Taganskaya

Sunday Stamps - M

1999, Canada, mask
designer: Yves Paquin

A fiftieth anniversary stamp was issued for Le Theatre du Rideau Vert, Canada's first professional French theatre company which opened in Montreal in 1949. A mask of tragedy and comedy has an outline of the two actors who founded the company with Mercedes Palomino over the face of tragedy and Yvette Brind d'Amour over the face of comedy.

The masks of tragedy and comedy date back to the amphitheatres of ancient Greece. They were worn  as an exaggerated expression for the audience (some seated far away from the stage) to recognize the different emotions.

for the letter M - mask

beer

Lviv, City of Beer

If you are a lover of craft beer, then this is the city to visit. It has eight breweries, and a beer museum!

la fee verte

Henri Privat-Livemont, 1896
Absinthe Robette was a brand of Belgian Absinthe named after the wife of the distiller Petitjean.

La fee verte - the green fairy - was a popular euphemism for absinthe. Inspired by the dancer Loie Fuller, she is illuminated by the colour of absinthe in its pure state: chartreuse. "Her tunic is ethereal; like Loie Fuller's scarves, there is but a wispy suggestion of material. The ribbons of fabric point upwards to the prepared glass of absinthe. The woman holds a steady gaze upon that raised offering in knowing anticipation of what will surely be a transformative moment. Wisp like emanations from the floral stalks and surrounding cloudy forms echo the turbid nature of the glass as water flows into the absinthe elixir. They allude top that moment when the absinthe will be transformed into an opaque libation, and all of its botanical olfactory notes will be released."

source

coffee

Kaj Stenvall,
A Large Coffee, 1999

Some days I feel like this would be appropriate!

Ljubljana

Capital, and largest city, Slovenia

Dundurn Castle

Still looks the same as it ever was

Droste

Seems everyone loves good chocolate!

Sunday Stamps - L

1982, USA, LOVE stamp

Somehow I missed that these special LOVE stamps have been issued by the USPS since 1973!  This one was designed by Mary Faulconer using flowers to spell out the word. The L is a miniature red poppy; the O is a ring of painted daisies and miniature pansies; the V is cornflower; and the E are three coral bells.

for the letter L - Love

black domes

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Tallinn's largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. Built in Russian Revival style between 1894-1900, it was meticulously restored after Estonia gained independence in 1991.

Does anyone know why the domes are black??

old town market

The Altstadtmarkt was first planned in 1158

Showing the St Martini Church on the left, the Old Town Hall on the right, 

and the Old Town Market Fountain in the centre

trams

Dresden

good to the last drop

a bit of Ontario

This map shows the most populated area of Ontario. What's missing is the over 1,110 km between the top of Lake Superior and the southern portion of Hudson Bay and the nearly 700 km from Thunder Bay west to the Manitoba border. (as can be seen in the inset box)

Sunday Stamps - K

1979, Canada
designer: Jon Eby

In 1979, the Canoe-Kayak World Championships were held in Jonquiere Quebec. I have only ever gone kayaking, or canoeing, on a calm lake. This, however, is a not sport for the faint of heart - it involves a course full of rocks, eddies, rapids, fast currents, and high waves. In a kayak the paddler sits with legs in front, facing forward in a closed deck using a double bladed paddle.

A posterized version of a photograph was chosen by designer Jon Eby.

for the letter K - kayak

lilacs

May 10-19, 2019 is the date for this year's festival, which, if you want a sensory overload of the heady aroma of sweet, sweet lilacs, I would highly recommend.

red fox

I was too old for the Roald Dahl book, The Fantastic Mr Fox when it came out in 1970. However, by magic, I was not too old for the movie of the same name which came out 39 years later. To this day, when ever I see a red fox I almost expect it to start talking in a George Clooney voice.

white egret castle

Himeji Castle

Originally built as a fort in 1333, it was dismantled and built as a castle in 1346 and has since been remodelled several times over the centuries. The nickname 'white egret' comes from the white exterior and its resemblance to a bird taking flight.

Parliament of Budapest

The building was started in 1895 (finished in 1902), and inaugurated in 1896 on the 1000th anniversary of Hungary, this is the third largest parliament building in the world.

Orthodox Easter

"Christ is Risen"

Sunday Stamps - J

2000, Canada

designed by Raymond Bellemare
based on a painting by Pierre Leduc

This blue jay was one of a set of four birds in the fifth series of birds of Canada. They are known for their loud and raucous call, though during the breeding season they are almost silent until the young are fledged.

for the letter J - jay

woven map

Afghan Woven Map, 1971, Aligheiro Boetti
from Germany

gateway to thousand islands

 

one gateway at each entrance to town

tiles

food truck

a satay cart
the sender didn't have any cards to fit my 'wish list' on Postcrossing, but this one is perfect!

Kazan

Kul Sharif Mosque

Kazan is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. It celebrated its millennium in 2005, which was also when this mosque was built.

I like Lviv

"the gem of western Ukraine"
"mysterious and architecturally lovely, it is the place where the candle of Ukrainian national identity burns brightest and where the Russian language is definitely the minority language" ~ Lonely Planet

Sunday Stamps - I

1986, Japan, insects

From 1986-87, Japan issued 22 stamps in five series of insects which included scarabs, beetles, butterflies, dragon/damselflies. This stamp from the 3rd series shows a dragonfly known as a 'common picture wing', or 'variegated flutterer'. It likes the marshes, ponds, and paddy fields of South Asia.

for the letter I - insects

joyful band of bunnies

received from France

Mountie on a Horse

ubiquitous

sunny side

The small island in the middle of Lake Bled has the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church.

swans

Swan Lake ... from Czech Republic

yellow

a 1934 era tram in Turku, Finland

The traditional yellow colour was chosen by vote from the passengers when new trams were acquired for the popular tram line expansion.

sumptuous library

I'm not sure I could concentrate on any research in such exquisite surroundings.
Inside the National Library of Finland.
Built in 1840-45, designed by architect C.L. Engel
the library's roots trace back to 1640 when it was in Turku

Sunday Stamps - H

1947, New Zealand

A semi postal stamp with postage at 2 pence and a surcharge of 1 pence for charity, which in this case was for the Children's Health Camps.  New Zealand health stamps were issued from 1929 - 2016. For this issue, the statue of Eros which had recently been returned to Piccadilly Circus after being in storage for safekeeping during WWII was chosen. The fountain with Eros was unveiled in 1893 in memory of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury who, among other things, was remembered for his abolition of child labour.

for the letter H - health

promenade

Szczecin, on the banks of the Oder River

Canada

Puffing Billy

Puffing Billy, a narrow gauge railway line in the Dandenong Mountains near Melbourne.

green eyed

Green eyed kitty, lovely kitty

Strolling slowly towards the sun

Green eyed kitty, ocean's kitty

Soothing every raging wave that comes

painted monastery

A 16th century Eastern Orthodox monastery in Sucevita, Romania, with murals painted both inside and outside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Painted Churches of Moldova.

puffins

The Atlantic puffin regains its colourful beak during the mating season which begins in early April. They nest in burrows with males spending most of their time guarding and maintaining the nest, while the female incubates and feeds the (one) chick. This is the only time they will spend on land.

Sunday Stamps - G

1977, Canada, Governors General
designer: Anthony Hobbs

Issued for the 25th anniversary of the first Canadian born Governor General, the stamp shows the crown and lion from the GG's standard with the same blue background, and the names of the (up until then) four Canadian Governors General. The GG is the Queen's personal representative.

Vincent Massey

Georges Vanier

Roland Michener

Jules Leger

for the letter G - Governor General

Greetings from Wisconson

Gananoque Inn

The old Gananoque Carriage Works on the shores of the St Lawrence River was transformed into the Gananoque Inn in 1896. A fire on April 5th 1907 destroyed a third of the building, but within a few weeks the hotel was ready to re-open for the summer season.

The Gananoque Inn & Spa 2010

wedding

Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna wedding in 1894.

Alexandra's wedding attire included a Honiton lace veil designed by her grandfather, Prince Albert, which had been worn by her mother, Princess Alice. She also wore the traditional Romanov nuptial crown and a 475 carat necklace that had belonged to Catherine the Great.

Carrieres des Lumieres

In Les Baux de Provence there is a spectacular light show, les Carrieres de lumieres which features a different 'artist in residence' each year. This card shows the work of Van Gogh from 2008, (and who is also being shown again this year) with paintings projected on the walls of an old quarry.