Czech Republic

Here is a great cover Milan sent me....well, it has train stamps on it, it cant be anything else but great :)

the train stamp in the middle was issued in 2009 in order to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Former Pardubice-Liberec South-North German Junction Line.

Width: 43.5 mm
Height: 26.0 mm
Denomination: 10 CZK
Number in set:  1
Layout/Format:  sheet of 50
Perforations: 11.5 by 11.5
Stamp issuing authority: Czech Post


the third stamp was issued in 2008, representing The Tradition of Czech Stamp Production

Width: 23.0 mm
Height: 40.0 mm
Denomination: 10.00 CZK
Number in set:  1
Layout/Format:  sheet of 30
Perforations: 12 by 12
Stamp issuing authority: Czech Post

and we shouldnt forget the flower stamp....coz if it wasnt for it, to cover up for the postage, i wouldnt have received this cover in the first place :)
It was issued in 2007 under the subject Beauty of Flowers, and shows a Cyclamen. It comes from a set of two stamps, where the other one shows a Greanium.

Thank you SOOOO much Milan!

Viet Nam

I think that this is not just the loveliest Vietnamese cover I have received, but one of the loveliest covers in general as well.

The initial purpose of the trade was a postcard or more precisely a maxi-card, which i honestly never expected to arrive packed in something like this.
The stamps are from 2008/2009.
The 2008 stamps are the one in the top-right-corner, which is from a joint issue with Singapore, presenting Flora, and here the (in)famous Durian is shown. Regardless of all the stories I had heard about the Durian, I would LOVE to try it.
And the other 2008 stamp is the Olympic one, or the only one which is not put the way it should be. It represents the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, and this stamp in particular presents the Wushu, which is a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese Martial Arts.

Regarding the 2009 stamps, the most present is the Fish one (set of 4 stamps), whose scientific name is Botia Macracanthus, or if you find that hard to remember, you can use its widely accepted name of Clown Loach.
Another 2009 stamp is the Year of the Tiger one (from what ive seen, EXTREMELY popular philatelic topic). It comes in a set of 2 stamps.
And the last one is the stamp with the flower, again coming from a set of 4 stamps.

Thanks Dao!

Railways Centenary, Montenegro

My favourite Montenegrin stamps, issued in 2008, arrived at their final stop, my mailbox, few days ago!!!!!

If you know at least a bit how much I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEE trains, than you could MAYBE get the idea how thrilled and happy and delighted and ecstatic i went when i found this MOST FANTASTIC cover in my mailbox!!! These train stamps are finally mine mine mine miiiiiiinnneeeeee!!!!

And all that thanks to my dear Rajko! Yeah Rajko, I know you are blushing again now, but sorry, I just cant help it...and its your *fault* either way coz you sent it to me! :P

The stamps were issued in a set of 6 stamps in 2008 in order to commemorate the 100 years since the first Montenegrin Railway.
Each stamp depicts a different *story*....where on the first stamp (starting from the top row), you can see a part of a rail...the second stamp shows the Lovćen Locomotive on its final stop in Virpazar at the shore of Skadar Lake, while the third stamp from the top row shows again the Lovćen Locomotive at the Sutorman staion, on the Bar-Virpazar line.
The bottom row starts with the port in Bar portrayed in 1908. The second stamp shows the First Locomotive at the entrance of Nikšić, while the last stamp shows a reprint of a postcard of Bar from 1910, showing the departure of the steam motor train for Virpazar.

the dimensions of the stamp are 42,00 x 35, 00 mm
Perforation: Comb

Hvala Rajko još jednom!

Peter Pan, Grenada

Here is one fantastic souvenir sheet!!!

Grenada itself has issued dozen of these Disney related souvenir sheets, where you just cant decide which one is more adorable...I have some single stamps from such issues which my mum bought me when I was little, but I must admit that nothing measures to having the ENTIRE set!

This one was issued in 1987 and is featuring 9 stamps, showing Peter Pan as well as Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling, Captain James Hook, The Lost Boys, Tiger Lily, John Darling, Michael Darling....

Motoring - 55 Years of "Zastava 750"

A Fantastic FDC from Serbia....which many older people (from this part of the world)  will probably find it sentimental, remembering the good old days, when whole families would pack themselves in this card and drive hundreds of kilometres for their summer vacations....the legendary Zastava 750, or as widely known here, Fićo!

In 1955, in SFR Yugoslavia started the production of "zastava 750", more popular under the name of "fića".
This vehicle was largely derived from Fiat 600 D, which had at first an engine of 633 cc, and later of 767 cc with 23 to 27 HP.
Although intended for the transportation of smaller passengers on shorter distances, whole families have used it to travel from one side of the country to another, in order to visit their relatives.
Some time earlier, Fiat's general engineer. dr. Dante Giacosa (1905-1996), got the task to construct a small vehicle which would enable comfortable driving  of four passengers. He succeeded to create the Fiat 600, which was, according to many, the most successful and most popular Fiat of all times. Shorter than his predecessor for 130 mm, this Fiat was a miniature four-seat vehicle with two doors. It had a four cylinder engine of 633 cc with 16kw, placed behind the rear axle, with an independent shock absorber setup on all wheels. The whole vehicle weighed only 585 kg.
Fiat 600 instantly won the hearts of many drivers so that five years after the car's launch, the millionth "600" was produced.
Definitevly "fića" had a crucial role in the Yugoslavian motoring. This car was used as a police car, an ambulance, for military needs, and in driving centres. In April 2000, at the Motor Show in Belgrade, "zastava 750" (the popular "fića"), was declared to be the car of the century and millennium, according to the opinion of the Serbian drivers.

Well, you know what they say, Best things come in small packages :)))))))))))
Our family never had a fićo....and i feel like i am missing a great part of history coz of that.
Even nowadays in the streets here, you can see these cars on the street...people who have them, often cant give them up....sentiments :)