A Few Cards From Ravindra

     Blog # 1612 --- Day 780 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hello once again. I'm back this time with a selection of cards sent by Ravindra from Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand. First up is a card showing the Dutch Reformed Church in  Galle, Sri Lanka. Built in 1755 it is the oldest Protestant church still in use in the country. 

     Ravindra used 3 stamps from 2022, a set of 3 issued for the Vesak Festival   .

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Card # 2 is from Thailand. It shows an opium caravan from years ago. The card is from a museum called  The House of Opium, in the Golden Triangle .   This small museum features historical displays pertaining to the opium culture. Exhibits include implements used in the planting, harvesting, use and trade of opium, including pipes, weights and scales. 

                      

The 2 stamps are from a souvenir sheet of 15 issued in 2023.

                                   

My next card , from Sri Lanka, provides a look at Adam's Peak. This is a 2,243 m tall conical sacred mountain in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada, a 1.8 m rock formation near the summit. The Sri Pada is a hollow that is 170 cm long and 46 cm  that resembles the print of a human foot.

                     Ravindra used an abundance of stamps on this card. The top four are from a 2020 set of 10 highlighting World Wetlands Day , Feb 2, 2020. The bottom stamp was issued in 2010 commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the Royal College in  Colombo.   

                   

Here's another from Ravindra, this one mailed from Singapore. It shows a gentleman practising the ancient art of Chinese calligraphy, even in high-tech Singapore. 

This card arrived with 2 copies of a stamp , from a set of 5 issued in 2011 for the 20th Anniversary of the World Orchid Conference. 

Here is Ravindra's last card, not really his last, but last for this time. And I see from it , that he has a big trip starting soon. Canada, Alaska, Los Angeles, even a great train trip in Canada. 

On this card we see a few Vedda, Aborigines of Sri Lanka. The Vedda are a minority indigenous group in Sri Lanka. Some say the Vedda were probably the earliest inhabitants of the country. 

 

This card arrived with 2 nice stamps. The top stamp, from 2024, was issued to commemorate 50 years of Ensuring Rights and Choices for All. The Bird stamp is from a set of 6 Endemic Birds issued in 2021.

As Porky Pig always said, " That's all , folks". 

Big thanks and all thanks go to Ravindra for today's card. Enjoy your train trip, cruise and holiday. Travel safe. 

More From the Big Gap

    Blog # 1611 --- Day 771 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

Hey there. I'm back again with a few of the cards that are in that big  pile on my desk. I have multiple cards from many senders, so to not play favourites , I am taking one card from each sender group. In no particular order , here we go . 

Today's first card is from Germany although the subject is not German. It's a beautiful picture of Queen Maxima. The Queen of the Netherlands is the wife of King Willem-Alexander. Argentine by birth, she worked in marketing when she met Willem-Alexander, eldest son and heir apparent of Queen Beatrix, in 1999. They married in 2002, and became king and queen on the abdication of her mother-in-law on 30 April 2013. 

 

Isa used a Captain Marvel stamp from 2023 along with a Flower definitive. 

The next card arrived from Belgium. It shows Chateau de Laittres in Saint Mard, a village in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The village has history dating back to the first century AD. The castle was rebuilt in 1589 and later restored several times during the 17th and 18th centuries. The last work took place in 1842. 

 

Meelis used a TinTin stamp from 2016.

That's all for today. I had every intention of a much larger update but I am experiencing technical difficulties and I can't wait to get out of here. 

Thanks to Meelis and Isa for today's cards.

Take care, see you next time.

Filling the 55 Day Gap

    Blog # 1610 --- Day 769 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE

      

Well hello once again. I'm back after an extended break. I've been back just over a week now after 37 days away. I managed to post a few cards while away, from 9 ports. So check your mailboxes , you might get lucky. I'm not quite sure where to begin this update as I have a stack of cards on my desk exactly 5 cm high. But I have to begin somewhere . So here it is .- from the Netherlands. The girl with a pearl earring, no not the painting by Vermeer, but a schoolgirl from Turkey, or so the card says. It seems she liked to wear her turban even at the gym and in fact bought her earring at Amazon. Or so the card says. 

Max used 2 stamps on his card. I have no information on the left stamp . The right one was issued in 2020. It is a Europa stamp, 1 of 2 showing Old Postal Roads. 

My next card is from Brest, a port city in Northwestern France, bisected by the Penfeld river. Jean Pierre's card shows the night time atmosphere along the banks of the Penfeld River, the Tanguy tower
and the Recouvrance Bridge. 

Jean Pierre used a stamp from 2020, showing a Spherical Astrolabe.

Two cards is my limit today. I'm taking it slow and easing my way back in. Thanks for today's cards go to Max and Jean Pierre. 

Later

 

Cards From Meelis

      Blog # 1609 --- Day 714 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE      

Hello to one and all - collectors, bloggers and anyone else who may have found your way here. Enjoy.   I'm starting off today with a few cards sent by Meelis, from Belgium, Estonia, Czech Republic and Switzerland. Looks like he gets around a lot , too.

His first card is from St. Mard , a village located in the Province of Luxembourg, Belgium. A Roman settlement was established here in the first century AD. The card shows Chateau de Laittres, which was the scene of numerous battles in 1542 and 1558. 

Meelis used a Tintin stamp, 1 pf 5 in a minisheet, issued in 2016.

Here is a card Meelis sent from Tallinn, Estonia. The card shows an outdoor skating rink located on Harju street in the centre of Old Town Tallinn. It is open from December to March or April depending on the weather. 

A nice assortment of stamps arrived on this card. The three Post Horn definitives were issued in 2023. The Estonian Lighthouse stamp is from 2015. The large flag like stamp was issued in 2020 to mark the 100th Anniversary of Guiling in Estonia. 

Continuing on with another card from Meelis, this next one is from Prague . The city located on the Vitava river is the capital city of the Czech Republic. As the card shows, there is a bridge or two crossing the Vitava in the city. Actually there are 18 bridges in Prague.

Another bunch of stamps on this one. Going from left to right - A Flower stamp from 2007. Next a hexagon shaped stamp from 2022 - issued to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Czech Beekeepers Association. The bird stamp from 2016 shows a couple of European Bee Eaters. The lower stamp showing a butterfly --- The Orange Tip,  was issued in 2021. 

Now here is the last card from Meelis for this time. It must have been a cold morning at Zurich Airport requiring deicing. 

The stamp on this card is from a set of 5 Swiss river landscapes issued in 2022.

There you have it, another update of The Blog. All thanks to Meelis. Take care and drop in again soon. Hopefully I will get another update in before I go away, next week . Big trip - lots of preparation. 

A Lumberjack's Candle, The Old Bushmill's Distillery, Minori, Mata Hari, Les Calanques and a Royal Brunei A319

      Blog # 1608 --- Day 704 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE      

Here we go again -- some cards to look at and some great stamps, too. My first card today arrived from Finland. It's a look at Lumberjack's Candle Bridge in Rouvaniemi, Finland. The bridge , built in 1989 and spanning 320 meters, crosses the Ounasvaara River between Ounasvaara Hill and the city centre of Rovaniemi. 

Alisa used a number of stamps on her card. The blue stamp on the left was issued in 2002 and is 1 of 2 in a set . It is a self-adhesive Coat of Arms stamp. The other two stamps were issued in 2003. They are the 2 stamps in a minisheet with the theme --- Nordic Stamps.

 

Now we go from Finland to Northern Ireland. David's card shows us the Old Bushmill's Distillery, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. It is located at Busmills in County Antrim close to the Giant's Causeway. The original license to distill was granted by James 1 in 1608. Whiskey has been made there now for over 400 years.

  

David used a 2023 stamp, 1 of 8 issued under under the theme Terry Pratchetts Discworld.

Now it's off to Minori, Italy. Located in the province of Salerno in the south-western part of the country. As part of the Amalfi coast, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Apparently Minori is quite beautiful and a little less busy than Amalfi itself, so a good place to explore the area from. 

David used a recent A Zone stamp showing a Leonardo Da Vinci drawing.

It's on to France now. My next card shows one of the many calanques or inlets found around Marseille. Many of these are found between Marseille and Cassis. These unique geological limestone formations are really big rocky coves forming a steep and narrow valley inland. Have a look.

Dominique used an older stamp from 1964 on this one. It is 1 of 2 issued that year to promote Tourism.

Here's a card that arrived from Nuremberg, Germany. It shows Margaretha Geertuida Macleod, better known as Mati Hari. The lady was a Dutch exotic dancer who performed on stage under the name Mati Hari. Sadly her fame grew from her conviction of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by firing squad in France in 1917 at the age of 41. Mati Hari's story of a beautiful exotic dancer using her powers of seduction as a spy made her name synonymous with the femme fatale. Some aspects of this reminds me of the Munsinger Affair here in Canada. An East German prostitute and alleged Soviet spy , Gerda Munsinger immigrated to Canada and was dubbed the Mata Hari of the Cold War. She had dalliances with two cabinet ministers  and that led to the first national political sex scandal in Canada. Also, let's not forget the John Profumo and Christine Keeler Affair in the U.K.

 Julia used a Small Animals stamp from 2021.

Here now is the last card for today. It's been quite a while since I showed one of these I thought it good to end with an aircraft/airline card. Here is a Royal Brunei Airbus A319. It was registered as V8-RBP and was pictured at Hong Kong in Oct of 2003. V8-RBP was in service with Royal Brunei Airlines from Aug 2003 until Dec 2015 Then with R Airlines from Apr 2016 until Oct 2016. It is now stored.

 Jean Pierre used two stamps on this card. The one on the right was issued in 2012 and marks the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in 2011.

The other stamp  - I didn't come up with any info for it. 

Well that's all for this time. Big thanks to Alisa, David, Dominique, Julia  and Jean Pierre for all the cards .

   

Madeira Cable Car, Technik Museum and the Groote Kerk

        Blog # 1607 --- Day  697 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE      

Howdy folks, it's time for another update of The Blog -- Gems World Postcards. I'll start with this card from Madeira, Portugal. Here we have a great view of two cards of the Funchal Cable Car or Madeira Cable Car. This gondola lift transports people from the lower section of Funchal to the suburb of Monte. This journey between heaven and earth runs 3,200 meters.  

Dominique used a recent stamp showing a map of Madeira island. 

This next card is a view of a section of the Sinsheim Technik Museum exhibits. Located in Sinsheim, Germany , it opened in 1981. It has well over 3,000 exhibits and is the largest privately owned museum in Europe. The museum has lots of great exhibits, including the largest Formula One collection in Europe. In 2001 it acquired a Tupolev TU-144 and in 2003 a Concorde F-BUFB. It is the only place where both supersonic passenger aircraft are shown. If you visit, you can also see The Blue Flame - the fastest rocket-powered land vehicle of all time. On Oct23, 1970 it set a fantastic world record of 1,014.656 km/h . 

Meelis used two stamps on this card. The left stamp was issued in 2023 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Schleizer Dreieck Auto Races. The right stamp was issued in 2022 under the theme The World of Letters. 

It's on to Sri Lanka for card number 3. Shown is the Groote Kerk or Dutch Reformed Church . It is located within the Galle Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka. It was built in 1755.

Ravindra used a nice set of 3 stamps from 2022. They were issued in a minisheet for the Vesak Festival.

I think that will do for this time. Thanks for cards go out to Dominique, Meelis and Ravindra. Tune in again soon. 

India Cards and a Bridge

     Blog # 1606 --- Day  693 of the Current  ( Second ) Russian Invasion of Ukraine 

                                                                      GLORY TO UKRAINE      

    

Hello once again. Today I want to start this update with a few cards from India that I received yesterday. Four in fact, all sent by Neeraj. This first one depicts a 1996 watercolour where the artist has painted himself into the picture as the fish in the lower left. 

 

Neewaj used 2 stamps on this card. The left stamp, is from a 2011 minisheet of 4 . It commemorates the 100 Anniversary of Airmail. It was issued for An International Stamp Exhibition , held in New Delhi, INDIPEX 2011.  The other stamp is from 1 2019 minisheel of 5. It marks the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Guru Nanak. 

This next card is from a series called Women in Nature. In India women often spearheaded initiatives to save and protect nature and wildlife. Women in Nature is dedicated to all the Women in India. 

The stamp on this card is from a 2023 minisheet of 4. All 4 stamps show Indian Bridal Costumes. 

Here is Neeraj's 3rd card. It's a view of the intricate artwork at Konark Sun Temple. It shows a frieze of dancers from Bhoga-mandapa, Konarak. 

It arrived with another of the Bridal Costumes stamps.

Number 4 card from India. -- Here we see a drawing of Usha and Aniruddha. If you look up and read their story, you'll find a saga of eternal romance. 

Here's one more of the Bridal Costumes stamps.

 I have one more card for this time. It arrived from Nassau, Bahamas. It's a good look at Paradise Island Bridge. The 1560 foot bridge connects Paradise Island to Nassau.

Gina used a 2021 stamp featuring Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, on the occasion of her 95th anniversary of Birth.

That's The End for this time. Thanks for cards go out to Neeraj and Gina.