Germans are deadly serious about their beer. In fact, they have a phrase for it: bierernst which translates literally as “beer serious.” With more than 1,300 breweries producing some five-and-a-half thousand different types of beer, what is now Germany has had a beer purity law known as the Reinheitsgebot for more than 500 years. Introduced in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria, the decree allows … Continue reading Germany’s Beer Purity Law
When I picked this stamp out for today’s post, my initial thought was to “throw it back”, much as I would a caught fish judged to be too small. The design is just too simplistic for my usual tastes, but… It’s a place that I have visited and I always try to include such stamps in my collection when I can. As far as I … Continue reading Singapore’s Elgin Bridge
Notre-Dame Cathedral (Kathedral Notre-Dame in Luxembourgish, Cathédrale Notre-Dame in French and Kathedrale unserer lieben Frau in German) is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It was originally a Jesuit church, and its cornerstone was laid in 1613. It is the only cathedral in Luxembourg. The church is a noteworthy example of late gothic architecture; however, it also has many Renaissance elements … Continue reading Luxembourg’s Notre-Dame Cathedral
In 1956, many French colonies around the world participated in what is known as an omnibus issue to commemorate the 10th anniversary of an organization identified on the stamps as FIDES. In philately, an omnibus is an issue of stamps by several countries with a common subject and which may share a uniform design. Omnibus issues have often been made by countries under common political … Continue reading FIDES and a History of Tahiti
I really do love learning. My job as a teacher and my hobby of stamp collecting really do offer me constant opportunities to learn something new and putting together this blog allows me to make new discoveries each and every day. With the “random stamp day” articles, I never know where I will be led. Today’s entry comes about as a result of searching for … Continue reading Modern Gobelins of Belarus
My random stamp days (and there have been a lot of them recently) are not always so random as I usually decide the country that I want to pick from before selecting a stamp. I try not to choose from the same issuing entity too often (sometimes that can’t be avoided) and the United States has yet to be included in a random stamp day … Continue reading Tarapunga, or the Red-Billed Gull, and New Zealand’s Health Stamps
The Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni is a Neolithic subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase (3300 – 3000 BC) in Maltese prehistory, located in Paola, Malta. It is often simply referred to as the Hypogeum (Ipoġew in Maltese), literally meaning “underground” in Greek. The Hypogeum is thought to have been a sanctuary and necropolis, with the remains of more than 7,000 individuals documented by archeologists, and … Continue reading The Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni
A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera. The genus Procapra has also been considered a subgenus of Gazella, and its members are also referred to as gazelles, though they are not dealt with in this article. Gazelles are … Continue reading The Mountain Gazelle
A Stamp A Day 