3544 - Bangkok, Thailand

The sender lives in Bangkok, but sometimes lives in Ayutthaya. In Ayutthaya is Wat Chaiwatthanaram วัดไชยวัฒนาราม a Buddhist temple on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, and is depicted on this card. It is a major tourist attraction.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong, as a memorial to his mother. In English it translates to the temple of the long reign and glorious era. It has a central prang, or spire, that is 35 meters high, with four smaller prangs.

The Wat Chaiwatthanaram structure reflects the Buddhist world view, as it is described already in the Traiphum Phra Ruang, the "three worlds of the King Ruang", of the 14th century: t
he big "Prang Prathan" that stands in the centre symbolizes the mountain Meru (Thai: เขาพระสุเมรุ - Khao Phra Sumen), which consists the central axis of the traditional world (Kamaphum - กามภูมิ). Around it lie the four continents (the four small Prangs) that swim in the four directions in the world sea (นทีสีทันดร). On one of the continents, the Chomphutawip (ชมพูทวีป), the humans live. The rectangular passage is the outer border of the world, the "Iron Mountains" (กำแพงจักรวาล).

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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.

3237 - Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki, Japan

A great card of a cable car on Mount Tsukuba. The mountain is one of the most famous in Japan and is known for its double peaks. The two peaks have their own names - Nyotai-san 女体山 translates to female body, while Nantai-san 男体山 means male body. Hikers can climb the mountain to take in the panoramic view of the Kantō Plain. The Tokyo skyline, Lake Kasumigaura, and Mt Fuji can all be seen from the summit on clear days. Tsukuba is also different from most Japanese peaks as it is not volcanic, but made up of granite and gabbro.

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.

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