Tropic of Cancer Monument in Rueisuei, Hualien

Postcard TW-1957358 from Taiwan shows the Tropic of Cancer Monument in Rueisuei (瑞穗) Township, Hualien County (花蓮縣), Taiwan.

The Tropic of Cancer is the most northerly circle of latitude at 23.5ºN on the Earth that may have the Sun directly overhead at the time of the Northern solstice (夏至). In 2016, this "shadowless" effect occurs at noon local time on June 20 at 23.43715°N when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent.

The.Tropic of Cancer Monument was originally placed to the west of Rueisuei Train Station in 1933. It was relocated to to the Wuhe (舞鶴) Terrace on Provincial Highway No.9 in 1981 due to expansion of the Eastern Line Railway. However, the new location is actually two kilometers south of the Tropic of Cancer.

Two additional Tropic of Cancer monuments can be found in Taiwan at Shuishang (水上) Township, Jiayi County (嘉義縣), and Fengbin (豐濱) Township, Hualien County respectively.

Love Locks and the Pont des Arts

Postcard SG-157009 from Singapore shows a loving couple at the Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge which crosses the River Seine in Paris, France. It was first built between 1802 and 1804, under the reign of Napoleon I, at the present location as the first metal bridge in Paris. Listed as a National Historic Monument on March 17, 1975, the Pont des Arts is also part of the World Heritage Site "Banks of the Seine" in Paris, recognized by UNESCO in 1991.

The bridge has been known for those love locks attached to the railing since 2008. Couples engrave their names on the padlocks and throw the keys into the Seine river after locking them in place as a gesture of committed love. However, as the number of locks became overwhelming, city officials in Paris started to remove some lock-laden railings and replace them with special glass panels in September, 2014. The Mayor's Office in Paris launched a #lovewithoutlocks campaign to encourage people to take "selfies" instead of leaving love locks.

Sailing along Rotterdam

Postcard NL-2675928 from the Netherlands shows Euromast, an observation tower in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Designed by Hugh Maaskant and constructed between 1958 and 1960, it was specially built for the 1960 Floriade. It has a "crow's nest" observation platform and a restaurant at 96 meters or 315 feet above-ground. Euromast was originally 101 meters or 331 feet in height. When the Space Tower was added on top of the building in 1970, it added an additional 85 meters or 279 feet in height. At 186 meters or 610 feet, Euromast is the tallest building in Rotterdam, the second-largest city in the Netherlands. In comparison, the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas stands at 350.2 meters or 1,149 feet. Euromast became a listed monument in 2010.

Moon Over the East Temple in Kyoto

Postcard JP-531477 from Japan shows the East Temple (東寺)  in Kyoto, Japan. It is famous for the five-story pagoda with layered tower, dated from 796, as the tallest wooden tower in Japan at 54.8 meters. The pagoda has been a symbol of Kyoto. It is part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto" World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO.

Julien Dubuque Monument

Postcard US-2566039 shows the Julien Dubuque Monument, final resting place of the founder of Dubuque, Iowa. Julien Dubuque was a French Canadian from Champlain, Quebec, one of the first European men to settle in the area that is now known as Dubuque, Iowa. He initially received permission from the Meskwaki Indian tribe to mine the lead in 1788,  eventually married Potosa, daughter of Peosta, the chief of the Mesquakie Indians. He subsequently submitted the claim to Spain since Spain controlled the territory prior to 1801. The Spanish approved a land grant for him in 1796.

Julien died of pneumonia on March 24,1810, and was buried on the bluff above Catfish Creek. After his death, the Meskwaki built a log crypt for him, covering his grave with a wooden and stone shelter. In 1897, the structure was replaced by an imposing stone monument built of Galena limestone quarried from the bluff. The founder was buried four feet into the ground inside the monument. The final cost of the twelve-foot diameter, twenty-nine foot high Late-Gothic-Revival style structure was $560.

The Monument was listed on National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1988; it was declared a National Historic Landmark on November 4, 1993.

Father's Day in Taiwan

Postcard TW-974119 from Taiwan arrived coincidentally on August 8, 2013, the Father's Day in Taiwan. While not an official holiday, it is widely celebrated because the pronunciation of the number 8 in Mandarin Chinese, representing both the eighth day and the eighth month, is similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character "爸", which means "father".

The postcard shows the Taichung Park Pavilion located in the middle of the Sun Moon Lake in the Taichung Park, a city historical site. The park was initially built during the Japanese occupation. It has a lot of historical buildings and monuments, including the "Victory against the Japanese Occupation Monument" built in 1947. It is also the location of the Taiwan Origin Reference Point (台灣地籍測量三角原點中心碑). In recent years, people have celebrated Lantern Festival in the park.

California Volunteers Monument

California Volunteers Monument

My traveling postcard US-2293204 to Russia shows California Volunteers, Spanish-American War Memorial, located at the intersection of Dolores Street and Market Street in San Francisco, CA, USA.

Created by Douglas Tilden in 1903, the monument features Bellona, the Roman goddess of war, riding a Pegasus. It is dedicated to the Californians who fought the Spanish-American War in the Philippines.

The coordinates of the monuments are: 37°46'7"N 122°25'36"W. The photo was taken on June 23, 2012. You can purchase a copy of the postcard at Zazzle.com or see what's around the monument at Traveling Luck.