2276 - La Rochelle, France

Sandrine sent her card in an envelope. I'm usually not a big fan of getting cards in envelopes, but sometimes people put something like a coin in the envelope (not this time). Instead, Sandrine coloured a picture on the envelope. The stamp she used was also a sports related stamp of a pole vaulter.

Sandrine's city, La Rochelle, was hit hard by a big storm, named Xynthia. For three days the streets were flooded and Sandrine reports she was terrified.

La Rochelle has about 75 000 people and more than 1000 years of history. The Latin form of the name of La Rochelle was first used in 961, however, Gauls and Romans both lived in the areas centuries before that.

The Germans used La Rochelle as a submarine base during the Second World War. It was also the last French city to be liberated from the Germans on 7 May 1945. French soldiers entered the city the next day. The U-boat pens still exist and were used in the movie Das Boot and in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

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3566 - Bakhmach, Chernihiv, Ukraine

Bakhmach is locarted in northern Ukraine. I'm taking this next paragraph straight out of Wikipedia: During the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, at least 65 units of Russian military equipment moved through Bakhmach, with about a hundred more on the outskirts. Local residents tried to stop the convoy on their own by blocking tank tracks with makeshift objects and convincing Russian soldiers not to move towards Kyiv . One man attempted to climb onto a tank and block the road with his body (he was not hurt). However, the military equipment continued to move, and Russian forces fired several shots into the air. Слава Україні!

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2352 - Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Cologne is home to the twelve Romanesque churches. All are Catholic churches and all are found in Altstadt (old town). All were severely damaged during the 262 Allied air raids on Cologne. All twelves have been restored. St. Andreas was consecrated in 974. The crypt of the church as a sarcophagus that dates back to the third century and it holds the remains of St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. St. Apostein was consecrated in the 800s. St. Cecilia was built in the 800s and it the current home of the Schnutgen Museum for Medieval Art. It still holds Catholic Mass on rare occasions. St. Georg's was built near the end of 1000s. It was extensively restored after the Second World War. St. Gerion's was established in 612. St. Kunibert was consecrated in 1247. Cunibert, the 9th Bishop of Cologne, is buried here. St. Maria im Kapital was built between 1040-1065. It was also heavily damaged during the war and restoration was finally completed in 1984. St. Maria Lyskirchem is the ...

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