Spanish Architecture

Here's a cover from Vigo on the north-east coast of Spain. On the left are a pair of stamps from a 2007 set showing Spanish architecture with the Market of Santa Caterina in Barcelona on the left and Terminal T4 at Barajas Airport in Madrid on the right. Top-right is a stamp from a 2002 showing Castillo de los Priores in Calatorao, Zaragoza. And below that is a 2002 stamp commemorating the founding of the city of Tudela in 1200.

Porto Cristo, Spain

On this cover postmarked with the Hams' Caves (Cuevas dels Hams) postmark from the Majorcan town of Porto Cristo are a 2014 UNESCO World Heritage issue showcasing the fountain at the Palace of the Lions in Granada and a pair of butterfly stamps from 2010. The Juan Carlos I definitive stamp at the bottom was issued in 2012.

Vintage Automobiles of Spain

This was sent from Seville, from the outer barrio of La Negrilla. The souvenir sheet is from 2012 and features vintage automobiles that were popular in Spain at one time. I visited Seville once in the 90's. I don't think we spent much more than 24 hours there but I remember it quite well. It was very lively and colourful. Perhaps because there was a festival going on, but I like to believe that's the way it always is there.

Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain

Ciudad Rodrigo is a small walled city in the Spanish province of Salamanca. I would think the image in the postmark is that of the cathedral of Santa Maria but I can't say for certain. The stamp is from a series commemorating popular traditions in Spain and the subject of this 2023 stamp is the annual Carnival in Ciudad Rodrigo: a five-day bull fighting festival. Muito obrigado Pedro!

Porto Cristo, Spain

The postmark from Porto Cristo on the east coast of Majorca depicts Hams' Caves (Cuevas dels Hams): a system of caves that is a popular tourist destination in Majorca. The stamps from 2007 showcase Spanish fashions held by the Spanish Garment Museum in Madrid.

Spanish Antarctic Base Juan Carlos I and BIO Hespérides

Covers from the Spanish Antarctic research base Juan Carlos I and the research ship Hespérides. Where are the postmarks? I've received covers from the bases in the past with very nice postmarks. But not this time. There was a third cover from Base Gabriel de Castilla that came back with no markings on it at all: just my address and the stamps. Any kind of hand-stamped postmark would have been acceptable. Oh well. Win some. Lose some.

This past fall I sent out covers to 20 Antarctic research stations. It's always hit or miss. Sometimes you get covers back covered with interesting hand-stamps and signatures from station personnel. Other times you get nothing more than a generic postmark. And many times they simply don't come back. This is probably the last time I do one of these research base campaigns. It's getting expensive and I'm losing interest.

The Charming Town of Ponte Maceira, Spain

This is from the municipality of Vila-seca in the Spanish province of Tarragona. The larger stamp sheet shows the town of Ponte Maceira in the municipality of A Coruña. This stamp is actually a pane from a  2023 stamp booklet from the Charming Town series. Also on the cover is a 2016 stamp commemorating the 125th anniversary of the first philatelic exhibition in Barcelona, and a 2023 Christmas stamp featuring Christmas sweets.

Seville, Spain

The envelope and postmarks commemorate the 13th century Iglesia de Santa Ana in Seville. All stamps are from 2017. Top right is a tourism stamp and part of a set (and a joint issue) that commemorates 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The other two stamps are from a set celebrating Spainsh cinema. On the left is Spanish film actress Lina Morgan. And lower right is Spanish film director Vicente Aranda. 

Asturias, Spain

I can't make out the postmarks but I'm pretty sure it's from the Asturias region. In the middle is a 2022 stamp advertising the San Fermín festival (Pamplona, running of the bulls). And above that is a poinsettia from 2006. On the right is a 2022 stamp block showing the town of Calaceite from a set featuring charming villages. And on the left are a few King Felipe VI stamps to round out the bunch.

Vila-seca, Spain

On the right is a small sheet featuring the town of Miranda del Castañar in Salamanca. It's from a 2021 set featuring "charming towns". And on the left is a stamp commemorating the The Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) Youth Exhibition "Juvenia" held in Avilés in 2017. Below that is a stamp featuring "jet" which is an organic carbon gemstone. This stamp actually has traces of jet from the Asturias region in northwest Spain, stuck to its surface.

Valencia, Spain

The stamp on the right is a Christmas stamp from 2016. It actually looks like there is a stamp within the stamp. A self-adhesive souvenir sheet and I think the Virgin Mary can be separated from the sheet. I believe that is the actual stamp.

Spanish Antarctic Base Juan Carlos I

From the Spanish Antarctic research station Juan Carlos I. It's a seasonal base located on Livingston Island at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

There are three postmarks on this cover. The first on the stamp was 01-01-18 at the base. Probably on or around the date the cover first arrived at the base. There is a more graphic Juan Carlos postmark on the left that is dated 24 May 2018. I'm guessing that's when the cover left the base. And finally the Barcelona postmark dated 08-10-18, when the cover was sent back to me from Spain.

Gabriel de Castilla Antarctic Base, Spain

On Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands, sent in the fall of 2017, postmarked in Jan 2018 and received this month. I believe it also serves as a base for the Spanish Army and is managed in cooperation with the Spanish Polar Committee. The stamp was issued in January 2017 and depicts the base. It is a seasonal base operated in the austral summer, housing about 30 individuals.

Spain 2017

This is an FDC from Spain, for a stamp issued earlier in 2017 commemorating the Spanish Antarctic research station Gabriel de Castilla. The base sits on Deception Island, at the end of the Antarctic peninsula, and has been in operation since 1990.

I also acquired some other interesting Spanish stamp sheets from Correos. The Star Wars sheet below is lenticular and gives the appearance of a 3D image. The technology is nothing new and as far as I know there is no connection between Spain and the Star Wars franchises but I'm a Star Wars fan and it looked interesting.

And this other sheet commemorates La Abadía del Crimen (The Abby of Crime): a Spanish 8 bit home-computer video game that was released in 1987. On closer inspection I discovered that in each stamp on the sheet is an area covered by thermal ink so when you place your finger on them, they "disappear" to reveal an artifact from the game. I tried to reveal the items on the lower right pair of stamps but I wasn't quite quick enough with the scanner.

Madrid, Spain

Portugalete, Spain

Commemorating the 125th anniversary of the rail line between Bilbao and Portugalete in Spain, this cover came to me with a special postmark on it. The line is only a few kms long but at the time it was a vital travel link for passengers and freight. The stamp on this cover commemorates the International Year or Water Cooperation.