2489 - Strasbourg, Grand Est, France

Strasbourg in located at the border with Germany in the Alsace region. The city itself has 285 000 people, but the metropolitan area has 500 510. It is also one of the de facto capital cities of the European Union along with Brussels, Luxembourg, and Frankfurt. Strasbourg has the European Parliament, the Eurocorps, and the European Ombudsman of the European Union.

Strasbourg is unique in that it is immersed in Franco-German culture, and acts as a cultural bridge between France and Germany. Strasbourg has also been in the middle of violent disputes between France and Germany. The University of Strasbourg, where the author of the card is attending as a doctoral fellow in psychology, is the second largest in Europe. Catholics and Protestants also co-exist in Strasbourg, as well as being the home of the largest Islamic place of worship in France, the Strasbourg Grand Mosque.

Étoile Noire de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Black Star) is the local semi-professional ice hockey team and plays in Division 1, the second level of hockey in France. They were founded in 2000. In 2005 they were promoted to Ligue Magnus - the highest level of hockey - after winning the Division 1 championship in 2006. They were the Magnus Cup final in 2011. In 2019 they finished in last place and were relegated back to Division 1.

The current team has a Canadian coach, Daniel Bourdages, has been coaching the Black Star for 25 years. They also have four Canadians on the roster: Scott Prier from Windsor, Ontario; Dylan Denomme from Riverdale, Ontario; Mitch Zion from Ottawa, Ontario; and Danny Potvin from Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville, Quebec

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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