Keila is an old Estonian town of just over 10 000 people. There is evidence of human settlement in the area from 2000-3000 BCE. Around 1000 CE, the village of Keila was established along the Keila River. In 1219, the Danish conquered the area and made Keila the site for the County Church. It was dedicated to St. Michael. The original wooden church was replaced with a stone structure near the end of the 1200s.  During the Livonian War (1558-1583), Keila was destroyed. In 1601-1602, the plague and starvation also decimated the population. Keila remained a small church village for three more centuries.  The Soviet Union had a tank base near Keila. The locals called in Tankipolk. It was demolished a few years after the USSR left Estonia. Today a residential area is found where the old base was.  Pille-Riin is a mother with twin daughters (12 yrs) and they are all active with the local scouts. She loves Scottish Terriers and West Highland Terriers. The card she sent is bi...

When I first saw the name of Châtel-Saint-Denis I thought it would be an interesting place full of historic buildings, skiers, and various tourist activities. Instead, the village of about 7000, doesn't mention any of that. There is a church, Saint-Denis, that is listed as a heritage site of national significance.  The sender of the card, Eva, is a Czech national who moved to Switzerland with her boyfriend. They have a daughter together. Eva's biography is sad as she says she regrets moving to Switzerland as the Swiss tend to be cold and uninterested in new relationships. She lost her job 2.5 years ago and can't seem to find another one, despite having two university degrees. A lack of public transit where she is makes it difficult to get out and about. It is one of the sadder biographies I've read on Postcrossing. I hope she finds what she is looking for. Her card is awesome! It's a photo of a Swiss campground from the 1960s. It's in black and white. There are ...

Prague ( Praha)  is over 1000 years old, but humans have been in the area since Palaeolithic Age. There are 1.3 million people in Prague, and 2.7 in the metropolitan area. It is a centre for arts in Europe boasting 10 major museums. Prague is the 5th most visited city in Europe and is considered an Alpha global city. HC Sparta Praha plays in the Czech Extraliga and at the O2 Arena - the second largest in Europe - with 17 383 spectators. HC Slavia Praha plays int he Czech Second Hockey League.  Martina is a pharmacists and loves to be outdoors hiking, geocaching, and just travelling in general. She recommends "A Beer in the Loire" by Tommy Barnes. I like her Postcrossing specific card.

Shanghai  上海市  is China's largest city at about 25 000 000 people - that's 3900 people/km2. Humans have lived in the area for 6000 years. Shanghai means "upon the sea." The earliest used of Shanghai is in the 11th century. It is believed that an area of modern day Shanghai was below sea level, so the land appeared to be literally "on the sea." Lee doesn't have anything written in his profile, nor did he write a message on the card. The card, I think, has the Chinese symbol for water. Please correct me if I am wrong. 

Another large city of more than 8 million people! That's twice the number of people in my entire province. Quanzhou  泉州市  is an ancient city it was used by Wang Guoqing until General Yang Su took it and used it as a base of operations in the 590s. Muslim traders arrived in the 700s and called it Zalton, or City of Olives. In the 19th century it was a smuggling centre for opium. Jenny is a high school senior. Her card had some water damage on it. However it is a cool card as it shows China at night from space. 

After talking about Shenzhen in the previous post, Changzhou  常州市  seems like a village in comparison with only 4.6 million people. Changzhou is a traditional commercial centre and distribution centre for agricultural produce. It is also an educational hub with five universities and technical institutes.  Tommy is 10 years old and says he likes to walk and talk with his friends. I'm not sure what the words on the front of the card mean but it looks like a scene from a movie.

The next time you find yourself in a crowded mall, think about Shenzhen. Shenzhen has 12.6 million people! It is also a part of the Pearl River Delta Megalopolis that includes Macau and Hong Kong and there are 57.15 million people here. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Shenzhen is also the richest area in China and has the fourth highest number of billionaires in the world.  It is considered an Alpha city and the leading financial centre in Asia-Pacific region.  Jinkun lives here and is attending university. He would like to visit Calgary one day and go skiing. He'll find a lot of room in Calgary with only 1.4 million people.