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Next week is Carnival time in Europe, so get ready for a week of celebration. The kids will be out of school and traffic might be heavier, but there are some good volksmarching opportunities.

This weekend’s walk in Bad Marienberg features the first IVV swim event of the new year. You can choose from three walking distances and two swim distances. If you want more, there are two permanent walks in the area, which offer four more walking routes. You can get a lot of IVV stamps in Bad Marienberg this weekend!

In Belgium, there are two walks very close to each other Saturday. After walking in the morning at Battice, you might try an afternoon walk 15 kilometers away in Housse. Please note that while the Battice walk is both Saturday and Sunday, the Housse walk is Saturday afternoon only.

The event in Darmsheim, Germany, is a Stammtisch walk for the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club (SGAWC), so look for its blue club flag at a table in the start hall. Start time for this event is at 7 a.m., and you can walk 6, 10 or 20 kilometers.

The blue flag of the SGAWC will again fly Tuesday at the event in Winnenden. The new 6- and 10-kilometer routes open at 9 a.m. After the walk, join the club and enjoy the special Fasching menu. There will be B-medals available, but the real prizes will be the beautiful walk, the special food and the opportunity to meet some enthusiastic walkers.

Closing out Carnival week is the big walk in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Feb. 25-26. This is one of the premier walks in Germany. If you have not made plans yet, it’s not too late. There will be more details next week, but here’s the basic information:

Saturday the 6-, 11- and 21- kilometer trails start between 7 a.m. and noon. From noon to 4 p.m., you can start the 11-kilometer old-city route. Sunday, start the 6- and 11- kilometer trails between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. and the 21-kilometer route between 7 a.m. and noon.

The start hall is only a five-minute walk from the train station, so if transportation is a problem, consider the train.

Expect a crowd in the start hall; people will be coming by the busload. There will be music, vendors and lots of food and drink. If you get there early, buy your food coupons before you walk. That way you can get directly in the food line when you get back without having to queue up first.

On the trail, be ready for mud to ice and maybe even snow. Outside the city can be hilly, and inside the city there are cobblestone streets. Sturdy shoes are highly recommended. Strollers might have some difficult spots. If you have done the regular club walk before, try walking the permanent trail this time. If the weather is clear, you can see a beautiful panoramic view of the city.

We will write more next week about what to see inside the city, but there are plenty of things to see and do in Rothenburg. Why not do recon for a future trip?

Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.

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