Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.
Hooray, hooray for the first of May! With May 1 fast approaching, we have a five-day weekend of walks ahead of us. Even if you have to work the weekend, you can still get in a walk or two on Friday, Monday or Tuesday.
The walk in Stegaurach looks convenient for the folks in the Bamberg area, and the Homburg Volksmarch is convenient for readers in Würzburg. The walks in Bierbach are only 30-some miles from the Kaiserslautern area, and there is another walk in Wiesbaden this weekend. The next few days provide plenty of opportunities to get out and see something new in Europe.
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The walk this weekend in Hohenfels sounds like a great one. It will start and end in the town, but portions of the routes will go through the normally off-limits American training areas. From Autobahn 3, take the Parsberg exit, No. 94, and follow the signs for about six miles to Hohenfels. The start hall is at the Kulturzentrum-Keltensaal, and walkers can start the 5-, 10- and 20-kilometer routes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and 7-11 a.m. Sunday. You must be finished by 6 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
The prize is a mouse figure for your garden. Looking at the flier, this is not your run-of-the-mill mouse; it is a dapper-looking character with a polo shirt, trousers, cap and pipe.
After you finish the walk, visit the German-American Volksfest at the American base. The Volksfest runs through May 1. There undoubtedly will be some great Bavarian food available. Look for gate No. 1 to get to the Volksfest.
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This Saturday is the Kiddie Volksmarch at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. Sponsored by the Heidelberg International Wandering Club, the event is geared to children 12 and younger. There is no entrance fee, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Each child will receive a medal and certificate upon completion of the 5-kilometer walk. However, since the event is not IVV sanctioned, there will be no IVV awards. Only miliary ID holders and their family members may participate.
The start is at the library parking lot between 9 a.m. and noon. For more information, contact Rob Floyd at hiwc@ yahoo.com.
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Monday is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands, so we will be at the walk in Rimburg. We hope it will take us past Schloss Rimburg, the scene of heavy fighting as U.S. troops crossed the Wurm River into Germany in World War II.
While Rimburg is in the Netherlands, the castle is across the river in Germany. You can park at the church and walk across the bridge to get to the castle. The castle complex is a series of private residences, so it is not open to the public, but it’s still a nice area for a Volksmarch.
If you live in the Schinnen, Brunssum or Geilenkirchen areas, this is the walk for you on Queen’s Day. • • •
If you happen to be in Austria this weekend, there are walks Friday evening and Saturday morning in Jennersdorf. Friday you can walk with the president of the Austrian Volkssport Association. A couple of years ago, I (Bob) ran into him at a Volksmarch in Garden Ridge, Texas, just north of San Antonio, so I know this guy gets around.
After the Saturday walk, make sure you visit the Vossen factory outlet in Jennersdorf. Vossen is one of Europe’s leading towel manufacturers, and they have a reputation for producing high quality, heavyweight towels, bathrobes and bath mats. The outlet is open 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturdays. The prize for completing the walk is a Vossen hand towel.
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Don’t forget next weekend’s walk at Ramstein. Those who have walked here before cannot say, “Been there, done that,” because the sponsors have all new trails this year! We understand that the 5- and 10-kilometer routes are stroller friendly.
This year’s prize is a beautiful beer mug, but the quantity is limited, so arrive early! We’ll be there Saturday morning to see the Landstuhl nurses’ display in honor of Nurses Week.
You can still sign up to volunteer or to donate baked goods. Contact Judy Kintz at: judy.kintz@us.army.mil to see how you can help. If you have already signed up, you can earn your IVV credit by attending the “workers walk” this Sunday at 1 p.m.
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A big thank you to those who sent brochures this week: Mary Campbell; William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro; Theresia Fontaine; Bob Gambert; Michael Gdowski; Egon Hatfield; Wayne Henry; Ramona and Horst Kechelen; David Kuik; Tim and Luchi Lynch; John and Patty Marsh; Pat Patterson; Dawn St. John; Nancy Shawley; Jose Valdez; and Ed Whitworth.
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Notes about this week’s events:
• Sunday’s walk in Larochette, Luxembourg, is close to the excellent military museum in Diekirch. It’s open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily until Nov. 1. Visit www. nat-military- museum.lu for more details.
• The Volksmarch in Girkenroth has added a 30k route.
Clark Soeldner’s Italian walking notes:
• “I have done the Buttrio walk a couple of times and really enjoyed it. The routes usually have mild hills and great restoros. In the past they have had good awards, but usually in limited quantities — about enough for the first 600 walkers.
• “When I did the Palmanova walk in 2006, the route took us most of the way around the outer walls of the city. We finished by entering the city through a candle-lit tunnel through the outer wall.”
• The prize for the walk in Zimella is a personalized certificate of participation and seven pounds of potatoes.
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to: Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09703-0278.