3613 - New York City, New York, United States of America

The sender is from New York, but sent a card she bought when visiting the Vatican. It is a commemorative card celebrating the 500 anniversary of the Swiss Guard. They are an armed force and honour guard unit maintained by the Holy See that protects the pop and the Apostolic Palace within the territory of Vatican City. Pope Julius II established the unit in 1506 and is one of the oldest military unites in continuous operation. It is sometimes called the world's smallest army.

The Swiss Guard stand out in their Renaissance-era dress uniform - a tunic striped in red, dark blue, and yellow; high plumed helmet; and the traditional weapon, the halberd. The Guard also dress in functional attire with modern firearms.

The Swiss Guard is considered elite and is highly selective in its recruitment. Candidates must be unmarried Swiss Catholic males between the ages of 19 and 30, and must be a minimum of 1.74 meters talls. Candidates must also have completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces and hold a professional diploma or high school degree. There were only 135 Swiss Guards in 2024.

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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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