French stamps: Journée du Timbres

The French postal service has a series of stamps called Journée du Timbres. Basically, the story of stamps.The visa office in France will not even look at you if you don't have your name on an electric bill. This sweet bicyclist is smoking a pipe and delivering "les facteur" for the people. This stamp commemorates improved postal services for the rural communities of France. I love that they included the pipe. This was deliberate to "illustrate the original, human character of the rural mailman" and that he is "a man of the earth."This is another of the same series. Before our bicyclist was delivering mail, you could see this guy coming with his top hat and blue jacket. He was often the only link to the outside world and was therefore always welcome to rest and warm up along his route during bad weather.The army delivering mail during World War I. No spy activity there. smirkThis stamp honors the Roman roads that advanced postal delivery. Side note: My street in Paris, rue Mouffetard, is part of the original Roman road into Paris. The road is still there underneath the current layer. You can see the actual Roman road through a glass wall in the Métro at Place d'Italie. A side note on the side note: Place d'Italie Métro is also close to the sewer system, so it can get stinky. Best to walk fast. A side note on the side note on the side note: You can take tours of the Paris sewer system, which was so highly advanced back in day that royalty from other countries came for tours and to implement similar strategies back home. These royals also adopted many aspects of the advanced French postal system.Oh how I wish the Omni bus was still in action in Paris. The top would be filled with photo-taking bloggers, bien sur.You can often find me here, sifting through dusty old papers and stamps. Bliss!