2504 - Poitiers, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Dany from Poitiers sends a great card from Marseille and the Notre Dame de la Garde (Our Lady of the Guard). The Notre Dame de la Garde is a Catholic basilica in Marseille and the city's best known symbol. It is located at the highest point in Marseille. The plans were made by architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu. The still unfinished basilica was consecrated on 5 June 1864. The bell tower is 41 metres high and there is a 11.2 metre statue of the Madonna and Child.

A major restoration on the basilica took place between 2001-2008. Mosaics that were damaged by candle smoke were cleaned up. Pollution that had corroded the green limestone was repaired. Bullet holes in stonework from the Liberation of France were also repaired.

Notre Dame de la Garde receives about 1.5 million visitors each year. Some are tourists to check out the Cathedral, others to check out the incredible view, and others are pilgrims.

Poitiers is a city of almost 90 000 people and has an ancient history. In 1431 the Université de Poitiers was opened and some notable people have studied and taught at the university such as René Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician; Joachin du Bellay, French poet and critic; and
François Rabelais, a French writer and physician, as well as a Renaissance humanist.

Dany used a cool Napoleon stamp on the card!

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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