Greenland: Ilulissat - "on board of the MS Roald Amundsen"

In late August of this year a friend of mine went on a spectacular trip on the "Hurtigruten" Ship MS Roald Amundsen. The Cruise went trought the legandary Northwest Passage starting from Nome, Alaska to Halifax, Nova Scotia. During this cruise they called at various ports. This Cover for example was mailed during the visit in Ilulissat, Greenland. To note the small grey ship cancellation of the MS Roald Amudsen.

Stamps:

EUROPA 2023 - "Peace - the highest value of humanity" - Issued: 30-05-2023

The Environment in Greenland (from a  set of 2) - Issued: 27-10-2017

 

 

 

Picture of the Ship:

 

 

By Wolfgang Fricke - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109275816

Norway: Bjørnøya Meteo (Bear Island Weather Station), Svalbard

Bear Island (Norwegian: Bjørnøya) is the southernmost island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. The island is located at the limits of the Norwegian and Barents seas, approximately halfway between Spitsbergen and the North Cape. Despite its remote location and barren nature, the island has seen commercial activities in past centuries, such as coal mining, fishing and whaling. However, no settlements have lasted more than a few years, and Bear Island is now uninhabited except for personnel working at the island's meteorological station. I'm very happy to show a cover I recently received from this particular weather station. To note: The cover also shows a Signature of the station leader Nils-Rune Hansson.

Stamps:

Norway Memories (from a set of 6) - Issued: 21-04-2023 

"Posthorn" - Issued: 15-11-2010

 

 

 

Norway: The Netherlands Arctic Station, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

The Netherlands Arctic Station is owned and run by the Arctic Centre of the University of Groningen. It is  situated in Kongsfjorden on the island of Spitsbergen and is part of an international research community in the former mining town of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. In this town, more than 10 nations have their own station while using shared facilities for meals and recreation. The whole local community is focused on science and maintenance of infrastructure. Several stations have independent terrestrial research programs and the Netherlands Arctic Station is the smallest of all. During the summer months the Station Manager is Maarten Loonen, who is very collectors friendly, which can be seen from the beautiful cover below.

Stamp:

EUROPA 2023 - "Peace - the highest value of humanity" - Issued: 09-05-2023

 

Many thanks to Maarten for this beautiful cover!

Canada: Inuvik, Northwest Territories (NT)

Inuvik ("place of man") is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Inuvik is located 200km North of the Arctic Circle in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Region, it serves as its administrative and service centre and is home to federal, territorial, and Indigenous government offices, along with the regional hospital and airport. In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada, Inuvik had a population of 3,137. 

Some years ago, I received a nice letter from the Inuvik Town Administration, the letter can be found here!

Stamps:

Canadian Flag (43c) - Issued: 15-02-1993

Old Utensils - Issued: 08-04-1983

Canadian Mammals (44c + 76c) - Issued: 18-01-1989

"Canada 82" International Philatelic Youth Exhibition, Toronto - Stamps on Stamps (from a set of 5) - Issued: 11-03-1982

Many thanks again to Linda!

 

Buildings of central Inuvi

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuvik#/media/File:Inuvik_skyline.jpg

 

 

Norway: UK Arctic Research Station, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

The UK Arctic Research Station is funded by NERC and managed and operated by British Antarctic Survey, and situated in the international research community at Ny-Ålesund on the high Arctic island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard archipelago. Ny-Ålesund is often referred to as the northernmost Community on the World. Originally established as a mining town in the early 20th century, Ny-Ålesund underwent a transformation in the mid-20th century, evolving into a scientific research center. 

I'm very happy about this cover, because it also got a signature from the Station Manager Iain Rudkin (?). I sent it to the station around August/September 2023 and it arrived back in March 2024.

Stamp:

Norway Memories (from a set of 6) - Issued: 21-04-2023

Norway: Svalbard - Longyearbyen

This great Cover arrived from the far north. Many thanks to Henrik, who send this cover from his latest trip to Svalbard. There are two points to mention on this cover. First the stamp seems to be a personalised issue from Svalbard (from the offical 'Postal Norge'). The second point is the cancel. Its not from the local post office (you can see it here). As I'm told you can ask for the cancel at the local Radisson Blue Hotel. You can try to make your own cover and send a prepared letter to: Radisson Blue Polar Hotel, Box 554, NO-9171, Longyearbyen.

Stamp:

Personalised Issue "Svalbard" - Issued: unknown

♁ 78° 12′ N, 15° 38′ O

Norway: Nordkapp (North Cape) "Northernmost Point of mainland Europe"

The steep cliff of the North Cape is located at 71°10′21″N 25°47′04″E, about 2,102.3 km (1,306.3 mi) from the North Pole. Nordkapp is often inaccurately referred to as the northernmost point of Europe. However, the neighbouring Knivskjellodden Cape actually extends 1,450 m (4,760 ft) further north.

Stamp:

Personalized Stamp "NordKapp"

 

Many thanks to my friends Michael and Sabrina and their Family for this nice Card!

 

Finland: Finlands Nature Signs

with great postmark. I guess its from Santa Claus Village. Santa Claus Village is located about 8 kilometres (5 mi) northeast of City of Rovaniemi. On the postmark you can also see the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle ostensibly cuts right through Santa Claus Village.

Stamps:

Finlands Nature Signs (from a set of 5) - Issued: 05-06-2019

Many thanks to Seppo!

 

Santa Claus Village: ♁ 66°32′36″N 25°50′51″E
 

Norway: Jan Mayen - "2. Cover"

My second cover from this tiny volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean. Many thanks to Rune for sending me this! 

You can find my first one here!

 

Stamps:

"Jan Mayen" - Issued: 21-02-2020

USA: Wainwright, Alaska

Wainwright, also known as Ulguniq or Kuuk, is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 556, making it the third largest city in the North Slope Borough, up from 546 in 2000. The community was named after Wainwright Lagoon, which in turn was named after Lt. John Wainwright, an officer under Capt. F.W. Beechey, who were the first non-native people to travel to the lagoon in 1826.

 

 Backside: 

Stamps:

Forever Stamp - Lady Liberty and U.S. Flag - Issued: 01-12-2010

Wainwright: ♁ 70°38′50″N 160°00′58″W

Greenland: First Day In School

Like in Germany, also in Greenland the first day of school is something very special, a day of celebration for the whole family. Lisbeth Karline (Stamp-Designer) has very beautifully illustrated this event with children dressed in national costume.

I sent this cover to myelf from Daneborg. Daneborg (or Daneborg Station) is a station on the south coast of Wollaston Foreland peninsula of northeast Greenland, at the mouth of Young Sund emptying into Greenland Sea. Daneborg serves as the headquarters for the SIRIUS Patrol, the dog sled patrollers of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest national park in the world. 

Stamps:

2x First Day In School - Issued: 10-08-2020

Daneborg: ♁ 74°18′07.6″N 20°13′27.1″W

USA: Fort Yukon, Alaska

Fort Yukon is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population, predominately Gwich'in Alaska Natives, was 583 at the 2010 census, down from 595 in 2000. Fort Yukon has a strongly continental subarctic climate. The highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska occurred in Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915, when it reached 100 °F or 37.8 °C. Fort Yukon is also subject to severe winters, being less influenced by chinook winds than areas to the west. Until 1971, Fort Yukon held the all-time lowest temperature record for Alaska and the United States at −78 °F or −61.1 °C

Stamps:
Green Succulent - Issued: 28-04-2017



Fort Yukon: ♁ 66°34′3″N 145°15′23″W

Canada: Canada's Northernmost Post Office - Eureka, NU

Eureka is a small research base on Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Qikiqtaaluk Region, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is located on the north side of Slidre Fiord, which enters Eureka Sound farther west. It is the third-northernmost permanent research community in the world. The only two farther north are Alert, which is also on Ellesmere Island, and Nord, in Greenland.

Eureka experiences a polar climate (ET). The settlement sees the midnight sun between April 10 and August 29, with no sunlight at all between mid-October and late February.

I'm very happy to receive this nice Cover with nice stamps and the very nice Postmark!

Stamps:
Weather Wonders (from a set of 5) - Issued: 26-07-2018


Many thanks to Marie!


♁ 79° 59′, 85° 56′ W

Norway: Jan Mayen

Finally, after over half a year of waiting, my cover from Jan Mayen, Norway arrived. Jan Mayen is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and a part of Norway. It is 55 km (34 mi) long (southwest-northeast) and 373 km2 (144 sq mi) in area, partly covered by glaciers. It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide isthmus. It lies 600 km (370 mi) northeast of Iceland, 500 km (310 mi) east of central Greenland and 1,000 km (620 mi) west of the North Cape, Norway.

The cover was canceled with the updated Jan Mayen-Postmark on its First Day (01.04.2016)

Stamp:
Tourism - Oslo Viking Ship Museum (from a set of 3) - Issued: 28-04-2014



♁ 71°00′N 8°30′W

Canada: Return-to-Sender from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

This cover arrived some days ago. I came back from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. The town is located on Victoria Island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and got a population of about 1,477. It is named for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, while the traditional Inuinnaqtun name for the area is Ikaluktuutiak (old orthography) or Iqaluktuttiaq (new orthography) meaning "good fishing place". Cambridge Bay is the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Arctic Ocean's Northwest Passage.

I sent it on 16th May and it arrived back after 74 days on 29th July 2016.

Stamps:
left: The 500th Anniversary of the German Beer Purity Law - Issued: 07-04-2016
right: The 100th German Catholic Day - Leipzig, Germany - Issued: 02-05-2016

Cambridge Bay: ♁ 69° 07' N 105°03 W

Sweden: Return-to-Sender from Kiruna

This one was an experiment I made, because I wanted to check if it works. I set up this cover myself and send it "Poste Restante" to Kiruna in northern Sweden. Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland. It had 18,148 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,099 in 2008) in Norrbotten County. Due to Kiruna's position north of the Arctic Circle the city experiences both midnight sun and polar night throughout the year as well as a very cold climate by Scandinavian standards. I send the cover from Bielefeld, Germany on March, 23th and it came back on May, 28th 2016.

Stamps:
Comics "Asterix" (from a set of three) - Issued: 01-09-2015


Kiruna: ♁ 67°51′N 0 20°13′ E

Greenland: Upernavik

Some days ago, I received another card from Greenland. This time from Upernavik. Upernavik (Kalaallisut: "Springtime Place") is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,181 inhabitants as of 2013, it is the twelfth-largest town in Greenland. It is also the northern-most town in Greenland with a population of over 1,000.

Stamps:
Aviation (from a set of three) - Issued: 13-05-2015
2x Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 13-05-2015
Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 22-10-2012


♁ 72° 47′ N,  56° 9′ W

Greenland: Pituffik

Pituffik is a former settlement in northern Greenland, located at the eastern end of Bylot Sound by a tombolo known as Uummannaq, near the current site of the American Thule Air Base. In 1951 the United States was given permission to build Thule Air Base at the site of the settlement. Between 1952 and May 1953, all residents of Pituffik and nearby Dundas (Uummannaq) were forcibly relocated 130 km (81 mi) north to the new town of Qaanaaq, commonly known at the time as "New Qaanaaq" or "New Thule", where people were forced to live in tents from May 1953 until November of the same year, well into the polar winter, while the 27 new houses were constructed for them.

Too bad a poor cancellation was applied on this cover, but if your read carefully you can still see the name Pituffik und the postmark.

Stamps (left to right):
Queen Margrethe II (0,50 DKK) - Issued: 22-10-2012
Queen Margrethe II (1,00 DKK) - Issued: 22-10-2012
Queen Margrethe II (5,00 DKK) - Issued: 13-05-2015
Queen Margrethe II (10.00 DKK) - Issued: 21-10-2013



♁ 76° 32′N 68° 45′W

Greenland: "Leap Year" Cover from Uummannaq

I received this self-made cover from Greenland today. Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,282 inhabitants in 2013, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Uummannaq is located 590 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on Uummannaq Island located in the south-central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord. The island is also home to Uummannaq Mountain, rising very sharply to the height of 1170m. I'm very happy about the postmark, the cover was cancelled on 29th February, which was not intended but I'm happy they did it on that date. On the postmark you can see the Uummannaq Mountain.

Stamp:
Hunters’ Lives (whole Set) - Issued: 19-01-2015

This is also my 200th Post on this Blog!


♁ 70°40′ N 52°07' W

Greenland: Sisimiut

Today I received this great card from Greenland. It shows the greenland flag. The flag of Greenland was designed by Greenland native Thue Christiansen. It features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of centre. The top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white. It was adopted on June 21, 1985 and is the only national flag of a Nordic country or territory without a Nordic Cross. The card was cancelled in Sisimiut. Sisimiut, formerly Holsteinsborg, is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately 320 km (200 mi) north of Nuuk. It is the administrative center of the Qeqqata Municipality and the second-largest town in Greenland, with a population of 5,598 people in 2013.

Stamps:
left: Queen Margrethe II - Issued: 22-10-2012
right: Charity Stamp - Child Rights Institution MIO - Issued: 18-01-2016


♁ 66°56 N 53°40′ W