Postcard from Armenia

A lovely postcard received today from Yerevan, Armenia, showing the Church of Hripsime (completed in 618) in the city of Vagharshapat, (Echmiatsin), which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots.

The card was sent only 5 days ago and bears two definitive stamps of 120 AMD from 2012, showing a letter from the Armenian alphabet.

Thank you very much, Yuri!

Postcard from Pitcairn Island no. 2

A great postcard sent from the Pitcairn Island, postmarked 1 June 2011, showing part of Adamstown.

The NZD 1,50 stamp features the French helicopter cruiser Jeanne d’Arc from a series of four stamps depicting aircraft over Pitcairn, issued on 21 October 2009. Thank you so much, Giovanni!

Postcard from Russia no. 4

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Here's a very nice postcard senr from St. Petersburg showing the main sights of the town of Kronshtadt, in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, 30 kilometers west of Saint Petersburg. The historic centre of the city and its fortifications are part of the World Heritage Site Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments. Pop. 43,000.

The 10 rouble stamp (16 Feb 2009) commemorates Grigory Yakovlevich Bahchivandzhi (1909-1943) is the test pilot of scientific research institute of the Air Forces, the Hero of the Soviet Union. Print run: 800,000 - quite a small number, I think, 800,000 copies of a stamp is an average print run of a commemorative here in the much small Czech Republic.

Postcard from Slovakia no. 8

Here's a postcard sent by our granny from Bardejov, in the east of Slovakia. It shows the Church of St. Giles (Aegidius), which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Centre of Bardejov.

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The engraved EUR 0.80 stamp from 2011 shows Tatra 87, one of the classic Czechoslovakian cars, made by Tatra in Kopřivnice here in Moravia in 1936-1950. According to Wikipedia, John Steinbeck and Jay Leno, among others, drove this highly original car with the unmistakable shark's fin. The other stamp in the series shows the Prague-made Aero 30. Print-run 1 million each.

Postcard from Spain no. 6

Another postcard from Catalonia, sent by me from L'Estartit, showing the map of the province of Girona. I assume there is a whole series of these attractive cards, covering the entire Spain, published by Escudo de Oro in Barcelona. I saw this one only in one place of all the kiosks and card-racks, in one of the narrow streets leading to the Girona cathedral. And the stamps:

The EUR 0.36 civic value "No contaminar" shown earlier, and a rose from 2007.

Postcard from Spain no. 5

We spent the last few weeks on holidays in Spain (Catalonia) and France (Department of Herault), and here is a postcard we sent home showing the city of Girona. Even though it was a very hot day (for me quite unexpected for September) the city amazed me, it is a pure medieval jewel. The card shows the historic centre and the River Onyar.

Here are the stamps I used: a EUR 0.34 trompeta from 2010 and a 0.36 "Civic values" from 2012, together making the actual rate for Europe of 0.70 EUR. The card was posted in the town of L'Estartit.

These "Civic values" stamps issued on 9 January 2010 can be currently found in most Spanish tabac stands that I visited (the other stamp on offer is the 0.70 EUR "Turismo" from 2012).

Postcard from Andorra (Spanish Post)

Here's a fresh postcard sent from the capital of Andorra on 29 November 2011, showing a breathtaking view of Andorra la Vella from the Romanesque church of St. Miguel d'Engolasters.
The EUROPA forest stamp was issued on 4 April 2011 and shows the Bosc de Sorobilles near Ordino. Print-run: 115,000.

Thank you, Fabienne!!

Postcard from Serbia no. 5

Here's a nice night-view postcard showing the New Palace in Beograde, Serbia, the former royal residence, now the residence of the Serbian president. The first of the three 22 dinar stamps is a definitive with a decorative ring from the 18th century, the second in row is a Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, an Argentinian dinosaur in Beograde, presumably visiting at an exhibition (2009), and the red car stamp commemorated the 55th anniversary of Zastava/Fiat in 2010.

Thank you, Ana:)

Postcard from Aland no. 3

A gorgeous postcard sent from the municipality of Saltvik in the Åland archipelago, Finland, with a fairy-tale snow-covered windmill and a trio of lovely stamps, including a chanterelle, the mushroom featured also on the previous cover from Spain - this Åland one was issued in 2003 along with two other mushrooms. Next to the chanterelle there is a stoat (hermine) from a 2004 series dedicated to animals, and a windmill in Soderby, municipality of Lemland in Åland, on another splendid stamp from the series depicting Åland landscapes and nature (2006).

Thank you, Liisa!!!

Postcard from Slovenia no. 3

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When we were returning from our holiday in Croatia this June, we spent a few hours in and around the Predjama Castle in Slovenia. A really impressive building set against a huge rock cavity, part castle, part rock hideout, it's a great place to visit especially since one is free to roam the premises and does not have to follow a guide. At the entrance, in a souvenir shop, we bough a few cards and a few copies of the only stamp available which, as I only later learned, is custom made/personalised and sold only at the castle and at the Postojnska Jama Cave some ten kilometers away (the castle and the cave are connected by an underground passage and also as tourist attractions). The C-rate personalised stamp was issued in 2008 to commemorate the 190th anniversary of the factual discovery of the cave system at Postojna.

We had also a great lunch at a medieval restaurant there with typical Slovenian dishes, and left a baby sweater lying on a bench there:)

Postcard from Pitcairn Islands

Here's a splendid greeting from Pitcairn Island, the only populated island of the four isles comprising the Pitcairn archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, a British Overseas Territory. The picture shows the local school and a set of shell stamps from 2001.

The NZD 1.80 stamp shows HMS Monmouth from a set of 6 stamps dedicated to the Royal Navy Vessels (2nd series, issued on 9 December 2010), ships that visited Pitcairn and contributed to improving the life of resident Pitcairners, e.g. providing medical services and judicial duties.

Thank you so much, Giovanni!!!

Postcard from Slovakia no. 7

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Here's a postcard we sent ourselves from a visit to the town of Medzilaborce (pop. approx. 6,600) in northeastern Slovakia, one of its most remote and undiscovered regions. Medzilaborce is now famous for its museum of Andy Warhol whose parents came from the vicinity of the town. There is also a Jewish cemetery and a large white Orthodox Church.

The stamp from 2008 shows a portrait of Slovak poetess Masa Halamova. The T1 100g denomination has been used in the period when Slovakia was leaving its koruna and accepting euro. Now almost all of the new stamps bear only euro denomination.

The 1 koruna definitives are from 1993, part of the long series showing the coats of arms of Slovak towns.

And talking of Andy Warhol I found in my collection of postcards this night skyline view of Corpus Christi in Texas, with the Andy Warhol stamp from 2002, along with a sad-looking dog on a neuter spay stamp from the same year, what a crazy combination of looks...