COVER N. 769 - FRANCE - UNESCO

Postmark: 1946-80-2026 UNESCO 1er Jour  la Poste  Paris  04.09.2026

Posted on 4th September;  Received on the 9th September 2026

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Encore un enorme Merci, Pierre, pour ce jolie pli de l'UNESCO, on an oficial envelope of the organisation!

As quoted from its official internet site "UNESCO is the United Nations organization that promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide."

Also quoting from the "About UNESCO" section of its press releases:

"With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, with a global network of 200 National Commissions.

The note ends with a quote from the Organisation Constitution:

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed” 

Sadly, it seems that there are minds that are totally impervious to such a  type of benign construction....

Given that UNESCO headquarters are located in France, The French Postal Operator, La Poste, is tasked with issuing Service Stamps for the organisation.

The latest issue of these is dated of 04SEP2026 and commemorates the 80th anniversary of the organisation, which was born in 145 but would only be formally instituted in 1946 when a 20th UN State ratified its constitution.

The 2.25 € stamp is illustrated with a depiction of the UNESCO Headquarters building in white over a UN Blue background.

Further to the legend 1946-80-2026, the hashtags #Pourlespeuples and #Fortehpeople are included under the logo of the organisation.

The First Day Postmark repeats the legend on top of the organisation logo: a classic temple, with the worlds UNESCO as columns.

COVER N. 768 - TAIWAN

Postmark: TAIWAN R.O.C. 04.08.2026

Posted on the 4th August September;  Received on the 15th September 2026

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Quite happy to receive this nice cover from another infrequent passenger in this blog: Taiwan. 

非常感謝 Su Wu!

- Taoyuan International Airport, the main airport infrastructure of Taiwan, is located in Dayuan, Taoyuan, approximately 40 km west of Taipei, the Capital. 

Opened up to traffic in 1979,  the airport was  initially designated as  Chiang Kai-shek International Airport but it would change its name to the current designation in 2006.

In 2025, TPE (IATA's code for Taoyuan International) processed approximately 47.8 million passengers and it serves as main base and hub for  China Airlines, EVA Air, and STARLUX Airlines.

The two stamps - 2 and 10 Taiwanese new Dollar - illustrated with the image of terminal 1, the former, and the Control tower, the latter,  with what looks to be a departing 747 climbing in the sky, were issued on 31DEC1978.

- Chiang Kai-Shek (1887 -1975) was the first President of Taiwan, a state issued out of the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomitang forces led by him and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party led by  Mao Zedong.

Having lost the war  Chiang Kai-Shek retreated to the Island of Formosa where he would,  so to speak, reclaim the right to the existence of the former Republic of China, which he would lead  till his death.

Meanwhile, the former Republic of China would become The People's Republic of China, which to this claims territorial and administrative authority over Taiwan. 

The 5 Taiwanese New Dollar stamp illustrated with his portrait and a group of people saluting the Taiwanese flag in the background is part of a set of four (2; 5; 8; 10 NTD) issued on 31OCT1986, in anticipation of the celebrations of the centenary of his birth.

COVER N. 767 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Bregenzer Festspiele 6900 Bregenz 19.08.2026

Posted on the19th August September;  Received on the 14th September 2026

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Vielen Dank Günter for a lovely cover from Austria.

I think I have already mentioned in these posts of mine  a 33rpm, a Long Play, or an LP, as we used to call the object that is now a must for all the "dedicated followers of fashion" out there, expertly referred to as "a  vinyl", (come on, show us some class.... calling an LP “a vinyl is just as uncouth   as calling a condom "a latex"...) put out by Reader's Digest in the 70s, that was one of my introductions to Classical Music.

Nested amidst the 1st movement of Beethoven's Pastoral symphony, Purcell's Funeral March for Queen Mary in the then totally surprising version of Wendy Carlos (who, at the time, still signed his works as Walter Carlos), Mozart's Andante from the Elvira Madigan piano concerto, one  of Brahms' Hungarian dances and other all time favourites of western classical music, was a track that I couldn’t stop playing again and again.

It started with a low pedal note coming out of the pipe of an  organ which caused so much tension that it alone was enough to put you on alert; then came first a simple soft trumpet phrase, expressing uncertainty, almost fear, doubt, to which the metallic, sharp, cutting cry of the full brass fanfare responded, adding to the mystery and slowly pushing that tension up, guided by the brutal command of the timpani,  like a merciless hortator setting the rhythm  of the rowers in a roman trireme. Finally  that absolutely emotionally devastating climax, drowned in a last monumental clash of the cymbals.

No matter how many times I hear it, the intro section of Also Sprach Zaratustra, written by Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949) in 1896, will always make the hairs on my arms jump to attention.

I was  ten years old when I first heard it. Not in a record but in the opening sequence of Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. I was underage but I managed to enter the theatre.... after watching the film and almost throwing up during the stargate sequence, totally overwhelmed that I was by the tunnel of colours and the disturbing soundtrack,  I would not sleep for the next three nights.... 

How was I here?

Where would I go from here?

What was I to do here?

Is there a reason for it all?

I still don't know the answers. The monolith still crosses my path, with every forward step I take...

Still, on that last night, I made a decision. I solved my questions with religion and God. 

To this day; more than half a century later.

I owe it to Kubrick.

I owe it to Strauss.

Stamps:

- The 0.62 Euro stamp illustrated with the photo portrait of the Austrian Composer  Richard Strauss was issued on the precise date of  the 150th anniversary of his birth, 11JUN2014.

The composer and conductor is considered one of the central pivots in western classical music, for the transition between the romantic and the modernist eras.

Strauss body of work contains several operas and tone poems, as well as lieder and symphonies.

- Loyalty Bonus Stamps are stamps issued annually, since 2008, by the Austrian Post which are only available to registered stamp subscribers. To this date they have been illustrated with lovely depictions of  flower species.

Günter was extremely kind in using two of these on the cover, that of 2015, dated of 07MAR2015, illustrated with the European pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) and that of 2016, issued on 05MAR2016, featuring the Orange Lily (Lilium bulbiferum).

The stamps are cancelled with a commemorative postmark celebrating the 80th edition of the Bregenzer Festspiele,  a performing arts festival which has been held since 1946, every July and August in Bregenz, on the shore of  Lake Constance.

COVER N. 766 - FRANCE - EUROPEAN COUNCIL

Postmark: Conseil de l'Europe - 25e anniversaire du cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues -  Bonjour Hello - 1er Jour  la Poste  67 Strasbourg  04.09.2026

Posted on 4th September;  Received on the 9th September 2026

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Un gros Merci, Pierre, pour ce jolie pli du Conseil de l'Europe!

The French Postal Operator, la Poste is responsible for issuing service stamps for The European Council (and also for UNESCO).

Piere sent me a cover using an official European Parliament envelope of the last such issue, dated of 04SEP2026, the event which it honours being the 25th anniversary of the CECR -  Cadre Européen Commun de Référence pour les Langues (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

This nowadays widely used system of classification for one's expertise in a given laguage established six Common Reference Levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) for  the evaluation of competences of any given speaker.

The 2,25 € stamp is illustrated with a word cloud which contains the translation of the word "Bonjour" as a greeting form  into several European languages. The Logo of the European Council can be seen in the lower right corner of the illustration.

The First Day Postmark was issued at Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament, probably because the E.C. service stamps are issued by the French Postal operator, while the  European Council has it seat in Brussels, Belgium.

COVER N. 765 - RUSSIA

Postmark: ? 16.07.2026 (?)

Posted on 16th July (?);  Received on the 7th September 2026

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Alex sends me a nice 2023 First Day Cover. большое спасибо, Alex.

Integrated in the Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site, Oreshek Fortress is located in Orekhovy Island, where the River Neva meets Ladoga lake, right in front of the town of Shlisselburg, a mere 40 km, as the bird flies from the centre of Saint Petersburg.

The fortress was built in 1323 and on several occasions was disputed and occupied by Sweden until it was finally taken by Peter the Great in 1702.

During World War II, the fortress was heavily damaged by German shelling, and according to Wikipedia, reconstruction is still taken place today.

Celebrating the 700 anniversary of the fortress, Russmarka issued on 24AUG2023 the beautiful single 100 ruble stamp souvenir sheet on the cover, illustrated with an image of the fortification at the golden hour. What I presume to be a tourist ferry can also be seen docked in a pier adjacent to the entrance to the complex. On a ribbon on top of the image there's a legend which I believe reads "Oreshek Fortress 700 Years."

Unfortunately the first day postmark is almost illegible due to lack of contrast with the surface unto which it was applied, by I believe it features the same legend.

The logo for the celebration of the anniversary is also printed on the left of the FDC.

To post the FDC, Alex used a 25 ruble stamp part of a set of  three of identical face value issued on 04JUN1993. The set is dedicated to the Novgorod Kremlin, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this particular stamp features an illustration of the St. Sophia's Cathedral Bebelfry. 

COVER N. 764 - BULGARIA

Postmark: ? 26.08.2026

Posted on 26th August;  Received on the 7th September 2026

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My Friend, The Flying Dutchman, sent me a nice cover from Bulgaria. Muito Obrigado, Eric. Um grande Abraço!

As it is well known, 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the first CEPT/EUROPA stamps, the occasion having been celebrated by PostEurope with a common design stamp issue, chosen through a contest open to its members.

20 years ago, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary, 2006, the path chosen what the more traditional (and to me more appealing) subordination of the issues to a common theme, not a common design, which, for that particular year, was "Integration through the Eyes of Young People".

Further to issuing the 2006 EUROPA set, Bulgaria, a member of CEPT since 1990, chose to mark the 50th anniversary of the organisation in advance, with the two stamp set (0,45 + 0,80 Lev) on the cover,  which began to circulate on 28MAY2005.

The stylised human images on the stamps can easily relate to both the role of PostEurope as a vehicle to foster cooperation between postal administrations and also to the 2026 common theme, "Integration",  as stated above.

Unfortunately, the postmark is not legible, but the Postal Code 1408 indicates that it was issued in Sofia, Bulgaria's Capital.

COVER N. 761 - SPAIN

Postmark: Base Antártica Española Juan Carlos IIsla Livingston Correos 20.03.2026

Posted on 20 March;  Received on the 18th August 2026

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Another uncommon visitor to my mailbox, again thanks to the help of the restless wanderer, my Phantom friend. Danke sehr, Alex!

You'd expect mail coming from the Antarctic to travel through stormy weather.... what I would not expect was to have it delivered totally unscathed to my letterbox only to get it soaked by some rainwater from a summer tempest in my letterbox, while I was away from home for a few days :-( Luckily it only affected the bottom third of the envelope, so the beautiful blue cachet and black postmark were not smudged.

The Base Antártica Juan Carlos I is one of the two research stations that Spain maintains in the South Shetland Islands, one of the emerging bodies of land delimiting the infamous Drake Passage that links the Pacific to the Atlantic in the southern latitudes, the other being, of course, the no less  renowned Chilean Cape Horn. (The other Spanish base is  Base Antártica Gabriel de Castilla, in Deception Island).

Located in the  Hurd Peninsula, in Livingston Island, it was established in 1988, being given the name of the then Head of the Spanish state, King Juan Carlos I, and it is seasonally occupied, from November to March.

In can accomodate up to 50 people, its staff being functionally divided mostly into researchers and logistics personnel. The research therein conducted is carried out in the fields of:

Glaciology and Permafrost: Monitoring glacier mass balance, ice dynamics, and the degradation of permanently frozen ground to understand climate change impacts. 

Atmospheric Studies and Meteorology: Collecting continuous climate data, tracking aerosol movements, measuring ultraviolet radiation, and monitoring the ozone layer. 

Geomagnetism and Ionosphere Physics: Studying the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere variations, which are critical for satellite communications and global navigation systems. 

Biology and Ecology: Investigating polar ecosystems, including lichen physiology, vegetation adaptations to extreme cold, and the impacts of human footprints on local fauna. 

Geology and Geophysics: Analyzing the structural evolution of the South Shetland Islands, local volcanic activity, and tectonic movements.

Physical Oceanography: Examining marine currents, sea temperatures, and coastal salinity variations in coordination with the Spanish research vessel Hespérides.   

The stamp used on the cover is the Spanish Europa Issue of 2022, on the common theme of Myths and Legends.

It was issued on Europe's day 2022 - 09MAY2022 - and it is illustrated with an image evocative of Sa Dragonera island, located southwest of  Mallorca Island in the ballearic Archipelago.

The Island itself has the shape of a dragon , and legend has it that the island was home to one such mythical beast that protected Mallorca from undeserved invaders.

The pictorial postmark of the base is illustrated with the base's logo image, which I think is a skua, but I am not sure about this. 

COVER N. 763 - DJIBOUTI

Postmark: Djibouti Principal Rep. Djibouti 13.08.2026

Posted on 13th August;  Received on the 18th August 2026

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Nothing short of amazing. Nochmals danke sehr, Alex! 

Thanks to you I am able to tick another box in the countries list, something which fills me up with joy every time it happens. 

Also I would never think that a letter from Djibouti to Portugal would travel so fast. Excellent!

We don't hear much about Djibouti and I confess that excepting the fact of it being an eastern Africa country located in the horn of Africa, I knew nothing about it. So, I turned to the usual sources to find out that it was a former French colony up until 1977, the year when the Republic of Djibouti was officially established, and that it shares borders with Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, its shores being at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

I also learned that Djibouti has been led by the same party since its independence and the adoption of a constitution, which only occurred 15 years after the separation from France, in 1992, which consagrates multipartidarism and that  the current President was recently elected for a sixth term by 97.8% of the votes...

Djibouti ranks as 152 in the list of 195 countries and territories  included in the "Freedom in the World" Index of the European Commission. 

For postage, Alex used two stamps of a mini-sheet of 6 x 120 Djiboutian franc issued on 28APR2000 themed on trains.

The trains in the illustrations are the French TGV (left) and the Italian ETR 450 (right).

Postmark from the central Post Office at Djibouti city, the capital.

COVER N. 762 - BENIN

Postmark: Comè 14.0?.2026

Posted on 14th ?;  Received on the 18th August 2026

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Getting mail in one's letterbox from such uncommon origins as Benin is always a motive for great joy, this being only the second time this Western Africa country is featured on the blog. 

A basketful of heartfelt Mercis goes out to Roland, who made sure I was included in such a great circuit and also to fellow member of the LCC, Marie-José, and to her kind friend who made it all possible.

The stamp on the cover is a curious one because it seems to have been originally issued as a Postage Due stamp in 1978, when the country was still named République Populaire du Benin, as part of a two stamp set, illustrated with images highlighting mail distribution services in the country by bicycle (60 Franc) and by river canoe (80f).

In 1990 it would again be issued with the new official name of the country - République du Benin - overprinted in black.

Somewhere in time, the stamp was again re-issued,  with the legend "Timbre Taxe"  and the face value of 60 franc blocked in black and a  surcharge for the new face value, which is now 600 Franc, this being the version used on the cover.

The stamps on this set are very much "French" in design, being bi-colour and recess printed. Pretty beautiful stamps if I may say so. Pity the overprinting hiding so much detail...

Postmark from Comé, a town in the south-west of tyhe country.

COVER N. 759 - CHINA

POSTCARD N.244
Postcard image: Longmen Ancient Town

Postmark: ? 23.07.2024

Posted on 23rd July;  Received on the 14th August 2026

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Another Postcrossing postcard received in a large envelope from China. 谢谢, mfx.

Mfx wrote that the village in the photo on the nice blue hour photo on the card was more than a 1000 years old. I did a bit of research and with the help of Google translator I managed to identify the town as the  Longmen Ancient Town, in the city of Hangzhou, province of Zhejiang.

The pre-stamped envelope features an illustration of an old lake side village  with a legend that Google translated as "18th letter writing contest for the youth". 

On the back, 2009 is also printed, so I presume that the envelope dates from that year. The pre-printed 2.40 Yuan stamp shows a child holding on to a carp.

Postage was competed with:

- a 1.20 Yuan stamp from a set of seven (0,80; 5 x1.20; 1.50 Yuan) issued on  21JUN2014, illustrated with images evoking "The Dream of the Red Chamber" a novel written in the 18th-century by Cao Xueqin, considered to be one of the great classics of Chinese literature.

- a 40 fen stamp from a set of four (40 fen; 1; 2; 4.20 Yuan), issued on 12MAY2016, from the series Beautiful China. It is illustrated with a photo of Mu Dan Jiang (Snow Town), in the province of Heilongjiang, famous for its mushroom shaped houses, which can be seen on the photograph, all covered in snow.

COVER N. 760 - INDONESIA

Postmark Kantor Filateli Jakarta

Posted on 7th July;  Received on the 18th August 2026

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This has to mean something.... maybe I should buy a lottery ticket...

Typewriters are now the sort of device that fills the exhibition shelves of museums alongside other once ubiquitous  artefacts like audio cassettes or desk telephones.

And yet, in the space of 4 days I received two letters addressed with a mechanical typewriter,  from places so distant one from the other as Spain and Indonesia. 

Terima kasih banyak Virna, I really liked to see the care you put in composing the envelope and I am also glad to see that there are  some typewriters that refuse to go mute...

As far as I could investigate, the Four Nations Stamp Show is a philatelic event that takes place every 4 years in one of the participating countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The first exhibition took place in Bandung, Indonesia, between   27  May and 1 June 2014 - and it marked the celebration of the 150th anniversary of first Indonesian stamp.

On the occasion of the Stamp show,  Pos Indonesia issued, on 27May2014, a souvenir sheet with four 5000 Rupiah stamps illustrated with images of the Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas), a  species endemic to Java which is now categorised by IUCN as endangered. The stamps also included the World Wildlife Fund logo.

Printed alongside the stamps, the sheet included the event logo and the legend "Four Nations Stamp Show Bandung 2014 - 27 may - 1 June 2014".

Virna used an imperforated version of the souvenir sheet, without the show logo,  which I suppose must have been issued on the same date.

Postmark from the Philatelic Bureau of Jakarta, Indonesia's Capital.

COVER N. 758 - CANADA
POSTCARD N.243
Postcard image: Northern Ligfhts on Summit Peak Trail, Stone Mountain provincial Park

Postmark: None

Posted on ?;  Received on the 14th August 2026

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Daylin sends me a Postcrossing postcard inside a curious envelope made of pretty uncommon paper since it is obtained from Elephant poop fibbers, in Thailand...  quite singular,... Thanks Daylin.

Unfortunately, the envelope isn't postmarked, what if anything, only accentuates what I feel about Canada Post "From Far and Wide" definitive series stamps: outstanding places, beautiful photographs, but minuscule stamps, that should be viewed under a magnifier.... or, better yet, a microscope, for even though the stamp carries a legend indicating what is the place in the photograph, it just can't be read without that kid of device...

Anyway, the image on the stamp is that of Qarlinngua Sea Arch, Nunavut, a 50 meter tall natural rock formation located on the Brodeur Peninsula of Baffin Island, Canada's largest island, in the Canadian Territory of Nunavut. 

The stamp is part of a set of four issued on 13JAN2025 (1.44; 1.75; 2.61;3.65 Canadian Dollars). The four stamps are new and higher face value reprints of part of the "From Far and Wide" series issue of 2024, which comprised 9 values.

The postcard Daylin sent features a very nice photo of the northern lights, taken in Stone Mountain Provincial Park in British Columbia.

I was about to write that this is the sort of image that I have always aspired to capture but cannot, due to my being so down south, but as it turns out, in the last two years  northern lights were seen in the north of Portugal (redder and much dimmer than in the photo, but still...) so maybe I will be able to watch and shoot them one of these days 😂

Of course I can always go to Canada... 

 

COVER N. 757 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 Clamecy Nièvre  11.08.2026

Posted on the 11th August;  Received on the 14th August 2026

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Another example of this year's EUROPA common design stamp, this time from France. 

Un gros Merci, Jean-Pierre.

Even though it is always a pleasure to receive mail with EUROPA  stamps on the envelopes, I would much prefer that PostEurope would have kept to the usual common theme instead of the common design approach.

Anyway, as my father used to say, "não vale a pena chorar sobre o leite derramado" (it is useless to cry over spilled milk) and I might as well forget my pains and concentrate on the half-full side of the bottle, to note how well the colourful printed selvedge goes with the equally colourful composition that serves as common design for this year's issue, in the French iteration of the stamp.

As usual with Jean-Pierre's covers, the postmark was applied at Clamecy, a town with a population of about 3600 inhabitants, part of the Nièvre Department, in Central France.

COVER N. 756 - SPAIN 

Postmark: Castillo de Peníscola/Peñíscola - Oficina Posta de Peníscola/Peñiscola 12.08.2026

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

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Upon returning home, with the impressive image of the solar eclipse still quite vivid in my memory bank I was greeted by a somewhat generous week's mail in the letterbox, which had been rather neglected by Mr. Postman during the previous two weeks.

Among the nice letters and postcards I received, one immediately grabbed my attention not only for the uncommon format of the envelope, but also for the beautiful souvenir sheet on it, cancelled with one of those absolutely lovely pictorial postmarks that Correos de España has created for several Spanish cities and places of interest.

But that was not all. When was the last time that you have received a letter addressed on a manual typewriter?

All in all, a totally unexpected and totally welcomed letter and what's more the opportunity to keep in tune with the last post in my blog.

Moltes gràcies, Eva. M'ha encantat la sorpresa i espero que també hagis tingut l'oportunitat de gaudir de la bellesa de l'eclipsi.

My wife and I really enjoyed watching the eclipse from a good location with full unimpeded view  in Vinhais, District of Bragança, in the Trás-os-Montes region, in the northeastern tip of Portugal.

Unfortunately, we were not in the totality path (although very close to it: > 99.5%) what does make a huge difference, I had the opportunity to learn, since the corona was not visible.

Still,  we had no traffic jams, had plenty of space for ourselves and could even seat on a stone bench for the duration of the event. 

All in all we had a great time, save for the heat we had to endure, for the day temperature was running on the very high 30s centigrade, 39, maybe? In fact, the way the temperature dropped as the eclipse reached its climax was  one of the things I was most happy with... 😀

I won't go in more detail here since I just finished a post on my other blog with a couple of elucubrations about it all, which you are welcome to check , should you feel so inclined  (I have a "translate" buton, on the side of the pages).

Anyway, back to Eva's lovely letter.

The souvenir sheet with a 4 € stamp Eva used to post the letter was issued on 23JUL2026. 

The stamp itself features  a photo composition with all the phases of a total solar eclipse on its top third with the logo for Trio de Eclipses, the Website that the Spanish Ministry of Science through the National Geographic Institute has created to provide information regarding the three solar eclipses that will be able to be watched  from locations in Spain in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Below it, a satellite image of the Iberian Peninsula and another smaller picture of the Canary Islands, with the totality path for the 2026 eclipsed indicated on it.

The rest of the sheet is occupied with an enlarged part of the photo composition on the stamp, the aforementioned logo for the Trio de Eclipses platform and the legend Ciência, Eclipse solar total, España 12 de agosto 2026. The Correos logo is also present on the top left corner of the sheet.

The beautiful pictorial postmark, which has the particularity of being dated of the day of the eclipse, features the castle of Peníscola, a town on the edge of the Mediterranean sea in the province of Castelló, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, with a population of about 8,000, which was under the path of totality for the 12th August event. Some people have all the luck.... 😉

Eva's letter was written in a most beautiful postcard featuring an image I was not able to watch: an artist's rendition of the totality moment. I absolutely love the colours and the composition.

COVER N. 755 - SPAIN 

Postmark: Correos CTA Valencia 22.07.2026

Posted on the 22nd July;  Received on the 24th July 2026

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The unmistakable sweet smell of roses on your desk... there could not be a better way to begin a day Eva, Moltes Graciès  ...)😉.

I quite appreciate the care you once again put in composing this envelope, with all the various components contributing to a most pleasant end result, from the stamp down to the colour of the envelope...

Roses are not red (and violets are not blue). In fact, if we go by what etymology tells us, Roses are rosa (rose), a colour that sits equidistant between magenta and red in the colour wheel,  the use of which to define a colour was first recorded in 1382. 

Oh, and by the way, violets are... well violet! (mostly)

Roses are, or course,  famous (amidst several other things) for their scent. Rose essence, the fragrance we all associate with the flower (although some roses do smell, while others do not) is mostly produced from an hybryd rose (which is also rose in colour): the Rosa × damascena, derived from  Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata.

In truth, the multitudinal variations of the genus Rose that we know today, which comprises about 100 species of perennial shrubs native mostly to Asia, but also present in America and Europe, comes from the fact that roses easily hybridise and crossbreed.

This fact has led to garden lovers specialising in rose collecting and also to the  creation of rose gardens, all around the world, as the eponymous entry in Wikipedia clearly shows. 

Spain, more specifically Madrid, the Capital, has at least two Rose Gardens of relevance;  La Rosaleda del Retiro, in the Buen Retiro Park, and La Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste, in the Parque del Oeste.

This last one was established in 1956 and was conceived and built under the supervision of the  Jardinero Mayor del Ayuntamiento de Madrid  (the Head Gardener of the City Council) Ramón Ortíz en 1956.

Celebrating the 70 years of this garden which is home to more than 600 varieties of Rose, Correos issued on 14MAY2026 the 2€ stamp on the cover illustrated with an image of a rose tunnel and a legend  with the name of the rose garden, Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste Madrid.

The stamps were issued on a souvenir sheet comprising seven stamps, whose paper is rose scented. The sheet bears a photograph of the garden,  topped by a perforated plan of the garden and a rectangular legend that contains the designation of the issue.

On the cover, further to the stamp, Eva included this particular item as well as a section of the part of the sheet bearing the Rosaleda photograph.

The mechanical postmark is, as usual in Eva's mail, that of the Automated Treatment Centre of Valencia (CTA Valencia).

One again, Eva kindly included a postcard with another of Erica Fustero's photos, this one taken in Berlin in 2025. The subject of the photo couldn't be more in tune... a rose shrub, of course.

All this talk of Roses just reminded me of good old Jacques.... what a fabulous Rose he was... a whole garden of them!

COVER N. 754 - BURUNDI

Postmark: RNP Burundi 10.(?).2026  

Posted on the 10th ?;  Received on the  24th July 2026

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Totally unexpected cover from Burundi. My second ever, and on one of those air mail envelopes I so much like.

Un grand Merci Charlotte pour la lettre et les timbres.

Imperforate stamps are not that common, and not that practical, either, I'd add. Still, every once in a while some show up, like the two in this cover, which were cut from a souvenir sheet containing only these two 500 Burundian francs, illustrated with sepia toned photographs of  two examples of local traditional houses, issued on 02JAN2010.

Since all the images of the souvenir sheet in question that I could find over the internet show the stamps to be perforated, I wonder if there were perf and imperf versions issued or if the one on the cover is some sort of accident. Anyone?

The 250 franc stamp showing a nice painting of an hipopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is part of an issued dated of 02APR2026, dedicated to this particular artiodactyl, put out by Stamperija, comprising 5 stamps (150; 250; 1000; 1500; 2000 francs) plus a single stamp souvenir sheet (10000 francs).

Somehow it is nice to see a Stamperija stamp actually cancelled by an official postmark.

The bi-colour postmark (blue and red, which goes great with the envelope itself :-)) bears no indication as to the place of dispatch, just the mention RNP an acronym for Régie Nationale des Postes,  the Burudi Postal Operator.

COVER N. 753 - SRI LANKA

Postmark:  Headquarters P. O. Colombo Mail 24.03.2026  

Posted on the 7th July;  Received on the 16th July 2026

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Ravindra hits me with another with his always nice covers featuring interesting stamps.  බෝහම ස්තුති, Ravi!

- On 15JUN2023, Sri Lanka Post issued a mini-sheet containing 20 x 50 Rupee circular stamps, dedicated to fruits and vegetables of Sri Lanka.

Ravi had already used some of these stamps on previous mail to me (cover #651, postcards #158 #160) and now he used the following three (left to right):

- Salacia chinensis, a climbing shrub of the Celastraceae family, known for its effects as adjuvant of the digestive health and obesity related illnesses such as diabetes type 2 and cardiovascular conditions.

- Mangifera zeylanica, or Sri Lanka wild mango. An edible mango species endemic to Sri Lanka.

- Dimocarpus longan, an edible fruit bearing tree in the same family - Sapindaceae - to which the lychee belongs, its yellowish fruits bearing some resemblance in terms of taste to lychees, also.

As usual, postmark from the central Post Office at Colombo.

COVER N. 752 - JORDAN

Postmark: None

Posted on  (?);  Received on the 12th July 2026

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The third cover I received on the same day sent from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, sadly arrived without postmark, something which has happened to covers sent by me also (unfortunately not from Jordan...) but which always imparts an "incomplete" look to the envelope (although having the added bonus of letting the stamps shine in their integrity.

This, I suspect, is a cover which I have deux Mercis to send out. One, most certainly, to Roland, whose name was on the sender's address, and the other to the actual sender, who I don't know who it was.  Anyway, a great many thanks to the two.

According to Wikipedia, Jordan is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the times of the cruxification of Jesus.

Conversely, Jordan is also home to several Biblical sites, the most famous of which is probably the Baptism site, or "Bethany Beyond the Jordan", the place where Jesus would have been baptised by John the Baptism, today a  World Heritage Site.

Celebrating the relevance of  these Biblical sites for Christianity, Jordan Post issued on 19JAN2025 a stamp sheet with 10 x 30 Piaster stamps illustrated with photos of "Christian Pilgrimage Sites in Jordan".

Two of these stamps are on the cover, namely the one depicting the Um al-Rasas, once a Roman garrison site which is believed to have been the biblical settlement of Mephaat, mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah and the other, Um al-Jimal, another old Roman garrison site.

Both sites have been awarded World Heritage status by Unesco.

Arabian Purebreeds are as famous as they are indeed beautiful, with their unique head shape, big eyes, and high tail carriage.

On 26OCT2021 Jordan Post issued a 7 x 30 Piastre  set of stamps illustrated with photos (profile and head) of several examples of this distinguished equine. One of them is also featured on the cover.

COVER N. 749 - AZERBAIJAN 

Postmark: Azərbaycan Şuşa MXŞ 05.06.2026

Posted on the 5th June;  Received on the 10th July 2026

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Danke Sehr Alex, for this cover from the Nagorno-Karabah region of Azerbaijan.

The Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was until 2023, a self-proclaimed, albeit not internationally recognised state, designated as the Republic of Artsakh, its history goingt back to 1918, when both the recently established  Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia, claimed the territory, an enclave inside Azerbaijan, mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, after the fall of the Russian Empire.

The conflict went cold during the period when both Azerbaijan and Armenia were part of the USSR, only to erupt again after the Soviet Union too came to an end, and both Azerbaijan and Armenia became independent states again.

The contention (and the so called Republic of Artsakh) ended when in 2023 Azeri forces expelled all the Armenians from the region, in conditions that motivated strong remarks by International Human Rights organisations, forcing them to flee into Armenia.

As in the other cover Alex sent me from Azerbaijan (#748)  two 0,5 manat stamps featuring a photo of Heydar Aliyev (1923-2003), the third President of Azerbaijan and the father of the current President, Ilham Aliyev were used as postage.

Heydar Aliyev served for a total of 23 years as the most important dignitary of Azebaijan, first, for 13 years (1969–1982), as  First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan. and later, for another 10 year period (1993–2003) as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, until his resignation in October 2003.

The stamp is part of a vast multiple format issue marking the 20th anniversary of Heydar Aliyev passing, dated of  10MAY2023, all stamps being illustrated with his portrait. 

The Postmark was issued at the city of Şuşa.

COVER N. 751 - JORDAN 

Postmark: Amman City Centre (?)  Reg. Mail 13.04.2026

Posted on the 13 April;  Received on the 12th July 2026

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The second cover I got from Talal, from Jordan. Shukran jazeelan.

- On 13JAN1993, Jordan Post issued a definitive set comprising 9 values (5;80;100;125; 160;240;320; 500 fils; 1 dinar), illustrated with an image of the Arch of Hadrian in the city of Jerash, all stamps being equal safe for the value and colour.  

The monumental structure was constructed in 129-130, honouring the visit of Emperor Hadrian to the city where it now stands, which was then called Gerasa and was subject to reconstruction in 2007.

A block of 4 x 160 fils  stamp was used on this cover.

The series would be continued in later years either with new values or with surcharged stamps.

- 40 piastre stamps are part of a set of 5x40 piastre stamps issued on 21NOV2017, highlighting World Heritage Sites in Jordan. The stamps on the cover feature:

The Umm ar-Rasas site, located in central Jordan,  renowned for its Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic ruins, including 16 churches and a famous mosaic floor in the Church of St. Stephen;

Al-Maghtas, The Baptism, a site located on the east bank of the Jordan River, reputed to be the location of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.

- The 60 fils stamp is part of a set of 3 (20;30; 60 fils)  issued on 18SEP1973, celebrating the Day of Familywood as indicated by the legend on the stamp.

- Petra needs no presentation. The famous city cut in  pink sandstone dating from the 4th century BC, lay  in the desert forgotten to the eyes of the world until its rediscovery in 1812 by  Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, but its true call to fame came more than one and a half centuries later, when Indiana Jones entered one of its most famous buildings - Al-Khazneh, the treasury - only to almost never exit it again.

Another of the city's famous buildings, Ed-Deir, The Monastery, is featured on the 1fils stamp, on the back of the envelope, in a block of 4.

The stamp is part of a set of 4, issued on 09FEV1954. The stamps in the set were either illustrated with the image of the Monastery (1;3;5 fils) or of King Hussein II (2; 4 fils).

The Postmarks indicate that the letter was mailed from Amman, the Capital of Jordan.