France: EUROPA - "Castles"

For this year's EUROPA Issue the french Post put together three castles on one stamp. You can see Castles of the Loire Valley, Chambord (Loir-et-Cher), Azay-le-Rideau (Indre-et-Loire) and Chenonceau (Indre-et-Loire). The Loire-Valley, the region, where all these castles are located is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. 

Stamp:

EUROPA 2017 "Castles" - Issued: 14-05-2017

Many thanks to Eric for this nice Cover!

France: The Great Wave

The beautiful stamp on this Cover from France shows "The Great Wave off Kanagawa", also known as "The Great Wave" or simply "The Wave". It is a woodblock print by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. It was published sometime between 1829 and 1833 in the late Edo period as the first print in Hokusai's series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. It is Hokusai's most famous work, and one of the most recognizable works of Japanese art in the world.

Stamp:

Hokusai - The Great Wave off Kanazawa - Issued: 19-01-2015

Many thanks to Eric for sending me this nice stamp on a cover!

France: "Coeurs Balmain"

Since the year 2000 the French Post issued a series of heart-shaped stamps. In the past, luxury designers like Lanvin, Christian Lacroix and Yves Saint Laurent have been selected to design the annual heart-shaped stamp, and this year, Balmain's Olivier Rousteing has been recruited.

Stamps:
Valentine's Day "Coeurs Balmain" (full set) - Issued: 20-01-2017


Many thanks to Eric for this great Cover!

France: The 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun (fr: "Bataille de Verdun"), fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916, was one of the largest and longest battles of the First World War on the Western Front between the German and French armies. An estimate in 2000 found a total of 714,231 casualties, 377,231 French and 337,000 German, an average of 70,000 casualties a month; other recent estimates increase the number of casualties to 976,000, with 1,250,000 suffered at Verdun during the war. The Battle of Verdun lasted for 303 days and became the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history.

Inside the cover I found this sheet with the stamp on it and the First-Day-Cancellation and a mint stamp:

Stamp:
The 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Verdun - Issued: 29-05-2016


Many thanks to Roland for this great Cover!

France: The 300th Anniversary of the Battle of Denain

The Battle of Denain was fought on 24 July 1712, as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. It resulted in a French victory under Marshal Villars against Austrian and Dutch forces under Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Mini Sheet Stamp shows a picture of Marshal Villars leads the French charge at the Battle of Denain. A picture from 1839 by Jean Alaux.

Stamps:
left: Chinese New Year "Year of the Tiger" - Issued: 15-01-2010
right: Minisheet The 300th Anniversary of the Battle of Denain - Issued: 12-05-2012


Many thanks to Jean for this nice Cover!

France: Calvi (Corsica)

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to France. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia. Calvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on Corsica. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana. According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.

Stamp:
Marianne (Blue) - Issued: 04-09-2015


Thanks to Ramona for this nice card!

France: Saint-Nazaire Bridge

The Saint-Nazaire Bridge (French: Le pont de Saint-Nazaire) is a cable-stayed bridge spanning the Loire river and linking Saint-Nazaire on the north bank and Saint-Brevin-les-Pins on the south bank, in the department of Loire-Atlantique, Brittany, France. The Saint-Nazaire Bridge was commissioned on October 18, 1975 after three years of construction. With its 404-meter central span, the 720-meter metal structure held, at the time of its construction, the world record length for a cable-stayed metallic bridge.

Stamp:
EUROPA - "Think Green" - Issued: 09-05-2016


Many thanks to Stephane for this great card!

France: UEFA EURO 2016 Stamp

Today I received a nice cover with a stamp I was looking for. The 2016 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, will be the 15th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe organized by UEFA. It is scheduled to be held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. For the first time, the European Championship final tournament will be contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996. Spain are two-time defending champions.

Stamp:
UEFA European Football Championship 2016 (France) - Issued: 25-03-2016 with special cancellation from Le Carré d'encre


Thanks to Roland for this nice cover!

France: Nancy

Nancy is the capital of the north-eastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. The metropolitan area of Nancy had a population of 410,509 inhabitants at the 1999 census, 103,602 of whom lived in the city of Nancy proper. On the card you can see the Place Stanislas, a large square built between March 1752 and November 1755 by Stanislaus I of Poland. Since 1983, the architectural ensemble comprising the Place Stanislas, the extension of its axis, the Place de la Carrière, and the Place d'Alliance, has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Stamps:
left: Stamp Day - Issued: 06-03-1993
right: EUROPA "Holidays" - Issued: 10-05-2004


Thanks to Sylvie for this nice card!

France: Lighthouses of Brittany

Some days ago, I received some nice cards with Lighthouses on them. All of them are located in Brittany (French: Bretagne). Brittany is a cultural region in the north-west of France. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south.

On the first card, you can see "The Phare de Nividic", which is one of three major lightouses on Ouessant in Brittany.

Stamps:
5x Definitive Issue New Marianne (3 x 0,10 Cent + 2 x 0,01 Cent) - Issued: 15-07-13
Roosters of France (from a set of 4) - Issued: 13-11-2015


The second card shows Les Pierres Noires. It was built between 1867 and 1871. It secures and lights Saint Mathieu fore land and path since May 1st 1872.

Stamps:
5x Definitive Issue New Marianne (3 x 0,10 Cent + 2 x 0,01 Cent) - Issued: 15-07-13
Roosters of France (from a set of 4) - Issued: 13-11-2015


The third and last one shows Ar Men ("the rock" in Breton) Lighthouse. It is located at one end of the Chaussée de l'Île de Sein, at the west end of Brittany. It shares its name with the rock on which it was erected between 1867 and 1881.Ar Men is one of the best known lighthouses because of its isolated situation and the considerable difficulties its construction has presented, and the danger in evacuating its personnel. Considered as one of the most challenging workplaces by the community of lighthouse keepers.

Stamps:
5x Definitive Issue New Marianne (3 x 0,10 Cent + 2 x 0,01 Cent) - Issued: 15-07-13
Roosters of France (from a set of 4) - Issued: 13-11-2015

Many thanks to Stéphane for this great cards!

France: Laval

Laval is a town in western France, about 300 km (190 mi) southwest of Paris, and the capital of the Mayenne department. The town has a population of about 51,182 inhabitants. Laval is notably the birthplace of Henri Rousseau, a major Naïve painter. The town has a museum dedicated to him and other Naïve artists.

Stamp:
National Monument of the Hartmannswillerkopf - Issued: 19-06-2015

Thanks to Aline for this nice card!

France: Grenoble

I really like this card. It shows a pretty view of Grenoble at dawn. Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains, as well as its size, has led to the city being known as the "Capital of the Alps".

Stamps:
left:  Definitive Issue New Marianne (1 x 5 Cent + 2 x 10 Cent) - Issued: 15-07-13
right: Grues du Japon  - Issued: 07-11-13