I get so many cards from Germany and the United States, it is a thrill to receive one from a country with a small number of Postcrossers. The United Arab Emirates has about 300 Postcrossers. The sender is an expat of (I think) the United States. This is a great card because it is commemorating the Special Olympics World Games in 2019. The sender said she volunteered at this event. About a dozen or so cards back, I received a card from Germany with a Special Olympics World Games stamp on it. It was the latest SOWG.  I have worked with Special Olympics athletes in the past and I always enjoy spending time with many of them. Although they are competing against one another, they are always encouraging one another and are happy when someone does well.  At our lawn bowls club, we have the local Special Olympics Bocce players come on Mondays. There is always laughing and joy. They are also hosting a regional tournament this summer. Members of the club are looking forward to volunteer...

There are a couple of things I would like to highlight on this card. Firstly, this is a night shot of the Brandenburg Gate. It is, of course, one of Berlin's best known landmarks. It was built between 1788 to 1791 under orders of King Frederick William II of Prussia. It is the former city gate and it marked the start of the road from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel, which was the capital city of Margraviate of Brandenburg. During the Cold War, the gate marked the division between West Berlin and East Berlin. Today, it is considered a symbol of unity and peace in Europe. Secondly, the postage stamp commemorates the Special Olympics World Games, which were held in Berlin in 2023. At my lawn bowling club, we actually held a regional bocce tournament for teams from Medicine Hat, Calgary, Edmonton, and Whitehorse. One bocce player from this tournament was going to be chosen to represent Canada at the games in Berlin. I wish I could report it was a local bocce player. I'm not sure...