I was going to write about schleiereules  (barn owls) but when I was reading about Werl and the fact it was a part of the Hanseatic League I had to learn more. I knew nothing about the Hanseatic League and saw it referenced in many of the other European cities I wrote about.  Werl was a member of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. The Hanseatic League was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in central and northern Europe. At its peak it had over 200 settlements in nine modern nations (Germany, Netherlands, Russia, United Kingdom, Poland. Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia). Traders in the Hanseatic League enjoyed duty free treatment, protection, and diplomatic privileges in affiliated communities and on their trade routes. It developed a common legal system governing their merchants and goods, and operated their own armies for mutual defence and aid. It peaked between the 13 and 15th centuries. In the mid 16th century...

The Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious founded the Bishopric of Hildesheim in 815 and created the first settlement with the building of a chapel.  Today Hildesheim is filled with many old churches and buildings. Some were destroyed during bombing in the Second World War, but many were also rebuilt. In 1985, Hildesheim was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I love old photos of athletes and Cathy's card did not disappoint. The photo of two members of the Columbia University Football team (with a gentleman in the background "photobombing"), circa 1899-1900.  Cathy is originally from Portland, Oregon, and said her and her three boys used to attend Portland Winterhawks games all the time and remembers that Medicine Hat is one of the teams Portland played.  The Portland Winterhawks were founded as the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1950. The Oil Kings moved to Portland in 1976 and were rebranded as the Winter Hawks. The Winter Hawks used old Chicago Blackhawks sweaters the first few years and that's why Portland's logo was the Blackhawks logo. Later the Winter Hawks "retired" the space between the Winter Hawks to become the Winterhawks. In 2021, Portland changed their logo to a bird of prey (a winterhawk).  The Winterhawks have made five trips to the Memorial Cup - the championships of the three leagues of the Canadian ...

Kraków has an interesting story to how it got it's name. The name is traditionally derived from Krakus, the legendary founder of  Kraków. He was a ruler of a tribe of Lechitians, who were certain Western Slavic tribes who inhabited  modern day Poland. In Polish,  Kraków is an archaic possessive form of Krak and  Kraków essentially means "Krak's." The first mention of Prince Krakus, however, is in 1190, but the town has been in existence since the 600s, when it was inhabited by a tribe of Vistulans. It is also possible that  Kraków is a derivative  of the word "kruk," which means crow or raven. Kraków's official name is  Stołeczne Królewskie Miasto Kraków,  or Royal Capital of  Kraków. Because of my love for hockey,  Kraków does have a men's professional hockey team - KS Cracovia. They play in the Polska Hokej Liga.  They have been Polish champs twelve times - 1937, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 - then they went 57 years without a champions...

Jim sent me a card on 28 June 2021 and says it is National Alaska Day. National Alaska Day is observed "to recognize the largest state of the union and the last great frontier of the nation." Russian America was purchased from Russia in 1867 for USD$7.2 million (USD$132 million in 2021 dollars? Alaska was a district of the United States, and then a territory. On 3 January 1959, Alaska became the 49th state in the United States.Hawaii joined in August of the same year to become the 50th state. October 18 is the day the United States formally took over Alaska. Alaska Day is a holiday in Alaska. 

Halle's early history involves the harvesting of salt dating back to the Bronze Age. The River Saale contains the root for salt. The first mention of Halle is in 806. During the Second World War, KZ-AuBenlager Birkhahn (Halle Concentration Camp) was located near Halle. Prisoners from Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, France, the Netherlands, and other nations were forced to work in the Siebel Aircraft Plants making combat aircraft. Halle was also the victim to two air raids late in the war. On 31 March 1945, an air raid took place between the railway station and the city centre. A few days later a second air raid occurred in the souther district of Halle, killing over a 1000 residents and destroying 3600 buildings, including historical buildings on Brueder Street and Grosse Stein Street and the city cemetery.  After the war, Halle was a part of East Germany. The Halloren-Werke is the oldest chocolate factory in Germany, dating back to 1804. Georg Friedrich Handel ...

Hans is from Edemissen. There is very little about the place he lives. This card I've seen in English a few times and translates to Never Give Up. This one always brings me a chuckle.  Hans also quotes Charlie Chaplin in his message "A day without a smile is a day wasted." Good advice. 

Marjan from Veldhoven sent me a card of Pipo de Clown, a character who was on a popular Dutch television show, and Marjan loved watching his adventures. Pipo was the lead character in the television show, along with his wife, Mamaloe, and their daughter, Petra. For most of the show they lived in a gypsy trailer in which they travelled around the Netherlands as a circus act and happened to run into adventures. The gypsy trailer was given to him by a gypsy named Felicio in the second series (season). Pipo ran from 1959 to 1980. He could also be found on records, in movies, and in comics. For some reason, Pipo reminds me of a Canadian television series that ran in the lates 70s and early 80s called The Littlest Hobo . It was about a German shepherd dog that would travel around Canada and help people in need. At the end of each episode, the people he helped wanted Hobo to stay but Hobo always moved on to the next adventure. 

I love Postcrossing and getting mail almost every day. There are some countries where I have received (and sent) hundreds of cards from - Germany, Russia, United States to name a few. What gets me excited even more is when I receive a card (or get to send a card) to a country or territory I have never received one from before. I was thrilled when I received Maire's card from Tahiti. French Polynesia on has 21 Postcrossing members and the registration number was only 4 numbers (Canada has 7, while Germany is in 8). Maire is the second best Postcrosser in French Polynesia.  Maire lives in Pape'ete, which is the capital city of French Polynesia. Pape'ete means "water from a basket" in Tahitian. French Polynesia is not a country, but an overseas collectivity of France.  Maire talks about the weather and the fact that the southern winter is coming. She says this is the best time for tourists to come because the temperatures are in the 20s and the humidity isn't as ...

Susan sent me a card from Duck Lake State Park. Duck Lake State Park is located 8 km southwest of Whitehall, Michigan. It consists of 295 ha of land along the shores of Lake Michigan. The park also has a section of the Shoreline Trail - Scenic Drive - which is in Muskegon County.  Two boys scout groups owned the area until the state bought the area in 1974. It officially became a state park in 1978, and the recreation area opened in 1988.  In the summer, people enjoy swimming, fishing, and boating, while in the winter, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and hunting are popular. 

Caro sent me a card that they picked up on their travels to Japan. It is a photo of a water temple in the Okunoin, or the cemetery of 20 000 Monks.  Okunoin is one of Japan’s most sacred places. Located in the holy temple town of Koyasan, it is home to the final resting place of many of the nation’s most important historical and religious figures. Koyasan   was founded in 816 CE by a monk named Kukai. He created the town as the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism – a sect he himself started – and resided there for much of his long life. His writings and teachings earned him respect from many, including the Japanese imperial court. By the time of his death, he was so highly revered that even though his body was entombed in Okunoin, many believe that he lives on in a meditative state and continues to pray for the souls of those on earth right here in the cemetery. Crossing the Ichinohashi Bridge allows entrance into the forest that surrounds the cemetery. Okunoin is the largest gra...

Liv from Cologne sent me a card from Norway. She thought the winter scene would help me cool down from the heat wave in Medicine Hat. Besides the card from Norway, lets have a look at  Kölner Haie (Cologne Sharks) of the  Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The Sharks were formed in 1972 and have won 8 championships - 1977, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, and 2002. They have the second highest average attendence in Europe, after SC Bern in the Swiss League.  The Sharks have seven Canadians playing for them. The most interesting Canadian for me is Landon Ferraro. Landon was born in Trail, BC - my birthplace - and his dad is Ray Ferraro, who had a long career in the National Hockey League and is now a hockey commentator and colour analyst on television and radio.  Landon suffered from several knee injuries while playing for Boston, Detroit, and Minnesota. After a stint in the minor leagues, he signed with Berlin and did well before the season was cancelled due to Covid-...

Aka explains on his card about the naming of Taiwan "Formosa" by the Portuguese. This dates back to 1542 when Portuguese sailors sighted an uncharted island and noted it in their maps as Ilha Formost  "Beautiful Island." Formosa remained in common usage by English speakers well into the 20th century. In the 1600s the Dutch East India Company established a commercial port called Fort Zeelandia, where the modern day city of Anping is today. They called the area Tayouan, which Taiwan is derived from. The official name of Taiwan is the Republic of China. However, the People's Republic of China sees Taiwan as a province of theirs, and not a separate country. Because of this and to keep the People's Republic of China happy, Taiwan uses Chinese Taipei at all international forums, organizations, and at sporting events. The PRC will not have diplomatic relations with countries who establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Only 14 countries and the Vatican have dipl...

Pauline and Michael sent me a homemade card with owls on it. They also decorated the back with wasabi tape, stickers, and 3-D stickers of silver hearts. They write that they are in gardening season and talk about how big their tomatoes are getting.  They live in Kosakowo  Kòsôkòwò , a small village of about 750 people. It is located near the sea and about 25 km north of Gdansk.

Walter is a Postcrossing legend with just over 4000 cards sent and almost 4000 received. He lives in Stuttgart and sent me an ad card for Allguaer Buble Bier.  Stuttgart is one of Germany's largest cities at 635 000 residents and 5.3 million in its metropolitan area. It also has one of the highest rates of immigrants in Germany. Stuttgart consistently ranks as one of the best quality of living standards in the world, finishing 21st in 2015. Settlement in the area dates back 9000 years. Porsche, Bosch, Mercedez-Benz, and Daimler also call Stuttgart home.

I thought Isabel sent me an ad card, which I don't mind receiving. It's always fun to see ads from other countries. The front of the card says "Schweinesicher!" so I thought it was a German bank advertising a savings account or something of that nature. However, this is not an ad card and "Schweinesicher" translates to "pig safe" - which would translate to piggy bank in Canada.  Sandhausen is a small city of just over 15 000 people. It is named after the ice-age sand dunes that border the city.  What I found interesting is the football team, SV Sandhausen. They are one of the smallest cities to play in 2.Bungdesliga, the second level of German football. Their stadium seats about 12 000 people, but can be expanded to seat 15 000. 

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, and the seventh largest and largest city that is not a capital city, in the European Union. There are 1.84 million residents. Liane sent me a a long card of the River Elbe.  The interesting part of her biography is that she is also asking folks to write her mother, who, I gather, is in a care home. I sent her mother a card and encourage you to do the same.  Here is her address: Frau H. Rubner c/o Pflegen & Wohnen Deelwischredder 37 22043 Hamburg GERMANY Liane translates the cards and each card is posted on her mother's wall.  

I was just reading the information about the author of this card, Willie. He mentions that he has an American father and a German mother and that he grew up bi-culturally and moved to new housing regularly. This suggests to me that his father was an American serviceman who was posted several times. Willie says he considers himself European despite living in both Europe and the United States. He settled in Germany.  Willie included stamps from other countries on his card - Turks & Caicos, Equatorial Guinea, and Hungary. I will admit when I first saw the Turks & Caicos stamp I thought the card was from there, too. Turks & Caicos is a place I have neither received nor sent a card to.  Turks & Caicos is a British Overseas Territory. Every 10-12 years, Turks & Caicos makes the news in Canada as a politician suggests that they should become a province in Canada. Britain would be more than happy to to rid themselves of the financial obligation to Turks & Caico...

As I progress further with this blog I have started looking for interesting aspects of the city, rather than giving a quick history and economic activity. For Taichung I discovered the Global and World Cities Research Network and was interested in learning more.  Twice a year, the Global and World Cities Research Network categorizes cities into four different tiers: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Sufficiency. These are based on the city's international connectedness. Connectivity is based on four areas: accountancy, advertising, banking/finance, and law. Economics are ranked more heavily than political or cultural factors. For example, you would think that Washington, DC would be an Alpha+ city because it is the capital city of the United States, considered to be the leader of the free world. Washington, however, is only considered a Beta+. Taichung is considered a Gamma city. A gamma city are cities that link with smaller economic regions into the world economy.  In Canada, Toronto ...

Sue is a university student studying lawn. There are 16 universities in Jinan for her to choose from! Jinan  济南市  means "south of the Ji." However, the Ji River no longer exists as the Yellow River changed course in 1852 and took over the Ji's riverbed. The current area has been inhabited for 4000 years. Jinan has a long history of change and war. The area I found most interesting was Jinan was the starting place for the Cultural Revolution. I am going to copy and paste the information from Wikipedia: On May 27, 1966, the  Cultural Revolution  started in Jinan with an article in the local newspaper "Jinan Evening News" ( 济南 晚报 ) that denounced vice-governor Yu Xiu as a  Bourgeois  agent within the government. [38]  Starting from early June 1966, the schools in Jinan were closed down by strikes as teachers were "struggled against". At the same time,  big-character posters  started to appear in the city. [38]   Red Guards  took to the...

Carol is from Park Lake, Florida, but her and her husband have been travelling full time for 8 years in their 45' sailboat. This card was sent by MyPostcard, a company that will mail a postcard for you. Carol used it to connect. MyPostcard is out of North York, Ontario, but Carol wrote it while in Marina Vista Mar Panama. They've been in Panama for 9 months now riding out COVID.  They've sailed and stayed in El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize. They flew to Finland and Norway for three months. I think my dad would love to do something like this.  Safe travels, Carol!

I can't read the name on this card, but she was asking about Canadian students and whether they had to do online learning or not. She said she found it hard to concentrate learning online.  Her card is from Chung Yuan Christian University so I am assuming she is a student there. Chung Yuan was established in 1955 by Christian educators and the local gentry. Four departments were established: physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, and civil engineering. Today, Chung Yuan has 7 colleges, with 26 departments, 24 masters programs, and 12 PhD programs. The colleges include: science, engineering, business, electrical engineering and computer science, design, law, and humanities and education. 

Ashkalon  אַשְׁקְלוֹן  dates back to the Neolithic Age (about 6500 years ago). What interested me about this place was the number of groups that ruled it: Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Hasmoneans, Romans, Persians, Arabs, and the Crusaders. It was destroyed by the Mamluks in 1270. al-Majdal was established a few kilometers from the ancient site by the late 15th century by the Ottomans.  Again, more change. In 1918 it became a part of the British Occupied Enemy Territory Administration. In 1920 it became a part of Mandatory Palestine. And finally in 1948, during the Arab-Israeli War, the village was conquered by Israeli forces and it has been a part of Israel ever since.  In 1953 it was officially renamed Ashkalon. That's a lot of change!

It's always cool to receive a card from someone nearby. Adam is in Regina, which is about a 6 hour drive from Medicine Hat. I've only been to Regina once and that was to stop for lunch on our way to Manitoba. There was no sightseeing. However, I understand that the Legislative Grounds - Regina is the capital city of the province of Saskatchewan - is beautiful and worth a look see.  Regina is home to the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders (Canadian football, not soccer. It's similar to American football, but better). Roughrider fans are found everywhere in Canada! Go to any CFL game in Canada and there will be lots of Rider fans. When the Riders are playing in Calgary, Edmonton, or Winnipeg, there are usually just as many Rider supporters as there are for the home team. Sometimes you will feel like the Rider's are the home team the way their supporters carry on. Regina is also home of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police training depot. All potential Mo...

Vonnas is a small town of 3100 and has a Michelin 3 star restaurant.  Jacques sent me a tourist card from Macon, which is located near Vonnas. Macon is a grape growing region for wine and grows chardonnay.