COVER N. 582 - MONTENEGRO 

Postmark:  Budva-Mogren19.04.2025

Posted on  the 19th April; Received on the 6th May 2025

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Of all the countries I've been to, there's a little one in the middle of the Mediterranean that I found absolutely stunning and which gave me the opportunity of seeing something I had been thinking I would only see way up North of the continent.

The Ghost that Walks, the restless wanderer, passed through some time ago it seems, for I got this surprise cover from the country where I saw a fiord for the first time, if my memory isn't playing tricks on me. so Thanks a lot, dear Phantom, Danke Sehr, Alex!

Also, this cover is the opportunity to add another country to the fold, so I couldn't be happier about it. Double thanks, then, Alex!

One of the countries issued out of the disaggregation of Yugoslavia, in spite of its smallish size, Montenegro has got to be one of the most scenic and well preserved in terms of natural beauty, of the European countries.

As I mentioned above, I will never forget the day when I was coming slowly by the road into the mouth of the bay that harbours Kotor at its end... The huge mountains in front of me, and the water going in, cutting through them... "Wait a minute", I said to myself, "is this Norway...? damn it, this is a fiord!" How excited I was with this simple finding...

and after that, the long and winding road with not much than a single lane in width that goes up the mountain with some 20 +  elbow bends which led us to a fantastic viewpoint over the bay.... pity the day was so terribly hazy for photographs...

and what about lake Skadar, or Durmitor National Park, where I did some short and easy but nonetheless unforgettable hikes...

ah memories....

CEPT/Europa common issues have been around a long time. In fact, next year it'll be the 70th anniversary of the first CEPT issue which saw the light of day on the 15th Septembers 1956, in the then European Coal and Steel Community member states, namely  Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany.

The first half century of this emission was celebrated not only by the members of CEPT or  now PostEurope but also by several postal administrations all across the world.

Montenegro, which would only become a member of PostEurope in 2008, was one such case, issuing the imperforated souvenir sheet that Alex used on the cover, with a face value of 5.5 €,  on 03JAN2006, along with another souvenir sheet containing four more stamps allusive of the same anniversary.

The postmark hails from another beautiful seaside city in Montenegro: Budva.