COVER N. 622 - AUSTRIA 

Postmark: Feldkirchen Bei Graz 8073 date illegible

Posted on ?; Received on the 5th August 2025

_________________________________________________________________________________

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. 453 - LITHUANIA

Postmark: Europa Povandeniné fauna ir flora Vilnius Premier Jour 26.04.2024/ Kaišiadorys Lietuva 01.05.2024

Posted on the 1st May; received on the 21st May 2024

_________________________________________________________________________________

This year's Europa stamps theme being underwater Fauna and Flora, I expect to receive some covers graced with really nice stamps, since such an attractive theme more than lends itself to it.

The first one I got comes from Lithuania, for which I have to thank Leonardas, who kindly sent me a beautiful FDC of  Lietuvos paštas' 2024 Europa issue, which comprises two stamps that thoroughly illustrate the fact that simplicity sometimes is all it takes to reach a great result. Labai ačiū, Leonardas!

Lietuvos paštas' chose to illustrate the two stamps with riverine flora and fauna representatives. As such, two 1,70€ stamps were issued on 26APR2024, both marvellously illustrated, one with the image of a dwarf white  water lily (Nymphea candida) an aquatic species that is distributed in all Eurasia, and the other, with that of the European crayfish (Astacus astacus), a species classified as vulnerable by IUCN and once common in European rivers and streams, but which has been decimated by the invasive American crayfish and by pollution and insecticides...

Further to the First day Postmark, the stamps are cancelled by a postmark from Kaišiadorys, a city of app. 8,400 inhabitants in central Lithuania.

COVER N. 412 - ICELAND

Postmark: Kopavogur Islandspóstur 12.02.2024

Posted on the 12th December 2023; Received on the 22nd February 2024

_________________________________________________________________________________

Brrrrrr.... should be cold out there, even though fire seems to burn perpetually not far from the surface, as so many recent eruptions of several  of Iceland's many volcanoes have proven lately.

Iceland, the photographer's paradise, the place where you can put a foot on the americas and another on the old continent, while chewing on some rotten dried shark piece of meat. For all these reasons and many other I'd love to visit one day,

Until then I can always enjoy the beautiful cover The flying Dutchman made sure I'd get, so as not to leave Iceland unticked in my list of countries.  Hartelijk dank, Eric!

- Johannes S. Kjarval (1885 - 1972) was an Icelandic modernist painter whose works defy classification within any of the styles and currents for which modernism was known for, although these were fully assimilated by the artist, and synthesised into his own personal style.

His works can be divided at large into three thematic groups - portraits, landscapes and  fantasies - and it is to the later that the magnificent painting “Yearning for Flight”, illustrating the mythological story of “Leda and the Swan” can be attributed.

This is the painting that was chosen to illustrate the 100 Kronur stamp issued on the occasion of  Kjarval's birth centenary, on 15OCT1985. Of note is the fact that the stamp painting was also used to illustrate a 2000 Kronur banknote issued in 1986.

- The theme for CEPT/EUROPA stamps in 1992 was "Voyages of Discovery in America". 

This is a theme that is still open to controversy as there are two main contenders to the title of first European on American soil: Christopher Columbus, on his voyage of 1942 and Leif Erikson, in 1000.

 

Iceland post chose to highlight both epic journeys on its issue, which began to circulate on 06APR1992, illustrating two 55 kronur stamps with a depiction of Erikson's drakkar on one stamp and Columbus Santa Maria carrack on the other. The individual stamps were also issued integrated into a souvenir sheet, this time without the white frame around them. The full issue (stamps and sheet) can be seen on the cover.

- The 10th anniversary of Reykjavik’s water works was also the occasion for Pósturinn to issue on 07MAY209 the 10 Kronur stamp, which can be seen on the lower left corner of the envelope.

Judging from the postmark the cover was mailed from Kopavogur, Icewland's second most populous city.

COVER N. 400 - GEORGIA

Postmark: Georgia Kutais1  20.01.2024

Posted on the 20th January; received on the 29th January 2024 

_________________________________________________________________________________

And so we come to cover 400! Great! "Inch by inch, row by row,  gonna make this garden grow...". the words sang by Pete Seeger so many years ago echo in my mind as I type these notes, after having opened my letterbox to find a beautiful cover from Georgia inside, sent by the relentless Phantom traveller. Danke sehr, Alex!

It took me one year to reach cover 100, now the last hundred covers came within a matter of five and a half months... that's quite an acceleration....hope I don't get a speeding ticket  😀

Alex used two stunningly beautiful stamps on this cover, which constituted the Georgian 1999 EUROPA issue, which began to circulate on 28APR1999.

The theme for the 1999 common issue being Natural reserves and Parks, Georgia issued the above mentioned two stamps, highlighting the Batsara-Babaneury Reserve and one of its most  famous dwellers, the brown bear,  on the "A" tariff stamp (left corner) and the  Lagodekhi Reserve, and the none less famous red deer, on the "B" tariff stamp (right corner).

I find the illustrations on both stamps very beautiful, done in a neo-naturalist style that fits the theme most adequately,

The quite clear postmark, as it is always the case with Postmarkus Expertus Alexus, indicates that the cover was dispatched through Kutaisi, the legislative capital of Georgia, where its Parliament is located. 

COVER N. 346 - AUSTRIA

Postmark: Wien 1010 04.11.2023

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

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. 264 - PORTUGAL

Postmark: Vila Nova de Cerveira 4920 CTT 13.06.2023

Posted on the 13th June; Received on the 14th June 2023

_________________________________________________________________________________

Plenty of interesting stuff, sent by Eric with a view to a "special operation" very different from what the expression lately has been disgracefully associated with.

Thanks a lot,  Eric! The wheels are moving...

Supporting this special operation is a pleasure even if  I will only act a middle man, Eric being the generous soul behind it all. Further to him, the procedures  will have to rely on the fundamental contribution of one of my daughters, whom I really need to thank  since she is not particularly into any type of collecting hobby and most time looks at her father's requests as another eccentricity of the old one,  and whom I know has a busy schedule into which she will have to fit her precious collaboration.

But there's nothing she won't do for daddy, right? 😀

On to the stamps

The theme for the EUROPA 2004 issues was "Holidays". Tourism is fundamental to the Portuguese Economy and Tourism and holidays go hand in hand so the Portuguese contribution for the Europa issues highlighted Portugal as a tourist destination. As usual three different souvenir sheets were issued, Mainland Portugal, Azores and Madeira, all of them showcasing reasons for putting Portugal on one's journey plans.

The mainland Portugal souvenir sheet that Eric used, was issued on 10MAY2004 and it comprises two 0,56 € stamps , one presenting Portugal as a cultural tourism destination with a little detail image of one of the Painéis de S. Vicente (which can be appreciated in the National Ancient Art Museum in Lisbon) and the other as a destination for those more sensitive to sun and sand, with an image evocative of the beaches of the Algarve. The legend reads Férias em Portugal or Holidays in Portugal.

On top of the souvenir sheet ERic also used  a 0,70 € stamp, part of a four stamp  (0,30; 0,43; 0,55; 070 €) and a souvenir sheet with two stamps (1 and 2 €), dedicated to Museums in Madeira. The stamp is illustrated with the painting Le Départ, by Madeiran artist Marta Theles (1930-2001), which can bee seen in Madeira's Contemporary Art Museum, located in Calheta, about half an hour drive from Funchal.

The snowboarding 0,03 € stamp is part of the five stamp definitive set issued on 31MAR2016. This was the last set of  a "Radical sports" series started in 2014.

Lastly, the 1,20 € souvenir sheet with a  stamp illustrated  with a reliquary cross from the treasure of  Lisbon cathedral, was issued on 07JUN2005, as part of an issue that also comprised another six stamps, dedicated to the Cultural Heritage of the Filipino Period (the period in which which Portugal was ruled by Spanish Monarchs - 1580 - 1640).

The very neat postmarks hail from the town of Vila Nova de Cerveira on the mouth of the Minho River, which is the natural physical border between northern Portugal and Spain.

COVER N. 262 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 - Corbigny - Nièvre  08.06.2023

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

My first EUROPA cover of the year (besides the one I sent to myself, that is). Thank you so much Jean-Pierre.

As much as a common theme for a stamp issue for all the 54 members of PostEurope  (they used to be 56, but Russia and Belarus memberships are for the moment suspended, due to obvious reasons), this year's choice is a strong political statement, and an implicit condemnation of Russia's outrageous aggression against one of its European neighbours.  

In fact, "Peace, The highest value of Humanity", a theme that PostEurope members  agreed on following a proposal from Ukrposhta,  is such a  self-explanatory slogan, that I don't feel anything more needs to be said regarding its significance .

The main motif in the stamps that is used in all issues, irrespective of country or territory of issuance, was chosen though a contest organised by PostEurope amongst its members. 

The winning proposal was presented by POST Luxembourg  and was authored by  Linda Bos and Runa Egilsdottir from "A Designer's Collective".

Quoting from PostEurope Press release:

"The world needs a new Peace symbol, uniting all nations. Cultural differences perchance a barrier for a state of Peace. If only mankind could respect each other's differences by understanding their significance and responding to them with consideration, the world would be a better place. This design shows a visual metaphor for a peacefully integrated, cooperative society in which people embrace each other’s culture. It was inspired by the Celtic Love Knot symbol, with interlocking hearts. The colour palette illustrates all the nations in the world. By adding hands with intertwined fingers, it conveys the message of mutual respect.

A a personal note I should mention the fact that I do think La Poste did the right thing when issuing a single stamp and resisting the temptation to cash in this particular issue, quite unlike our own CTT who further to the usual stamps for mainland Portugal, Madeira and Azores, issued 3 souvenir sheets with single stamps with a face value that is practically unusable, but is almost three times the price of the common theme stamp....

The Postmark hails from Corbigny, a town of about 1600 inhabitants in the Nièvre department of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region.

COVER N.182 - UKRAINE

Postmark: unpostmarked
Posted on the 10th November, received on the 24th November 2022
_________________________________________________________________________________

Expect the unexpected ... Yesterday, on my usual anxious check on the letterbox upon arriving home after a day at work I was surprised by what these days can only be regarded as an uncommon combination: in all glory and perfect convivial harmony, a letter and a postcard were waiting for me to pick them up, both gestures of friendship, both gestures of civility, both significant expressions of  humanity, in their simplicity and almost negligible material value.

The letter came from Ukraine; the postcard from Russia. And I couldn't be happier for having received both.

A letter, stamped and duly circulated arrives at its destination in about a fortnight after expedition. 

at first sight this could be a definition for normality; as it stands, it is an expression of the utmost resilience;  a story of relentless courage; an indication that no matter what and who the circumstances cowardly  throw against you some people will never give up, when certain that they stand on the right side of history.

I, as I type in the comfort of my room, with access to such luxuries as running water, full time electricity, heating if need be, cannot even try to imagine what it is like to live in Kiev or any Ukrainian town for that matter, in the harshest conditions and always in fear that another strike of a murderous missile or drone may impinge death on the rubble they leave behind...

and yet,... Someone, amidst all this civilisational aberration, took the time to carefully compose a beautiful envelope with  gorgeous stamps, take it to the post office and mailed it... as if ... just another perfect day like the ones Lou Reed immortalised 

Thank you so much, Basil. I'm truly moved by what your beautiful cover signifies. Slava Ukraini!

I hope that soon the little miracle that happened inside my mailbox may transcend it... now,  wouldn't that be a grand Christmas Carol?

As far as I can infer from the online catalogue sources I consulted, the envelope Basi used was meant to be a FDC for a stamp of the set of 4 issued on 21MAY2021to celebrate traditional embroidery. The embroidery motiv of the envelope is typical of  the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Stamps. left to right

- The Theme for the Europa Issue of 2019 was "National Birds", Ukraine issued two Letter Z (International, up to 50 g) stamps, beautifully illustrated, one (on the cover) with a pair of nesting storks (Cicconia cicconia) and the other with a thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia).

Incidentally, given the fact that the letters V and Z are now associated with the markings on the vehicles of the aggressors,  Ukrposhta, the Ukranian Post, has stopped using these letter as stamp denominations.

- On 18AUG2017, Ukrposhta issued a set of four 4 Hryvnia  stamps dedicated to medical and melliferous plants (a second 4 stamp set would also be issued the following year), again beautifully illustrated as it is the norm with Ukraine stamps.

The stamp on the cover is dedicated to the  greater celandine (Chelidonium majus), which is Portugal is known as Erva-andorinha,  (swallow grass) certainly by way of a popular derivation of its scientific name, given that chelidon in Greek means swallow and also due to the fact that it begins to flourish when the swallows begin to arrive in their migration, in spring.

Although toxic, it has several medicinal uses mainly for skin, liver and gallbladder ailments.

The vignette on the edge of the stamp is part of the frame of the minisheet containing 9 stamps, in which the stamps were presented.

- Tradition is again at the core of the U tariff stamp illustrated witha Pysanka Easter egg, painted in the traditional fashion of the Lviv area.

The stamp is part of a set of two definitives issued on 27SEP22, the one on my cover with U denomination and its companion, illustrated with an egg painted with a motif typical of the Vinnytsia region.

- The  7th definitive stamp issue  of Ukrposhta, comprised some 20 stamps issued between 2007 and 2011, themed on traditional handmade household items . The  1,50  Hryvnia stamp on cover features an ornamented tile and its rather difficult to say when it was issued since there were several printing runs of these definitive stamps. The first iteration of this 1,50 Hryvnia stamp dates of 25MAR2009.

Unfortunately, no postmark was applied to the stamps, but I cannot complain about it since it is nothing short of a miracle that in the current state of affairs, 

 COVER N.180 - ITALY

Postmark: Pratovecchio AR C 52015 11.11.2022  
Posted on the 11th November, received on the 21st November 2022
_________________________________________________________________________________

An oddly postmarked cover can add a touch of unexpectedness to the collection, I guess. Grazie Mille Roberto!

The theme for the 2004 EUROPA emission was "Holidays" and Poste Italiane chose to illustrate it on the two stamps (0,45 and 0,65 Euros) it issued on 07MAY2004 with the most iconic graphic representation of holidays that I can think of: a vintage traveller's suitcase, from the time when you could tell that a person was a well travelled  tourist from the number of hotel stickers one had on the suitcase.

The stamps both feature the same  suitcase, which on the 0,45€ stamp is closed and travelling on what is supposed to be some sort of path, a road, for instance, drawn on the background of the stamp which to my eye looks like wallpaper from an hotel room maybe, while on the 0,62€ stamp lays open upon a table, bed, maybe, at the hotel room, exhibiting the usual paraphernalia associated with holidays: hats, reading glasses, books, photo camera, travel guide, etc.

Both stamps are taken from the lower corners of the stamp sheet and on the edges they exhibit the logo of  Vastophil 2004, which I presume was a philatelic exhibition.

The postmark is the usual postmark on Roberto’s letters, from Pratovecchio.  

Given that the current international tariff is higher than the value of both stamps, a 0,18€ mechanical stamp was also applied to the letter, but it is imprinted on the lower left corner and not on the right upper corner as usual, so as not to mess up with the handwritten address, which is occupying this rather unusual position. Given the way the envelope had to be fed to the stamping machine  in order for the stamp to be applied at this position, it resulted in an upside down stamp...odd!

 

COVER N.178 - SAN MARINO

Postmark: Poste Rep. San Marino San Marino - 04.11.2022  
Posted on the 4th November, received on the 11th November 2022
_________________________________________________________________________________

Nothing less that seven stamps on an envelope... I don't have words to express my gratitude to Eric, who again helps me tick another box in the countries list, with this amazing cover from one of Europe's micro-states, albeit its oldest one (and also the world's, for that matter, having been established in 301 AD). San Marino! Thank you so much Eric!

Stamps left to right, top to Bottom

- The 7th Winter Olympic Games took place at Cortina de Ampezzo, a well known Italian winter sports and general tourism location, right at the base of the imposing Dolomites. Calling on the attention of philatelist for the then upcoming games, Poste San Mario issued  a ten stamp set on   15DEC1955. Given that the disciplines of the competition were but seven (although there were also combined events)  three of the stamps use the same drawing, albeit in a different set of coulours.

further to the 2 Lire stamp on my cover dedicated to cross-country skying (the subject also of the 25 L stamp), the set comprised stamps dedicated to speed skating (1 l); Bobsleigh (3 and 50 L); alpine skiing (4 L); Ice Hockey (5 and 100 L), figure skating (10L) and sky jumping (200 l).

- Europa stamps have been issued since 1956, first by the member countries of the then European Communities, until 1959, then between 1960 and 1992  by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations CEPT and from 1992 on by PostEurope, a trade association representing Europe's postal operators.

The common design chosen for the 1973 issue represented a postman's horn, brought to life through the union of three arrows representing  the  traditional vectors of communication  managed by the postal administrations:  Post, Telegraph & Telephone.

Poste San Marino issued two stamps for the 1973 set: the one on the cover with a face value of 180 L and  a 20 L one. As it was the norm by then, both stamps featured the same design although in different colour combinations.

Zodiac signs have always been a popular theme for stamp issues, so it comes as no surprise that Poste San Marino has also issued a set dedicated to the theme on 18FEB1970 (although the stamps carry a little 1969 legend next to the printers designation)

As to be expected, the issue is composed of 12 stamps (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 70, 90, 100, 180 L) one for each sign and constellation. As a curious side note, I have to say that Eric was right on the money, since I am a native of Pisces (although I couldn't care less about it, since I'm not a believer...)

- The theme for the 1980 Europa common issue was "Famous People". San Marino  chose to honour two of its nationals, both renaissance men who have achieved notoriety in their quite different trades, one being a  military architect, Giovanbattista Belluzzi (1506-54), and the other, Antonio Orafo (1460-1552), a jeweler and a goldsmith, 

The stamps with face values of 170 and 220 Lire (the one on my cover) were issued on 08MAY1980.

- 1977 was designated as the World Rheumatism Year by the World Health Organisation. Several postal administrations issued stamps evocative of the fact, and San Marino was one such case. The 200 L stamp being illustrated with the image of a feminine figure being trapped by an octopus. I confess I don't quite know what the allegory stands for and a search on the internet has not given me any concrete clues to it, although I found a mention to octopus feet, what I suspect is a deformation of the fingers caused by rheumatism, so this may be the missing link...

The stamp was issued on 19OCT1977

- "Transportation and Communications" was 1988's EUROPA stamps theme, with San Marino being one of the 35 countries participating in the common emission with two stamps - 600 and 700 L - issued on 17MAR1988.

The 600 L stamp, which can be seen on my cover, is illustrated with the image of a monorail train on a journey from San Marino to ....another planet, since the rail path comes out of  our little blue planet and goes on to a point somewhere where we cannot see :-) ... this is a bit strange since I do not believe there is any train station at San Marino, but maybe there's something in this image history that is escaping me, I don't know... The companion stamp follows the same pattern of a path leading out of San Marino to somewhere in space, but this time with a communications cable, maybe fiber optics, judging from the little sparkles at the end of the cable....

The Council of Europe is an international European  institution that aims to promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights within the European continent, its more famous body being the European Court  of Human Rights.

A member state since 1988, San Marino held the Presidency of the Council  from November 2006 till May 2007, and this fact was honoured by Poste San Marino with a 0,65 stamp issued on 23JAN2007, featuring an image of the country's flag alongside the logo of the Council of Europe.

The stamps are cancelled by a nice pictorial postmark, which unfortunately is not very clearly imprinted, illustrated with a  view of the Guaita tower, one of the three towers that were built on the peaks of Monte Titano, the hill that dominates the State capital.

On a short visit to the country in 2017, I took a photo of the tower that closely resembles the image in the postmark

COVER N.162 - GIBRALTAR

Postmark: Royal Gibraltar Post Office Main Office 25.AUG.2022 
Posted on 25th August; received on the 9th September 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

I've wrote here of how I was surprised by a cover from Eric coming from the Faroe Islands, after I got another one from him from Albania; well, he continues to surprise me, this time with a beautiful cover, full of exciting goodies, from the only the place I know that has a traffic light on the shoulder of the airport runway....the Rock that guards the straight, the only place in  Europe with wild monkeys: Gibraltar. 

Thank you so much, Eric. I truly appreciated it. The more so since I can now tick another box in the list of stamp emitting countries and territories. 

Gibraltar is one of those places that makes you wonder... not only for the seemingly eternal geopolitical issues that gravitate around the rocky promontory, which in the wake of Brexit will at some point rekindle,  but also because  of its geonatural uniqueness, of which the celebrated monkeys or the fact that it is one of the world's hot spots for birdwatchers, due to its startegic location as an open air auditorium to watch the great bird migrations between Africa and Europe, are probably the most famous features.

Gibraltar is also the place, I found, where machines work for themselves:  I've been to the rock many years ago, when my girls were still pre-teens.Marta, the youngest of the two,  was passing by a Coca-cola vending machine and for some reason patted it. Maybe because the machine recognised her as a gentle and kind soul, maybe because someone had forgotten to hit the button after dropping the coin in, maybe (as I firmly believe) because, as in  the Moody Blues Album title "Every good boy - or girl, I add - deserves favour - the machine  responded to Marta’s act of affection with some internal noises that caught our attention and lo and behold.... on the retrieving drawer an ice cold can of Cola suddenly materialised.

The irony of it was that Marta didn't like Coca-Cola, but it was the middle of August, hot as hell, so the remaining three of us were very happy to share this gift from....above?  😀

Stamps, left to right:

On  14SEP2013, Gibraltar Post issued a six stamp set, all with a face value of 42 pence,  dedicated to endangered animal species.

On my cover we can see two of these stamps, featuring the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis)....

With a distribution that is today restricted to the province of Anhui, as well as possibly the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, in China, the species is classified by the IUCN as critically endangered, its population in the wild numbering some 300 individuals as of 2017.

... and the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), 

This amazing creature is distributed along all the oceans of the world which it constantly roams through. I once witnessed  just etched little leatherbacks and loggerheads (Caretta caretta) being taken by the bucketful at night, as close to the sea line as possible to enhance their chances of survival, on a beach in the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico. I was allowed to take one of the leatherbacks out of the bucket and take it myself to lay it on the sand and watch the little thing as she paddled her way through the sand into the water. Survival rate is very low, only 1 in 1,000 reaches adulthood, but who knows, she might be swimming across the ocean, as I type...

the last stamp on the cover is part of the 1983 EUROPA issue, themed on Inventions. Gibraltar, on 21MAY1983, issued two stamps (16p and 19p) the lower value one, on my cover, depicting St. George's Wall, a complex of caverns excavated on the rock to serve as bunkers for coastal defence batteries, and the 19p stamp, illustrated with the water catchments created on the rock face to capture rainwater since there is no phreatic or any other source of inland water on the promontory.

COVER N.157 -  DENMARK - FAROE ISLANDS

Postmark: Klaksvik Føroyar 16.08.22
Posted on 16th August; received on the 22th August 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

A kind soul! "I saw your blog and I send you this cover so that you may have another cover from the Faroe Islands"... Thank you so much Eric. A nicer gesture could not there be,.. the problem is how to reciprocate given that we roam on the same geographic unit.. I'll find a way, somehow someday, I'm sure!

And thank you also for the beautiful cards inside.

The theme of the 1987 EUROPA  issue was modern Architecture. In accordance to it, the Postal Services of the Faroe Islands issued on 06APR1987 the two stamp set (300 and 500 Faroese oyra) of which some multiples  that can be seen on my cover. The masters for the very beautiful in taglio printed stamps were engraved by master engraver  Czeslaw Slania and the images depict details of the Nordic House (Norðurlandahúsiðin Faroese) a cultural centre whose mission is to support and disseminate the Nordic and Faroese Cultures in the region. The amazing building, inaugurated in 1983,was conceived by Architects Ola Steen from Norway and  Kollbrún Ragnarsdóttir, from Iceland,.

On 19OCT1981, the Faroese  Post issued a 5 stamp definitive set  themed on "Ancient Documents". On my cover Eric used the 3 Faroese króna stamp, illustrated with the reproduction of part of  a page from a 1298 book, and the 5 Faroese króna stamp (illustrated with a 1553 seal)

The postmark tells us that the cover was sent from Klaksvik, the second largest city of the Archipelago, in the Island of Borðoy.

COVER N.154 - ALBANIA

Postmark: Zyta Post -  Tiranë 11.08.2022
Posted on 11th August; received on the 19th August 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Albania... Shqiperia, once the most secluded country in Europe, sort of the North Korea of the Western Hemisphere, and now a candidate to becoming a EU member, which ranks high on my list of "want to go and see" places. 

Thank you so much for making it possible for me to add another country to the List, Eric. I was very pleased with it.

The theme for the EUROPA stamp emissions of 1995 was Peace and Freedom, and I'm sure it touched deeply in Albania which was just some 4 years away from having become a multi-party republic and yet but two from the civil war that would erupt in the wake of economic disaster. Luckily these days are now history and Albania has been climbing the ladder, as its jump from position 85 in 2000 to position 69 in 2019 in the Human Development index clearly indicates.

On 10AUG1995, Albanian Post issued 2 stamps (50, 100 Leke) and an imperforated souvenir sheet (150 Leke) as the country's EUROPA stamps issue, the souvenir sheet being the one Eric used on my cover.

The stylised image of a person with open arms welcoming Peace and Freedom, which is written in the legend. dominates the stamp.

The other two stamps were designed around the same idea, with stylised hands welcoming an olive branch (50 Leke) and a white dove (100 Leke), both well acknowledged symbols of Peace and Freedom.

The Postmark indicates that the cover was mailed from the country's capital Tirana.

COVER N.101 - ITALY

Postmark: 52015 Pratovecchio - Arezzo 05.04.22 (?)
Posted on the 5th April(?); received on the  19th April 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

Europa stamps are highly sought by collectors, so it is always a pleasure to get a cover with the stamps form one of the issueing ountries. Thanks a lot Roberto!

Italy's 2021 EUROPA emission comprises two self adhesive stamps issued on 15NOV21. Rated at B and B50g tariffs they are illustrated respectively with photographs of  the Orso Bruno Marcicano (Ursus arctos marsicanus), a subspecies of brown bear, endemic to the region of Abruzzo which is classified by the IUCN, Iinternational Union for the Conservation of Nature, as critically endangered, with less than 80 in the wild and the Lucertola delle Eollie (Podarcis raffonei), an also critically endangered little lizard with a total population of an estimated 1000 individuals, not exceeding 25 cm in length , endemic to the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago, located north of Sicily.

COVER N.81 - Faroe Islands

Postmark: Tórshavn 24.02.2022 FØROYAR
Posted on the 24th February; received on the  7th March
__________________________________________________________________________________

Puffins... what's not to like about their stubby little bodies and pleasant faces with that most wonderful colourful beak? I only saw them once, from afar, in Ireland, flying, but today they came and paid me a visit, neatly glued onto the beautiful cover I got from the Faroe Islands, once again courtesy of Roland. Thank you so much, friend!

The Faroe Islands are one of those destinations that anyone with a soft spot for nature and wildlife photography has on the whish list (not always for the nicest of reasons... I can't forget the pictures on an old national geographic with a bay with the sea tinted blood red..), so adding them to my philatelic atlas fills me with great pleasure. While technically integrating  Denmark, the 18 islands that constitute the Faroe Archipelago enjoy strong administrative autonomy and are self-governed, with their own cabinet and Parliament (the Løgting). 

As it happens in quite a number of Island nations, total independence is strongly supported by a significant share of the population who would like to sever their ties with the Kingdom of Denmark, so one day, maybe,  the United Nations may get a new full standing member.

The two stamps on my cover, denominated at 27 and 17 Danish Krone, constitute the 2021 Europa set, issued on 26APR2021. They depict that most charming cousin of the seagull, the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). 

A northern breeder, it can travel as south as my own country where it can be episodically seen offshore during the winter migration, from October to April.

Although puffin populations still add up to 11 million plus individuals, its global conservation status was downgraded in 2015 and is now classified "Vulnerable", due to a sharp decrease in numbers in later years as a result of "increased predation by gulls and skuas, the introduction of rats, cats, dogs, and foxes onto some islands used for nesting, contamination by toxic residues, drowning in fishing nets, declining food supplies, and climate change" (cf. wikipedia).

The very neat and clean postmark indicates that the cove´r was mailed from the city of Tórshavn, (Thor's harbour') the Faroese Capital, in the Island of Streymoy, with a population of about 19,000.

COVER N.53 - Slovakia

Postmark: Illegible
Posted on (?); received on the 17th November
__________________________________________________________________________________

My second received mail ever from Slovakia. More than aything else, I'm having a lot of fun with this new hobby of mine. It really feels good to open the letterbox not knowing if there's anything new inside and if yes where from...

A full seven months have passed since I started this blog and in the meantime I have already received mail from 37 different stamp emitting countries/entities.  that's encouraging, to say the very least.

Yesterday another large envelope full of goodies greeted me, upon opening the letterbox. Tank you so much Venco!

The Tariff 2 stamp, although not mentioning it, is presumably one of  the 2020's Christmas stamp emissions of the Slovak Post (Slovenská pošta), issued on 13NOV2020. The illustration depicts a textile snow flake pattern and the stamp layout mirrors that of another stamp dedicated to traditional textile designs issued on 13MAR20. The stamp was also issued in self-adhesive format.

The 1,10€ stamp is the 2018 EUROPA stamp issued on 04MAY2018. Citing Post Europe site, the stamp depicts "the Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) over the Danube River in Bratislava (.It) joins the city centre with the newly built housing complex of Petržalka. It was created by architects Jozef Lacko, Ladislav Kušnír, Ivan Slameň and a stress analyst, Arpád Tesár, from the Slovak University of Technology, and built between years 1967 and 1972.

Again,  a stamp take me on a trip down memory lane, and i ahd to go over to my photoalbum to recall my visit to Bratislava and the picture I took of this same bridge....

 POSTCARD N.41 -  Russia

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 23rd October; received on the 4th November
Postcard image: a winter landscape scene (1892) private collection. by Julius Yulievich Klever
________________________________________________________________________________

Julius Yulievich Klever was a Russian landscape painter of german origin of the romantic period, who lived between 1850 and 1924. 

Having risen to celebrity outside of the system (he was at some point expeled from the Academy of arts, only to be accepted years later as one of its teachers) he made the transition between the czarist and the communist regimes and in the later years of his life, he was supported by the Society of Artists, founded by another  Russian Landscape painter - A. I. Kuindzhi - to preserve the traditions of Russian Landscape painting. 

His is the painting on the postcard Zulfiya sent me from Russia. Thanks a lot Zulfiya!

Stamps, left to right:

Russian painting and painters is also the theme of the The 6 Ruble stamp, part of a two stamp set with the same face value, issued on 17JUL2006 to celebrate the birth bicenteanry of neo-classicist painter Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, who lived between 1806 and 1858.

The 52 Ruble stamp is the 2021 Russian CEPT  Europa emission, issued on 20JAN2021,  with the image of a persian Leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica) .

The Persian leopard once roamed in all Caucasus region  but nowadays the few left are confined to western Caucasus, most of them in Iran. It is listed as "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

COVER N.42 - Switzerland

Postmark: 6442 GERSAU 17SEP21
Posted on the 17th September; received on the 6th October
__________________________________________________________________________________

Same as Germany, Switzerland chose to focus the limelight of the EUROPA 2021 stamp emission on the often forgoten and even maligned insects, dedicating the two se-tenant stamps that comprise the set, issued on 06MAY2021, to two beautiful butterflies that have endangered status in Switzerland.

These are the stamps that grace the cover I received from the land of the cheese with holes and evergreen pastures. Thank you so much, Rosmarie!

The woodland brown (Lopinga achine), a member of the Nymphalidae family rests on the stamp on the left side of the pair. It can be found in warm openings of damp unmanaged mature forests. The scarce large blue (Phengaris teleius) is the subject of the right side stamp. Like other Lycaenidae butterflies it relies on a parasitic association with a specific species of ant to thrive.

Both of then cannot be found in my own country.

The very clear postmark tells us that the cover was posted in Gersau, a city in the canton of Schwyz, on the shores of Lake Lucerne.

COVER N.40 - Andorra - French Post

Postmark:  - Principat d'Andorra - Andorra-La-Vella 30AUG21
Posted on the 30th August; received on the 4th September. (Fom 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
__________________________________________________________________________________
The second letter I mailled myself during my short stay in Andorra was sent through the French Andorran Post service.

As per my Spanish Andorran letter, I used the Europa series stamp, a 1,5€ stamp issued on 15MAY21, illustrated with a nice drawing of a Trumpeter Rat (Galemys pyrenaicus)  a species with a "Vulnerable" global conservation status, due to habitat destruction.

This small insectivore and semi-aquatic mammal, which I had never hear of, can be found in the Pyrenees and in the North of Spain and... Portugal, my own country.

COVER N.39 - Andorra - Spanish Post

Postmark:  - Andorra La Vella 30AUG21
Posted on the 30th August; received on the 4th September. (Fom 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
__________________________________________________________________________________
On my recent summer holiday trip to the Pyrenees I spent a couple of days in the small state  of Andorra, as I made may way from the Spanish side of the mountains to the French side.

Andorra, although very tiny as a state has a complex administration in that it is a diarchy with two princes: the Archbishop of Urgel (Catalonia, Spain) and the French President.

That is why this microstate has two postal services providers: Correos de España and La Poste Française.

I could not let go the opportunity of adding covers cancelled by these two postal administrations to my growing collection so although I was staying further to the east because I wanted to do some hiking in the Vall d'Incles region, I went to the capital, Andorra la Vella and visited both post offices to mail me two letters, something that did not take much time, since they are very close to each other.

I decided I would use this year's Europa stamp on both covers, because i) I really liked the chosen theme ii) it made sense to use a common emission for covers sent from the same place,  and also iii) because both are very nice stamps, according to my own definition.

The 1,50 € stamp that constitutes the EUROPA stamp of the Spanish Post of Andorra, issued on 30APR21, depicts the Trencalós (in Catalan) or Quebrantahuessos (in Castellan) or Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

This species of vulture with Near Threatened global conservation status is well known for its characteristic feeding behaviour that gave it his Spanish designation in that it flies up carrying bones only to drop them on hard rocks from an height of up to 150 metres so that they break and it can then eat the precious marrow.