Sunday Stamps - New Year; France

 I thought I would have to give the 'Holiday' theme a miss until I found this from 2001.

France - 2001

Happy New Year to one and all.

For other holidays visit Carnival at Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps G3 - France, India, Ireland

In the 1960s President de Gaulle visited the Dunkirk steelworks where I was on a industry exchange scheme from Britain. The night before his visit I was woken up in my hotel by armed police checking on foreigners in the town - a rude awakening indeed.

When he arrived at the works the next day, the workforce left the site!

The President died in 1970, 10 years later this stamp was issued.

France - 8 September 1980

Also in the 1960s, India issued a stamp depicting a plane.

India - Gnat plane - 1967

Apart from Olympic stamps I only have a few stamps with a sporting theme.

Ireland - 27 July 1934
50th Anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association

I guess that shinty is the sport depicted.

For more 'G' related stamps please visit Sunday-stamps-g.

Sunday Stamps F3 - USA, Germany, , Hungary

Benjamin Franklin appeared on the first stamp issued by the USA - he was postmaster general at the time. He signed the Declaration of Independence but never became President.  He did however become the first American minister to France.

USA - 20 October 1972

I guess Franklin knew about the flag with 13 stars - one for each of the original colonies at the time of independence - but he would have been pleased to see one with 50.

USA - 8 December 1973

Sightseeing in Germany may take you to a Flughafen

Frankfurt Airport - 14 January 1988

For a view of the city a plane in a Hungary series shows you the way.

Hungary - 17 October 1966

It's higher than 110 feet!

For more 'F' related stamps, fasten your seat belts an go over to Sunday-stamps-f.

Sunday Stamps II A-Z 'T' Tanganyika, Togo,Turkey

No links to Rhodesia this week, but I have at least started with a territory in East Africa administered by the UK from 1916 to 9 December 1961 when it became the independent state of - 

Tanganyika - Independence Day 9/12/61

Its time as an independent state lasted only until 26 April 1964. It now forms part of the state of Tanzania.

Now it's time to go to the West African coast and a country sandwiched between Ghana and Benin.

Togo - 6/10/47

A German protectorate from 1884, known as Togoland, it was transferred to France after WWI and gained its independence in 1960.

And as it's nearing Christmas I guess that it's time to go a look for a --

Turkey - 1/2/71

A Turkish army officer and revolutionary name Ataturk (1881-1938) became the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey from 1923 until his death.

I'm sure that there will be enough Christmas Turkey left over Togo for sandwiches until A-Z resumes in the New Year.

For more stamps that suit you to a tee please visit Sunday-Stamps-II -157. 

Sunday Stamps II A-Z: 'F'

I have only three countries to choose from this week.  

Fortunately I can maintain an art link to last time with a stamp from Finland.

Finland - 6 August 1971

This commemorated the 600th anniversary of goldsmith's art.

No link to France where I could only use Marianne to identify a President's choice.

France - 1 July 2008

This is the most recent of my Mariannes on a euro stamp -  President Sarkozy's Marianne.

Sunday-stamps-II-143 has chosen to go with fish; visit the links there to find choices made by others.

Stars, Moons or Planets

The most recent stamp I have from France was issued on 4 May 2009 and its a € denomination.

France

Two weeks ago I showed a Polish stamp depicting a statue of Nicolaus Copernicus

The biggest and oldest planetarium was founded in 1955 to commemorate him. It's located in the Silesian Central Park.

Poland - Silesian (Slaskie) Planetarium & Astronomy Observatory - 15 Sept 1966

For other astronomy related themes check out the links at Sunday-stamps-II-137

Easter/Spring - Sunday Stamps II

I struggle every year with this theme - I've shown flowers, rabbits and cathedrals before. This time I have chosen stamps containing chapels and churches from Scandinavia and Europe.

Finland - Lammi Church - 4 March 1956

The original church was built in 1490/1510. It was initially a Catholic church but converted to Lutheran in the mid 1500s. It's also known as the church of St Catherine of Alexandria.

Le Corbousier was the architect of the chapel on my next stamp from 1965.

France - Chapelle de Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp

The building was finished in 1954 and has appeared on a number of stamps of different denominations.

My third stamp shows the national shrine of Bavaria dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

West Germany - Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, 9 February  1989

For more Easter offerings please visit the links at Sunday-Stamps-II-67

Castles and Palaces - Sunday Stamps II

As my first stamp will show,I've learnt not to make assumptions this week.

Tunisia

I thought this was an impressive castle until I discovered it wasn't a castle at all.

The Skifa Kahla is the ancient gate to the coastal city of Mahdia, the old part of which corresponds to the Roman city of Aphrodisium.

My next stamp is of a place where international conferences are held.

France 1980

In 1999 the Chateau of Rambouillet hosted the NATO peace conference on Kosovo. The rejection of the proposal by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia lead to the war in Kosovo.

The Greek island of Rhodes is the site of the palace on my last stamp this week.

Greece 2006 - Medieval Castle

This castle also called Kastello was once the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.

The 7th century Byzantine citadel was converted by the Knights Hospitaller into their administrative centre and the palace of their Grand Master.

The Ottoman Empire used it as a command centre and fortress. Under Italian rule it became a holiday residence for the King of Italy and for Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator. Under the 1947 Peace Treaty with Italy, Rhodes and the Dodecanes islands were transferred to Greece.

Palace of the Grand Master sounds a more impressive title.

To see what other castles and palaces have been found on stamps please follow the links at Violet;s Sunday-Stamps-II-56.

Water - Sunday Stamps II

I found three waterfalls to show you this week from different parts of the world.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is in the eastern end of the island of San Domingo in the West Indies. The 60m high Salto Jimenoa Uno is one of three waterfalls round Jarabacoa in the province of Vera.

Jimenoa Waterfall

In Europe between France and Switzerland the 27m high Le Saut du Doubs is on the River Doubs.

France - Le Saut du Doubs

The Waikato River in the North Island is New Zealand's longest river. The Huka Falls on the river drain Lake Taupo.

New Zealand - Huka Falls

Upstream from the falls the river narrows from c100m into a narrow canyon only 15m across.

Now if I had a stamp for Niagara it would make a impressive set indeed.

For more water scenes float over to Sunday-stamps-ii-7.

Stamps on Postcards

As there is no Sunday Stamp theme this week I went looking for another source of stamps by raiding a collection of postcards that have accumulated over the last 30 years or so.

Rio de Janeiro - Sunrise on Copacabana Beach

Brazil

Both the stamps were issued originally in 1982 although the card is clearly postmarked 1984.

The top two stamps show the Mamona or Castor Oil Plant; The bottom stamp shows ears of Trigo (wheat). Brazil is the third largest producer of castor oil behind India and China.

From France I found two different denominations of the same Marianne.

France

François Mitterrand became the 1st Socialist President of the Fifth Republic on 10 May 1981. However the Marianne on these stamps is that used during the presidency of his predecessor, Valéry Giscard d-Estaing.

This is the Gandon Sabine Marianne by the stamp engraver Pierre Gandon inspired by a painting by Jacques-Louis David,

The Intervention of the Sabine Women (1799)

'Mitterand's' Gandon Liberté Marianne did not appear until 1982.

Both the postcards with these stamps were to my daughter.

The Côte d'Azur

The card from Paris just had to be from my eldest son to his sister 

because the message ended, 'Il me plait que tu n'es pas ici!!' This is a long standing family joke even if it was in French.

Channel Tunnel - Sunday Stamps

I have a First Day Cover for this week's post. The Channel Tunnel, the first fixed link between the United Kingdom and France, was opened in 1994.

Great Britain - Channel Tunnel - FDO 3 May 1994

The Royal Mail and the French Post Office worked together to produce a set of se-tenant stamps. The twenty miles (narrowest width) between England and France has been a barrier between the two countries since the Ice Age. The tunnel under the English Channel (La Manche) now carries vehicle shuttles, passenger and freight trains with a journey time of about 35 minutes.

The left-hand stamp of each pair shows the French cockerel embraced by the British lion across the channel; the right-hand, hands across the Channel with the tunnel and a train underneath.

To see stamps chosen by other participants please visit Viridian's Sunday-stamps-84.html

Monaco to Nice - Aerial Thematic Photography

I had to go back nearly eight years for these photos. It was either that or wait to take some more in June.

This is the helipad at Monte Carlo with the chopper getting ready for the short hop over the sea to Nice.

After take-off straight over the sea the helipad is just visible.

Then the French coastline through a dirty window which the pilot 'refused' to clean - must have been a big fly or a dirty seagull.

 

Approaching Nice:

 

Terra firma!

Couldn't he have landed nearer? The wait for a bus was as long as the flight!

 

It seemed strange flying without the immersion suit I had been used to on offshore helicopter flights in Norway and out of Aberdeen.

For more aerial acrobatics visit: Carmi's Thematic Photographic 146