Sunday Stamps - flags

Our flag has only been around since 1964, but the government has done a spectacular job at making it one of the most recognized. The Maple Leaf has been emblazoned on pretty much everything.

And for several years we have had a flag series of stamps, some of which I have already shown and you can see here. Interestingly, this flag series are for domestic stamps, so they do not end up flying around the world.

Here are a couple more...

a lighthouse series with this example, issued on May 1 2008, from
Pachena Point, British Columbia, located along a dangerous stretch of the western coastline, on Vancouver Island.

"As the eye moves across the panel from left to right, you can almost hear the sound of the flag flapping in the wind," says Liz Wong, Manager of Stamp Design and Production at Canada Post. "It really brings out that deep sense of national pride."





And this example from a historic mills series of the Watson's Mill in Manotick, outside Ottawa. This stamp, released in 2010, was cancelled in Manotick for the 150th anniversary of the mill. There is a lot of history and and a tragic love story associated with the mill which you can read about here.

 

and, in honour of the Olympics opening soon, here is our example of an Olympian managing to wave the flag at an impossible angle on a victory lap.


In celebration of Canada's participation in the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and also in recognition of the more than 340 athletes who will proudly represent our country, Canada Post is issuing a domestic rate (52¢) stamp on July 18, 2008.


(oops, which I now see is next week's theme)






see more flag waving stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

Lladró

I did buy myself a Lladró figurine when I went to visit the factory. She doesn't have a name, yet, but she is very slender and tiny. Fine-boned, one might say.


















She makes my other figurine look a bit statuesque!

but, I did buy her specifically because she was the closest one I found that matched up with the one I already had.

and she was within the right price range.

and she has that lovely string of pearls.

I think she is the slightly wilder younger sister, although she is apparently Ingenue, according to the catalogue.





The tour is a fascinating experience. Lladró is made nowhere else in the world except at this one location just outside Valencia. You get to go behind the scenes and see the women (they are all women, who probably have smaller hands and fingers and possibly more patience than men) at their tables forming and attaching and painting...

The artistic team creates pieces in clay following traditional sculpting techniques. The original mould is then fragmented and each piece is reproduced exactly using porcelain moulds.  Even the hands are of several moulds with the fingers and wrists and forearm and upper arm later attached using the same porcelain to create the right sense of flow and movement. When you see the painstakingly elaborate process that is involved, you can appreciate why they are so expensive.

I went early so I could wander around the showroom beforehand. I was slightly disappointed that there were not more pieces I wished to buy, but then this is not really something I want to collect as much as I enjoy looking at them and admiring the delicacy of the features. I have the one lady and love her and am pleased to have found another to make a pair.

grave post - Fayence

we took an afternoon bus trip into the Provencal countryside to Fayence and Seilans and I was excited to see, as soon as we left the car park, a cemetery! it was almost hidden behind a wall and boxwood hedge, but I was glad I took the time to wander in (very quickly, I might add - one does not want to be the one holding up the tour bus)

Julie mentioned last week, in a comment, about flowers at grave sites and one thing I really like about the Australian ones I have seen are the gardens around so many graves. Although there are a few tiny gardens in Ontario, mostly it is an abundance of fake flowers that are left to rot in the sun.

Here, in this particular part of France, I found something very different - an abundance of glazed pottery flowers!

...and several potted flowers mixed in.






I have tried, and failed, to find any information about this. I don't know how unique it is, but if anyone else has seen this sort of thing, please share.

see more flowery (or not) grave sites at Taphophile Tragics

Sunday Stamps - yellow

A couple of cute yellow goslings (Canada Geese) were part of the baby wildlife series issued in 2011

and for the Europa series in 2010 for Children's Literature, Lithuania issued a set of stamps featuring this boy on one side of the big book and a girl on the other (which I don't have)

and a Finnish Moomin from 2009

and from the young to the old, also from Finland, this one for the theme of mythical places with a bonus shaped stamp of geography (archipelago) both issued in 2008.

Astuvansalmi

The natural rock cliff is in Southern Savo, in Ristiina on the shore of Lake Yövesi. A giant human face can be seen in the rock formations of the cliff and it has probably been some kind of cult site. Stone Age dwellings have been found nearby and it is thought that ancient residents considered the cliff a kind of god or an image of one. 

find more yellow stamps at Viridian's Postcard blog

the world awaits

It was 1972 when I had my first transatlantic airplane trip. I don't remember what type of plane it was. I don't even remember which airline it was. It is pathetic what I don't remember. It was to Glasgow, I know, because that was where my mother was from and the extended family were still there. Cousins I had only ever heard stories about. An aunt and uncle who wrote letters and from whom we received Christmas presents every February (one sister was a bad as the other, as I later learned my cousins also eagerly anticipated their Christmas presents sometime in February!)

My mother had not been back to Scotland since 1952 and then it was by ship. I cannot imagine that journey with a 2 year old baby.

I am glad I had the chance to get a taste of the excitement of air travel before things went all pear shaped. It was an event. One that you dressed up for. You looked forward to the surprise meal and the little bottles of alcohol - some of them I still have. Years later, I would help myself to the cutlery as a souvenir. I also remember how certain rows would be designated 'non-smoking'. Right. As if the smoke did not waft across the aisle or over to your seat anyway. It was always so very quiet with anticipation as the plane descended and once on the ground, there would be a collective outtake of breath and we all clapped. If we weren't buckled into our seats, I am sure there would have been a standing ovation for the captain's safe landing.

I am sure this is a sumptuous meal

I also remember the stops in Gander for refueling. I was fascinated at the isolation of the place but as my ears usually hurt, I was also glad when the aircrafts were able to make extended journeys without the need to stop before going over the ocean.

The other day, I was reading an old Reader's Digest magazine I had found. Remember when they used to put the index on the back cover?

As it was too hot outside to leave the nicely air conditioned cafe, I read the whole thing front to back and back to front.

The adverts were as, or more, interesting as the stories and the lame humour.

travel was becoming more accessible to more people and the world was waiting for us to visit. Or at least Europe was.

















 and airplanes were were all over the advertising

yup, the advertising was as misleading then as it is now -

that is a downpayment of 10%

but really, a flight from Montreal-London was $453.60 economy class.

If $1 in 1960 is worth $7.75 in 2012 (according to one website) then this trip to a "whole new world of experience, new pleasures and perspectives" would today cost $3,515.40. Probably with taxes and tariffs added. No wonder my family had to wait another decade to even consider the possibillty.

grave post - Staglieno

The entrance to the Staglieno Cemetery includes these flower stalls, which seems a very practical thing to have.

The views out over the rooftop of the mausoleum over to the city of Genoa were spectacular

as were the views within the cemetery

some of the areas resembled the mediaeval quarter with the narrow, stepped alleys

though some of these grave sites were a little worse for wear. 

I wonder how these old bones feel to be lying in such a topsy turvy state.

see more grave states at Taphophile Tragics

out the window

One of the things I would consider a deal breaker for any apartment that I wanted to call home would be the lack of a balcony. I have dealt with windowless kitchens and baths, with non eat-in kitchens, with no hallways and small closets, no parking and no A/C. But never no balcony.  Although, this summer we are getting ours re-done, so I have been without one since late April. The first couple of weeks were difficult. I didn't realize how often I would step outside, just to test the weather, or to get a better look at a sunset, or for somewhere to stand while drinking my morning tea. I wouldn't mind so much what size it was - a small patch big enough for a bistro table and chair and I would still be content. In fact, the one I have now is almost too big - very long and narrow. I end up using a portion of it for storage, which is not always pretty. But it is handy for at least important function: drying my laundry. I have a few clothes horses and drying racks that serve to dry pretty much everything I own. Now these are cluttering up my living room and it is a nuisance. Plus I am missing that all important fresh air scent.

It seems to be a universal feeling that nothing can beat the scent of air dried clothes, but the getting of that scent is not so universally accepted. There are whole communities where clothes lines and the drying of clothes naturally are forbidden. Where one can be fined huge amounts of money for being so daring as to show off your freshly laundered linens. It is considered by some to be a blight on the neighbourhood. Personally, I do not mind seeing your washing hanging out on a line strung across your backyard. I find all those big assed recycling and garbage bins we are now forced to buy and use to be far more of an eyesore.

While wandering around Genoa and Palma, one of the common sights that garnered the most comments from us tourists was the laundry hanging out of the windows of the apartments in the narrow streets. I kept rather quiet about it, though I did wonder how often things might fall off the line, which would be a huge nuisance having to climb down all those stairs to the ground to retrieve it.







And they have an advantage of not having to go outside and around the back of the house to hang up their clothes - simply open the window and your line is right there. So far, I have never noticed a distinct smell of fuel on my clothes from the cars below my apartment. Or dirt from the steel mills across the bay. But that was the most common refrain from the other tourists.

Strung across the front of your building was a little eye-catching, and not always the most pleasing of views, but I found it rather quaint. And, in fact, I was rather pleased to see this charming old world custom still being carried out. It was exactly as I would have expected from what I have seen on television and old movies. It is very practical as I imagine there is not much room for a dryer in these apartments located in what is quaintly referred to as the mediaeval quarter. And let's be honest, some of these narrow alleys are also not the prettiest to begin with. And a sign of life is a welcome thing.

Sunday Stamps - scenic natural landscapes

On this sweltering holiday weekend, lets look at some stamps with nice cooling rivers.
Mountains seem to be the most popular design as these scenes for France, Norway, and Finland show.

First up is the Sea of Ice Glacier, on the northern slopes of Mont Blanc in the Alps. Apparently, it used to be visible from Chamonix, where it is the longest glacier in France, but due to its shrinking it has become a little less visible.

Nasjonel turistweg Lofoten - the National Tourist Routes in Norway. 

National Tourist Routes are beautiful drives with that little bit extra. The routes are carefully selected by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and each of the 18 routes has its own history and character. According to the website, the route for Lofoten takes you on a drive through magnificent scenery and a vibrant coastal culture. The landscape is filled with contrasts ranging from the dramatic expanse of the ocean to craggy alpine peaks, glistening white sandy beaches, fishing hamlets in sheltered ports and verdant agricultural communities.

and of course, what is a stamp post without a showing from Finland? It is a nice informative touch that they add a small map to show the location of the National Parks featured on their stamps.

In this case, it is Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park in the Western Lapland Region, Finland's 3rd largest National Park. It is a park dominated by fells surrounded by forests and mires in their natural state and is the most popular among Finns.The stamp also includes the name written in Finnish, Swedish, Northern Sámi and Braille. In 2009, it was the second most popular in voting for the most beautiful stamp.

The second stamp in the National Park series features Torronsuo National Park, issued in 2010. It also includes a map but this time the name is written in Finnish, Swedish and English. This National Park features a large open mire landscape has looked the same for thousands of years and is a good spot for watching migrating birds such as cranes and geese. It is an easy one to reach for many people in the Kanta-Häme Region, being close to urban centres.

see other scenic stamps over at Viridian's Postcard

fishing

Jetlag has hit.
Full force.
Took awhile, didn't it?
In the meantime, besides the towel animal sculptures, there was also food sculptures.

I don't know why this fish was nestled in amongst the desserts.....

Xpensive

Of course meals were provided on the cruise ship. There was a buffet room that was open from about 6am to 10pm and several restaurants to choose from (for an extra price), plus the dining room where your dinner was served. All beverages had to be paid for, however. And you really had to pay for them.  

But part of the fun of travelling is eating at local restaurants. We managed to sit at a table and have something in each of the cities we visited. I found this lovely spot right on the beach in Barcelona. I was doing my own thing on the Hop On Hop Off tour bus, so XUP missed this restaurant named after her. It seems this charming Catalan expression means something along the lines of 'simmer in own juices' Like a slow cooker, I am imagining. It was supposed to have great paella, but I was not that hungry, so had some gazpacho and salmon carpaccio. Turns out I wasn't even that hungry. Must have been the heat. It was over 40C. I chose to eat indoors where it was air conditioned. I also didn't want to pay the 10% extra for patio seating.

The food was very good. But also very expensive. At least by North American standards. I have travelled in Europe enough that I knew to expect to be charged extra for most things, but it still comes as a shock.

For water, one must pay for a bottle - and even a small was 2€ ($2.60)
I was asked if I wanted bread - yes, please.  with tomato? - sure. turned out to be about 6 croutons with a bit of chopped tomato and red pepper. a chopped cherry tomato. that came to 2.50€ ($3.25). it did add nicely to the gazpacho, I will admit.
CUBIERTO translates as 'cover' or 'tableware' at .50 (.65). that was an unexpected charge.
All in all it came to over $32 for a bowl of soup, an appetizer and a coffee. and a glass of water. But, gratuity is included. and I really like that part!

Part of ABCWednesday where I was not at home for X number of days.