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

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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