Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.

It’s Father’s Day weekend! Moms and kids, tell Dad he can sleep in any 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 members of the Kylltalwanderer Kordel e.V., hold their 30th anniversary volksmarch this weekend at the Turnhalle in Kordel, Germany. This walk is very convenient for the folks at nearby Spangdahlem and Bitburg.

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 wrap up your trail by 9 p.m. The start window for all three trails on Sunday is 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a 5 p.m. finish time.

If you find yourself with some 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 through the hard work and thousands of hours volunteered by the local fire department and their friends. For more information go to the Web at www.westwallmuseum-irrel.de. There is an English link.

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Sunday’s walk in Paris is through the Montmartre district. The start is at Gymnase Léon Biancotto, near the Metro station Porte de Clichy. There are more walks in Paris on Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Dec. 6 and next January’s Rallye Paris Tour Eiffel. Watch this space for more information.

Another Sunday walk is in Höfen, Germany, just south of Monschau. A tiny town tucked into a steep valley, Monschau is a beautiful place to visit. The two longer trails, 16 and 24 kilometers, go through the town. The 24k route also takes you close to the Belgian border. This could provide a unique view of the dragon’s teeth of the Siegfried Line. If the shops in Monschau are open, make sure you get some of the honey-poppy-seed mustard made at the Senfmühle. For more information, as well as a map of the route, visit www.kreis-aachen.de/wandertag.

For an excellent walk Saturday, head to Vianden, Luxembourg, and walk through some of the most beautiful countryside in Europe. The six- and 11-kilometer routes start between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.; start the 15k and 20k distances until noon. After the walk, make sure you visit the castle.

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If your summer travel plans include a trip to the United States, make sure you check out the American Volkssport Association Web page at www.ava.org. You can find club walks as well as more than 1,700 permanent volksmarches. If you are traveling to the San Antonio area, stop by AVA headquarters in the suburb of Universal City and say "Hi" to the folks there. The San Antonio area has many permanent trails, including one of our favorites, the Fort Sam Houston 10-kilometer walk.

As Bob was preparing for a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in 2000, he walked this route with a full backpack on several occasions. You’ll need to do the downtown Riverwalk permanent trail, too. Make sure you have sunscreen and water as you walk these trails.

If you are serious about volksmarching in the States, you need to get a copy of Starting Point 2008. This book is more than 600 pages long and lists all of the IVV-sanctioned permanent walking trails in the U.S. This book can be ordered through the AVA Web site and costs $15 plus shipping. Why not get a copy and start planning your walks now?

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Thanks to the following for mailing fliers: William Castro and Maureen McHugh-Castro, Manfred Dahl, John and Evelyn Golembe, Wayne Henry, Ramona and Horst Kechelen, Doug LeVien, Tim and Luchi Lynch, Pat Patterson, Dawn St. John and Nancy Shawley.

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.

• The flier states that the Festplatz is a new start location for the Markt Erlbach walk.

• The prize for completing the walk in Hirschau, Germany, is a dog piggybank.

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 the mountain-type walks.

• If you are interested in the weeklong walking event at Selva di val Gardenia from June 29 to July 4, it costs 10 euros less if you sign up before June 23. After that it’s 100 euros for the week’s walks. For more information, call 0039-471-777900 or e-mail selva@valgardena.it.

E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09703-0278.

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