The place to walk this weekend is Malmedy, Belgium. We have done this walk several times and have never been disappointed. Located in the Ardennes, the routes will have you in the forests and hills, and there are plenty of distances to pick from. Saturday, you can walk six, 12, 20, 30 or 42 kilometers. Sunday’s distances are six, 12 and 20 kilometers, and if you’re an early bird, you can hit the trails at 6 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday.
While you are in Malmedy, be sure to visit the very nice museum and cafe at the Baugnez 44 Historical Center in the Malmedy suburb of Baugnez. The museum is adjacent to the field where American POWs were massacred in 1944 and across the street from the memorial dedicated to their memory. For more information, visit www.baugnez44.be.
• If you’re looking for a beer stein as a volksmarch prize, head to Grombach, Germany, this weekend. It is a B-medal award, so the date on it might be a few years old, but beer steins are harder to come by these days.
• Sunday’s event in Donzdorf is a Stammtisch walk for the Stuttgart German American Wandering Club. Its blue club flag will be on a table at the start hall. Stop by and say hello.
• If you are near Heidelberg this weekend, be sure you see the castle illumination Saturday night. This is a fabulous fireworks display that starts at about 10:15 p.m. The crowds can get pretty big, so find a good viewing place early in the evening.
• Here is the next installment of upcoming walks for you to mark on your calendars. Please make note of the walks in Stuttgart, July 30 and 31; Heidelberg, Sept. 24 and 25; and the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot at Ramstein, All walks are in Germany, unless otherwise noted.• July 30-31: Stuttgart;• July 30-31: Bamberg;• Aug. 7: Houmont, Belgium, 17th Airborne Walk;• Aug. 7: Gangelt, Germany, sponsored by the Schinveld, Netherlands, club;• Aug. 27-28: Creglingen; • Oktoberfest in Munich, Sept. 17 -Oct. 3;• Sept. 3-5: Versailles and Paris bus trip with Heidelberg;• Sept. 17-18: Kützberg torch walk;• Sept. 18: Wiltz, Luxembourg;• Sept. 24-25: Heidelberg;• Oct. 2: Longvilly, Belgium;• Nov. 24: Ramstein Turkey Trot;• Oct. 2: Longvilly, Belgium;•Nov. 27: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Christmas market walk;• Oct. 2: Longvilly, Belgium;•Dec. 10: Bastogne Historical Walk.
Thanks to those who contributed to this week’s column. They are: William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro, Michael and Michelle Connor, Cath and Rob Floyd, Bob Gambert, Richard and Donna Glenn, Wayne Henry, Ramona and Horst Kechelen, Tim and Luchi Lynch, “Pat” and Cheryl Patterson, Rick and Wanda Sciascia and Nancy Shawley.
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
