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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3584 - Blaine, Minnesota, United States of America

The sender was in Las Vegas recently and bought this card from The Mob Museum. The Mob Museum, officially known as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, is located in downtown Las Vegas. It open in 2012. It features artifacts, stories, and the history of organized crime in the United States, but also the actions and initiatives by law enforcement to prevent such crimes. The museum is found at the former Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, which was built in 1933. The quote on this card was from John Gotti. John Gotti (1940-2002) was the mafioso and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. After ordering the killing of Gambino boss Paul Catellano in 1985, he took over the family and led what was the United States' most powerful crime syndicate. He was known as The Teflon Don after three high profile trials in the 1980s resulted in acquittals. Later it was revealed that the trials had been tainted by jury tampering, juror misconduct, and witness i

3564 - Kassel, Hesse, Germany

A wonderful message on this card that translates to to those wh o can wait, everything comes with time.

2346 - Iwate, Iwate, Japan

Keita is a junior high science teacher in Iwate 岩手町. He sent me a photo of the Tokyo Sky Tower during a fireworks display. The Tokyo Sky Tower is a broadcasting and observation tower in Simide, a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010. In 2011, when it was completed at a height of 634 meters, it became the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE.

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