Friday, May 26, 2023

Vietnam: Hội An

Hội An is a city on Vietnam’s central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town, cut through with canals. The former port city’s melting-pot history is reflected in its architecture, a mix of eras and styles from wooden Chinese shophouses and temples to colorful French colonial buildings, ornate Vietnamese tube houses and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda.


Thanks to Dr Kiran Acharya who was visiting Vietnam. He has used three stamps issued in 2020 featuring Chua Cau, Chau Cau or Japanese bridge is footbridge with a temple atop. 
 

Maldives: Coral Reef

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland.



 Thanks to Jacksy and Maya for sending this from Maldives. My first card from Maldives. They have used a stamp showing a fish called Moorish Idol.

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

France: Cordouan Lighthouse

Cordouan lighthouse is an active lighthouse located 7 kilometres at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of 67.5 metres, it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world.



Thanks to Mr Maud. The stamp on left is an definitive featuring Frances famous representation of Liberty, Marianne. On the left is a stamp taken from set of 12, issued in 2021, showing Lapin Crotins. Raving Rabbids is a video game franchise spin off from the Rayman series.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Canada: St John's , Newfoundland

St. John's, a city on Newfoundland island off Canada's Atlantic coast, is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador province. Its harbour was settled by the British in the 1600s. Downtown is known for its colourful row houses. Above the city is Signal Hill with walking trails and the site of the first transatlantic wireless communication, Cabot Tower, which commemorates John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland.

Thanks to Mr Glen Moores. On the left is a stamp issued in 2022 to commemorate platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II . The se-tenant stamp on the right, issued in 2021, is on Bluenose, Centenary.
 

Monday, June 6, 2022

USA: Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. The sprawling landscape encompasses lush forests and an abundance of wildflowers that bloom year-round. Streams, rivers and waterfalls appear along hiking routes that include a segment of the Appalachian Trail. An observation tower tops Clingmans Dome, the highest peak, offering scenic views of the mist-covered mountains.


Thanks to Ms Carilyn. On the left is Black Heritage stamp issued in 2022 featuring Edmonia Lewis. Admonia Lewis , also known as "wildfire", was an sculptor. The dog stamp on the right is taken from set of 4 from Military Working Dog series,and features the breed, Dutch Shepard. The stamp was issued in 2019. The bottom Forever stamp is on Star Wars and is taken from set of 10. The stamp shows Star Wars Droid R2 D2. 
 

Italy: San Gimignano.

San Gimignano is an Italian hill town in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Encircled by 13th-century walls, its old town centers on Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square lined with medieval houses. It has a skyline of medieval towers, including the stone Torre Grossa. The Duomo di San Gimignano is a 12th-century church with frescoes by Ghirlandaio in its Santa Fina Chapel.



Thanks to Ms Serena. She has used 2019 stamp on film director Sergio Leone who has directed many Western movies  featuring Clint East Wood. Most famous was The Good the Bad and the Ugly.
 

USA: Taliesin Studio

Taliesin, sometimes known as Taliesin East, Taliesin Spring Green, or Taliesin North after 1937, was the estate of Welsh American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. An extended exemplar of the Prairie School of architecture, it is located 2.5 miles  south of the village of Spring Green, Wisconsin, United States, the 600-acre  property was developed on land that originally belonged to Wright's maternal family.With a selection of Wright's other work, Taliesin became a listed World Heritage Site in 2019, under the title, "The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright".


Thanks to Ms Laura. She has used a 2022 Forever stamp featuring African Daisy.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Canada: Old City of Qubec

Bounded by fortifications dating to the 17th century, Old Quebec is rich in historic landmarks and museums. Upper Town contains the 1800s Citadelle fort, the grand Château Frontenac hotel and Terrasse Dufferin, a wide boardwalk overlooking the city. A funicular connects to Lower Town and the Quartier Petit Champlain, with a 1688 stone church, Place Royale square and charming boutiques on Rue du Petit Champlain.


Thanks to Ms Charolette.  On the bottom left is a stamp from set of 10 on Far and Wide series issued in 2020. The stamp shows Herschel Island-Qitiqtaruk Territorial Park, Yukon. On the right is a stamp of John Turner who was 17th Prime Minister of Canada. In the center is a Canadian definitive featuring QEII.

Canada: Writing on Stone

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about 100 kilometres ( southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, or 44 kilometres ( east of the community of Milk River, and straddles the Milk River itself. It is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, and serves as both a nature preserve and protection for many First Nations (indigenous) rock carvings and paintings. The park is sacred to the Blackfoot and many other aboriginal tribes.



 Thanks to Mr Sundeep. He has used  3 stamps from Far and Wide III series. The top right stamp shows Abraham Lake, Alberta. The bottom left stamp shows Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. And the stamp on top left shows French River, Prince Edward Island. All Stamps were issued in 2020.

France: Usse Castle

Ussé is a castle in the Indre-et-Loire département, in France. The stronghold at the edge of the Chinon forest overlooking the Indre Valley was first fortified in the eleventh century by the Norman seigneur of Ussé, Gueldin de Saumur, who surrounded the fort with a palisade on a high terrace. 



 Thanks to Mr Maud. He has used one stamp from The game of Chess series issued in 2020. Twelve stamps were issued in this series. The green stamp on the left is a new definitive showing portrait of Marianne, France’s famous representation of liberty. The design is based on a portrait by street artist YZ, and line-engraved by Elsa Catelin.

Canada: Pimachiowin Aki

Pimachiowin Aki is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the boreal forest that covers parts of Manitoba and Ontario.


Thanks to Mr Sandeep. Bottom left is a stamp showing Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. The red stamp is on festival of lights, Deepawali issued in 2021.  The flower stamp was issued in 2022 and depicts Calla.


 

Vatican: Multi View

This postcard shows various structures in Rome and Vatican. Vatican along with Rome is inscribed in UNESCO world heritage list.


 Thanks to My cousins Rajesh and Laky for sending this postcard from Vatican. He has used 2020 stamp featuring Pope Francis with a dog. It is taken from set of our stamps issued to commemorate 8th year of  the Pontificate of Pope Francis.

Mexico: Tembleque Aqueduct

The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, or Tembleque Aqueduct, is a Mexican aqueduct located between the towns of Zempoala, Hidalgo, and Otumba in the State of Mexico. The structure takes its name from a Spanish friar called Francisco de Tembleque.


Thanks to Mr Gabino. This stamp was issued in 2021 and is taken from a set of 3. It is from series 
 significant Anniversaries in Mexican History. The stamp commemorates 500th anniversary of Spanish resistance.

Australia: Gunditjamara County

The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Their land includes much of the Budj Bim heritage areas.



 Thanks to Ms Helen. She has send a pre-paid Maximum card.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Australia: Great Barrier reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres.



 Thanks to Ms Helen. She has used Moreton Bay Wetland stamp issued in 2021. It is taken from set of 4 on wetlands of Australia.

United Kingdom: Jodrell Bank Observatory

Jodrell Bank Observatory  in Cheshire, England, hosts a number of radio telescopes as part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. The observatory was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astronomer at the university, to investigate cosmic rays after his work on radar in the Second World War. It has since played an important role in the research of meteoroids, quasars, pulsars, masers and gravitational lenses, and was heavily involved with the tracking of space probes at the start of the Space Age.


Thanks to Ms S. Montgomery. The stamp on the right is from 2008 and taken from set of 8. Stag Beetle is featured on the stamp. On the left is definitive Machin.
 

Sunday, February 20, 2022

France: Salazie, Re Union Islands

Salazie is a volcanic caldera and commune (administrative division) in the department and region of Réunion. The first settlement of the area took place in 1829 after a cyclone had devastated the nearby coast, and the municipality of Salazie was formed in 1889. The name of the commune is potentially derived from the Malagasy word salazy, meaning 'good encampment'.


Thanks to Mr Maud. He has used 2 stamps from set of 12 stamps on learning about the stars. The left stamp shows Nova, Supernova and the Pulsar. The right stamp is on learning about the stars.
 

Brazil: Ilhabela

Ilhabela  is an archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean six kilometres  off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The Ilhabela State Park is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects an area of Atlantic Forest on an archipelago in the South Atlantic off the northeast coast of the state, including most of the mountainous island of São Sebastião.


Thanks to Ms Bele. On the left is 2015 stamp on young apprentice. On the right is a stamp taken from set of 3 issued in 2005 on profession series. 

Canada: Writing on Stone

The property is located on the northern edge of the semi-arid Great Plains of North America, on the border between Canada and the United States of America. The Milk River Valley dominates the topography of this cultural landscape, which is characterized by a concentration of pillars or hoodoos – columns of rock sculpted by erosion into spectacular shapes. The Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksikáíítsitapi) left engravings and paintings on the sandstone walls of the Milk River Valley, bearing testimony to messages from Sacred Beings. Dated in situ archaeological remains cover a period between ca. 4,500 BP - 3,500 years BP and the Contact Period. This landscape is considered sacred to the Blackfoot people, and their centuries-old traditions are perpetuated through ceremonies and in enduring respect for the places.



 Thanks to Mr Sundeep. He has used 3 world heritage stamps issued in 2020.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Belgium: Brugge

Brugge is the largest city and the capital of West Flanders of Belgium. It is sometimes referred to as " Venice of the North". It is also a UNESCO Heritage city.

Postcard 1

Thanks to Mr Amit Nayak who was visiting Belgium. Interesting to note two international postage stamps from 2 countries. On the left is from Netherlands,1 of 5, issued in 2014 on Dutch symbols. On the right is Belgian definitive showing King Philippe. No idea from which country it was posted. But arrived in one piece. 
Postcard 2

Thanks to Ms Tani. She has used 2020 stamp issued to commemorate Tokyo Olympics