Sunday 23 August 2015

See the Light

2012: Norwegian Lighthouses III
The stillness of of a rolling mist coming in off the sea with perhaps the sound of fog horns and the gentle chime of buoys at sea is what these two stamps bring to mind.  The first is the wooden lighthouse near the harbour of Oslo by the whale shaped rock of Kvringen on the western seaward approach.  The island is now a protected nature reserve together with the surrounding area of shallow reefs. The tower dates from 1892.
A sunken rock in the middle of Oslo fjord is home to the 1876 Medfjordbåen light.  As might be imagined the Oslo fjord is Norway's busiest and the ferries and cargo ships are joined in the summer with all manner of recreational boats. One of the recommended experiences for the tourist is to go island hopping by ferry on the fjord.  Islands of course must mean lots of underwater hazards so there are a lot of lights on the fjord (map of them here) 
The self adhesive stamps come in a booklet of 10 and  are designed by Benjamin Stenmark.
Wooden lighthouses are unusual to me as ours tend to be sturdy stone structures but here is one at the top of Käsmu Cape in Estonia.  This is one of two preserved wooden lighthouses in Estonia and the maximum card celebrates its survival from 1892-2012.  In 2013 it opened as a museum.  This beacon was originally put in place to make sailing into the home port for the Maritime School pupils easier.
The stamp shows the position of the beacon and its latitude and longitude, then on the back of the card
is a map of it in its wider context.  The village of Käsmu sounds like an interesting place with its hiking and cycle trails, sea museum and even a replica Viking longship.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Lighthouses - for more sail into See It On a Postcard harbour here 
      

6 comments:

violet s said...

Wooden lighthouses sound so very dangerous!!
Love the atmosphere of the Norwegian stamps.

FinnBadger said...

I also love the mysterious atmosphere on your first two stamps.

viridian said...

I'm with Finn; atmospheric and mysterious on the first two stamps. And shows why there are lighthouses in these places.

Heleen said...

The three of you say exactly what I meant to say. Great atmosphere, and it's clear why lighthouses are needed..

Bob Scotney said...

So glad you were able to post these Norwegian stamps.

Mail Adventures said...

I love to see these lighthouses in the mist. They made me dream.