Here are some notes about this week’s events:
• A popular event each year in the Kaiserslautern, Germany, area is the one in Queidersbach. You can start the 5- and 10-kilometer trails Saturday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday’s routes start between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. The start is at the Sport and Mehrzweckhalle at Jahnstrasse 11. Only B medals are available, while quantities last.
• Find another nice walk in Elpersdorf b. Ansbach, Germany, this weekend. This is the Ansbach German-American Wanderclub’s annual German-American Friendship Volksmarch. Start the 5-, 10- and 20-kilometer trails both days between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. All routes are Nordic-walking friendly. The start is at the Autohaus Oppel at Liebigstrasse 1 in Ansbach-Elpendorf. The prize is a B-medal.
• The event in Lauterach, Germany, offers B-medals this year. Last year, the prize was a small umbrella. With luck, you might be able to pick one up this year.
• The first Easter-themed prize of the year — a seven-inch-tall ceramic bunny — has shown up at the walk in Kasendorf, Germany. We saw one on display in Rothenburg, and it’s a cute little memento.
• After-action report: Rothenburg, Germany: The walk in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, two weeks ago was a blast! It was a special weekend of volksmarching with old and new friends, good food, touring a historic walled city, learning more about German history and culture, and of course, good shopping. We can’t wait until next year!
If you would like to do the permanent walk in Rothenburg, there will be a guided walk of this trail April 27 starting at 2 p.m. This usually is 11 kilometers long, but there also will be a 6-km route. The shorter route is pretty hilly and is not stroller friendly.
Feb. 25 was a perfect day for walking. The fun started Thursday afternoon when we arrived in Rothenburg. After checking in at our Gasthaus, we were off to do some shopping. Friday morning we walked the permanent trail outside Rothenburg, where we hoped to get a beautiful panoramic view of the city. While the weather was mild, it was also overcast, which left us with a hazy view. The walk starts at the Hotel-Gasthof Post, where we had a very nice lunch after the walk. Lorraine had a cream of horseradish soup with bits of salmon and Bob had pancake soup. This was the first we had heard of these soups, and they were very good. Then it was off to see more of Rothenburg’s shops.Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and were ready to start walking by 8:30. The Heidelberg International Wandering Club bus had arrived and their club flag was in the front row of tables in the start hall. After chatting with club members for a while, it was time to hit the trail. The morning walk was nice and it gave us a chance to talk with Rob and Cath Floyd from Heidelberg about some walks they have done for their Europa Cup awards.When we got back to the start hall, we noticed the maroon flag of the Ramstein Road Runners and the blue flag from the Stuttgart German American Wandering Club were flying proudly on tables next to the Heidelberg flag. This is two years in a row that the three big American clubs in Germany have shared adjacent tables at a major event. The only downside we could see was that the tables were mostly empty because almost everyone was out enjoying the walks. We still had a chance to chat with many friends and dedicated volksmarchers. It’s always such a pleasure to see these folks and catch up on current events and swap walking stories. After a lunch of Bratwurst and Pommes, many folks headed out for the Old City walk. We passed on this walk this year and did more shopping in town. We found a few more pieces of art for Bob to frame in a couple of stores and, of course, visited Käthe Wohlfahrt’s Christmas store. We bought mostly Easter decorations, but some Christmas items found their way into the basket as well.At 5:30 p.m. we headed to St. Jacob’s Church for a concert by a choir from Augustana College in Illinois. The acoustics in the church were awesome and the program was very enjoyable.Then it was off to dinner. In the past, we have done the Night Watchman’s tour of Rothenburg two or three times. At the end of the walk, the Night Watchman points out a restaurant with the name “Hell,” saying that it is rather nice and that if someone in Rothenburg tells you to “Go to hell,” it is a compliment.After a beautiful choir concert in a beautiful Gothic church, we went to Hell for dinner. Hell was pretty busy for a night in the low tourist season, and we were very lucky to get in without a reservation. Several groups were turned away after we were seated. Who would have thought you would need reservations to get into Hell? The food was good. Bob had the “Devils Spit,” which was a skewer with meat and vegetables with a peppery sauce. Lorraine had venison with potato dumplings. The food, service and atmosphere were nice in Hell, but we decided not to stay there too long. As we left, we noted there were no open parking spaces near Hell, so you might as well walk there. After another leisurely breakfast Sunday morning, we stopped by the town flea market before heading home. Since the market was located in a parking garage, most of the tables were dimly lit, so it was difficult to see many of the items for sale. We had been very successful in our other shopping adventures over the weekend, so we cut this visit short and started the long drive home. • Finally, a big thanks to the folks who sent fliers for this column: William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro, Michael and Michelle Connor, Celia and Austin Entwistle, Cath and Rob Floyd, Richard and Donna Glenn, Tim and Luchi Lynch, “Pat” and Cheryl Patterson, Bob Gambert and Wayne Henry.
Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
