2342 - Werl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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 Hanseatic League began to unravel and eventually disbanded in 1669.

Historians describe the Hanseatic League as the most successful trade alliance in history, while its unique governance style has been identified as the precursor to the European Union.

If you were hoping I'd go into barn owls, here is a video about them:

I've also included a video about the Hanseatic League, if you a more comprehensive explanation about it.

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3584 - Blaine, Minnesota, United States of America

The sender was in Las Vegas recently and bought this card from The Mob Museum. The Mob Museum, officially known as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is located in downtown Las Vegas. It open in 2012. It features artifacts, stories, and the history of organized crime in the United States, but also the actions and initiatives by law enforcement to prevent such crimes. The museum is found at the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, which was built in 1933. The quote on this card was from John Gotti. John Gotti (1940-2002) was the mafioso and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. After ordering the killing of Gambino boss Paul Catellano in 1985, he took over the family and led what was the United States' most powerful crime syndicate. He was known as The Teflon Don after three high profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals. Later it was revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and...

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

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

2346 - Iwate, Iwate, Japan

Keita is a junior high science teacher in Iwate 岩手町. He sent me a photo of the Tokyo Sky Tower during a fireworks display. The Tokyo Sky Tower is a broadcasting and observation tower in Simide, a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010. In 2011, when it was completed at a height of 634 meters, it became the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.

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