Sunday Stamps | G for Gastronomy

Every year, a Spanish city hold the title of  Spanish Culinary Capital. In 2018, it is the turn of León.

The stamp, issued on 17 January, features an illustration of the famous rose window from the western façade of León Cathedral, and some of the most significant products of León’s cuisine: Valdeón cheese; cecina de León (dried beef meat from Léon); Pimiento Asado del Bierzo (a type of pepper, sun-dried and roasted); chocolate (consumed especially hot); Bañeza beans and mantecadas (butter sponge cakes).

The stamp features also the logo created for the occasion, with the slogan Manjar de Reyes [Food fit for a King].

More information about this stamp, here.

Go to Sunday Stamps to see more G stamps!

Oxbridge

The Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, the UK, on a postcard sent by John.

The Pepys Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, the UK. Sent by Laura.

Apparently, this college produces more
British prime ministers than any other!

And a more irreverent view of the British universities, on this illustration by Martyn Ford (How to be British No. 46), also sent by Laura (the UK).

The Summer Days

A friend sent to me this collage made of a tourist brochure, with a letter talking about her summer holidays. Los días de verano, 'the summer days'... are about to finish!

Unsent Letters

«En el momento de la explosión,escucha, la edad media de sus habitantes no llegaba a treinta años. La llamaban la ciudad del futuro.

Prípiat es una tierra arqueológicamente pura. No hace falta excavar: las capas de memoria están a la intemperie. Como en esas películas donde la historia se congela y los antiguos líderes continuan presidiendo, en irónica gloria, su pequeño rincón.  El edificio que más lo impresiona es la oficina de Correos. entre el musgo y la maleza yacen todas las cartas que jamás fueron enviadas. Si alguien corriese a leerlas, imagina él, ¿se reactivaría el tiempo?»

Andrés Neuman, Fractura

Did You Say Slow Mail?

On 23 August 2017, I put 15 postcards in this Greek mailbox, addressed to different countries. For some premonitory reason, I asked to my partner to take a picture.

Any of the postcards arrived. I thought it was my fault, because, as you can see, the picking hours were not written on the mailbox. But let me say that it happens often in small villages in Greece (also in Spain), and the mail usually arrive.

I wrote to Elta Post some months later, and they replied that they could not assure anything about non-registered mail. I even sent a postcard to the postal workers of the village. Nothing happened.

Then, two days ago, one of my friends received the postcard. She was confused at first, and asked me if I had recently travelled to Greece. Then, she looked at the date: the postcard has taken exactly 13 months and one day to reach its destination. I wonder if the rest of the postcards will arrive/have arrived too.

So, please:

1. If you get a Greek postcard from me, dated in 2017, let me know.
2. Never give up, concerning to sent mail!

Things You Find in The Garden...

... and make postcards of!

Folded cards sent by Rosemary (Canada), made of pictures she takes herself in the garden.

Found in the garden,

a tiny blue pagoda

from distant China.

Haiku and reduction linocut by Alan (the UK)

Where Are You Heading Today?

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK).

Sunday Stamps | F for Fairy Tales

Some fairy tales and legends from around the world, for the letter F of Sunday Stamps!

Guaraná
Brasil, 2012

Víla Amálka (Fairy Amálka)
Czech Republic, 2016

Pixies and Giants
United Kingdom, 2009

Latvian Fairy Tales
Latvia, 2008

Snow White
USA, 2005

Dragons
USA, 2018

From different senders, all the dragons arrived almost the same day. Some of them on this perfect cover made by Phillip (Better pictures of the stamps on his D-post!):

Most of the Afternoon to Write the Postcard

«It took him most of the afternoon to write the postcard. Except for signing his name on chip tabs, it was the first thing he'd written in almost 20 years. Gabriel's letter was also the first he'd received in the same period of time, or at least the first personal letter - there were occasionally envelopes from the government, but he didn't want anything from them and couldn't think of anything they might want from him, so those he chucked in the fireplace.»

Jim Dodge, Fup: A Modern Fable

Where Did My Friends Spend Their Holidays?

Bergamo (Italy).
Upper Town

The cliffs at the Gobbins
on the Islandmagee Peninsula,
County Antrim
(Northern Ireland)

S. Pedro Cardeña, Burgos, Spain

Cala Rajada (Mallorca)

Chester, the UK

Tübingen, Germany

Burgh Island, South Devon, Wales

Kew Gardens, London, the UK

Cadaqués

Dear Tia

Phillip has a mail art project called poems found in morrow. He sent out postcards reproducing pages of HM Hoover's post-apocalyptic young adult novel Treasures of Morrow, and ask to delete text in any way, to create a found poem.

Last time I did. But on this page, what I found was a letter instead...

Tia,

Work harder. Perhaps another thing surprise you. Simon have a good house. Rabbit's lucky. Max always had that. You can study. You are smarter than any one else.

Mother

(As it seemed a reply, I decided to imagine the letter that Tia had previously sent to his mum, and write part of it on the postcard.)

HitM | Sand House

Heleen made a new contribution to the Houses in the Mail project! I hadn't thought of a DIY sand house...

A more solid one arrived on one of the stamps!

Saxon Cities

Dresden
Sent by Belt

Leipzig
Sent by Wenz

I Value My Mail More Than Most Things in Life

 

Another do-not-disturb postcard sent by Bryon. It was difficult to write on, but happily it arrived safe and sound!

Sunday Stamps | E for Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Egypt, 2002-2005
Egyptian Art

Sorry for the bad quality of the image. I received these stamps from Egypt long time ago, and I thought that Egyptian hieroglyphs could be a good theme for letter E of Sunday Stamps.

Have you noticed how often the Ancient Egypt (and the hieroglyphs!) appear on stamps from countries other that Egypt?

United Kingdom, 1982
Information Technology

Hungary, 2013
The 200th Anniversary of the Birth of
Giuseppe Verdi
(This is an audible stamp!)

Brazil, 2010
Diplomatic Relations Brazil-Egypt,
Temple of Abu Simbel

The Netherlands, 2010
25th Anniversary of the company Djoser
(More information, in Dutch)

Book Lovers Postcards Swap

I have participated in the Summer Edition of Book Lovers Postcard Swap, hosted by Jessica (The Paper Trail Diary) and Barb (ritewhilucan). This is the postcard I received from Antonia (the USA). 

Russian Lighthouses

This hand-painted lighthouse, sent by 7-years old Sofia (Russia), was one of the latest pieces of mail I received in my former mailbox, in Morocco. It took more than two months to arrive, so I think I was very lucky to get them before moving. 

As you can see on the back (and on the front!), the postcard suffered a sort of battle with the postal machines... And it won!

Eleven cancellations I counted, that almost hide those interesting stamps!

Stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Icebreaker Krassin, now a museum ship. The stamp was issued on 31 March 2017.

Khersones lighthouse, on the outskirts of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. Stamp issued by Russia on 29 September 2016.

Do You Have a Favourite Post(wo)man?

Postcard sent by John (the UK). It reproduces a stamp issued by Royal Mail in 2014, and featuring the famous Postman Pat (and his black and white cat, of course).

Reflections on Water

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK). Maidstone, in Kent. On the picture: the Old Mill, the All' Saints Church, the Archbishop's Palace and the Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of Carriages.

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). Houten, in the province of Utrecht.

Postcard sent by Baukje (the Netherlands).

Postcard sent by Imma (PC). Estany de Banyoles, in northeastern Catalonia.