Münster  was founded by Saint Ludger when in 793 Charlemagne sent him out as a missionary to evangelize the  Münster land. He founded the Cathedral School in 797. The Gymnasium (secondary school) Paulinum traces its origins to this school and claims to be the oldest school in Germany.

Arkhangel'sk ( Арха́нгельск)   in English means 'archangel.' The arms of the city display the Archangel Michael in the act of defeating the devil. Legend says this battle took place near where the city stands today. It is also believed that Michael still watches over the city to prevent Satan's return.

Erika sent me a card from Vernazza, a beautiful coast city on the Italian Riviera. It has no car traffic and claims to be one of the "truest fishing villages" on the Riviera. The postage stamp is what interested me the most. It commemoratesthe 75th anniversary of Operation Shingle - the codename for the invasion of Italy by American, British, and Canadian soldiers at Anzio. It was led by American Major-General John P Lucas of the US Fifth Division. German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring was prepared for the invasion and put everything into a defensive ring that hemmed in the allies for a month. General Lucas was then replaced by Major-General Lucian Truscott. The new goal was to go straight to Rome once they broke through Kesselring's defense.  The allies capture Roma on 4 June 1944. Kesselring fought his way north, making it difficult for the allies to continue. Kesselring was fighting to the Gothic Line, where he would prepare a defensive position against further allied

Fairmont is a village of 560 people just outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. The name of Fairmont was chosen to conform with the alphabetical stops along the Burlington & Quincy Railroad westward from Lincoln: B erks, C rete, D orchester, E xeter, F airmont, G rafton, H uxley, etc.  Charlene, who sent me the card, is a recently retired music teacher. She apologized for not having a lawn bowls card. Marbles was the only round thing card she had. I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and although I had bags of marbles, I never used them to play marbles.  There are many different types of marbles with unique names and they are made out of a variety of materials. There have been world championships held since 1932. The British and World Marbles Championships have been held at Tinsley Green, West Sussex since 1932.  Playing marbles have been played in the area all the way back to 1580. The marbles playing season traditionally started on Ash Wednesday and lasted until midday on Good Friday. It was