France VII

Card showing the emblems of various kings and queens of France built in the ornate plasterwork of the châteaux of the Loire. Upper left shows the salamander of Francis I, who reigned from 1515 to 1547 and was instrumental in launching the Renaissance in France. Upper right show the porcupine of Louis XII, Francis I's predecessor. Lower right shows the ermine of Anne of Brittany, queen to Charles VIII and later to Louis XII. Lower left, shows the pierced swan of Queen Claude of France, wife to Francis I.

Two permanent, domestic rate Mariane stamps from the definitive set of "Mariane in Europe".

France VI

Postcard sent to me by group of my dancer friends in Paris. The card, showing a Belle Époque Parisian clothier in 1907, is a humorous allusion to the times we would often get together to concoct the costumes for our shows. Un super-gros merci à toutes et tous les Dindes!

It would seems as though the stamp unfortunately fell off somewhere along the way. I have a feeling it was probably the Mariane definitive, so I'm not too shaken up about it. The Paris Popincourt post office was just a few minutes from my old apartment, although not my designated neighbourhood post office which was Paris Goncourt.

France V

Chenonceau Castle, spanning the Cher River in the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site. Built in the sixteenth century, King Henry II offered Chenonceau to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. When Henry died, his jealous wife, Catherine de' Medici, forced Diane out of Chenonceau, and grew famous for hosting lavish parties here that included the first ever display of fireworks in France. Chenonceau is the most visited château in France after Versailles. 

Purple Mariane in Europe international rate definitive stamp.

France IV

Postcard of the Château de Chambord, part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I. Construction began in 1519 and is thought to have been designed, at least partially, by Leonardo da Vinci who was then living in nearby Amboise as a guest of François I. During the Second World War, artwork from the Louvre was kept in the Château for safekeeping.

Permanent rate self-adhesive Mariane in Europe stamps featuring a (rather unlovely) dot matrix cancellation that seems to have become increasingly common of late in France. 

France III

Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. What makes the cathedral special from an artistic viewpoint is its exceptional state of preservation. The majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. 

Chartres Cathedral is a way station on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella, with many pilgrims coming to venerate the Cathedral's famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to see this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Definitive Mariane in Europe stamp and commemorative stamp for the 2011 International Year of Chemistry featuring Marie Curie, a French-Polish physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes, in physics and chemistry, and was the the first woman to be interred on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris.

France II

Eiffel Tower seen from the Seine River, part of the "Paris, Banks of the Seine" World Heritage site. Built for the 1889 World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower doesn't really need much of an introduction. Interestingly, however,  it caused widespread outcry at the time of its construction, with many people calling it an eyesore. Although hard to believe nowadays, when I learned that it was originally painted yellow and sported ads for Michelin tires, I can understand why people might not have been that keen on it at the time.

Definitive rate stamp featuring France's national symbol, Mariane, with the stars of the European Union, and a commemorative stamp featuring the city of Colmar in Alsace. It is considered the capital of Alsatian wine and is also the hometown of Frédéric Bartholdi, designer of the Statue of Liberty.

And a special congratulations to collector SL who just received a card from Sierra Leone, surely one of the most difficult countries from which to receive a card. Way to go!

France

Butcher shop window in Nancy, France. Nancy is the capital of the Lorraine region (of quiche fame), and was home to the famous École de Nancy, a group of artists and architects who worked in the Art Nouveau style at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Their work made Nancy a centre of art and architecture that rivaled Paris and helped give the city the nickname "Capital of the East". 

Permanent rate Mariane definitive for international mailing. The rest of this definitive series features the same image of France's national symbol in different colours.