POSTCARD N.227 - PHILIPPINES

Postcrossing postcard sent on ?; received on the 29th April 2026

Postcard image:  Cherry Blossoms 

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Heidi sends me some cherry blossoms from the Philippines. Maraming salamat po, Heidi.

Intrigued by the photograph on the postcard I investigated if there are native cherries in the Philippines and the answer was "Yes. There are several, distinct types of tropical, cherry-like fruits native to the Philippines, but they are not the same species as the temperate sweet cherries (like Bing cherries) commonly imported from North America or Europe".

The 1 Piso Postal Station Stamp illustrated with a mail distribution scooter is part of a three stamp set (1; 17; 100 P), issued on 09AUG2024.

The 12 Piso stamp dedicated to the Filipino Language is part of the second 20024 issue in the National Symbols definitive series, comprising 6 stamps (12; 14; 35; 45; 50; 55 P), which began to circulate on 15OCT2024.

The 1Piso stamp bearing the image of a South Sea Pearl inside a Pinctada Maxima oyster, the largest pearl oyster in the world, cultivated in Philippines, Indonesia, Tahiti and Australia, was also issued    on 09AUG2024, included in the first definitive set of three stamps (1; 5; 17 P) dedicated to National Symbols.

POSTCARD N.169 - GERMANY 

Postcrossing Postcard sent on the 28th October, received on the 31st October 2024

Postcard image: August Horch Museum, in Zwickau

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Vielen Dank Christian, for a Postcrossing meet up postcard sent from Zwickau, containing the personal stampmark of no fewer than 17 Postcrossers. 

I'm sure they all had a great time, and so did I upon receiving this nice memento of their reunion.

August Horch (1868 - 1951) was a german industrialist and car designer, who became famous for founding not only the brand that would carry his name, but also the original Audi  company,  nowadays part of the VW universe.

Horch would also be linked to Auto Union, the company which created the four interconnecting rings as a logo, that is now used by Audi after its second resurgence in 1965.

Each of the Auto Union logo's rings represented a company integrated into the new car making conglomerate established in 1932, on which August Horch would serve as a member of the board, these companies being:

DKW - founded by Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen in 1916;

Horch -  Founded by August Horch in 1904

Audi - also founded by August Horch in 1909

Wanderer - established in 1911

The August Horch Museum, inaugurated in 2004 occupies the building in which August Horch instaled the Audi car manufacture plant in Zwickau, in 1910, its collections illustrating the evolution of the Horch and Audi brands throughout the years.

The role of the plant in the production of Trabant cars during the years of the DDR is also highliughted in the permnet exhibitions of the museum.

The 0,95€ stamp on the postcard was issued on 01MAR2024 as part of a two stamp set in the "Landmarks of Germany" series, initiated in 2022. It depicts the St. Pauli Piers of Hamburg, on the Elbe river, with its distinctive clock tower. 

POSTCARD N.141 - SPAIN

Postcard sent on the 8th May, received on the 23rd May 2024

Postcard image: El Arenal - Mallorca

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I realised today I forgot to mention a Phantom postcard which was received while I was away hiking in the south coast, so let's get the record straight and start  by thanking Alex for not forgetting to spending the time to  send me a postcard at the risk of getting his beer warmed by the Balearic sun....

Danke sehr, Herr Phantom!

Mallorca, the biggest island of the Baleares.... I spent a week there once without air conditioning, with temps in the high 30s ºC and high humidity  levels... I'll never forget it... I would go and take a swim before hitting the bunk for the night so see if I could refresh myself just a tiny little, but the temperature of the water, the still, calm water of the Mediterranean was  probably some 28 ºC or worse... hell, not the promised holiday paradise I had been told about.

Still I have good memories: riding the wooden Sóller train, Miró's workshop, the view from the castle, the several beaches I visited... but I don't think I was at el Arenal, since I have no recollection of going any further to that side on the island than to Palma, the capital, to visit its monumental cathedral. 

But the heat and the humidity is something I will never really forget. Same thing as in Malta a couple of years before.

Alex used the Spanish issue of the 2023 Europa Stamp, carrying the  proposed new peace symbol inspired in the Celtic love knot which won the common design competition for Luxembourg. 

The legend Paz, el mayor valor de la humanidad, (Peace, the highest value of Humanity), the theme chosen for the 2023 issue,  is also inscribed on the Tariff B stamp, issued on 09MAY2023.

Further to the manual postmark from the El Arenal Post Office,  which Alex made sure was profusely applied on the stamp and postcard, as per the usual unfortunate practice of the Spanish Post Ofice,  a mechanical postmark was also applied at the Centro de Tratamiento Automatizado (CTA) of the Ballears, which I presume to be located in Palma.

POSTCARD N.139 - NORTH MACEDONIA

Postcard sent on the 24th April, received on the 2nd May 2024

Postcard image: Flags of the World  - North Macedonia
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My letterbox is again invaded by the joint effort of the Flying Dutchman and Phantom Inc. consortium and I just love it!

Thanks a lot guys, your surprises are always most welcome and this blog is as much mine as yours!

North Macedonia, the country which used to be known as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia until they finally setled the differendum with Greece, by the Prespa Agreement of 2018, on the use of the name to identify the country, which bears the same name as a Greek province.... if only the Prespa Agreement would also conider the nationality issue of Alexander the Great too.....

Anyway, North Macedonia, as we know it today, stems from the disintegration of Yugoslavia, its independence having been declared in 1991, and if Alexander was arguably its most well known national of yore, in more recent times   Mother Teresa of Calcutta has taken his place  in terms of worldwide notoriety.

Stamps L to R; T to B:

- 10 MKD stamp illustrated with the photo of a hand bell, part of a set of four definitives (4; 5; 10; 12 MKD) themed on handcrafted items, issued on 30NOV2006.

- 8 MKD stamp, part of a five stamp definitive set (3; 4; 6; 8; 12 MKD) issued on 08JUN2005, featuring images of wood carvings and iconostasis from North Macedonian churches, I presume. 

- 24 MKD stamp issued on 28JUN2006, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nikola Tesla, the electrical engineer who largely contributed for the  feasibility  of  AC (alternate current) supply systems and whose name now was given brand status to famous electric cars.

The stamp is illustrated with the effigy of Tesla against a background where one of its inventions, the Tesla Coil, is seen emitting the electric discharges they are famous for. 

According to the  postmark, the postcard was mailed from North Macedonia's Capital, Skopje.

POSTCARD N.101 - RUSSIA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 18th January, received on the 8th February 2023

Postcard image: Lavochkin La-7
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Thanks again Julia for a lovely postcard of  a beautiful famous aircraft, which was lurking inside cover #210 

Looking at such amazing industrial contraptions (and I always look at them with the eyes of a visitor in a art museum) it is easy to forget that they were built with a discomforting  purpose in mind, but as history has been proving time and time again, it pays to be prepared to defend oneself from the lunacy of those who think the world is but a playground and people just images on the screen of a videogame....

The Lavochkin La-7 was the sibling of the La-5, a reliable workhorse for Russian fighter pilots in WW2, which entered service in mid-1942, from which he got the general looks, and the penultimate in line from the LaGG-1, before the end of the run  achieved with the La-9, all products of the Lavoschkin design Bureau.

Even though powered by the same engine - Shvetsov ASh-82 FN - as the definitive version of the La-5, the La-5FN, the La-7, first flown in 1943, was lighter, faster, and climbed better than his brother, due to the streamlining refinements in design like the total  sealing of the engine cowling or the relocation of the air intake, and also to the use of metal alloys for important structural parts like the wing spars, which in the La-5 were wooden and heavier due to the shortage of strategic materials in wartime.

The La-7 had a top speed of  411 mph at 6,000 m, a range of 413 mi and  was equipped with 2  ShVAK or 3 Berezin B-20 20mm cannons mounted on the cowling, being also capable of carrying 2 44olb bombs.

The postcard painting depicts the image of the La-7 of Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991) a remarkable pilot who would be honoured  three times with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and which had already been featured in one stamp used on another of Julia's letters to me.

POSTCARD N.98 - USA

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 28th November, received on the 9th December 2022

Postcard image: New York City Retro Skyline
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I have never been to New York, but like a pretty large number of the world's population I was able to identify  almost all of the features on this very nice card I got right from the city it announces. Thanks a lot, Linda.  Very nice postcard!

The Statue of liberty, Brooklyn bridge, One World Trade Center,  Empire State Building, One Vanderbilt, ?,  40 Wall street and Chrysler Building... 7 out of 8... not a bad score, even if I confess I had to look up the list of tallest skyscrapers of New york in Wikipedia, because without checking I could only identify the very distinctive art deco lines of the Chrysler Building.

For postage, Linda used a "Forever" Chrysanthemum self-adhesive Stamp, issued as a single stamp on 24APR2020.

The machine applied cancellation identifies the mailing local as the city on the postcard... the city that never sleeps, it's said...New York.

POSTCARD N.91 - GERMANY

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 23rd November, received on the 28th November 2022

Postcard image: Leer - City hall; Bunting Tea Museum; Haus Samson; historic quarter
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Germany must be one of the countries with the more registered Postcrossers. In fact, more often than not, a Teutonic postcrossing postcard lands on my desk, such as this beautiful one sent by Ingrid who chose to use the nice postcrossing themed stamp issued by Deutsche Post. Thank you so much, Ingrid.

Leer is a town in the region of the same name that is part of Lower Saxony, and which lies close to the border with the Netherlands and in 2021 it had a population of almost 35,000.

Ingrids's card is composed of several views of some of the town landmarks: 

The old Rathaus, the Town Hall, is the most impressive building in town, having been built between 1889 and 1894 in German/Dutch Renaissance style. In 1983 a new Town hall was inaugurated, and the old building can now be visited for the tourist to appreciate the painted walls and ceiling.

The east Frisian tea Culture was awarded intangible Cultural Heritage status by the UNESCO in 2016.

It is said that Frisians drink more tea than anyone in the world, so it comes as no surprise that a museum devoted to the tea culture should exist at the heart of Lower Saxony. The Bunting Tea Museum was thus created in  2001, highlighting the very significant role that tea plays in the day to day life of  Frisians.

Haus Samson was built in 1570 and later refurbished in 1643. Today it houses a wine shop on the ground floor and a museum dedicated to the culture of Eastern Frisia in the 18th and 19th centuries, on the upper floors of the house. The tower is also open to public and visitors can climb it to enjoy a panoramic view of the town.

On 06OCT2022, Deutsche Post joined the ranks of Postal Administrations that have already issued Postcrossing themed stamps, with this nice 0,95 € stamp that Ingrid used to mail me her postcard.

The Postmark tells us that the postcard was processed at Briefzentrum 26 (Oldenburg)

POSTCARD N.77 - TAIWAN

Postcrossing postcard sent on ?; received on the 17th May

Postcard image: Think for others but live for yourself
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Taiwan. Another flag joins the list. Thank you so much, sorry that I don't your real name.

A simple postcard with a quote in Chinese (Mandarin?) and its translation, that reads " Think for others but live for yourself". Not a bad equation, and all things considered, another iteration of the old biblical suggestion of doing unto the others as you would have them do unto you,

12 New Taiwan Dollar stamp issued on 20JUL2017 illustrated with an image of a watermelon fruit and plant in the background, part of a 4 definitive stamp set dedicated to fruits, mango, orange and grapes being the fruits depicted on the companion stamps (3; 5,5 and 32 NT$, respectively).

 POSTCARD N.74 - FINLAND

Postcrossing postcard sent on  (?)  April; received on the 15th April

Postcard image: Somewhere in Finland in winter
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The land of the thousand lakes can be a land of deep cold, I presume, not having visited it. And it couldn't be any other way since we all know that Finland is one of the Headquarters of Santa Claus and science has it that he only sets up office in extreme cold places, so seeing ice sculptures clinging to tree branches on the postcard I received from Suomi, comes as no real surprise. Thank you so much Sari, I'd love to see it "in the tree"...

Stamps, left to right.

I have to say (and I hope I'm not offending anyone) that I dislike the rather current fashion for some postal administrations of issuing stamps in all formats and shapes. Not that I'm against creativity but if you'd ask to chose, say, between the two first stamps on the postcard Sari sent me, the Duck stamp would win hands down. First and foremost stamps should have perforation teeth, not look like a miniature  decorative bumper sticker, even if they are of the sticker type.... 😃

This said 

0,30€ auto-adhesive stamp, part of a two stamp set (0,20€; 0,30€) themed on the birch tree, issued on 24JAN2011.

0,20€ stamp, part of a four  stamp set issued on 09MAY2017, dedicated to artic birds. The 4 stamps were also issued as a souvenir sheet. 

The birds depicted were: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis): 0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

Stamp with no face value (1,85€ at the date of issue) part of a three stamp set celebrating Christmas, issued on  03NOV2021, Besides this stamp that showcases the Northern Lights, the other two in the set feature a Bullfinch and a Christmas tree.

The machine applied cancelation fell on the black areas of the bird stamp, so it is mostly illegible, though very clearly printed. I can make out the beginning of the word Helsinki, so probably the postcard was mailed from the capital. 

POSTCARD N.73 - USA

Postcrossing postcard sent  the 3rd(?) April; received on the 12th April
Postcard image:Statue of Liberty
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Over the centuries, France has given a lot to the world, but perhaps nothing as simple and powerful as the three humble words on which the French Republic was erected: Égalité; Fraternité; Liberté.

These are beacons for Humanity. Evergreen ideas that will not subside in spite of men and their petty misconducts centred on the idea that the world revolves around one's navel; on the belief that empathy is the nicest concept provided it comes from others unto us; on the simple lack of awareness to the fact that we are transient and that others will come to take our place, so we'd better leave it better than we found it and not the opposite.

For me, not a French nor an American, the iconic statue that is implanted on an island in  New York's harbour, although being called La Liberté éclairant le Monde, is much more than that: it represents all that is contained in the three little words that the light of its torch somehow illuminates.

May her light be perennial!

Donated by the People of France to the United States the project was the brainchild of Eduard René de Laboulaye a French jurist, writer and ardent abolotionist who saw in it a way to celebrate the centennial of the American Independence and what it represented on the aftermath of the American civil war.

Laboulaye called on the mastery of his friend sculptor Frédéric  Bartholdi to conceive the statue which would be supported on a metal framework drawn up by none other than Gustave Eiffel. Fund raising issues led to delay in the coming into being of the project but Liberté would finaly éclaire le monde on the 28th October 1886, that is to say a decade after the centennial celebrations.

In 1984 is was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO

Thank you so much Rosanne for such a nice postcard (sent inside cover #96) from your hometown.

 POSTCARD N.71 - GERMANY

Postcrossing postcard sent  the 1st April; received on the 5th April
Postcard image: a Blue Tit
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Blue tits are wonderfully photogenic birds, so it comes as no surprise that one was chosen for the image on this postcard I got from Gabrielle, in Germany, inside cover #91. Thanks a lot Gabrielle!

Although quite common and resident, non-migrating, birds, the little yellow and blue passerines  are always a joy to behold.