Saturday 25 September 2010

Koktebel, Ukraine

The second official for today comes from Ukraine. I wanted to post it here because it's such a beautiful view, I love the colours and the dreamy atmosphere in it.


UA-45640


Koktebel, formerly known as Planerskoye, is one of the most popular resort townlets in South-Eastern Crimea. Koktebel is situated on the shore of the Black Sea. It is best known for its literary associations. The Russian poet Maximilian Voloshin made it his residence, where he entertained many distinguished guests, including Marina Tsvetayeva, Osip Mandelshtam, and Andrey Bely (who died there). They all wrote remarkable poems in Koktebel.

The original name Köktöbel is of Turkic origin: in Crimean Tatar it means “Land of the blue hills” (from kök, “sky blue”, and töbe, “hill” or “mountain”, composed with the collective suffix -el). Its Soviet name of Planerskoye comes from the Russian planer, or glider: the hills above the shoreline were the site of many early experiments in manned heavier-than-air flight by Russian pioneer aviators.



#2 reason to post this card here: the stamps are amazing! Huge, colourful and beautiful. The stamp on the right is from a set of 3 stamps issued in 2008 to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Birth of Taras Shevchenko - this one here is a Self portrait from 1840. The two stamps in the middle are from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2009, representing Ukrainian Songs. The one on the left represents Haidamaky Songs and the one on the right Joking Songs. I couldn't find any info on the small stamp on the left but it looks like a definitive stamp.

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