Planets from Ireland

The front of the card shows a picture of Jupiter taken from the Hubble telescope (ESA). The dark smudge at bottom right is debris from a comet or asteroid that plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere and disintegrated. In addition to the fresh impact, the image reveals a spectacular variety of shapes in the swirling atmosphere of Jupiter. The stamps were issued in 2007 by AnPost as part of the series dedicated to the "Planets". The stamps are special elongated stamps and are based on photographic images of Jupiter and Neptune. The other two stamps of the same series show Saturn and Uranus.

Turtles from France

 

The card shows a turtle (Chrysemys picta) painted in watercolors and pencils by C.A. Lesueur (1778-1846). The stamp, issued in 2014 by LaPoste, is dedicated to the green turtle, representative of the islands in the Southwest area of the Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, France (Reunion), Seychelles and the TAAF. The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is the sole representative of the genus Chelonia, and the largest species of turtles of the family Cheloniidae.

French Fries from Belgium

 

 

Belgian national dish “les frites’ was wrongly given the name ‘French Fries’ by American servicemen when they arrived in Belgium at the end of the First World War. They named the fries after the French language spoken in Wallonia creating confusion with the invention’s nationality. “Les frites” are part of Belgium’s gastronomic and cultural heritage. There are frites stalls everywhere while visiting this country.

Famous Irish Writers from Ireland

 

Dublin was designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2010 in recognition of its cultural profile and international standing as a city of literary excellence. The postcard depicts some of the most famous Irish Writers. The stamp was issued in 2015 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats.

Jazz from the United Nations

 

The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued three mini-sheets of twelve stamps to celebrate International Jazz Day on 30 April 2014. One of these stamps was used used on this postcard, depicting a Trumpet, which is also a typical instrument used by jazz players. UNESCO proclaimed 30 April as “International Jazz Day”. Each year, this international day brings together people from all over the world to celebrate and learn about the art of jazz, its roots, its future and its impact.

Frans Hals from the Netherlands

 

"Twee lachende jongens" (detail) - c. 1628

 

"Luitspeler" (detail) - c. 1623

Frans Hals (c. 1582 - 1666) was a Dutch portrait painter, who practiced an intimate realism with a free approach. Many stamps depicting his masterpieces have been issued by the Netherlands. The one used on these two cards was issued in 2013 to celebrate the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley from the U.S.A.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling is one of the best-selling book series in history having sold between 400 million and 450 million copies. It had been translated in more than 70 languages. In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service celebrated Harry Potter's magical world with a 20-stamp souvenir booklet featuring stills from the award-winning Warner Bros movies.