Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.
It is Father’s Day weekend. Mom and kids, tell Dad he can sleep in any other day — today you want to go on a Volksmarch with him. Dads, what a great way to spend a day with the family. Get some fresh air, exercise, quality time with your loved ones and a bratwurst that someone else cooks and cleans up after. Too good to be true!
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The last time we did our “Mark your calendars” section, we forgot to mention some good upcoming walks. We have been to all of these cities and have enjoyed each of these walks. Please add these to the list:
• June 23-24, Malberg/Eifel, Germany, hosted by the Spangdahlem Eifel Wanderers. We’ll give more details next week.
• July 14, Trois Ponts, Belgium, and July 14-15, Malmedy, Belgium. These towns played key roles in the Ardennes Offensive of 1944. If you go to either walk, be sure to visit the crossroads at Baugnez, Belgium, to see the memorial to the murdered American POWs.
• July 21-22, Xhoffraix, Belgium. We won’t even try to pronounce this city’s name, but it is in one of the prettiest parts of Belgium. We visited a couple of years ago, and the trails through the countryside were gorgeous. The huge pine trees, streams and the little wooden bridges combined for a very picturesque walk.
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Members of the Kylltalwanderer Kordel e.V., celebrate their 29th anniversary walk this weekend at the Turnhalle in Kordel, Germany. The walk is very convenient for the folks at nearby Spangdahlem and Bitburg. A terra cotta pedestal is the prize for the 5k, 10k and 20k marches. At almost 13 inches tall and about 8 inches wide and sporting a floral design, it seems ideal for displaying a small potted plant or possibly a garden troll or two. The Saturday trails start at 1 p.m. with a last start time of 6 p.m. for the 5k and 10k, and 5 p.m. for the 20k. You have to finish all by 9 p.m. The start window for all three trails Sunday is 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a 5 p.m. finish time.
If you have extra time after the walk, visit nearby Trier, the oldest city in Germany, or drive along the Moselle and enjoy the vineyard and river views. Or, if World War II history is more to your liking, visit the Westwall Bunker in Irrel, Germany, on Sunday between 2 and 5 p.m. About 10 miles due west of Kordel, the Katzenkopf Bunker has been restored by the hard work and thousands of hours volunteered by the local fire department and friends. For more details, visit the Web site www.westwallmuseum-irrel.de; there is an English link.
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Thanks to the following for mailing fliers: Mary Campbell; William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro; Manfred Dahl; Bob Gambert; Michael Gdowski; Lew Harrison; Egon Hatfield; Wayne Henry; Ramona and Horst Kechelen; Tim and Luchi Lynch; John and Patty Marsh; Pat Patterson; Dawn St. John; Nancy Shawley and Jose Valdez.
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Notes about this week’s events:
• The walks in Oirsbeek, Netherlands, do not give IVV credit, but since they are so convenient for the Schinnen, Brunssum and Geilenkirchen communities, we feel they deserve a quick note.
• There are two all-night walks listed this week. The first is the night marathon at Jesolo, Italy. For information in English, visit www.nightmarathon.it. This looks like a huge event. The other all-nighter is in Gulpen, Netherlands. This 70-kilometer route is very popular. For more information, see www.nachtvangulpen.nl. This site is only in Dutch.
• The Belgian walks in Eupen and Plombieres are only about 10 miles apart. Here is a chance to do two walks in one day. They are also very close to the American Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle, a beautiful spot to visit and pay your respects to the dead and missing Americans from WWII.
Now for Clark Soeldner’s Italian walking tidbits:
• The walk in Carre is called the Passeggiata Panoramica. There are some beautiful panoramic views along the route. It is well worth doing if you like mountain-type walks.
• The Ziano di Fiemme walk will also offer some beautiful mountain views, along with mountain grades. The Saturday walk is 10 kilometers, but it can be repeated for additional credit. The walk on Sunday appears to have different routes. For information or lodging, contact the tourist information office at (+39) (0) 462-570016.
E-mail volksmarch schedule information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to The Huffakers, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09703-0278.
