2379 - Genoa, Liguria, Italy

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 gains.

During the campaign, 7000 allied soldiers were killed, with 36 000 wounded or missing. The German side lost 5000 men, with 30 500 wounded, and 4500 taken prisoner.

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3227 - Mölln, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Mölln is a small city of about 20 000 located in northern Germany. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal flows through the town, and there are eight small lakes that surround the city. It was founded in the 12th century and was a part of the Old Salt Route. Salt that was produced in the salt mines of Lower-Saxony was shipped to the Baltic Sea. Till Eulenspiegel, a legendary trickster known for exposing vices and provoking thought, is said to have lived in Mölln the last year of his life. He apparently died of the plague in 1350, but his existence has never been proven. Mölln has several monuments dedicated to him.

3322 - Hamburg, Germany

Happy birthday to me! What a lovely handmade card from the sender. Beautiful penmanship. Am Rothenbaum is the site of the main court of the German Open Tennis Championships. The International German Open has been played at the Rothernbaum since 1892, making it Germany's longest running tennis tournament. The current stadium was built in 1999 and can hold 13 200 people.

3232 - Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States of America

The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light was built in 1882. There were nine keepers of the light until 1897. It was redesigned in 1903 and is 12 meters high. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was started in 1872 and wasn't opened for large-scale watercraft until 1890. The canal is 2.1 kilometers long that goes from Sturgeon Bay in Lake Michigan to Green Bay. There are no locks on this canal. The canal was sold to the United States government in 1893 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the canal.

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