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Sunday 22 March 2015

Island Stamps - Sunday Stamps II

One stamp from a Mediterranean island and one from the Indian Ocean are my selection this week.

Maldives
The grey heron on this stamp from the Republic of Maldives is seen in America and Europe too.

During WWII my elder brother served on aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean involved in the defence of Malta and this is the reason I have included a stamp from there.

Malta - 1938
George VI was our King during the war.

Mdina Cathedral is shown on the stamp. There were settlements in Mdina going back 4000 years. The walled medieval town is situated on a hill in the centre of the island. Called the Silent City by its inhabitants possibly because today it has no cars other than than those of its few hundred residents, emergency vehicles, wedding cars and hearses.

For stamps from other islands visit Sunday-stamps-ii-14.


6 comments:

FinnBadger said...

Great history on the Maltese stamp. Carless cities are fascinating - I visited Monemvasia in Greece a long time ago, and inside the city it was bicycle, wheelbarrow or small donkey if you didn't want to get around on foot or had something heavy to carry.

VioletSky said...

That is a lovely stamp of the heron.
I've always wanted to go to Malta - and really like the idea of the Silent City. I used to live near a Maltese bakery, so am already familiar with their baked goods :)

Joy said...

I remember having tea and cake in a tea room on the walls of Mdina which seems a long way away from their experience in the war.

Jo said...

My parents lived in Malta for a few years at the end of the 60s beginning of the 70s. I spent a lot of time there before they moved there and once they were there so am familiar with Mdina and many other places of interest on the island.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

So you've been collecting stamps a long time?...:)JP

Bob Scotney said...

@ A Quiet Corner - It was Sunday Stamps that revived my interest in stamps. I don't remember when I started collecting but they seem to have accumulated over the years.