COVER N. 622 - AUSTRIA 

Postmark: Feldkirchen Bei Graz 8073 date illegible

Posted on ?; Received on the 5th August 2025

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Austria. The first country that I got mail from when I started this blog (note to self: come to think of it, it's high time I should send some mail to Florian...) and yet not one that I often see in my mailbox...Vielen Dank, Kurt!

The common theme for the EUROPA stamps of 2024 was "Underwater fauna and flora". Austria's issue comprised one single 1,20 stamp, illustrated with a photograph of the Grüner See (the Green Lake), which began to circulate on 04MAY2024.

I was not familiar with the Green Lake, but my voyager papillae immediately started salivating  just from looking at some photos on the internet.

The lake which is quite shallow from July to May, (1to 2 meters deep at most) but come spring and the melting of the ice from the nearby mountains, its water rises exponentially, attaining depths up to about 12 metres.

As a consequence, all the man made infrastructures around the lake, like park benches and walkways, get underwater what makes for a rather strange sight given the transparency and clarity of the emerald green water.

This is particularly highlighted in  the stamp with a coat of UV varnish on the lower 4/5 of the stamp, which imparts a rather "watery" look to the photograph. I have no access to a UV light right now, but the effect should be even greater under such a light source.

The Postmark was applied at Feldkirchen Bei Graz, a town of 7.3 thousand inhabitants in the State of Styria

COVER N. 448 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Sollenau Post Partner 2601 26.04.2024

Posted on the 26th April; received on the 3rd may 2024

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According to Wikipedia, Stamp Day, the brainchild of German philatelist Hans von Rudolphi was first celebrated in Austria in 1935.

Almost 90 years after that first celebration, I get a cover from Austria featuring one of the annual "Tag der Briefmarke" issues, which makes for a quite welcome addition to my collection. Danke Sehr, Manfred.

 The 202 TdB issue comprised the stamp and a se-tenant vignette which can be seen on the cover.

The 1,60+0.80 € stamp depicting a 1919 Postal Railway car  was issued on 24MAY2002 and hard as I tried I could not find any information as to who benefits from the additional charitable tax which is applied to all issues of the TdB. 

The vignette alongside the stamp comprises the reproduction of four postmarks, contemporary of the postal railway car in the stamp (the  more recent one, from Salzburg-Linz, dating from 1934).

The real postmark on the stamp indicates that the cover was dispatched from Sollenau, a city in Eastern Austria, just some 30 km from the Hungarian border.

COVER N. 346 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Wien 1010 04.11.2023

Posted on the 4th November; received on the 9th November 2023

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Frieden - Das Höchste Gut Der Menshheit - Peace, The Highest Value of Humanity, as can be seen in the Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, South Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan....

We has a whole, or better yet, as a hole, a bottomless one, it seems, have always been in the middle of a value crisis, for not being able to rationally overcome our animal nature, our will to dominate, our intolerance of the others.

And it is not just conflict between ourselves, it's the perennial conflict between ourselves and the planet we live in. We are heading to disaster and we don't even care to play the fiddle, as Nero or Titanic's orchestra maestro... 

As António Guterres put it: “We are on the verge of the precipice.Wake up. Step back. Change course. Unite!”

Frieden - Das Höchste Gut Der Menshheit 

Peace, The Highest Value of Humanity

Thanks a lot Alex for a beautiful cover from Austria's lovely Capital. May all the mushrooms we and all those that might come after us see be the type that pops up from the entrails of the earth when the time comes, such as the beautiful  Macrolepiota procera on the stamp.....

The Peace knot, inspired in the celtic love knot, the image proposed by  Post Luxembourg and winner of the contest to choose the design for the 2023 EUROPA stamps illustrating the theme proposed by Ukraine - Peace, the Highest Value of Humanity, is central to the 1,20€ stamp, issued on 05MAY2023.

Macrolepiota procera, the parasol mushroom,  is a rather common edible mushroom that can be found in all temperate rgions across the globe.

The 0,95 € stamp illustrated with 3 Macrolepiota procera mushrooms in different stages of maturity was issued on 25AUG2023 and is the year's issue of an annual series started in 2020.

The Postmark indicates that the cover was mailed from Vienna, the country's Capital.

COVER N. 248 - AUSTRIA  

Postmark: Leobersdorf 2544  26APR23

Posted on the 26th April; Received on the 5th May 2023

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Austria and a simple, clean and nice cover with two interesting stamps. Thanks a lot Manfred.

Stamps Left to right:

- Austria, we all know it, is a land of music. Well, many other places are lands of music, to the point of ... everywhere being a land of music, since Music, in itself, is as omnipresent as humanity. In fact, they have always gone hand in hand... but much the  same way I think of watches when someone mentions Switzerland, music immediately springs to mind when someone utters Austria, and especially Salzburg.....

Did I mention Salzburg? again, prompted by association, I instantly picture the opening scene of  the Sound of Music, on one side of the brain, and recall the greatness of Wolfgang Amadeus on the other. 

Drop a nice image of a puppet Papageno on it and.... I have to stop writing for a while, because I have to go on youtube to look for a good clip of the Finale of the Magic Flute... and I find one, ...with a special taste, coming from the National Opera House of Lviv, with Oksana Lyniv at the helm .

In 2013, Salzburg's Puppet Theatre - Salzburger Marionetten Theater - celebrated its first centenary. To mark the occasion Österreichische Post, issued on 27FEB2013 the single 0,62 € stamp with the image of Papageno that graces my cover. 

Out of curiosity I visited the Marionette Theatre website and the Magic Flute is on stage this coming Saturday, the 20th... so hurry up... there are still tickets available...

- Austria Post has the habit of issuing stamp series that run through the years. One such series is dedicated to Austrian wine regions. Having started in 2012 with the stamp on the cover, issued on 19OCT2012, highlighting the Lower Austria Wine district, the series was still running in 2022 and probably continuing this year, sometime in the future.

The stamp features the image of a glass of Grüner Veltliner wine, over the image of the corresponding grapes, this cast being characteristic of the northeast region of the country.

The letter was posted in Leobersdorf, a small town of about 5000 inhabitants located in the same Lower Austria region.

COVER N.170 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Sollenau 2601 - 04.10.22  
Posted on the 4th October; received on the 13th October 2022
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A simple envelope with the right tariff stamp... that's all it takes for a letter to journey from here to there.  It has been like that for ages... harbingers of good, bad, so and so news, letters go where voice can no longer be heard, where words can no longer be perceived, where distance is but an address. 

Not much of a secret, I know, but we never really think much about what we take for granted until that sad moment when what there is,... is no longer...

Thanks a lot Manfred!

To make sure that children "Leg Godt", what translates into Play Well in English was the idea that drove Ole Kirk Christiansen into inventing a wood block system that would allow children to replicate the universe around them in 3 D while at the same time developing skills such as tri-dimensional perception, fine movement coordination, planning, and I'm sure a whole lot of others. 

History has it that the system was invented in 1932, and I'm sure that Mr. Christiansen would be absolutely bewildered if he were to see who is a substantial part of the brand's customers these days.... I've seen children of 40+ proudly getting out of the supermarket or toy store clutching their prized new 1000 + parts Lego box under the arm... "oh yes, Nice isn't it? I bought it for my soon that is about to be born...."

I still remember when I was given a basic set of Lego by my grandmother, when I was 5 or 6 years old. Although I quite liked the concept, I found it quite frustrating, because whatever I tried to create, the pretty limited number of parts I had meant that I could never go past the basic house or two-wheeled cart... Little did I know that by 10, I'd be even more frustrated with Meccano, for exactly the same reason... 

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the creation of the famous plastic building blocks Österreichische Post issued on 14SEP2022 a single 1.20 € stamp illustrated with the image of a LEGO Ferris wheel, which Manfred used on my cover.

The Postmark tells us that the letter was mailed from Sollenau, a city located some 36 km south of Vienna.

 COVER N.100 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: ILZ 8262 - 15.04.22 
Posted on the 15th April; received on the 27h April 2022
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Were it not for the words of my cardiologist hanging over me like the incarnation of Jiminy Cricket and I'd pop open a bottle of good Portuguese sparkling (who cares about champagne, when we have so good and so many nectars?)

One Hundred. And what a cover it is!

I have to confess that this past week I have received a number of covers that I have yet to enter into my blog, but yesterday, when opening my letterbox upon arriving at home from work, I spotted this blue banded classy envelope inside and I immediately knew where it had come from. So this had to be #100 and it immediately jumped the line, with my apologies to the covers therein waiting 😀

Today, April the 28th, is exactly one year past I entered my first received cover in this humble blog of mine. At the time I wrote "I couldn't be happier" for I was aware that a journey had started and I have always liked the feeling of "going" even if the destination might be unclear. In the immortal words of the Spanish Poet Antonio Machado "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar" (Walker, there is no pathway, you make your own path as you walk), so you just take the first step and hope for the best.

And the best it has been so far. Not only have I received mail with lovely stamps and images from quite a number of origins, but (and I've said it before here) I've learned a lot from these 

unsuspected vectors of culture and understanding. 

I've also corresponded a couple of times with people whom I don't know personally, but with whom I easily established a common ground of understanding, some sort of bond that speaks for our capacity as humans to relate with equals whatever the constraints geography or social organisation might impose.

This makes it even harder to understand the conscientious denial of this capacity and the transgression of  our social nature that in the meantime has led to the horrendous episode that is devastating a sovereign country in Eastern Europe. And what for? Why all the horror? Will any light come out of the rubble (hmmm..words sometimes also create their own path...)?

The first cover I received was embellished with the same blue band carried by the envelope in the above image, and how could it not, since it came from the same person. Thank you so much, Florian. How fitting that I should be writing this exactly one year after I thanked you for cover #1 in my collection. I'll be looking forward to receiving cover #200 from you, next year  😀

Stamps

mention the word Belladona and one is immediately guided to a foggy universe of witches, dark ages, obscure intentions from even more obscure people....

Although highly toxic, so much so that the ingestion of its leaves or seeds can lead to death,  Atropa Beladona, which has a widespread distribution in Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and belongs  to the same solenaceae family as the tomato or the eggplant, has long been used for pharmacological purposes, and even recreational uses since its alkaloids  can induce psychoactive effects.

On 05MAR2022, Austrian Post issued a 0,85€ stamp illustrated by the image of a "schwartze tollkirsche", the deadly nightshade, over a yellow background, this being a special issue on offer only to people with a Austrian Post philatelic subscription plan, what makes it a  pretty uncommon stamp to have outside of Austria, another reason for me to be thankful to Florian, who kindly used it on my cover.

The other two stamps (5 and 10 cent) are part of a 16 stamp definitive issue themed on accessories used in conjunction with traditional costumes, issued on 01APR2020. The 5 cent stamp shows an astrakhan cap from the region of Seewinkel, in the province of Burgenland and the 10 cent a Wheel Bonnet typical of the Bodensee-Voralberg region.

POSTCARD N.29-  Austria

Postcrossing postcard posted inside cover #35, on the 30th August; received on the 4th September (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
Postcard image: several views of Vienna and Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss"
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I loved Vienna and I'm glad to say I visited or saw almost all of the sights included in the nice postcard Chris sent me, and for which I truly thank her.

Seeing the Kiss in real life was also one of the highlights of my visit, but  of all the Gustav Klimt's works I've seen, the Beethoven Frieze in the Secession Building is really something out of this world (well, if on a scale of 1-10, the kiss is nothing short of a full 10, the Frieze is an 11 (or a 12 :-)).

Schloss Schönbrunn and the historic centre of Vienna are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, so I can add the tag WHS to this postcard too.

 COVER N.35 - Austria

Postmark:  - Wien 30AUG21
Posted on the 30th August; received on the 4th September. (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
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Cover #35 was the second letter originated in Austria that I found on returning from my hollidays  inside my letterbox. Again a Postcrossing postcard (#29) sent inside a very clean and tidy envelope with a very interesting stamp. Thank you so much Chris for your care!

The 1€ stamp was issued as a stand alone stamp on 10-07-21 dedicated to rare livestock breeds (could this be a new annual series?) and the breed represented is the Jochberger Hummel, a cow whose main distinctive feature is the absence of horns. As far as I could investigate on the internet, this breed derives from the Pinzgauer breed and the first hornless calf was born in 1834 in Aurach in the tyrol region. Currently The breed is present not only in Austria, but also in Germany and Switzerland.

I have to say I love this stamp. The cow drawing is beautifully detailed and the fact that Chris chose to also include the part of the minisheet adjacent to the side of the stamp (there must be a name for this... anyone?) with its beautiful white line drawing of the cow, only adds to this.

POSTCARD N.27-  Austria

Postcrossing postcard posted inside cover #33, on the 26th August; received on the 4th September (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
Postcard image: The Prinz Eugen Monument in front of the Hofburg, Vienna
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An image I've seen in the flesh as I wrested my weary legs seating on the steps of the outer castle gate, listening to the essential information given by the free walking tour guide.

Behind the Prinz Eugen statue, just outside of the photo, stands the balcony where the demon issued his annexation speech in March 38... 

Vienna of the music; Vienna of the arts; Vienna of the Beethoven Frize;  Vienna of the museum quarter just across that same Heldenplatz that appears in the infamous photographs... how cleaner and nicer it now looks, even though memories should not be forgoten, lest the same mistakes be made again....

COVER N.33 - Austria

Postmark:  - No postmark
Posted possibly on the 26th August; received on the 4th September. (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
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Another cover from Austria with a postcrossing postcard (postcard #27) inside. Thank you so much Birgit.

This is the third circulated envelope I receive without any sort of cancellation on the stamps or the envelope itself. It's much better than a pencil or pen cancellation but without the postmark, the envelope  looks rather... naked.

Anyway, it's of course not Birgits' fault, and she did use some nice stamps, that I still hadn't received in any mail from Austria. 👍

The 0,80€ stamp was issued as a standalone piece on 19-10-201 and it depicts the T_Centre, a contemporary office building, located in the Sankt Marx section of the Landstraße, in Vienna. It was built between 2002 and 2004, and was conceived by Austrian architect Günther Domenig (Wikipedia to the recue).

The stamp is part of an annual series started in 2011, dedicated to Modern Architecture.

The two 0,12€ stamps are part of a definitive issue of 14 stamps, (0,10; 0,12; 0,80 - 4 different stamps; 0,90 - 2 different stamps; 1,35 - 2 different stamps; 1,80; 2,70 - 2 different stamps;4,20€) issued on 01JUL2018, with details of the coats of arms of  Austrian States and Cities. The 12 cent stamp depicts the Lion on the coat of arms of the Salzburg State.

POSTCARD N.13 - Austria
Postcrossing postcard posted on the 14th July; received on the 20th July
Potscard image: Celebrating Postcrossing 
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I only came across Postcrossing after I started this humble blog of mine, about three months ago. But as many a believer in the power simple things have to make a better world and to bridge differences and create common grounds, I joined the moment I took notice of it.

In fact, writing someone you don't know a simple postcard is much more than a hobby or a way to fill in some free time. It is an act of citizenship, of welcoming, of culture, much the same as reaching out or lending a hand. 

When I started this blog I wrote that I was doing it because I missed finding correspondence in my mailbox; i missed the pleasure of seeing an envelope with an handwritten address, my address, on it, with the promise of news from someone I knew or knew not, mundane as they might be, therein inscribed, in a sheet of handwritten paper.

I knew at heart that there had to be  a great many people who felt much the same way I did, but where were they?

I wasn't looking for friends. I know how elusive the notion of "friend" can be when perceived against the backdrop of an electronic application or the vast wasteland of social media. I guess I was looking for humanity nodes; synaptic points of interconnection with my own species.

And Postcrossing proved to be just the right tool to achieve this goal, making it possible to turn my mailbox into a library of Man. With each postcard I receive, my world simply grows bigger, wider, more knowledgeable.

To learn that such a brilliant idea originated in the mind of a fellow countryman,  and that it grew up to be the amazing platform we now profit from, is inspirational and a mailbox opened into the future...

Anita, whom I thank,  sent me this terrific card, issued, just as it reads, to celebrate the issuing of a second postcrossing themed stamp by the Austrian Post (the first one having been issued in 2016)

The 1,00€ stamp is cancelled with the first day of issue postmark, dated of 14JUL2021, and was sent from Vienna

COVER N. 1 - Austria

Post mark from Ilz. Cover posted on the 21st April and received on the 28th.
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Joy!

My first cover has arrived. and what a beauty it is. Thank you so much Florian.

It is fitting that I inaugurate my collection with a cover from a country beginning with an A, although in true form, as shown on the beautiful stamps on the cover, it should be filed under the "O" flap of the binder.

I couldn't be happier.

The stamps are both 2020 issues.  

The 5 and 10 cent stamps are part of a 16 stamp definitive issue themed on accessories used in conjunction with traditional costumes. The 5 cent stamp shows an astrakhan cap from the region of Seewinkel, in the province of Burgenland and the 10 cent a Wheel Bonnet typical of the Bodensee-Voralberg region.

The 85 cent stamp is a one stamp issue, depicting a Chanterelle mushroom side by side with a " Schwarzdruck" (a black print) of the same stamp, a philatelic item that is a total novelty to me. Again a huge thanks to Florian for such a nice item.