A very nice card featuring an illustration of a mushroom—the sender decorated the back with washi tape, an “I just Kant” sticker, and a wax seal. I usually don’t put that kind of effort into the cards I send, but I appreciate it when others do. Hildesheim is home to the Knochenhaueramtshaus (Butchers’ Guild Hall). It was originally built in 1529 in a Gothic style and served as a meeting place for the butchers’ guild, which was a very wealthy and influential guild in the area during the Middle Ages. The cellar walls were 1.4 metres thick, helping keep temperatures low for storing meat and sausages. During World War II , many of Hildesheim’s neighbouring cities were bombed by the Allies, and numerous historic buildings were destroyed. The town council considered dismantling the Butchers’ Guild Hall to preserve it, but this proved impossible. Instead, plaster casts were taken of the most valuable wooden carvings, detailed wooden models were made, and extensive photographs were taken an...

Tourist card from Litoměřice, located in northern Czech Republic. There are about 23 000 people who call Litoměřice home. Geographically it is located at the confluence of the Elbe and Ohře rivers. It was a royal town of great political, cultural, and economic importance during the European Middle Ages. The historic town centre has been well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation -  protected properties designated by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.  

The sender lives in Madrid, but is from Sevilla. The week before she sent this card, she was in Asturias, an autonomous community in northwest Spain. An interesting fact about the area is it has a rich Celtic history. During the Middle Ages, the Asturias today was a part of a larger Kingdom of Asturias. This was founded in 711 by the Visigoth, Pelagius. At the time the Iberian Peninsula was Muslim control. Pelagius defeated the Ummayyad army at the Battle of Covadonga. Many historians considered this battle the beginning of the Reconquista.  The Kingdom of Asturias lasted until 924 when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of León.  As a part of Spain, it became an autonomous community in 1981. This gives Asturias more power over its own healthcare, education, and protection of the environment.  Gijón is the largest city in Asturias with about 270 000 people, with it's second largest city, Oviedo, at 220 000 people as the capital city.  Asturias is one of the be...