COVER N. 290 - UZBEKISTAN

Postmark: O'zbekiston Toshkent 21 15.07.2023

Posted on the 15th July; Received on the 1st August 2023

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The Phantom strikes again... This time, the endless wanderer sent me a great cover from one of the seven neighbouring "stan" countries that are located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan, to me more precise.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Republic which became independent in 1991 and, on its days, one of the countries in the silk road, famous for the many and sometimes majestic mosques of which the gigantic Bibi-Khanym Mosque in Samarkand and the Kalân Mosque in Bukhara, are the most well-known.

Thank you so much, Alex. Thanks to you, another country joins my list!

Stamps left to right:

- In 2023, on various dates, Uzbekistan Post issued a second set of definitives, adding to the set previously issued in 2022, themed on Historical Monuments of Uzbekistan.

This set comprised seven stamps with face values of  100; 600; 1,200; 1,800; 2,100; 5,000 and 5,600 Som.

On the cover there are two stamps from the 2023 issue (100 and 600 Som) featuring images of the Hazrat Khizr Mosque  and the Shoizinda Necropolis, both in  Samarkand, and one from the 2022 issue (1900 som), illustrated with an image of the Sherdor Madrasa, also in Samarkand.

- The President's cup of 1998 was a tennis tournament held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, integrated in the  international series of the ATP tour.

The singles challenge was won by the British player Tim Henman who beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov from Russia, while the doubles challenge went to the all Italian tem of  Stefano Pescosolido and Laurence Tieleman who defeated the Dane/Dutch pair of Kenneth Carlsen and Sjeng Schalken.

Celebrating the event, on 17AUG1998, Uzbekiston Pochtasi issued the 15 Som stamp that can be seen on the cover.

- The Melodies of the East Festival takes place every two years since 1997, in Samarkand. Its goal is to preserve and develop national musical art and it is open to participants from all over the world.

On 15JUL1998, Uzbekiston Pochtasi issued a 15 Som stamp , commemorating this important cultural event.

The very clear postmark indicates that the letter was posted in the country's capital, Tashkent.

COVER N. 289 - FRANCE

Postmark: La Route Napoléon  38 Grenoble - Premier Jour 13.07.2023

Posted on the 13th July; Received on the 26h July 2023

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Following his abdication as emperor and the ascension of Louis XVIII to the throne of France, in 1814 Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to exile to the island of Elba, located midway between continental Italy and Corsica.

His itch for power never subsided though and 9 months and 21 days past the date of his arrival, on the 29th February 1815, the former Emperor, who once had most of Europe in his hands either personally or by proxy, escaped his exile and started an avant la lettre “Long March” which would take him through the Alps, so as to avoiding royalist areas,  from his place of disembarkment  at Golfe-Juan, in the Côte d’Azur,  to Grenoble, where troops, commanded by General Ney, sent to detain and fight him, promptly joined his ranks instead.

He would continue to  Paris, where he would arrive on the 20th march, thereafter launching the campaign that would end with his defeat in the fields of Waterloo, in Belgium, about 100 days later, a prologue to his final exile in Saint Helena, in the middle of the Atlantic, which is almost the same as saying, in the middle of nowhere, so remote was (and still is) its location.

Nowadays, Route Nationale 85 follows much of the same path that Napoleon took between Golfe-Juan and Grenoble; Being officially designated as Route Napoleon, it crosses 4 French depoartments: Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes and Isère.

Highlighting the historic,  cultural, touristic and environmental importance of this particular  itinerary, la Poste issued on 17JUN2023 the amazing souvenir sheet containing three 1,16 Eurostamps that Eric so kindly used on his FDC.

Further to the  map of the road, punctuated with line drawings of several points of interest along the way, the three beautiful stamps showcase the geography and  fauna and flora  of the three departments crossed by the RN85.

So voluminous is the wealth of information contained in this souvenir sheet that I would recommend checking the release notes on La Poste site.

This nowithstanding I can briefly describe the contents of the three stamps:

The first one – according to the direction of the route Napoleon took, i.e, South to North, bottom to top, dedicated to the Cote d’Azur region, is illustrated with drawings of a pointu, a typical boat in use in the region; the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) the most endangered species of vulture in the world and the black olives of the region, protected by a denomination of origin;

The second stamp, dedicated the region of Haute-Provence, showcases the cliffs of Sisteron, that most famous of all Provence plants – the fragrant lavender – and one of my preferred birds, the European bee-eater (Merops apiaster);

The third stamp, dedicated to the Alps,  features the Ecrins Massive, home to the  Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) and the great yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea), all integrated as line drawings.

The pictorial First day cancellation features an image of the RN85 with the legend La Route Napoléon and the identification of the date and place of obliteration, in this case, Grenoble.

COVER N. 288 - GREENLAND

Postmark: 3980 Ittoqqortoormiit 30.06.2023

Posted on the 30th June; Received on the 26h July 2023

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Now this was a great surprise.  A cover as full of interesting stamps, postmark, cachets, signatures as  can only be expected from a letter coming from a truly fascinating place.

Thank you so much, Roland. What a nice addition to the collection.

According to its website the Karupplev Valley Project is a long term German-French scientific project, running under the auspices of the University of Freiburg and the Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Artique, initiated in 1988, with the aim of providing new insights into the processes that govern cyclic fluctuations of lemming populations in high-arctic ecosystems.

Scientific research usually does not come cheap, the more so when carried out in remote and not easy accessible locations, so funding of such long term ventures sometimes calls on the creativity and resilience of those in charge so as to ensure that the future of the project is not compromised.

Well aware of this reality, the Karulev project managers came up with the idea of securing some funding by selling the Project's own covers, adorned with the cachets of the project itself and the year's campaign and the signatures of the project leaders. The covers are then dispatched from Greenland, the place where the field work takes place.

Stamps:

- Between 2018 and 2022, Tusass Greenland issued yearly souvenir sheets with a two stamp set dedicated to "Fish in Nordic Waters".

The 11.50 Krone stamp is part of the 2022 and last issue of this sets and is illustrated with the image of  one of the most famous nordic fishes, the Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus).  The companion stamp to this set, with a face value of 16.00 Krone, was the equally abundant and well known Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus).

- As far as I understand, from 1927 to 1967 Greenlanders had access to a savings scheme that entailed the acquisition of coupons (stamps) to be collected on a savings book that once completed could be redeemed. The System would later include a School savings programme that run from 1957 to 1976.

As a matter of curiosity, I have a faint, (very) idea that there was one such programme here in Portugal too, but I'm not sure at all.

Tusass Greenland  has been issuing  on a yearly basis stamps set with reproductions of these savings stamps. 

The 11.50 Krone stamp was issued on 28FEV2022 as part of a set that comprised another  14.50 Krone stamp, illustrated with reproductions of the 1957 School savings stamps.

The envelope features on the top left corner the cachet of the Karuplev Valley project, the cachet of the 2023 expedition being placed under it.

COVER N. 287 - CHINA

Postmark: Concepcion  - ? -  29.06.23

Posted on the 26th June; Received on the 26h July 2023

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One the pleasures of hobbies is exchanging with other hobbyists around the world. Depending on your hobby of choice exchanges can be physical, as for instance in the case of collection oriented hobbies such as the one that occupies these posts, or immaterial, focusing on opinions or experiences, as in hobbies with a less tangible nature, like writing or photography.

As such, every once in a while I get a request from a fellow collector asking for a swap of stamps or covers and I, of course, always try to correspond, since I too have requested the same from others without ever having been let down.

So when a fellow Chinese collector asked for a swap I promptly agreed and as a result I have been able to add a few beautiful Chinese fauna stamps to my small collection.

The best thing is that in order to send the stamps you have to send a letter, and a letter needs stamps, so swapping it is always a very productive task, form the hobby fundamentals standpoint   😀

So thanks a lot Ruinam for the letters and the much appreciated stamps.

- On 16JUN2013 China Post issued a six 1.20 Yuan stamp set plus a one 6 Yuan stamp souvenir sheet featuring images of bronze buddhist statues. The first two stamps on the cover are part of this set and they feature two Bodhisattvas: Guanyin and Ksitigarbha, respectively.

According to wikipedia, a bodhisattva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood, Guanvin being a feminine figure associated with compassion and Kṣitigarbha a bhuddist monk.

On 20MAR2017, China Post issued a 4 stamp set  (2 x 1.20 + 1.50 Yuan) illustrated with paintings  celebrating "The Seasons". 

The two 1.50 Yuan stamps used on the cover were dedicated to winter and autumn.

The postmark is illegible, with the exception of the date of posting.

COVER N. 286 - CHILE

Postmark: Concepcion  - Centro (?) - Caja 1 (?) 15.06.23

Posted on the 15th June; Received on the 26h July 2023

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It is always a joy to open the letterbox to find mail from abroad in it. But I have to confess that to get a letter stamped with Christmas themed stamps in the middle of a scorching summer as the one we are all going through this year is rather strange...and yet, in the Southern Hemisphere it is winter time so I guess it all makes sense, after all  😀

Thank you so much Gonzalo, and if you don't mind me saying... Feliz Navidad 😀

No less than two Christmas stamps form different issues and a stamp featuring two truly splendid birds are included in the cover which also features a quite flashy air mail sticker as is the norm with the Chilean letters I have received.

so, from Left to right, as usual:

- Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas), so reads the legend on the 2021 Christmas stamp issue of Correos Chile, which began to circulate in December 2021, illustrated with a drawing of the man in red busy at work in what I think is a Correios Chile mail distribution scooter.

- Chile's independence from Spain, auto-declared in 1810, was first acknowledged by the United States in 1822 and in 1823 President James Monroe named Heman Allen as Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to Chile, thus starting a solid diplomatic relationship that would endure to this day, 200 years past,  flourishing even when the country was governed by a brutal dictator responsible for the torture and death of thousands of Chilean citizens.

On 21JUL2023, Correos Chile issued the 550 Pesos stamp on the cover, celebrating the 200 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries which are symbolized  by their national birds, the Bald eagle, for the USA and the Andean condor for Chile, under the motto "Socios para un Futuro Mejor" (Partners for a Better Future).

On the background of the Stamp parabolic dishes  and a mountain range might be an evocation of the several radio telescope facilities existing in the Chilean Andes, but I am not sure about this. The base of the stamp features the name of both countries Chile and EE UU drawn in the colours of the respective flags.

Under the Condor and over the mountains there are two semi-circles with what I think is also a legend, but the characters are so tiny they just can't be read, not even with a magnifier.

- Merry Christmas is again the message on the 2022 Christmas stamp issue, in use since December 2022, featuring two families silhouetted against the light produced by a Christmas tree, quite different from our Northern hemisphere conifers that are usually used for this purpose.

The Postmark hails from Concepción, the third most populous city of the country, after the Capital Santiago and Valparaíso.

COVER N. 285 - FRANCE

Postmark: Bureau Philatélique Lyon 69 Lyion Bellecour 10.07.23

Posted on the 10th July; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Notre Dame and its treasures... a loud one, this time.

The "Bourdon", the lowest note of the carillon, corresponding to the biggest bell.

That of the carillon of Notre Dame answers by the name of Emmanuel, as bestowed upon it by its godfather, Le Roi Soleil, Louis XIV.

Last cast in 1680, with an astounding  base diameter of 2.62 metres and a thickness of 2cm, the vibration of its 21 tons of solid bronze when it by the 500 kg hammer (light, isn't it?) produces an F sharp, just the right note to tickle the fancy of its bourdon companion, Marie, last cast in 1472, with whom it shares the South Tower.

Of note is the fact that the bells have been regularly recast, (to ensure their longevity? tuning?) and one could also note that Emmanuel is a transbourdon, since it began its career as Jaqueline, when it was first cast in the 14th century.

As a sad note, I read yesterday that the person in charge of the management of the reconstruction of this most iconic of all French Cathedrals, General Jean-Louis Georgelin,  has passed away due to an accident while trekking in the Pyrenees.

I am sure that when Emmanuel sounds again, it will do so in his memory!

Associating itself to the reconstruction campaign and calling on the attention of the public in general and of philatelists in particular, to the works in progress that are set to be completed by 2024,  La Poste inaugurated, on 17JUL2020, an annual stamp series, that will run during the period 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 international letter base tariff at the time of issuing.

So far, four of these beautiful souvenir sheets have been issued and I am lucky to examples of all four thanks to the generosity of French fellow collectors.

The 2020 issue can be seen here

the 2021 issue can be seen here.

the  2022 issue can be seen here  or here.

COVER N. 284 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Head Quarters P. O. Colombo - Mail - 30.06.23

Posted on the 30th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Second Cover from Sri Lanka and a full set of Lighthouse stamps, one of the thematic philatelists most beloved themes, I believe. Thanks a lot, Ravindra!

What is not to like about lighthouses? the sight of their unmistakable presence at capes and harbours is one of the images that always fascinates me whenever I am in their territory.  

Maybe it's the unconscious awareness of their function...we all look for guidance some way of the other, even if we are not sailors trying to reach a shore or  to avoid its perils in the obscure hours when the sun chooses to illuminate others opposite us.... maybe it's just the aesthetic appeal of their  shape and figure, sometimes even accentuated by high visibility marks that make them stand out even more against the horizon line, for the benefit of  creatures that fly, like pilots and gulls..., maybe it's the romantic aura of the life of the Lighthouse keeper, left alone, tasked with ensuring the lights are lit, while the storm braves outside, maybe it's their being vigorous and immensely erect phalluses, ejaculating light into the night, the uterus of the universe..., maybe it's just their "outofplaceness", after all they stand much taller than anything around them... maybe it's all of the above plus any other reason one might find...

I love them! That's all.

Stamps. left to right:

- World Children's day is celebrated each year on the 20th November, the day when  the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.

Suffice to say that between what's written and universally accepted in the text of the Declaration an the Convention and the tangible conditions wherein millions of children actually live, there's much more than an ocean, still, progress has been made  and will, hopefully, continue to be made, in spite of civilisational  regression brought about by wars or incomprehensible, obnoxious and unjustifiable decisions such as the ones imposed by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, regarding access to education by girls of all ages.

Celebrating World Children's Day 2022, Sri Lanka Post issued a 50 Rupee stamp on 01OCT2022, illustrated with a drawing with several children doing what they do best, which is having fun playing together.

- On 26OCT2018, Sri Lanka Post issued the four  45 Rupee stamp set themed on lighthouses that Ravindra used on this cover. Of note is the fact that the four stamps were also issued as individual souvenir sheets.

The Sri Lankan lighthouses depicte in the very nice paintings are (l to r): Point Pedro, Batberyn, Galbokka Point and  Oluvil.

Again, the Postmark informs us that the letter was mailed from the country's economic capital, Colombo.

COVER N. 283- SRI LANKA

Postmark: Head Quarters P. O. Colombo - Mail - 30.06.23

Posted on the 30th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Sri Lanka, Ceilão (Ceylon)  as it used to be called when I first learned about it, or Tapobrana as Camões, our national Poet called it in his monumental epopee "os Lusíadas". Another country joins the list and this time with two entries in a row. Thank you so much, Ravindra.

I have to confess my ignorance regarding Sri Lanka's culture and the facts that I do come up with when I try to invoke my inherent data bank are not the kind of news that any country would like to be talked about for: civil war  between Tamil and Sinhalese and the horrific Tsunami of 2004.  Hopefully both are bad stories of the past although, in later years, again, social unrest caused by a pressured economy have made it to the news on TV all around the world,  but I do hope that Sri Lanka may find its way and prosper in peace for the benefit of all its citizens.  

Vesak is the most important Buddhist holiday, celebrating the birth, enlightenment (Nibbāna), and passing (Parinirvāna) of  Buddha.

Honouring this celebration, which is particularly relevant in Sri Lanka given that Buddhism is the creed of 70% of its population, Sri Lanka Post has issued on 04MAY2023 a three 50 Sri Lankan Rupee set illustrated with images of temples and a procession, all associated with the Vesak Festival, I presume.

The stamps were also issued integrated in a souvenir sheet and, further to the three, a fourth 50 Rupee stamp, also dedicated to the Vesak festival, illustrated with a painting of a procession, was equally issued on the same date.

Left to right, the temples depicted in the colourful stamps are  are:

The Thinipitiya Viharaya at Madampe;

The Sri Nagarama Purana Viharaya at Mahawewa;

The Paramakanda Raja Maha Viharaya at Anamaduwa.

Besides the identification of the temples, the stamps contain a legend with the name of the State  written in Sinhala - ශ්‍රී ලංකා - and Tamil - இலங்கை, - the official languages  and English - Sri Lanka - defined as the Link language.

Of note is also the fact that the year indication also shown on the stamps is that of the Buddhist calendar in use in Sri Lanka - 2567, corresponding to 2023 in  the Gregorian calendar.

The letter was mailed from Colombo, the country's capital, as indicated by the Postmark.

COVER N. 283- CABO VERDE

Postmark: Correios de Cabo Verde - Agência de S. Filipe / Correios de Cabo Verde  - ?? Praia Postal  07.06.23

Posted on the 6th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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A second cover sent by Marta on the same day, just to check what stamps were on offer at the local Post Office.

On the left a 5 CV Escudos stamp, part of a 6 stamp (5; 10; 20; 40; 60; 1000 CVE) set + 1 stamp souvenir sheet (150  CVEsc.) issued in 2011, dedicated to local avian fauna and flora. 

The bird depicted is what is known locally as "Passarinha" (little she bird). The Halcion leucocephala,  grey headed kingfisher, is a quite colorful and flashy bird, like all kingfishers, which has a large African distribution encompassing tropical and semi-tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

And what better stamp to put on a letter mailed from the Island of Fogo than one depicting the reason for the Island's Toponym?

The Pico do Fogo Volcano is the active type and I remeber seeing on TV images of the destruction it caused during its last eruption in 2014, the 27th since 1500.

On 04JUL2007, Correios de Cabo verde isued a 4 stamp set (10; 50; 55; 60 CVE) dedicated to this particular volcano, with images of a previous eruption (probably that of 1995).

As with the other letter Marta sent, the stamps are cancelled with the Corporative mark of the Postal Company, the back of the envelope exhibiting a normal postmark from Praia, Santiago Island.

COVER N. 282- CABO VERDE

Postmark: Correios de Cabo Verde - Agência de S. Filipe / Correios de Cabo Verde  - ?? Praia Postal  07.06.23

Posted on the 6th June; Received on the 14th July 2023

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Cape Verde... my "place of conception"... I wonder if by some mysterious osmotic mechanism, places may enter into your genetic stream somehow, for wind, lava, sea and  sand seem to melt into a distant and never ending blue horizon line that has shined over  the most happy days of my transit through our beloved planet.

Not that I  remember much of my first four years of existence spent in the island of Sal. In fact, all I recollect is an episode that could have been the last of the very short series, which I have already narrated here, but years later I would cut the soles of my feet in lava paths, on my way to the blue of the Azorean waters where I would go spear fishing, or manoeuvre a home made kite in the gusty wind or just wind the day away in the white sand beach (a precious rarity in the Azores) of Praia Formosa in Santa Maria island, and I'd feel - as I still do - that those were my elements, the roots that connect me to the soil I've been part of and to which I'll some day return.

I have visited a few Islands in my days, some large, some small, but I've always felt at home in them. It's the eternal and unavoidable presence of the sea, I guess: the luminous white highlights of spray and foam contrasting deep against the undertones of rocks and stones... and its smell..., the life-giving odour of salt and iodine and seaweed and then the colour gradient that erases a soft turquoise into the deepest ultramarine blue as the depth of the waters increases.....

I have to discuss this empirical genetics theoretical hypothesis  with my daughter Marta, within a week or so, when she returns from the Island of Fogo, in Cape Verde,  where she is at present for professional reasons. Have to ask her if she didn't feel that somehow, without ever having been there, she felt in some way at home.... or maybe I'd better not.... she has lived all her life in the city....her DNA must be more inclined to fossil fuels and concrete  than to seaweed and salty winds, no matter what links of the chain my personal heritage have influenced ...., 

One thing is certain, I would not let her go to Cape Verde without begging her to go to the post office and mail a few envelopes to daddy and friends, even though daddy's affection for stamped envelopes is regarded by her as another of the old man excentricities....

With the help of Eric, one of the honoris causa members of this blog, a small stash of envelopes was prepared and handed to Marta with intructions regarding the absolute need of having the envelopes postmarked upon expedition, since I did not want to run the same risk I ran when she went to São Tomé and the envelopes were all returned without cancellations.

She was really keen on having things done right this time and she even phoned me from the post ofice to make sure.

The result?

Thank you so much, Marta, dear daughter, for the time and effort. The old one (and I'm sure his friends also) was quite happy to receive the very spiffy letters you sent on your day off.

Cape Verde has been participating ininterruptively in the Summer Olympics since 1996. In the 2004 Edition, the Cape Verdean delegation comprised three athletes who would defend the coulours of the country in Athletics (Marathon), Boxing and Rhytmic Gymnastics.

Celebrating the Olympics and its Athletes, the Correios de Cabo Verde issued a three stamp set (10, 60; 100 Cape Verdean Escudos) on 13AUG2004, two of which can be seen on the cover.   Oddly enough, although being de facto represented in the Boxing discipline, one of the three stamps issued is illustrated with the image of a Taekwondo combat, a discipline that would see a Cape Verdean athlete Competing but in 2016...

The cancelations on this cover are quite interesting, since the stamps were postmarked with what looks like the corporative  stamp of the Agency of São Filipe, Island of Fogo, that in place of the date mark includes the logo of the Postal Company - Correios de Cabo Verde S.A.

On the back of the envelope, though, there is a "regular" cancelation postmark issued at Cidad da Praia, Island of Santiago, wherefrom the letters were sent to their final destination, I presume. 

 COVER N. 278 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 Clamecy - Nièvre 05.07.2023 

Posted on the 5th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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About time I resume normal activity here on my cover and postcard collecting blog, after some pretty joyful and agreeable days travelling through places I had never been before.

And while I travelled, my friend Mr. Postman kept dropping mail into my letterbox, so to the significant stash of covers I had left at home to post here on the blog I was very pleased to add quite a few more upon returning.... looks like I will not be impaired on my posting by lack of subject matter in the coming weeks....

I have to confess that no day passed while I was abroad that I didn't think about that truly anticipated moment in the morning when, outside, the noise of an idling motorcycle engine by my door indicates that mail is being delivered, but reality exceed my best expectations so it will be a long time before I get up do date with all the covers and postcards I received. 

So without further ado, let's start with a  cover I received more than a month ago with some very interesting stamps on the outside and a couple of truly interesting aviation related FDCs inside.

Thank you so much Jean-Pierre! Truly appreciated!

Stamps left to right

Stamps are privileged billboards for showcasing a country's achievements, history, places, heroes, villains... in one word: culture.

So it comes as no surprise that art and artists  has been a preety recurrent theme for stamp issues all over the world.

- The first stamp on the cover, with  a face value of 1 Franc,  dates back to 22FEB1969 and although having been issued as a standalone stamp  is part of a series dedicated to French Art that ran for some years, while I was coming out of infancy into youth, I notice, so quite a few years ago 😀

It is illustrated with an image of one of the Bas-reliefs located at the base of the right portal of the main façade of the Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens (Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens), according to the information available at "Les Timbre de France" website, dating back to the beginning of the 13th century.

The bas-relief series is dedicated to the Zodiac and the Seasons and the image on the stamp is that of an old man by the fire, evocative of winter.

- According to Wikipedia, Jean Hay, known as le Maitre de Moulins lived between 1475 and 1505,  and was "an early Netherlandish painter"  who lived and worked in France.

His is the painting illustrating the second stamp on the cover, entitled "Pierre II, Duc de Bourbon, Presented by St Peter" is part of a triptych executed by the master in 1492-93.

The 2 Franc stamp was issued on 14OCT1972.

- France's administrative regions have also featured in several  stamp issues. The 2,80 Franc stamp dedicated to the Region of Nord-Pas.de-Calais, issued on 13DEC1975, is part of one such series which ran from 1975 to 1984.

- The Abbaye de Fontvraud, whose first structures date back to the early 12th century and wherein some rather prominent  members of the Anglo-French royalty, namely Richard I, the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine were interred is the subject of the 1,70 Franc stamp issued on 03JUN1978.

- Millau, a commune of the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region in Southern France is the subject of the 3 Franc stamp issued on 15MAR1997. 

Of note is the fact that Millau has its own dialect, the Rouergat, a variation of the Occitan idiom.

The stamp is illustrated with images of the Bellfry of Millau, on the left, the church of  Notre-Dame-de-l'Espinasse (on the right) and of the Gorges du Tarn (Tarn canyon) in the background.

- Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette,  (1873-1954), or simply Colette, as she would forever be remembered, was a multifaceted artist. 

Although being better known as a writer, she was also an actress, a mime and a journalist. She was also a member and President of the Académie Goncourt and one of the nominees for the Nobel prize of Literature in 1948, which ended up being awarded to the poet T.S. Elliot.

The 0,50 + 0,10 Franc stamp featuring her portrait was issued on 01JUN1972.

- The coat of arms of the city of Niort, located  in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Centre west of France,  illustrates the 0,01 Franc stamp that was issued on 27JAN1964 as part of the French Cities Coat of Arms series that ran for several years.

- The postage on the cover is rounded up by one last 3.80 Franc Marianne du 14 Juillet stamp, issued on 14JUL1997.

The postmark indicates that the cover was mailed posted at Clamecy, a city of the Nièvre Department, in Central France.

 

COVER N. 281 - FRANCE

Postmark: Festivals de Méditerranée - Arles Les recontres de Photographie  - Premier Jour - Euromed Postal  07.07.23

Posted on the 7th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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My first multiple.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I received two Les Rencontres de Photographie d'Arles Euromed FDCs, for which I  could not be more thankful to Eric and Pierre.

Not wanting to repeat myself, I'll just note, à propos the cover Eric so kindly surprised me with, that, in a way, even though it is a duplicate cover, it is quite singular.

In fact, even if marred by an unnecessary double obliteration, it was applied upside down over the commemorative postmark, and not over the stamp.

Quite unique....☺

The 2023 theme for the Euromed common issue being Mediterranean Festivals, La Poste chose this important artistic event to showcase on the very nice 1,80 stamp issued on 07JUL2023, that constitutes the French emission and which Eric and Pierre so kindly sent me as FDCs.

Thanks a lot!

COVER N. 280 - FRANCE

Postmark: Festivals de Méditerranée - Arles Les recontres de Photographie  - Premier Jour - Euromed Postal  07.07.23

Posted on the 7th July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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I have to say that the first thing I think about at the mention of Arles, is Van Gogh's ear, and this because of a beautiful poem by Portuguese poet Reinaldo Ferreira, called Rosie, which I've known by heart since I was a kid, that manages to bring into the train of thought of  someone who, "nauseated and drunk" speaks silently to Rosie, his friend or lover.

But Arles is not famous only for being the place where the great painter who never lived to see the recognition he totally deserved, in a gesture of despair and anger fuelled by an altercation with his friend Gauguin, mutilated himself. The "Rencontres de Photographie", first organised in 1970 by local photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier and historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette. and since them taking place every year in the summer,  have earned a well aknowledged place at world level for all those interested in this form of artistic expression.

The 2023 theme for the Euromed common issue being Mediterranean Festivals, La Poste chose this important artistic event to showcase on the very nice 1,80 stamp issued on 07JUL2023, that constitutes the French emission and which Pierre and Eric so kindly sent me as FDCs.

Thanks a lot!

COVER N. 279 - CROATIA

Postmark: Hrvatska Posta P1405  03.07.2023 

Posted on the 3rd July; Received on the 11th July 2023

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A distinctive feature of cover collecting is the fact that one can count on the help of friends and relatives to increase one's collection, given that a visit to a post office while abroad is not, most of the times, something that will either take too much time or be in any other way too inconvenient..

So, whenever I get the chance within my family nucleus, I always pester wife and daughters, begging for their help.

My wife went to Croatia some time ago for professional reasons, so I immediately prepared a cover and asked her to pass by the post office if she had the time.

Unfortunately, she didn't, but she passed my request to a kind colleague of hers, who went through the trouble of buying the stamps and posting the envelope. I could not be more thankful for such a nice and generous gesture. 

Thanks a lot, Andrea!

The Croatian war of Independence, which marked the beginning of the several secessionist conflicts that would bring about the need to revise the Balkanic atlas after a decade of brewing up in Yugoslavia after Tito's death, took place between 1991 and 1995.

The conflict opposed Croatian units to the Yugoslav army and local Serb forces, and besides causing an estimated 20.000 military dead on both sides,  was also at the root of the displacement of several thousand civilians. The former opponents are now at peace, but as usual with wars, and particularly civil wars, the ugly scars that were left will take time to fully heal...

Honouring the Croat forces that participated in the conflict, Hrvastka Post issued between 2017 and 2020 a series of stamps evocative of the involved Croat units, decorated with the badges of the pertinent unit against a camouflaged "fabric" background.

On my cover Andrea used one such stamp from the 2020 issue - which comprised four 8,60 Kuna stamps and began to circulate on 11MAR2020 -  dedicated to the 5th Guards Brigade - Sokolovi, The Falcons, I believe.

Andrea completed the postage with a 0,56 € label, on which the place of expedition - Zlatar Bistrica, is clearly identifiable, thus adding to the cover another interesting element as two currencies were used on the same postal object.

As a side note, this year I'm planning to finally bring to life a project that has been with me for decades. That is, to walk the Portuguese Coastal Caminho de Santiago between Porto and the Praza do Obradoiro, in Santiago.

Knowing this, and having been at a church which is in the Santiago way that runs through Croatia (something I didn't even know it existed), my wife had the back of the envelope stampmarked with the church stamp, another great touch to the cover! Thanks Francisca!