Madrid's current international airport has long be known as 'Barajas' after the village that was close to the old terminal (now 1-2-3). After the death of Adolfo Suárez, Spain's first elected 'Presidente del Gobierno' (Prime Minister) after Franco's reign, the airport's name was changed to Madrid - Adolfo Suárez Airport.
The village, now, is a neighbourhood of Madrid (Northeast).
The post office is near the historic central square of Barajas.
Aranda de Duero is a town in the province of Burgos, situated at ca. KM 150 on the motorway from Madrid to France and on the old 'Camino Real' between the same. It is the unofficial capital of the Ribera de Duero, the wine region that produces Spain's best red wines. In the immediate vecinity of the town are the oldest vines.
The post office is located across the Duero River from the old town with its underground bodegas. It has the new 'Tu Correos' livery.
The office had stacks of the 'Valores en el Tiempo' year books of Spanish and Spanish Andorra stamps for sale. Among the years I noticed were the 2016 - 2018 and 2021 books. These were the ones without the stamps. In the past any main office in a big town carried the latest example. It has become a rare occurrence. So, it was quite surprising this office had a range of them.
I decided to stock up on stamps to stick to the postcards I was planning to send. Whereas most office have packs of five stamps for B (Europe) and C (Rest of World) stamps, and often A1 (Basic Inland letters and postcards) tariffs, this office had a philatelic folder with sheets of stamps.
Opportunism kicked in. As it is quite difficult to find examples of the D-tariff (USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, and - although not stated on the website, nor that it is not 'Europe' - Russia), I tried my luck at stocking up on them.
Since that was all they had, I also tried to buy some € 2.10 stamps that cover the D tariff and, often, are difficult to find.
This visit turned out to be quite expensive but allowed me to replenish my stock of non-value-indicated Spanish stamps for future use. Most, however, I used on this trip as I sent 52 postcards.
By the way, I would advise anyone to spend time in Aranda de Duero on the Ribera de Duero wines rather than on visiting the post office, but not before admiring the Santa Maria la Real Church with its astounding Isabelline façade.
Some 40 kilometres north of Aranda de Duero and 35 kilometres south of the Provincial capital Burgos lies Lerma. It too, is situated on the old Camino Real and the current motorway from Madrid to France. The town is one of 'Spain's most picturesque villages' (Pueblos más bonitos de Espańa).
The town has a small mediaeval core but was almost completely rebuilt around 1600. Francisco Gómez de Sandoval-Rojas y Borja who had grown up with the later King Philips III became his 'favourite' (valido), effectively governing Spain. The King made him Duke of Lerma in 1599.
When the King chose to move the court from Madrid to Valladolid, the duke bought property in Valladolid to sell it to members of the court at a profit. He, later, did the same when the court returned to Madrid. The realty speculation made him one of the richest people in Spain. He used his money to rebuilt the small town of Lerma in a style marking the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque (Herreriana).
Just outside the historic town, next to the Dominican monastery (on the right-hand side of the picture) founded by the duke, stands the post office. It closes during the weekend as many Spanish post offices do.
Among the buildings the duke commissioned was his palace, now a hotel of the 'Paradores de Turismo' chain. When he had this built, he asked the King permission to build two towers. He also had the local collegiate church reconstructed. To avoid the commoners when walking from the palace to the collegiate church or the monastery next door, he also commissioned passages.
Duke's palace with towers, collegiate church to the right, and passage connecting them (higher structures are monasteries)
The King spent a lot of time as guest of the duke. When the King saw the palace with its four towers, he remarked to the duke he had only given him permission to built two towers. The duke replied he had done as the King had allowed him: he had two towers constructed as he could as duke, and the two the King had allowed him.
The local guided tour includes following in the footsteps of the duke and King Philips III and walking along part of the passage that remains accessible.
At the end of the King's reign many of the speculators were condemned to be hanged. The duke escaped this faith by appealing to his friend Pope Gregory XV, who made him a cardinal. As cardinal, he was not subject to common law.
For those who like wine: Lerma is in the 'Arlanza' wine region.
Another 35 kilometres further north along the Camino Real is the city of Burgos. The city was founded by Count Diego Rodríguez Porcelos in 884. Towards 930, it became the capital of the County of Castile. From 1230 until the reign of the Catholic Kings, the city was favoured by many Castilian kings, effectively becoming the capital of the mediaeval Kingdom of Castile.
In 1494, Queen Isabel I "The Catholic" established the 'Consulado del Mar de Burgos' that dominated the exports of wool to and import of cloths from the Low Countries. This and its position as city favoured by the kings of Castile brought it great wealth. Both in the historic town and in its environs are many churches and monasteries that reflect this wealth. The city could be described as the place where the Gothic and the Renaissance met and made passionate love. The cathedral is the most important example. Burgaleses will tell you without hesitation their cathedral is the most beautiful in the world.
Burgos cathedral.
The city also has a strong connection with Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. According to 'El Cantar de mío Cid' (ca. 1200), he was born in Vivar, 7 kilometres from Burgos. He lived in Burgos. The 1961 movie 'El Cid' depicts the famous episode from this Song in which he forces King Alfonso VI to swear an oath he had no part in the assassination of his brother Sancho II. This 'Jura de Santa Gadea' took place in the church of Saint Agatha in Burgos.
Post office Calle San Pablo, Burgos.
The main post office in Burgos dates from the first quarter of the 20th century. It is located across the Arlanzón River from the Plaza del Mío Cid in the centre of the city. In many other cities, this building would have been considered an important landmark. In the monumental city of Burgos, however, little attention is given to this building.
I popped into the office to post my postcards from the city and see if they had any philatelic items on display. They did have various 'Valores en el Tiempo' (year book) editions on display. There also were special edition philatelic books and other items on display.
Philatelic displays at Calle San Pablo post office, Burgos.
Post offices as such does not exist in Sweden for at least the last 15 years. What's replaced them are called "postombud" and can be found mostly within supermarkets and grocery stores as a small kiosk at the cashiers. They are staffed by the local "postombud", not the postal service. All of the old postal buildings are now sold.
Some 100 kilometres southwest of Burgos is the city of Palencia. This city's cathedral shows influences by that of Burgos. The city sits on the banks of the Carrion River and has a mediaeval and Renaissance bridge that cross the river. Around town there are a few large early-Gothic churches. One of these, built at the end of the twelfth century, arose on the spot of an earlier church that is said to have witnessed the marriage between El Cid and dońa Jimena, at the end of the eleventh century. Another church from around the same period used to be a hospital for the leprose founded by El Cid.
St. Michael's church replaces an older church that witnessed the marriage of El Cid.
The province of Palencia preserves more Romanesque buildings than any other Spanish province. The only Romanesque church in the city itself was moved there in the 1960s to save it from being inundated by a water reservoir. The pieces of masonry were numbered before deconstructing the church. It was rebuilt stone by stone in Palencia. Some of the numbers remain visible. The church, now, is the centre of interpretation of the Romanesque in Palencia (province), where a very charming and helpful young lady showed me some interesting details of the church.
The town has one of the longest Calle Mayor in Spain. At the northwestern end of this street, close to the train station stands the main post office. Next to its entrance is a traditional Spanish post box in the shape of a lion's head. Depositing your mail in such a post box makes the walk to the post office ignoring the yellow pillar boxes nearer the hotel worthwile.
Palencia, main post office.
Palencia, main post office (inside).
This post office from 1916 was designed by Jacobo Romero, who was born in Palencia. As I had used the € 2.10 stamps I had bought in Aranda de Duero, I entered the post office to see if they had D-tariff stamps or, otherwise, some € 2.10 stamps to replenish my stock. In a display case, there was the 2021 souvenir sheet commemorating the 700th anniversary of the city's cathedral with a first day cover (FDC). I asked the clerk for stamps and whether they had an FDC left.
Souvenir sheet and first day cover celebrating the 700th anniversary of Palencia Cathedral.
The clerk had to call the manager. She had to look in the folder with philatelic items stored in the despatch of the director. Unfortunately, she did not have the authority to sell me that one cover for display purposes. She told me I should try when the director would be in. Since it was Friday afternoon and the office closed during the weekend, I would have to return on Monday. Unfortunately, I had to catch a flight home on Sunday. The manager did find me a dozen € 2.10 stamps.
15 September 2022: Bicentenary of the independence of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
In front of the train station, that is served by high-speed trains calling at Madrid, stands what, likely is a sorting office of Correos. This facility is only some 300 metres from the main post office. In between only is a large square.
On a recent bike ride, a classic small town post office in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Even better, the "General Store" attached to the office has excellent coffee.
The next three images are of a post office building that does not exist anymore. The photos were taken in 1993 of the no. 50 and no. 52 post offices in Riga, Latvia - that were housed in the concrete brutalist style building next to the Riga Central Station. The Riga-50 post office was on the ground floor and had letter mail, p.o. boxes, telex, telegram services and operator assisted telephone services. The Riga-52 post office was in the basement and had parcel services. Advertisement banners were placed all along the roof top edges at the end of the 1990's. The building was demolished in the mid-2000's.
Standing in the same place today the view is unrecognizable compared to the photo.
The interior of the Riga-50 post office was frugal and worn, nothing to get exited about, no commercials, no vending machines, nada.
Signs outside the post office building entrance showing the name of the post offices, a sign with working hours and address of the nearest telegraph and telephone office working 24/7. Below is a mailbox of the Soviet type (they used to be light blue) with a text that says the mailbox is emptied twice a day. The slot only allowed for standard sized letters.
Some more images of post offices in Riga, Latvia also taken in 1993 taken perhaps 1995 or 1996 (due to the vehicle license plates that were introduced 1994).
The first photo is taken of the Riga-51 post office in Brivibas bulvaris 21 (Freedom Boulevard), which had a 24/7 open operator assisted telephone service, which at the time was the only way to make phone calls to other countries. As can be seen of the window dressing they also offered mail, telex, telegram and telefax services. The second photo shows the entrance of the Riga-51 post office with one mailbox on each side.
Latvijas Pasts had their head quarters administration and philatelic department on the upper floors on Brivibas bulvaris 21. It was possible to visit the philatelic department directly from the street. The Riga-51 post office was moved to the Sakta building on the other side of the street in 2006, the head quarters was moved to facilities at the Riga International Airport.
The third and last photo is taken of the Riga-47 post office in Grecinieku iela (Sinner Street). It was closed at the end of the 1990's.
München Airport (MUC) has two terminals. - If you are reading this in 2099: In 2023, München Airport had only two terminals. – Between the two terminals is a central courtyard. In the central area of terminal 1, there are a few check-in desks, a Deutsche Bahn desk and entrances to and exits from the railway platforms (at the time of writing local railways S1 and S8 run to Munich's Central and East Stations and regional express RE22 runs between the airport and Regensburg, calling at Freising and Landshut), as well as shops, bars and cafés, and a stationer's that has a post-office desk.
Munich Airport post office (München Airport Center, in Terminal 1 building)
Because of a recent thread about UPU international reply coupons, I asked the woman behind the counter if they carried those. They did not. I did buy stamps for the postcards I was planning to send my friends. I required twelve international postcard stamps (€ 0.95) and a stamp for an inland postcard (€ 0.70).
Stamps from the airport post office
The woman gave me a sheetlet of 10 self-adhesive € 0,95 stamps from the 'Young Wildlife' (Junge Wildtiere) series depicting young ibexes. These stamps were issued 2 September 2021. She also gave me two € 0,95 traditionally gummed stamps from a roll from the 'World of Letters" (Welt der Briefe) permanent series, issued 4 August 2022. For the inland postcard, she gave me the € 0,70 traditionally gummed 'Heligoland' lighthouse stamp from a picture by Alexander Savin from a roll. This was issued 6 July 2023 as part of the 'Lighthouses' (Leuchttürme) series.
Back of the sheetlet of 'Young Wildlife' stamps
All stamps come with matrix code that is standard for German stamps.
The town of Landshut sits downstream from Munich on the Isar River. By car, the distance is 70 kilometres. At the time of writing, there is an hourly train service (RE22) between Munich Airport and Regensburg that calls at Landshut Hauptbahnhof. The ride takes just over half an hour. The station is 2 kilometres from the old town on the left bank of the Isar River.
In 1204, Duke Ludwig I "der Kelheimer' of Bavaria founded the town. In that year, he commissioned the construction of Trausnitz Castle atop a hill overlooking the town. The town became an important residence of the House of Wittelsbach that ruled Bavaria until 1918. It was the effective capital of Bavaria until the Bavarian division in 1255. It continued to be the capital of the duchies of Niederbayern and Bayern-Landshut. After the unification of the Bavarian duchies in 1503, Trausnitz Castle remained the residence of the crown prince.
Trausnitz Castle and main post office, Landshut.
The main post office is located in the old 'Herzogskasten' built between 1468 and 1470. The building, originally, was a grain storage. Its present neo-Gothic appearance dates to 1857. As usual, the building houses the Postbank and post office.
Landshut main post office, Dreifältigheitsplatz 177.
As I wrote in my previous post, I was curious about the availability of UPU international reply coupons. I expected these would be available from a main post office in a major town, if at all. The clerk told me IRCs had not existed for 14 years. After reminding her they were available online, she told me that would be the only source.
I did ask her for singles of stamps she had available. One of my colleagues has a brother-in-law who collects stamps. She pulled out five stamps, all traditionally gummed sheet stamps.
Stamps available from the Landshut main post office.
6 July 2023, Ivenacker Eichen – Erstes Nationales Naturmonument (Ivenacker Eichen – First National Natural Monument) , 110c, standard (-20 grammes) inland letter rate, view of Ivenacker Eichen forest. 1 June 2023, Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023, 110c, standard (-20 grammes) inland letter rate, Games logo, Berlin Bear, television tower Berlin; 2 December 2021, Welt der Briefe (World of Letters) permanent series, 85c, standard (-20 grammes) inland letter rate, letter in the shape of a dove; 4 May 2023, Kirchen Bewaren und Beleben (Conservation and enjoyment of churches), 100c, compact inland letter rate up to 50 grammes, fortified church of Walldorf an der Werra (1587, reconstructed 1648-1651); 6 April 2023, Frauenbewegung (Women's rights movements), 195c, books and merchandise rate up to 500 grammes and 35.3 cm x 25 cm x 5 cm, Helene Lange.
When the counters are closed, it is possible to buy variable value labels to prepay for carriage of mail. The machine stands inside the building where the mailbox can be seen. On 28 July 2023, the one machine dispensed labels of the 2008 designs (Brandenburger Tor in Berlin and Post Tower in Bonn).
Variable value labels dispensed at Landshut main post office on 28 July 2023.
Not far from the post office on Altstadt stands the 'Alte Post.' The building is an amalgamation of three mediaeval houses acquired in 1557, 1597, and 1601. The Renaissance paintings from 1599 on the façade depict Wittelsbach dukes of the Bavaria-Landshut line. In 1557, it housed the 'Rentesamt' that managed the finances of the duchy. In the nineteenth century, the building housed the post office.
Alte Post
Until the unification of the Bavarian duchies in 1503, the duchy of Bavaria-Landshut was the richer and larger than Bavaria-Munich. Only three dukes ruled the duchy between 1393 and 1503. They are known as the "Rich Dukes", Heinrich XVI "der Reiche", Ludwig IX "der Reiche", and Georg "der Reiche".
The old town of Landshut is centred around two streets, Altstadt and Neustadt. The former is the older street. Along it stand important historic buildings such as the mediaeval Gothic town hall and the Renaissance town residence of the Dukes of Bavaria-Landshut. Both streets are lined with colourful historic mansions with Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque façades.
Altstadt (30 July 2023), and Heliggeistspitalkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit Hospital).
On either end of Altstadt stand churches. The Heiliggeistspitalkirche, now, is an exposition hall. The Gothic church was built between 1407 and 1461. On the other end, near the Alte Post stands the parish church of Saint Martin. The current Gothic church was built between 1385 and 1500 on the site of its Romanesque predecessor dating to the foundation of the town. The church has the world's highest brick church tower. This is 130.1 metres high, making it just higher than Trausnitz Castle. There is a saying the people could "look the dukes in their soup bowl" from the church. The height of the tower reflects the duke's view that his house should not be higher than God's house.
In 1475, the last duke of Bayern-Landshut, Georg "der Reiche" married the Hedwig Jagiellonica, the daughter of the Polish King Casimir IV Andreas. The wedding is re-enacted annually. I narrowly escaped this event that attracts more visitors than fit the old town. The festivities include an actual wedding in historic setting. Above picture was taken a week after the wedding.
Lund is claimed to be the oldest city in Sweden. It, probably, was founded at the end of the tenth century. It became the seat of an archdiocese in 1106. Its cathedral built from 1090 and its main altar was consecrated in 1145. The consecration of its crypt in 1123 is considered its foundation. Consequently, it celebrates its 900th anniversary this year (2023).
Lund cathedral.
The cathedral was built with a donation from King Canute IV "The Holy" of Denmark. The cathedral is among the oldest stone buildings in Sweden and considered a prime example of Scandinavian Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture. The towers, however, are the fabrications of late nineteenth-century Romanticism. King Canute IV also founded the cathedral school in 1085. The school still exists.
The city is situated in Scania almost 10 kilometres north of Malmö. Scania was part of the Danish Kingdom. It was ceded to Sweden in 1658 under the Treaty of Roskilde. The city's university that is one of the oldest in Scandinavia was founded in 1666.
There are very frequent trains connecting the city with Copenhagen Airport in 35 – 40 minutes. These trains run day and night across the Oresund sea straight between Denmark and Sweden, with all trains to Sweden calling at Lund Central Station.
As Baltija posted earlier, Sweden does not have post offices. Retailers, mostly, supermarkets offer postal services. One such supermarket is the ICA supermarket in Lund's Stora Södergatan. It can be recognised by the "Postnord" sign outside the supermarket.
Postnord sign outside ICA supermarket, Stora Södergatan, Lund
Outsider the shop stands a yellow letterbox with the logo of Postnord in which you can deposit your mail. The postcards I put in the mail should start their journey tomorrow.
Mailbox outside ICA supermarket, Stora Södergatan, Lund
You can pick up parcels and buy stamps from the supermarket till. They also sell Postnord packaging materials. I bought the necessary stamps from this supermarket. When I saw they had several rolls of stamps, I asked the cashier for one each of his stamps. He was very helpful and gave me one of each he had.
Stamps acquired at ICA supermarket, Stora Södergatan, Lund
The stamps are
24 August 2018, 1 kr, woodland creatures definitives, bank vole, 24 August 2018, 2 kr, woodland creatures definitives, pine marten, 10 January 2019, 5 kr, tulip, 4 January 2018, 10 kr, 350th anniversary of the Bank of Sweden, 4 January 2018, 20 kr, 350th anniversary of the Bank of Sweden, 12 January 2023, 30 kr (Basic international letter rate), Queen Silvia, 27 August 2020, 40 kr, Architecture definitives, spiral staircase in the Swedish embassy in Berlin, 9 January 2020, 50 kr, Architecture definitives, door from Zorngarden in Mora (designed by Anders Zorn).
All stamps are self-adhesive from a roll of stamps with numbers on the back (each stamp).
Roll numbers on the backing paper of self-adhesive stamps.
Another of the Postnord service points is located at the COOP supermarket in Martenstorget in Lund.
Postnord sign outside COOP supermarket on Martenstorget, Lund
This service point doubles as pastry department of the COOP store and betting shop. Quite a few people that were here on my second visit were there to play the lottery, rather than for post office services.
Postnord service point inside COOP supermarket on Martenstorget, Lund
At this service point I got the 30 kr (basic international letter rate) Europa stamp themed "Peace, Humanity's Highest Value", issued on 27 April 2023. The 2023 'EUROPA' stamps issued by the PostEurop members have a common design.
Sweden's 2023 'EUROPA' stamp
The stamp was issued in self-adhesive format from stamp rolls and has a number on the backing paper.
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Posted 07/03/2023 02:38 am
