Czech cover no. 7

This is a cover of a small registered packet sent in November 2011 from Brno 12 Post Office to Kromeriz. The delivery cost 64 CZK (approx. EUR 2.5) for a 660 gram shoebox. The first stamp on the right shows Alois Musil, Czech traveller, from a series of stamps dedicated to explorers, the 3 CZK stamps is a Christmas stamp from 1995, the 10 CZK is a Baroque stove from 2008 (located in Castle Sternberk), and on the left there's a quartet of Christmas stamps issued in 2007 with a painting by Josef Lada.

Cover from Argentina no. 5

Received in January 2012, a big cover with a miniature sheet showing the polo player Adolfo Cambiaso. The stamp was issued as part of the series "Ídolos del deporte argentino - Serie 3", on 12 November 2011. It was cancelled with the first-day-of-issue postmark, plus there is a regular postmark from Villa Nueva (Córdoba) with the date 15 December 2011. Gracias, Germán!!

Another recent Czech issue (2012)

This is the current Czech EUROPA stamp in the Visit... series, showing the present and the past of Prague: the old Bridge Tower and the avant-garde Dancing House. Nominal value 20 CZK, the rate for sending mail up to 20 grams to Europe. Classical engraved stamp issued on 2 May 2012.

Cover from Spain no. 10

Aa usual, I received the current Spanish EUROPA stamp from Jose Luis in Carballo, Galicia. This year's topic is Visit... specific country. And this is the nice Spanish contribution. Muchísimas gracia!!

Some recent Czech issues (2012)

The lovely Italian engraved stamp showing the Santissima Trinita Montastery near Cava de' Tirreni reminded me that there were two recent Czech issues of similar old-school engraved stamps... In the Beauties of Our Country series, on 7 March 2012, there were two stamps showing the landscape of Kuks in East Bohemia and the statue of Wisdom by Matyáš Braun located in the famous Kuks sculpture avenue.

The other engraved stamp presents the Baťa Canal in East Moravia, also known as the Otrokovice-Rohatec Canal, which is a historical 52 km waterway built in 1935-38 to connect the town of Otrokovice with Rohatec. The waterway partly follows the Morava river, the rest is a complex of man-made canals with a number of gates, locks (14), and other water structures. There are 23 bridges across the canal, with pedestrian underpasses (platforms with iron-bound low railing used to support tow ropes when towing boats below the bridge). The main material transported on the waterway was lignite from the Ratiškovice mines owned by the Baťa company (text from the Czech Post website). There are plans that the canal should be extended even to Kromeriz where I live. The stamp was issued also in a booklet with two different tabs/coupons.

Cover from Italy no. 27

And another beautiful cover from Italy... with a magnificent engraved stamp showing the monastery La Trinità della Cava near the city of Cava de' Tirreni in the province of Salerno in southern Italy. And it goes with a very special cancellation 11/11/11 from Treviso - The European City of Sports 2011. Grazie di nuovo, Giovanni.

Cover from Italy no. 26

So, here we go again with a bunch of new covers and postcards... This cover was sent from Treviso in northern Italy on 14 March 2012, and has a EUR 0.75 stamp from a two-stamp series issued on 18 November 2011 dedicated to postal savings. Thank you, Giovanni!!