... man, that's quite a lot!

All this was prompted by the cover I received from Sweden this week. Thank you so much Arne!

It struck me a bit odd that the cover would come with this huge label glued onto its face with the words Filatelistämplat Brev, which I would think would translate into Philatelic Letter, This would suposedly be an alert for the post office to handle it with care, but having it glued onto the cover is probably not the best solution. 

Stamps

The main stamps on the cover are a pair form the  five self-adhesive stamps, with no face value,  set issued on 07NOV2019, dedicated to Swedish train stations. The stations depicted on the lovely wintery images are, on the left side stamp, Järle, and on the right side one, Haparanda. 

Czesław Słania, whose century of birth was commemorated last year was the world's most prolific stamp engraver, with over 1000 stamps engraved in exquisitely minute detail for a plethora of postal administration. he also engraved many banknotes including for my own country.

The pair of 25 öre stamps with the effigy of Carl Jonas Love Almqvist were also engraved by him. The set issued on 26SEP1966 comprises also a 1 Krona stamp. 

Carl Jonas Love Almqvist was a writer  and composer, who one could say was in a way an avant la lettre hippie. he led what we could think of as a community fashion according to the principles of Jean Jacques Rousseau for a couple of years and in his works he questions morality, conventional marriage, sex orientation, Lutheranism... this might not sound that strange but takes a completely new meaning if we consider that Almqvist lived  between 1793 and 1886.

 COVER N.103 - JAPAN

Postmark: ? - Japan - 12.04.22 (?)
Posted on the 12th April (?); received on the 20th April 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

I like to receive mail from Japan. Not only are the envelopes usually embellished with a fair number of stamps, but also the handwriting on the addresses is, most of the time, quite interesting.

This is one such case. Thank you so much Kanna, for the nice envelope (I think I have already mentioned that I love these classic airmail envelopes...). and postcard (#75). 

 

Kanna being a postcrosser who also collects stamps, was responsive to my request that whenever possible and if it raises no incovenience, postcrossing postcards sent to me be  sent inside an envelope, so that I can put it in my collection.

Stamps left to right.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Probably one of the most splendid pieces of legislation ever written, and  sadly one of the most overlooked....just look back any number of years until the present and I'm sure anyone will always find an example of Human Rights beeing overlooked in favour of Imperialism, xenophobism, nepotism, racism, classism and whatever negative ism you can think of.

For more than 10 years I was reminded of this everyday. I used to work in and office in Lisbon and on my last leg of my way to work, I'd take the underground and would exit at what I consider the most beautiful metro station of all those I ever been to: Parque Station. The vault of the station is completely covered in Portuguese ceramic tiles wherein the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are inscribed. If ever you, my friend, who are kind enough to read these lines, visit Lisbon, do not return home without taking the "Metro" and visiting its stations, quite a museum for the price of a one way ticket. and most especially Parque Station!

- Ten Yen stamp, issued on 10DEC1958, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 - 90 Yen stamp part of the  five stamp set (denominated at 70, 70, 90, 110 and 130 Yen) issued on 09OCT2019 to celebrate the International Letter Writing Week, thus continuing a long standing tradition of the Japanese Post of celebrating this event with the emission of a stamp set.

The international Letter Writing week takes its roots in the 14th Congress of the Union Postale Universelle, held in Ottawa, Canada, when the following recommendation wad adopted by its members:

“The Fourteenth Congress of the Universal Postal Union urges all member countries of the Union to consider the possibility of making the week in which 9 October falls [International Postal Day] International Letter Writing Week. It expressed the formal opinion that the United Nations and specialized agencies, whose aims and objects coincide with those to be achieved by the said International Week, should assist effectively in introducing it. “quote taken from https://stampaday.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/world-post-day-international-letter-writing-week/"

The Japanese 2019 International letter writing week stamps set honours another of the great masters of the woodblock printing technique Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), the stamps reproducing five of its many masterpieces. 

- 10 Yen stamp issued on 01SEP1965 as part of a awareness raising campaign for blood donation, illustrated with a  drop of blood with the image of someone who seems to be ill, inside of it, and a blood collecting mobile unit on the background.

I can't make out the name of the place from where the letter was sent on the postmark, but it is highly likely it came from Tanegashima Island, a toponym that I discover has a firm connection to Portugal.

Tanegashima means a type of firearm that was introduced by the Portuguese in this island  in Japan in 1543 and thus, every July there is a festival celebrating this fact.

Tanegashima is also the location for the headquarters of the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency - JAXA and its rocket launching infrastructures. 

POSTCARD N.75 - JAPAN

Postcrossing postcard sent on  12th April (?); received on the 20th April
Postcard image: lift-off at Tanegashima
______________________________________________________________________________

A Rocket, probably carrying some satellite or some such is launched from the rocket launching pad of the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency - JAXA, in the island of Tanagashima.

The image is quite self-evident, and I have to say I do envy a bit Kanna, who sent me the postcard inside cover #103 and whom I thank for it, for she says she has witnessed this spectacle several times....