The Old Town Bridge Tower is believed to be one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Europe. It is located in K?ižovnické Square in Prague´s Old Town on the right bank of the Vltava river, and served as the gateway to Charles Bridge on the Royal Road. This Gothic tower was built not only as part of the town fortifications but also as a grandiose triumphal gateway.The building was likely completed in the late 14th century.

Petr Parlé?, the architect of the bridge, can be considered as the author of virtually all sculptures and stone adornments on the tower. 138 stairs lead to the tower view platform. The height of the tower is 47 meters above the bridge level, or 57 meters above the Vltava river level.

The 1996 Dancing House, also known as Ginger and Fred, is located in Prague on the right bank of the Vltava river, at the corner of Rašínovo Embankment and Jiráskovo Square. It is the first construction built by top world architects in the post-Velvet Revolution Prague. The house was named after the shape of its two corner towers, inspired by the famous dance couple Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers of the interwar period. Its designers were Vlado Miluni? and Frank O. Gehry who was invited by the investor to join the project. Interior decorations of the investor´s offices were partly designed by the British architect of Czech origin Eva Ji?i?ná. The building triggered a wide-ranging public debate on architecture in Prague. The Dancing House won a Time Magazine Design Award. The professional Czech magazine Architekt shortlisted it among the top five Czech buildings of the 1990s. The building, financed by Nationale Niederlanden (today ING), houses offices, a luxury café, and restaurant.

Title: Europa 2012 – Czech Republic
Date of Issue: 2 May 2012
Country: Czech Republic
Denominations: 20 CZK

Source: http://www.ceskaposta.cz

The conceptions about the ”Niðagrísur” (The Child Ghost) derive from a serious crime. The fact that the ”Grýla” (The Monster) goes for the children, derives from the need to observe ecclesiastical orders. The Beach Trolls keep the children away from the beach and thereby great danger – and the conceptions about the Mare is a symtom of physical and mental stress, which most people experience during their lifetime.

The bogeyman – scary disguise
Celebrations involving dressing up in various disguises are a feature of cultures throughout the world, including Denmark. Among the celebrations with the richest traditions are various kinds of carnivals in connection with Shrovetide. On the Faroe Islands, children dress up in festive costumes and wear imaginative masks, after which they visit friends and family who typically give them treats or loose change. A kind of game, it is called to “walk like bogeymen” (“gå som grýla” in Faroese). This creature is otherwise known from folk beliefs to wander around ensuring that no children eat meat during the fast. A presumably ancient rhyme about this creature has survived. It carries a sack, into which it puts the children who have been so reckless as to breach the strict directive about fasting between Shrovetide and Easter, which we know from Catholic countries, for example.

A legend speaks of the filthy rich Gæsa, who owned half of the island Streymoy but was caught eating meat during the fast, for which he was sentenced to relinquish all of his earthly possessions.

This Catholic custom – both the carnival and probably also the fast – is widespread. The Rio Carnival is famous and has evolved into a huge tourist magnet. In most of the Southern European countries, Shrovetide is also celebrated with big carnivals and somewhat wild shenanigans.

An unavoidable consequence of our time is the commercialisation of popular customs. A significant amount of money is spent and made in connection with carnivals, and not least the media is eager to televise the colourful and spectacular parades in the streets of Rio and other cities. Another consequence of our time is the Anglo-Saxon influence. These days, the traditional masquerade at Shrovetide is being replaced by the Anglo-American Halloween, which originated as a Gaelic festival of light among carnival-like masquerades. It is interesting to note how this custom has gained ground in our Nordic culture without people giving much thought to the fact that similar celebratory customs have existed in our culture since the dawn of time. Perhaps it is also due to late autumn being a time for festivities and fun. Halloween is celebrated on 1 November , after all, while Shrovetide takes place in the spring and has to compete with the onset of the many summer activities.

The mare
The mare appears at night and sits or lies on sleeping people, disturbing their sleep, causing evil dreams, and suppressing their breathing. It often appears in the guise of a beautiful woman – but is in fact an abominable monster. It wants to stick its fingers into the sleeper’s mouth in order to count the teeth. If it succeeds, the sleeping individual will die.

Most people sleep badly from time to time and may experience chest tightness, be unable to exhale freely and have nightmares at night. There are many possible causes of disturbed sleep without sufficient rest: illness and worries are often the cause of disturbed sleep in the same way as overeating or eating something wrong can lead to those types of symptoms. Natural causes of these kinds have presumably given rise to the superstitious beliefs surrounding the mare.

We know of many good pieces of advice involving the mare. One could recite certain, often ritualistic verses or rhymes which were considered capable of keeping the mare away. One piece of advice was to wrap a knife in a cloth, or preferably a garter, and then move it around the person who feared the mare by letting it go from one hand to the other while reciting a mare verse. In a few places, it is advised to place one’s shoes in front of the bed with toes pointing outwards, as this will prevent the mare from getting into the bed.

The belief in a mare or similar creature features in all cultures, supposedly because disturbed sleep is a universal human phenomenon. In many places, people believed that some individuals were capable of transforming themselves into a mare in order to hurt their enemies. Mare stories with obvious sexual connotations also occur. These usually involve a mare in the guise of a woman who seeks out sleeping men, and, conversely, a male form who looks for sleeping women.

The belief in a mare has been strong in many cultures. The oldest Nordic Christian laws include fines for people who take on the form of a mare and seek out others in their homes.

The mare often appears in the form of a woman flying through the air. We therefore sometimes see a correlation with superstitious beliefs about witches. Indeed, it is believed that women flew to Bloksbjerg on broomsticks in order to indulge in wild excesses together with Satan. There is no original connection between these two popular beliefs.

Scarcely anyone living in our part of the world today believes in the mare, and yet we have preserved it in our language. We talk of having nightmares following a night of unsettling dreams and we refer to a problem that has proven to be difficult to solve as a mare .

The murdered child as a ghost
A common notion in folk beliefs is that when certain people die they are transformed into one animal form or another and can appear as ghosts. On the Faroe Islands and in many other places, there is thus the belief that children concealed at birth and murdered come back to haunt and show themselves to the living in one form or another. If we are to believe the Faroese belief, this ghost is small and chubby, bears a likeness to a child, and is no larger than a ball of yarn. The most common explanation for why they come back to haunt is that they want to have a name because they died without being christened.

A name is meaningful and to not have a name is an unhappy state of being. When a newborn baby is christened and given a name, it is also given its own place in the family and in society. It becomes a person. The name stays with that individual throughout his or her life and is entered into official registers, even after death, as proof that this person really did live. The little child murdered at birth is never given a place in life; it is not registered and no one ever becomes aware of its existence. It is unwanted and silently pushed away.

Should the unhappy child succeed in getting a name, its apparition will also disappear, never to be seen again. In Faroeses, this ghost is called a “niðagrísur”, which refers in part to it not having achieved a blessed life (niða means in the opposite direction of the blessed life) and in part to an animalistic form (grísur means pig) because it never became a person. Some researchers believe that this ghost originates from the time before Christ, specifically because what matters is the name and not the ritual of a church christening as a sacrament.

Near the village of Skála on the Faroe Islands, there is a boulder called Loddasasteinur (Lodda’s Boulder) . It was often possible to meet the ghost of a murdered child here. A man from the village once became so irritated when he came upon it that he shouted: “What a loddas!” No one has ever seen the ghost since. It was believed that it perceived the expression to be its name and thus found peace. (Incidentally, the meaning of the word ‘loddas’ is unclear.)

In the village of Virðareiði , a housemaid gave birth to a child in secret. She wrapped it in leg warmers and buried it. When the girl later married, the child turned up at the wedding as a ghost in the leg warmers, where it rolled around between the legs of the guests and sang a song about its cruel fate.

The beach troll
In the old days, people believed in trolls. They lived beyond the human domain in poorly accessible and impassable areas high up on the fells or deep in the mountains. The world of trolls was dark and scary and they belonged to the heathen world. They were dangerous and menacing.

There were many stories and legends about trolls, although opinions differ as to whether people genuinely believed in their existence. Many researchers believe that stories about dangerous trolls served a pedagogic purpose primarily and were intended to make children, and perhaps also a few adults, afraid of seeking out perilous places – especially in the dark.

A famous legend tells the story of a troll, who, at dusk one evening succeeded in abducting one of the children from the village of Hattarvík on Fugloy. An old man leapt after the troll and managed to save the child from the edge of the cliff down by the sea. The troll jumped into the sea and thus became known as a beach troll. The same village is the centre of another story about a beach troll, who could often be witnessed coming onto land at dusk. The troll is said to have been terrifying. Seaweed grew and pebbles hung all over its body. When it moved it sounded as if it was dragging millstones behind it and the ground came loose and spun around it. It was so large that it could be seen above the tallest houses. A man eventually succeeded in exorcising it, and no one has seen or heard from it since.

In the village of Hattarvík, the cliff facing the sea is quite steep in places, the beach below is narrow, and the surf is often rough. One can therefore easily imagine the adults worrying about their children and envisage them having reasons for scaring them into staying away from the dangers lurking down by the beach.

Title: Monsters – Faroe Islands
Date of Issue: 30 April 2012
Country: Faroe Islands
Denominations: 6.5KR, 11KR, 17KR, 19KR

Source: http://www.stamps.fo

It may seem peculiar for the untrained eye, that the Faroes, situated in the midst of the unforgiving North Atlantic Ocean, in fact is a very attractive tourist destination. No tropical beaches, no massproduced hotels for charter tourists and no waterparks or other tourist-traps, which are so common at traditional tourist destinations.

And still the interest for the Faroes as a travel destination is rapidly growing. In a comprehensive study from 2007, which covered 111 archipelagos all over the World, National Geographic Traveller pointed the Faroe Islands out at the most appealing island-destination in the World. In December last year, The Daily Mail recommended the Faroes as one of the ten best destinations in 2012. The interest for the islands has increased during the past few years, after experienced travel journalists and people who prefer alternative travel experiences have become aware of the destination.

And there are valid reasons for that. Unspoiled environment and culture, well-established infrastructure and good accomodations are atractive for tourists who seek something different than just days in the sun. The rough beauty of the country is legendary and stimulates the senses. Hikes in the mountains, boat-cruises to inaccessible promontories and caves – or just to sit down on a boulder and let the mysterious nature flow into body and soul. There is room for everything. Unspoiled bird-cliffs and breeding grounds. The secrets of the sea – below and over the surface. Fantastic geological formations with millions of years on their rugged backs. The wild, the unspoiled, the prodigious.

The EUROPE stamps this year give a tiny glimpse of what you could expect from an active holiday on the Faroes. Hikes and trips in the grandious nature – by land or by sea. To take a peek into the abyss from a sharp mountain-edge on one of the northern islands – or a high speed and extreme cruise below the enormous bird-cliffs of Suðuroy – just a couple of the exiting activities that wait for you.

And just like the wild outback, the cultural landscape has a lot to offer. Traces back in time to the first Iron Age settlers. Ruins of Viking farms, the agricultural landscape of the Middle Ages and well-preserved houses from days of old. The Cathedral Ruins of Kirkjubøur, a monument over the power and glory of the Middle Age church. The museums around the islands, which provide an excellent insight into the colourful history of the islands.

And finally, the modern Faroese society. From the cafées and nightlife of Tórshavn, the numerous cultural events – to everyday life in villages and towns. The summer-festivals, the music-festivals, chain-dance and rock conserts. Art exhibitions and literary events – the cultural life of the Faroes is as varied and colourful as the village houses.

It is not the lazy life at sunny beaches you will meet on the Faroe Islands. It is the life in a rough and untamed nature – the beauty of the grandious and ever changing. The encounter with hospitable people, who may live in a strange environment, but still are surprisingly cosmopolitan, skilled in languages and well-informed about the World outside. A modern society characterized by its environment and history.

Title: Europa 2012 – Faroe Islands
Date of Issue: 30 April 2012
Country: Faroe Islands
Denominations: 6.50KR, 10.50KR

Source: http://www.stamps.fo

Title: Bird of the Year – Plover
Date of Issue: 19 April 2012
Country: Estonia
Denominations: 0.45 EUR

Source: http://www.post.ee

Title: West-Harju Folk Costumes Hageri ans Nissi
Date of Issue: 14 April 2012
Country: Estonia
Denominations: 0.45, 1.00 EUR

Source: http://www.post.ee

The Visit Spain stamp features characteristic tourist attractions full of symbolism; beaches, the fine weather, the sunlight and the artistic and cultural heritage. The stamp designer, artist J. Carrero has taken inspiration from the famous painting Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez to make a composition that mixes different concepts of tourism.

Thus, the Spanish sunlight and colour are reflected in the whole work, in the sand and sea. Art is expressed through a painting’s framework symbolising the historical and cultural heritage, and the Spain brand related to trade, industry, handicrafts and local products, is interpreted in a shopping bag with the colours of the national flag. The stamp features the official logo of the Europa series, symbolizing a mailbox and whose use is mandatory for all stamps issued within this series.

Europa stamps aim at promoting philately and contributing to the diffusion of culture, traditions and history of the European continent. It is one of the most collected and popular stamps series in the world.

Since 2002, PostEurop organizes an annual Internet contest in which all citizens can participate to choose the best stamp of the year. The winning stamp is disclosed at the meeting held annually by the Philatelic Working Group of PostEurop.

Title: Europa 2012 – Visit Spain
Date of Issue: 4 April 2012
Country: Spain
Denominations: 0,70 €

Source: http://www.correos.es

Title: Godiji Temple
Date of Issue: 17 April 2012
Country: India
Denominations: 500p

As a consequence of this fact, this year’s theme of PostEurop – Europe 2012 is titled Go … theme which constitutes an invitation to know, by stamps, tourist attractions of the countries of Europe. In Europe noted several types of tourism such as watering and sea, cultural and historical mountain and winter sports.

Romania today, existing since the first millennium, has appeared on the old fireplace of Dacia, in the south-eastern Central Europe, the Carpathians in the middle, bordered by the Danube and Black Sea. With almost all naturally occurring forms of relief, thousands of rivers and springs, parks and nature reserves, caves famous and unique in Europe, saline, Black Sea, Romania displays its beauty in a necklace of spa tourism high on the map -sea in Europe.

Herculane, Felix, Sovata Calimanesti, salt from the mine and Slanic Moldova, spa sequence Eforie or sea resorts on the Black Sea coast to the Mamaia and Mangalia, are just some of the sights of our country. The continent’s largest delta, the wonderful Danube Delta, Europe’s youngest land, which is in constant metamorphosis, has many attractions. It is the only delta in the world declared a Biosphere Reserve and natural monuments listed as World Heritage by UNESCO.

Carpathian Mountains, the beautiful Prahova Valley, where ski resorts are ready to host the European Youth Olympic Festival (FOTE) – 2013, one of the biggest and most beautiful nature reserves in Europe, Yosemite National Park, the castles Peles and Bran , are especially popular city attractions.Romania is country famous wooden churches from Maramures Merry Cemetery and the one world, one in Sapanta, the monasteries of Moldova, the most famous monastery Voronet the famous painting of blue which amazes every visitor.Romania deserves a visit for its unique beauty and the many traditions kept for centuries. However they present with simplicity and humility, giving generously to all who visit this space mioritic always belonging ancient Europe.

Title: Europa 2012 – Romania
Date of Issue: 6 April 2012
Country: Romania
Denominations:

Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro