The Anthem Philatelist

1770 was the birth year of one of the most influential composer to have ever lived- the most frequently performed composer in the world. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770.   I have been collecting composer stamps for more then 20 years and Beethoven stamps are one of my favorites. There had been more than 350 LVB stamps issued and more are coming this year being his birth year. Beethoven's compositions are varied and many like his fiery concertos like the 5th.  My favorites are his sedate piano compositions like the Moonlight and Pathetique sonata. Stamp above issued by Guernsey depicts a large bronze statue of Beethoven, which stands on the Munsterplatz in Bonn, Beethoven's birthplace.  Issue date - 21 January 2020.    Date issued 02.01.2020 Motif: A stylized portrait of Beethoven superimposed with a neon clef. Beethoven’s handwritten signature “Bthvn”, with which he s...

   Once upon a time... an old donkey was ill- treated by his master. Tired of such unkindness, he decided to run away, and when he heard that Bremen was looking for singers with the town band, he decided that someone with a fine braying voice like his might be accepted. As he went along the road, the donkey met a skinny dog , covered with sores. “Come with me. If you have a good bark, you’ll find a job with the band too. Just wait and see!”   A little later, a stray cat , no longer able to catch mice, joined them and the trio trotted hopefully on towards the town. As they passed a farmyard, they stopped to admire an elderly rooster who, with outstretched wings, was crowing to the skies. The donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster “You sing well,” they told him. “What are you so happy about?”   “Happy?” muttered the rooster with tears in his eyes. “They want to put me in the pot and make broth of me. I’m singing as hard as I can today...

                              Our passports were checked as we left Dubrovnik and entered Bosnia-Herzogovina .  Asians these days are a welcomed travelers and passing through the checkpoints was a breeze.  It was a rainy day but our hearts were not dampened by the weather and we ventured into the Old city with our young guide who started the tour in the old Town.  We saw some remnants of the ravages of war like large holes through buildings and destroyed mosques but the town was completely rebuilt out of the original materials.  Even the cobblestone streets were patterned from its prewar appearance. An interesting place we visited was a mosque where traditionally one is allowed to wear shoes inside.  This is the only mosque in the whole world where this was once done.  It was a tanners mosque and being smelly and dirty, they were allowed to wash their bodies inside the prayer...