Buen Camino! - a  Philatelic Camino de Santiago 

Will I make it to the end? 

That was the question that kept popping up in my mind for quite a number of years. I knew for sure  I would try it sometime, but now that finally, after years, decades, of waiting, I was all set up and ready to go, I was infested with doubt. After all, age (and with it, health) is not only experience, and one's physical ability tends to decrease in time, not the other way round.

On the other hand, I was quite confident. I felt prepared. I had been training for it, for some time. in recent years, especially during the pandemic period, I took to the habit of walking daily a number of kilometres and I had done long stretches without feeling overwhelmed by it... but then there was the weight of the backpack... so I did a few walks fully laden just to see how hard it would be and these too did not prove insurmountable, so prospects looked not that bad.

Walking the Camino de Santiago on one of its many declinations is, as I see it, much more than a religious experience, something that for me means absolutely nothing, since I'm a hard-line agnostic. in fact, I was told that statistics show that religion motivates but 40% of the total of hikers that take the path to the magnificent cathedral that lies at its end. 

The routes of the apostle are probably some of the most celebrated and sought after walking destinations in Europe and I am sure there are as many reasons for doing it as  the number of persons that increasingly take to one of them to complete it.

I wanted to do it alone. For a number of reasons. I don't deny there is a spiritual dimension involved here, since when walking alone one is prone to reflection and contemplation, two things I do often indulge in, but first and foremost, walking in a group, and especially larger groups can be very distracting and even tiring. I like to hear the world, when I walk, and not what others are talking about. I rather listen to the bees, birds, the wind on the foliage, the streaming of water... I find the voice of nature a perfect polyphonic soundtrack for one to match one's own pace to it. And then there's the question of rhythm. Every walker has it own, and keeping pace with others can be much more tiring than walking at your own pace and rhythm.

The decision was therefore taken to do it solo, on one of the easiest routes, I hear, and one of the latest to be certified (2022) although it has been acknowledged  for some years now; the Portuguese Coastal Way, in the variant that connects Portugal to Spain at  Caminha, in the mouth of the Minho river.

Memorable  events deserve... memories; ways to somehow keep them for the future  in something more physical than one's own ROM, volatile as it can be, as we all know... so I would never leave home without a little notebook to keep my journey's log, and which now is a much precious souvenir of the 13 days I spent walking. But I also saw the opportunity for creating an exclusive philatelic memento of the journey. With this in mind, I decided I would send each day home a cover from the place I would end the day's leg, collecting on each envelope the stamps that are also collected in the Pilgrim's credential to later certify the effective completion of the journey, and thus obtain the Compostela, the official certificate of pilgrimage.

So I scrounged the internet looking for graphic elements to compose a nice envelope which I then printed in multiple copies (not as many as I would like, for any gram counted....), and once on the way,  posting the cover was the fifth (sometimes forth) most important step of my daily routine, after lodging; showering; washing my clothes and eating.

To improve diversity, I tried to obtain different stamps for each cover, and not only was I successful in this endeavor, but I could also find a stamp, albeit self-adhesive, dedicated to the Way of Saint James, which I used on my last cover, as a perfect epilogue to it all.

I was absolutely elated to realise upon my return that all the covers made it home, so I couldn't help but sharing them here on my humble blog:

Maybe they'll inspire someone to follow my footsteps on the Camino... who knows....? If so, let me wish him/her the traditional wish exchanged between those walking the way: Buen Camino!

Cover n. 1 - Posted on the 9th September, for the leg Porto (Porto's Cathedral) - Labruge.

I started the journey on a Saturday, with the post office closed, so I had to put the cover in pillar box at Labruge, hence the mechanical obliteration. The stamp was issued on 27MAY2023 and celebrates the 100 years of the Portuguese National Scouts Corps.

Cover n. 2 - Posted on the 10th September, for the leg Labruge - Póvoa do Varzim.

Same here. A Sunday, and I remember walking an extra 6 km, looking for the post office to drop the letter into the mailbox. The stamp, issued on 12JAN2022, is part of a four stamp set honouring Portuguese personalities who have played important roles in the United Nations Organization, in the case at hand, Diogo Freitas do Amaral, who was UN's General Assembley President for its 50th session, in 1995-1996.

Cover n. 3 - Posted on the 11th September, for the leg Póvoa do Varzim - Esposende.

A week day, so I was able to go for the first time to the post office and actually ask for a hand cancellation, as can be seen on the stamp, part of a set issued on 31MAR2022, devoted to contemporary Portuguese historic and cultural figures. The stamp honours architect Nuno Teotónio Pereira.

Cover n. 4 - Posted on the 12th September, for the leg Esposende - Viana do Castelo.

Again a nice hand applied postmark. The stamp is part of a set celebrating the 175 years of the creation by Queen Maria II in 1846 of the Grémio Literário, an institution devoted to literature and arts, issued on 21APR2022.

Cover n. 5 - Posted on the 13th September, for the leg Viana do Castelo - Caminha,

Another stamp of the set issued on  31MAR2022, devoted to contemporary Portuguese historic and cultural figures, honouring Maria de Lourdes Levy, the second woman to get a PhD in Medicine in

Portugal and an internationally acknowledged epilepsy specialist. 

Cover n. 6 - Posted on the 14th September, for the leg  Caminha - Porto Mougás.

A Guarda, the first town I touched in Spanish Soil, had a post office, and the two ladies there were very friendly in trying to answer my request for 10 different stamps for Europe, which they managed to produce, even if a couple of them were the  self-adhesive type. The post office also had a nice pictorial postmark, which I asked to be stamped on my cover, even if I was not posting it from there.

This was first cover I posted in Spain, and one of the two covers I could not post on the day of the leg, since Porto Mougás is a tiny place without post office or letter box, and on top of it, I stayed at a place some 2,5 km from the main road, up a steep hill. So, even if there was a letter box on the main road below, I don't think I would have the stamina to go down and up hill again just to post the letter. So I just had it cancelled in the first Post Office I found on the way next day, that of the nice town of Baiona.

For my first Spanish cover, I felt it appropriate to use this year's EUROPA issue that began to circulate on Europe's day, 09MAY2023.

Cover n. 7 - Posted on the 15th September, for the leg  Porto Mougás - Sabaris.

Sabaris has no post office too, since it is just a couple of km away from Baiona.  So I just dropped the letter into the pillar box there, using a  stamp issued on 24APR2023, dedicated to the April's Feria of Sevilla, illustrated with the Feria portico.

Cover n. 8 - Posted on the 16th September, for the leg Sabaris - Vigo

A Saturday again, so I dropped the letter into the pillar box I found close to the place I was staying at, in Vigo.

The stamp used was issued on 22JUN2023, as part of a 4 stamp set dedicated to Spanish Museums. It features the Hall of the Basque country Contemporary Art Museum at  Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Cover n. 9 - Posted on the 18th September, for the leg  Vigo - Ramallosa

Ramallosa hid an unpleasant surprise.  Since it was Sunday, I went looking for the Post office hoping to find a letter box there to drop my day cover. I did find the Post Office but strangely there was no letter box or a pillar box in view to drop any letters, I find it completely odd, but in fact I did not find any place to drop the letter off, so I took it with me and had it posted the next day at the Post Office at Arcade, a town I passed along the way. If one looks closely, the postmark from Arcade (rather poorly applied, still has the date of the Friday before, the 15th)

The stamp used was issued on 19APR2023, and it features a detail of the 2005 mural painting by Spanish muralist Jorge Gay (Zaragoza, Aragon, 1950), called El Amor Nuevo (the New Love), which can be seen at the Foundation of the Teruel Lovers, in Teruel.

Cover n. 10 - Posted on the 18th September, for the leg Ramallosa - Pontevedra.

At Pontevedra I finally managed to cancel the stamp with a nice pictorial postmark, with a line view of the City's Cathedral.

I was running out of stamps so I used a self-adhesive stamp issued on 05NOV2021 as part of the two stamp Christmas issue for the year, illustrated with a photo of the monumental nativity scene of the Army, at Burgos, which  celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

Cover n. 11 - Posted on the 19h September, for the leg Pontevedra - Caldas de Reis

The stamps used were sometimes rather large, so I had to glue this one sideways to ensure I would not block off any of the nice stamps I had collected. Themed on Archeology, the stamp was issued on 16JUN2023 and features pictures of mosaics at the Salar Roman Villa, in Granada. 

Cover n. 12 - Posted on the 20th September, for the leg Caldas de Reis - Padrón (Iria Flavia)

At Padrón I was counting on getting a nice pictorial stampmark of the Camino, since I had seen them mentioned on Correos website, but unfortunately I was informed at the Post Office that they were no longer available, so the cover was cancelled with the standard day mark, and afterwards with a mechanical postmark too...

Another stamp of the 2023 museums issue, which began to circulate on 22JUN2023, featuring a photo of the Real Academia de Belas Artes de San Fernando, (Royal Arts Academy of San Fernando) in  Madrid.

Cover n. 13 - Posted on the 21st September, for the final leg, Padrón (iria Flavia) - Santiago de Compostela

The last cover, for which I had saved a self-adhesive stamp dedicated to the Camino de Santiago, issued on 25APR2016, was graced with the nice pictorial cancellation of Santiago de Compostela Post Office, featuring the image of the Cathedral and the stamp of the Cathedral itself, among others.

I had made it after all. and I could not be happier.

Upon entering the Obradoiro square, right in front the cathedral, I finally laid my backpack down, savoured the moment,  asked someone there to please take my mandatory picture with my cellphone and sent the following message to my friends:

That's it... I made it! More than 300 km, 13 days, alone, but for the music of the air and  the rhythm of my boots as they fused with earth, mud, water, sand, grass, dead leaves, living leaves, asphalt...

I look for no other indulgence than the solitary pleasure of walking and sucking up the world around me with my eyes wide open and that grace was fully conceded to me. And with that, I couldn't be happier!

POSTCARD N.109 - IRELAND

Postcard sent on the 2nd August; received on the 13th August 2023

Postcard image: Pine Marten (Martes martes) 
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A maximum card from Ireland. Welcome Mr. Marten, and thanks a lot Eric! They look much nicer in full attire, than dressed simply as paintbrushes.....

The European marten has a wide distribution in the continent and beyond, the mustelid being found as west as Ireland and well into the east, in the  Urals, Anatolia, Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia and northern Iran.

This nice looking little fury beast was the subject of a beautiful four stamp set (28; 32; 44 and 52 Irish pennies) issued on 09JUL1992, the 52 p stamp, on which a marten is seen catching a great tit, (lucky fellow,,,,)  having been used for this max card.

~

Eric used a bunch of stamps to mail me this card and even though Christmas is still a bit far, he must have followed the old Portuguese adagio that says that "Christmas is whenever a man wants it to be", because out of the 10 stamps he used, 5 are from the same four stamp Christmas set, issued on 14NOV2000, with images depicting several  biblical episodes related to the season: the flight into Egypt (30 p); Nativity (30 p); The Holy Three Kings follow the Star (32 p) and The Shepherds on the Field see the Star (45 p).

Again, a definitive series  that I would not mind having complete, so beautiful they are. the 1 cent stamp, depicting a Bloody Crane's-Bill (Geranium sanguineum) and the 2 cent  illustrated with an  Irish Orchid (Neotinea maculata)  were issued on 12APR2005, while the 3 cent stamp, with the image of Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus) began circulating on 01MAR2007.

The postmark is pretty illegible, so the place of posting remains a mystery to me ☺

COVER N. 301 - JERSEY

Postmark: Maufant (?) Jersey 21.07.23 - Mechanical Postmark - 01.08.23

Posted on the 1th August; Received on the 16th August 2023

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The Channel Islands, another of  those British Administrative Eccentricities....technically they are not part of the UK, being British Crown dependencies, instead, with their own administration, a Bailiff being the head of the "States", which I think corresponds to the local Parliament...

Rocket Science, if you ask me.....

Anyway, Jersey (and Guernsey, the second of the Channel Bailiwicks), not being part of the UK, issues its own Europa stamps and I had the pleasure of receiving this nice cover with the 2023 issue, thanks to the generous kindness of Roland, whom I couldn't thank more, for this is the first Channel Islands cover on my collection.

Two 2 stamps compose the set, issued on 09MAY2023 (Europe's day):

- a 98 p with the common Europa design for the year, the Celtic knot symbolising "Peace — the highest value of humanity”; and 

- Jersey's Post own interpretation of the theme, on the 1.85 pounds stamp,  with three hands -  love, unity and hope  - forming a white dove, the quintessential symbol of peace.

The Postmark is not totally readable, but from looking at Jersey's map, I'd bet it originates from the town of Maufant, on the Centre East of the island.

COVER N. 300 - PORTUGAL

Postmark: First day of issue : Alberto Santos Dumont 1873/1932 CTT Lisboa 20.07.2023

Posted on the 20th July; Received on the 16th August 2023

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I seldom post the covers I mail to myself using Portuguese issues, since I have a hard time keeping pace with all the covers I get, and the aim of this blog is mainly to show what I get from other fellow collectors and not what I get from my own self....

But every once in a while, there comes an issue that just can't go unmentioned. Such is the case for the very beautiful issue celebrating the memory of flight Pioneer Alberto Santos Dumont, a Brazilian citizen who would raise to fame for his aeronautical exploits in baloonism, airship flight and heavier than air flight, mainly in France.

In fact, Santos-Dumond is strongly advocated as the first aviator to effectively have flown in a self-propelled heavier than air aircraft, without the need for assistance at take off, as happened with the famous Wright Flyer, which took to the air under the impulse generated by a catapult.

The contraption he used to this end was the famous 14-bis aircraft, also known as l'Oiseau de Proie (Bird of Prey). The first time L'Oiseau de Proie took to the air under its own power was on 13 September 1906, but the flights that made it really famous, would take place in October and November, after the introduction of several modifications to the aircraft, the most relevant being the addition of ailerons in the wings to improve control. 

Santos-Dumont was also the winner of the  Deutsch de la Meurthe trophy created by the so named magnate for the first aviator that "leaving the park of Saint Cloud, Longchamps, or any other point situated at an equal distance from the Eiffel Tower, reaches this monument in half an hour, and, surrounding it, returns to the point of departure." This he did with is airship nº 6, on 19 September 1901.

Airship n.6 and Brasil, his first own-designed balloon are the subject of 0,61€ stamp, while Demoiselle, aircraft n.20, and L'Oiseau de Proie, or 14-bis, feature on the 1,15€ stamp, both of them also exhibiting Santos Dumont portrait.

The very nice postmark also features a line drawing of a head-on view of  14 bis

To compose the cover, I chose a picture of the cover of  the 25th November 1906 edition of Le Petit Journal , showing the 14-bis on its flight to fame.

 COVER N. 299 - IRELAND

Postmark: Lios Dúin Bhearna 05.08.23

Posted on the 5th August; Received on the 16th August 2023

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A very nice cover from the Ireland, the Emerald island. 

Whenever I think of Ireland I can't help but think of the most beautiful statue of a writer I have ever seen, that of Oscar Wild in Merrion Square, Dublin (which can be seen somewhere in this page of my other blog). 

And I can't help but also thinking that the emerald colour of his poshy jacket is a perfect chromatic metaphor for the omnipresent green that gave Ireland its nickname.

Such is the overwhelming presence of the secondary colour that  one could be tempted to say, if inclined to a fairly poetic description, that all that green could be the result of the interplay of the blues that encircle it - the ocean and the sky - and the yellow of the sun that shines upon her... but all that imagery would not stand the test of reason, for Ireland, on my personal record, is one of the most pluvious places I know.... I've spent nine days travelling around Ireland once and I got a perfect 9/9 rain score....

Still, I have lived in the Azores, and rain and islands in the temperate areas of the Atlantic just go hand in hand, I guess, and I am not complaining, because rain is a vital part of that green that makes islands famous for; that makes Ireland famous for....!

Thanks Jutta, Nice cover!

Fashion has become... highly fashionable among young people, engulfed by the traps of consumerism and aggressive marketing, so much so that we all read now that the textile industry is a prominent pollution source, with piles of clothes, sometimes not even ever used, being dumped in deserts and thrown into the sea....

But fashion can and should be a sustainable concern. With this aim in mind, Troy Armour founded in 2010, in Dublin,  a fashion competition aimed at young people in secondary education (12-19) challenging them to create high couture from recycled items.

Since its inception The competition has spread all over Ireland and is now taking an international status with the  cities of London, New York, Milan, Paris and Abu Dhabi now participating in the event.

On 04JMAY2023, An Post issued a four  Tariff N (domestic) self-adhesive stamp set highlighting this competition, Of these, two stamps can be seen of the cover.

The postmark indicates that the letter was mailed from  Lios Dúin Bhearna (Lisdoonvarna), a small town of less than 900 inhabitants, located in County Clare, on the central West Coast of the Island.

COVER N. 298 - GERMANY

Postmark: Briefzentrum 13  08.08.23

Posted on the 8th August; Received on the 13th August 2023

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Three definitive stamps illustrated with beautiful flowers is all it takes to turn a humble white envelope into something far more interesting. Thanks a lot Siegward!

I know they are definitive stamps, sometimes not that well regarded by stamp collectors who usually praise larger stamps with nice illustrations, smaller print runs, but definitive stamps have an aura of their own.

And these are particularly desirable, I  find. The full set numbers more than 40 stamps I believe, all with a different flower....quite a garden of their own....

The 0,20 €, featuring a Common bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), was issuied on 18DEC2018;

The 0,70 €, featuring a  Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) was issued on 01MAR2017; 

The 0,80 €, featuring a Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) was issued on 01JUL2019.

The stamps are cancelled with a Briefzentrum 13 postmark, indicating that it was posted at North Berlin.

 COVER N. 297 - KYRGYSTAN

Postmark: ? 12.07.23

Posted on the 12th July; Received on the 14th August 2023

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And here is proof that even if C6 envelopes are not allowed to be used in Kyrgystan, they are at least allowed to be postmarked, thanks to the persuasive powers of Alex.... small wonder, though...who would say no to The Phantom?

So this was the cover that was inside the C5 envelope (#296) Alex sent me. A double treat, that allowed me to tick the box for the second Kyrgyz postal operator. Thanks a lot, mate.

Two historic personalities were chosen for the stamps Alex used on this cover:

- Absamat Masaliyev (1933-2004) was the leader of the Kyrgyz Communist party from 1985 until his death in 2004, having thus led the party throughout the transition of Kyrgystan from a soviet republic into a independent country, that is to say, from first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kirghizia into first leader of the actual Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan.

On 10APR2008, Kyrgyz Pochtasy SE issued a two stamp set (10 and 15 som) honouring Kyrgys heroes. Masaliyev portrait features on the 15 som stamp as well as the Ak-Shumkar Medal, the country's highest  state award, identifying its holder as Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic.

- Taylak Baatyr (1796-1838), from what I could grasp over sparse notes on the Internet, was the leader of Kyrgyz tribes in their fight against neighbouring Kokand invaders, and it seems that this fact played a key role in the preservation of a Kirgiz national identity, so much so that his memory was honoured by Kyrgyz Pochtasy SE with the 55 som  stamp issued on 30JUL2016,on the occasion of the 220th anniversary of his birth.

The Postmark is  not easy to read, but I think I can read Bishkek (the country's capital) on the bottom part of it.

 COVER N. 296 - KYRGYSTAN

Postmark: ? 12.07.23

Posted on the 12th July; Received on the 14th August 2023

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Postal rules can be complex. I remember my wife telling me they had made her write her name as sender on the front of the envelope in Azerbaijan, even though I had my full address on its back, as I always do.

Now the Phantom tells me in Kyrgyzstan, our beloved C6 envelopes would not be accepted... still that did not refrained Alex from finding a way of circumventing this strange disposition...

So tanks a lot, Alex, for your C5 envelope with a C6 inside. You are a resourceful and tenacious cover collector, indeed. 

Again I can't express how deeply grateful I am to Alex for always sending me interesting overs from interesting places. I am pretty sure my friend Mr. Postman must be very intrigued by the unusual letter traffic he drops into my letterbox.

The stamp Alex used is the 2017 RCC (Regional Commonwealth for Communications)  issue of Kyrgyzstan, with a face value of 76 som, it is illustrated with two examples of handcrafted "Chynykap", a sort of case for cups.

Kyrgyzstan has two designated postal operators - "Kyrgyz Pochtasy" SE and "Kyrgyz Express Post" LLC. both issuing stamp sets. I believe this particular stamp and envelope are Kyrgyz Pochtasy SE isues.

COVER N. 295 - FRANCE

Postmark: Le Carré d'Encre - Paris 10.08.23

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

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I'm finally back from my thirteen days of solo walking the Portuguese Coastal Route of the Way of Saint James, between Porto in the North of Portugal and Santiago de Compostela, Galiza.

Days of intense physical exertion but also of pleasant contemplation of the many beautiful places I went through, both along the coast and the hinterland, sometimes seeing things I've never seen before, be it atmospheric phenomena or animal or plant species. All in all, a journey to be well remembered and the final realisation of a wish that had been inhabiting my own self for more than three decades.

But more of that in due time (I've kept a cover log of the trip, and in the future I'll write a blog entry dedicated to it).  For the time being let me try to reduce the little mountain of covers that I have accumulated since my summer vacation an which I still haven't registered on my blog.

so, without further ado:

The beautiful "Trésors de Notre Dame" series once again takes the spotlight on this beautiful cover, sent from the French Capital. Thank you so much Roland, what not to love about the beautiful souvenir sheet and its seafaring companion? 

Given that this is the second cover I got with this beautiful sheet, I'll recommend visiting post for Cover #285,

As stated on that particular post, 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.

As for "la Tortue luth" (Dermochelys coriacea), the Leatherback sea turtle, on the 0,41 € stamp, it is part of a four stamp set, issued on 05JUN2002, dedicated to marine life.

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all turtles, weighing up to 500 kg, and its distinctive feature, from where she got its name, is the fact that, contrary to their cousins, they don't have a scaly, bony shell but a flexible leathery one. With a rather global distribution, the leatherneck is listed as Vulnerable, in what concerns its IUCN conservation status.

One night in Mexico, on the Yucatan peninsula, I had the pleasure of watching new born leatherneck and loggerhead turtles find their way from the hatching enclosure where the eggs had been kept by conservationists to the Gulf of Mexico waters,,,, I wonder if the little leatherneck I helped along is still swimming somewhere.... I hope so, at least; it is said that they can live up to 100 years...

The Postmark tells us that the letter was mailed from Le Carré d'Encre, which I understand is a special boutique  of La Poste, dedicated to philately and writing, located in Paris.

Service intermission....☺

Expect no updates for the next 15 days or so...

COVER N. 294 - UKRAINE

Postmark: Kyiv 134 Ukraina 17.07.23

Posted on the 17th July; Received on the 13th August 2023

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Another cover from martirised Ukraine. It is no small wonder that on times like this, under the constant threat of bombings and all the other obnoxiousness that war is so prodigal in producing, people still find ways to cling to some sort of normality. Hobbies can help, I presume; anything that might distract the mind from the horrors that are actually felt, not just witnessed for brief moments on the news on TV, might help but I guess there is no escaping reality, which is always there to make its abhorrent presence be felt, just like yesterday, at a peaceful market, of all places...., in Kostantinovka. How can such an order be given? How can a human being hit the fire button for such an hideous crime?

War dehumanises people, and the wounds will take ages to heel, if ever.....

Where have all the flowers gone....?

Thanks a lot Basil, I most sincerely wish you can go back to enjoying your hobby in peace as soon as possible.

Mир; Mir; Peace and Victory reads the legend on the frame of the companion stamp to the common design  stamp, by its side, which constitutes the Ukranian 2023 Europa set, issued on 24MAY2023, precisely 15 months after the beginning of the unjustifiable Russian invasion.

On the stamp, a young girl closes her eyes and wishes for those two words to come true, no doubt about it, while a white dove flies by, answering her summons....

Peace, the Highest Value of Humanity, reads the cyrillic legend on the side of both stamps...

On 03JUN2020, Ukrposhta issued two more definitive stamps of the Ukrainian cities coats of arms series. One of them, with an H letter denomination (letter denominations on Ukrainian stamps are a rather complex matter and I cannot find a document explaining what they stand for) and illustrated with the coat of arms of  Stariy Merchik, can be seen on the cover.

Ukraposhta has also been adding quite regularly stamps to a definitive series dedicated to the traditional hand painted Pysanka Easter eggs. The one on the cover, is illustrated with an egg from Hutsulshchyna, and was issued on 21APR2023, with the letter tariff T.

Of note is the fact that for the cover, Basil used  the official  envelope for the Europa 2023 issue.

COVER N. 293 - UN - GENEVA

Postmark: 1211 Genève - Nations Unies 03.08.2023

Posted on the 3rd August; Received on the 13th August 2023

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UN Genève; the one United Nations Postal Administration cover that I was still lacking, after New York and Vienna. Not anymore, thanks to Alex the Phantom! Thank you so much, pal, it's really a great addition to the collection.

Yesterday the 77th Session of the General Assembly of the UN came to a close and the 78th was initiated.... many have been the progresses that this organization has ensured over the years since its inception in 1945, but after 77 sessions, one would think that it is really time for a procedural update, especially in what concerns veto power by the permanent members of the security council. Failing that, there will always be the potential for the repetition of aggression situations promoted or with the participation of one of the "big 5", like the ones we are witnessing today in Ukraine, without such actions being able to be positively counteracted from a binding legislative standpoint. 

I have read there was a little step forward to this end last year, when a decision of the General Assembly was adopted establishing that  any veto, would automatically imply the convening of an General Assembley Plenary Session, wherein the vetoing power would have to explain its position in an open debate, but this does not change much, now, does it....?

The World Federation of United Nations Associations is an NGO founded in 1946, in Luxembourg, which claims to have the mission of  "building a better world by strengthening and improving the United Nations through the engagement of people who share a global mindset and support international cooperation–global citizens".

it's objectives, as stated in its bylaws, are:

 (a) To be a peoples' movement for the United Nations; 

(b) To co-ordinate and further the activities of its Members and to promote the establishment of new United Nations Associations; 

(c) To co-operate, where appropriate, with other organizations whose objects include the support of the United Nations and its development; 

(d) To promote tolerance, understanding, solidarity and co-operation among men, women and children throughout the world without distinction as to race, sex, language, religion or political orientation; 

(e) To contribute to the removal of obstacles to peace, to work for justice, security and disarmament, and to promote the development of peaceful co-existence and co-operation among nations; 

(f) To strive for the recognition of and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the world and for the recognition of the responsibilities and duties which those rights involve for individuals, groups and States;

(g) To promote economic development, enhancement of social progress and better standards of life; 

(h) To promote research, information and education about the goals of the Charter of the United Nations and the work of the United Nations system.

Over the years, on several occasions, the organization has also promoted a  fundraising program "based on the sale of first day covers of UN stamps and lithographs produced by artists and celebrities, such as Picasso, Lou Zheng Jang, Miró, Salvador Dali, Ruben Leyva, Al Hirschfeld and Andy Warhol to promote the ideals of the UN".

The souvenir sheet on the cover was issued to this end on 14NOV1986, with each of  its four stamps denominated in Swiss Francs, replicating a painting  by well known artists: 0,25 CHF - Las palomas - Benigno Gomez; 0,45 CHF - Alexander Calder; 0,50 CHF - Peace Keeping Operations - Juan Miró; 0,70 CHF - Musical Instruments - Ole Hamman.

COVER N. 292 - CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Postmark: Agence Postale de Grand-Bassam 25.07.2023

Posted on the 25th July; Received on the 13th August 2023

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Côte D'Ivoire... although written in French,  the name of this western African country bordering the Atlantic and encircled by Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Fasso and Ghana  is  another reminiscence of the  Portuguese presence along the coast of Africa, dating back to the 15th century, since it is but a direct translation into the language of the colonising power, of the name by which the area was known and referred to by my fellow countrymen: Costa do Marfim.

It is also self-explanatory, since ivory was abundant in the region, due to the vast populations of elephants that once roamed its forests. Not anymore, since ivory, as we all know, was (and still is) a highly coveted commodity, what led to a huge decrease in the numbers of the great pachyderm in its natural habitat in all Africa, from millions to about 450.000, today. 

Thankfully, there are perfectly good substitute materials to produce piano keys....

Eric keeps on surprising me with covers from the most unexpected places.... Thank you so much, Eric, for another tick in the countries list! 

Stamps, Left to right:

- Issued on 17SEP1963 as part of a four stamp set (10; 20; 45; 50 CFA Franc) dedicated to the fauna of Côte d'Ivoire, the 50 Franc depicts a King Colobus (Colobus polykomos), a primate whose distinctive feature is the fact that the thumb is underdeveloped being replaced with a short stump, giving the impression that the hand has but four fingers. It is distributed along an atlantic strip that encompasses Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia  and the Ivory Coast, and the IUCN lists it as an endangered species.

- The Soubré dam, on the river Sassandra, was inaugurated on 2 November, 2017, thus becoming the main electric power production facility in Côte d'Ivoire.

Issued on the date of the dam's commissioning, 02NOV2017, the 250 CFA F stamp is part of a 2 stamp set (100; 250 CFA F) celebrating the event, illustrated with photographs of this important infrastructure.

- The centenary of the death of the inventor of the humble piece of paper that guarantees that a letter will travel from A to B, Sir Rowland Hill (1795-1879), was remembered by Cote d'Ivoire with the emission of a five stamp set (60; 75; 100; 1500; 300 CFA F) in both perforated and imperforated versions, all illustrated with the effigy of the honoured personality, a reproduction of a stamp and the image of a locomotive. The 60 F imperforated stamps on the cover, feature a British one pound stamp with the effigy of Queen Victoria, issued in 1882, and a LNER Class A4 steam locomotive, from 1927.

- On 01SEP2019, the Côte D'Ivoire Postal Administration issued a three stamp set (50; 200 and 500 CFA F) celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Express Mail Service - EMS.

This was a joint issue that had some 30 countries participating in the project, although it is uncertain if all that had committed to issue the stamp, actually did so.

- On the occasion of the Strategic Conference of the Union Postale Universelle held in Geneva in 2015, the Postal Administration of Côte d'Ivoire issued, on 27AUG2015, a two stamp set (250 and 500 CFA F), both identical except for the denomination.

The stamps feature a photo of the restored old Post Office building of Grand-Bassam, which was the capital of the French colony of Côte d'Ivoire between 1893 and 1896, the building itself dating back to this period.

The old town of Grand-Bassam wherein the Post Office is located, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the UN organisation acknowledging its exemplary nature as an old colonial town. Sadly, as in so many places around the globe,  many of the buildings are showing signs of neglect and dire need for restoration.

- On 22NOV2005, the Postal Administration of Côte D'Ivoire issued a set of four stamps (30, 70; 80; 250 CFA F) plus a souvenir sheet (1000 CFA F, with a single stamp equal, but for the denomination, to the 80 Franc stamp), themed on  kings and chiefs of local ethnic groups.  The 80/1000 franc stamp, dedicated to Yacouba, Baoulé and Abron chiefs, closes the nice set of stamps used on the cover.

The postmark informs us that the letter was mailled from the current post-office at Grand-Bassam, since the historic one no longer acts as such.

COVER N. 303 - MALTA

Postmark: Malta Post Ghajnsielem 12.08.23

Posted on the 12th August; Received on the 21st August 2023

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Hot and humid Malta... at least according to my recollection of the Mediterranean archipelago I visited quite a few years ago.  So dense was the air that I felt i was banging my head  into a wall, as soon as I left the controlled environment of the Air Malta 737 I flew in from Lisbon, to breath the first breaths of Maltese air....sweat... all my pores were instantaneously open.... a flood that would drench me for the entire week or so I spent there whenever I left the freshness of the air conditioned hotel room...

I would love to visit again though. There's much to like in Malta, both man-made and natural, but I'll be sure to do it in a lesser aggressive month than July, as last time.... May, may be a good choice... spring is always a good choice.

Phantoms are not prey to such mundane human problems tough and 90+% of humidity in 30+º centigrade do not seem to affect them, so I was not that startled to receive this nice cover from the Ghost that walks, posted from Ghajnsielem, in the island of Gozo, the second largest of the Maltese Archipelago.

Thanks a lot Alex. 

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Malta's own Comic Con, Malta post issued a three stamp set illustrated by well known comic artists, depicting scenes with comic heroes, in Maltese related environment.

The 0,05€ stamp of this set, on the cover, was designed by local artist and co-founder of Malta Comic Con Fabio Agius, and sets an armored soldier fighting a dragon in the pre-historic ruins of the Hagar Qim temple, on Malta's South West coast.

Malta is well know for its classic buses, which were in later years finally replaced by contemporary, and I believe much more fuel efficient, versions.

Over the years Malta Post has issued several sets dedicated to the theme and the 1€ stamp is part of the  2022 issue, comprising 4 stamps (0,30; 0,51; 0,59; 1 €), which began to circulate on 12FEB2022. 

The stamp shows a Ford Thames in the green Sliema Livery (it seems that according to the city they were based in, the colour of the buses changed, and I do have a distinct remembrance of the buses at the place where I was staying -  Sliema - being green). Aside from green,  I remember seeing red, and yellow (at the very least) buses.

On 28JUL2023, Malta Post issued a very nice 5 stamp set dedicated to Marine Life of the Mediterranean (0.01; 0.10; 0.20; 0.50; 2.50 €).

Two of these are on the cover: 

 - the 0.20 € stamp is illustrated with an image of  a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), of which a small resident population still roans the Mediterranean waters;

 - the 0,10 € depicts a  Spinetail Devil Ray - Mobula mobular whose body can reach a width of up to 5 metres, being a species under legal protection in Malta.

all the stamps are cancelled by a very neatly applied postmark from the postal office off  Ghajnsielem, in the island of Gozo.

COVER N. 291 - FRANCE - SAINT PIERRE ET MIQUELON

Postmark: 975 - St. Pierre - St. Pierre et Miquelon 17.07.2023

Posted on the 17th July; Received on the 1st August 2023

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 My country used to be an empire, which stretched over  continents and oceans, reaching as far as what is now East Timor.

Today, and quite rightly so, Portugal is confined within the limits of its natural territorial boundaries, be it in the European Mainland, or in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, both archipelagos having been claimed by Portugal following the arrival of Portuguese navigators to its islands, which were, at the time, totally devoid of population.

Not so with several European countries, though, which for several reasons maintain territories that, on first thought, would look somewhat "out of place", given the geographic distance between them and their father state and/or their colonial nature.

I am not sure if  Saint Pierre and Miquelon were inhabited when the French claimed it, but the small archipelago  lies so close to Newfoundland that on first sight one would think it part of the Canadian Province. That is not the case though and, as far as I know, relations between Canada and France have never been scratched because of this territory, so croissants and baguettes  will continue to be  eaten  and paid in Euros for a long time to come, if not for ever😀.

Thanks a lot, Jeff, for the very nice cover. My friend Mr. Postman must have been wondering why I do receive mail from such unusual places....

 

On 17JUN2023, la Poste issued a souvenir sheet containing a stamp commemorative of the 60th anniversary of the creation by General de Gaulle of the Order of Merit.

For ease of exposition I'll translate the rather lengthy note on the souvenir sheet itself:

The National order of Merit (Ordre National du Mérite) was established on 3 December 1963 by General de Gaulle. Its aim is threefold: to emphasise the dynamism of society and to further individual energies, to serve as a role model and to acknowledge the diversity of French Society. Complementary to the  Legion of Honor (Légion d'Honneur) this universal order can honour French citizens in all activity domains. 

The stamp is illustrated with the decoration and the ribbons of its grades. 

The Postmark indicates that the letter was posted in Saint Pierre.