Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.
Happy Turkey Day, everybody! The event you’ve been waiting for is here: the Ramstein Roadrunners’ Annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.
If you have the day off, there is no better place to be than Volksmarching in the Ramstein area. Thanksgiving might be an American holiday, but why not start it with a touch of German culture? A brisk walk through the forests and fields to build up the metabolism and then having a bratwurst and a cold beverage to hold you over until turkey time sounds like a great way to spice up the holiday. Take the opportunity to log a few extra kilometers and spend some quality time on the trail with family or friends.
The Turkey Trot begins in the village of Ramstein, Germany, at the TV 03 Turnhalle at the intersection of Jahnstrasse and Landstuhler Strasse. The easiest way to get there is to take the road connecting the villages of Landstuhl and Ramstein, head toward Ramstein, and you’ll see the Turnhalle on your left, less than a half-kilometer from the little traffic circle near the Shell station.
The 5- and 10-kilometer trails start between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.; the finish time is 3 p.m. Please finish by then so club members and other volunteers can quickly clean up and get home to their Thanksgiving meals. This year’s souvenir is a 35-centimeter-tall snowman, complete with a green outfit, hat, scarf and shovel. This would make a very unusual Christmas present!
Don’t forget to donate some baked goods for the club to sell. Homemade and store-bought are both welcome.
If you can’t make it to the walk Thursday but want some information about the Ramstein Roadrunners, check out its Web site, www.ava.org/clubs/ramsteinroadrunners.
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Last week we mentioned torch walks during November. Now we would like to mention the torch walks for December. The DVV Web site has three listed for Germany. They are:
• Dec. 8: Schmallenberg- Holthausen, postal code 57392. The walk starts between 4 and 6 p.m.
• Dec. 29: Landsberg am Lech, 86899, starting between 5 and 7 p.m.
• Dec. 30: Wolferstadt, 86709. This is a Sunday walk, starting between 5 and 7 p.m.
We received only one flier for a torch walk this week and it’s for the walk in Gundelfingen, east of Ulm, Germany.
On Saturday, you can walk a regular Volksmarch between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The torch walk starts between 4 and 6 p.m. The routes are either 5 or 10 kilometers with torches for sale at the controls. The flier recommends that you take a flashlight.
The prize for this walk is a B-medal pillow from last year. We remember that it had a crochet design. Since it is a B- medal, quantities are limited. You also can walk these routes on Sunday between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
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The Wanderfreunde Bischofsdhron club has been known to hold torch walks in the past, but this year it has a new attraction.
Not only will you get to visit the castle ruins, inside the ruins they will have a medieval knights’ camp. You can start the 5- and 10-kilometer routes on both days between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. Start the 20k trail between 7 a.m. and noon, and finish by 4:30 p.m. The 5k route is stroller- friendly and Nordic walkers are welcome. The club is not offering a prize this year, so you’ll be walking for IVV credit only, and the chance to see the knights’ campground.
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The walk through Luxembourg City is this Sunday. Starting in the Kirchberg suburb northeast of the city center, you can walk routes of six or 12 kilometers. Start time is between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
We did a walk through this capital city a couple of years ago and were impressed by the blend of old and new architecture. This is a very old city with a very modern touch. The walk is for IVV credit only.
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A hearty “merci” to some of our fellow walkers who took time to mail us Volksmarch brochures. This week they are William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro, Manfred Dahl, Lew Harrison, Wayne Henry, David Kuik, Diane Lockman, Tim and Luchi Lynch, Pat Patterson and Dawn St. John.
And a special thanks to the Ramstein Roadrunners and the volunteers who are out working on the holiday so that we can enjoy a Volksmarch.
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Miscellaneous short notes about this week’s events:
• You can get a wallet as the prize for completing the Volksmarch in Aulendorf, Germany. The 6-, 10- and 15-kilometer marches begin both days from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. except for a noon cutoff on Sunday for the 15k route. After your walk, relax in the local Thermalbad. or visit the castle museum for a reduced price, with your valid start card.
• The walk in Albstadt, Germany, has an interesting prize. It is a teddy bear with a scarf and stocking cap. Looks like an excellent stocking stuffer to us.
• Again this year, the walk in Wiesenfeld, Germany, is on Sunday only.
• The prize for the walk in Tiefenbach is a “Vliestasche.” We translate that as a “fleece pocket,” but are not really sure what that is. It might be worth doing the walk just to find out!
Clark Soeldner’s tidbits for this week’s Italian walks:
• The Fagagna walk is high on my list of favorites. It is in the hills with beautiful views, especially toward San Daniele. In the past, for the longer distances, they have had a restoro at a private residence that has a fantastic mosaic, called the Four Seasons, along the entire face of the building. This has to be seen; it cannot be described.
• The Breganze walk starts at the Bartolomeo Winery and the prize is two bottles of wine.
E-mail Volksmarch schedule information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09703-0278.
