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We are on our way back to The Netherlands after a few weeks in the States. We took information with us on permanent trails in the areas we were visiting, and we’ll let you know how we did in upcoming columns.

If you have plans to go back to the States this summer, look up some walks near you. The best reference for IVV walks in the U.S. is the American Volkssport Associations Web page, www.ava.org. There is a list of links on the left side. Click on “Locate Walking Events,” which will open a page with links to either traditional walks or permanent, year-round events. Choosing one of these links will open an interactive map where you can select the state of your choice. This is a fun site with a lot of information about volksmarching in the U.S. Be sure to take your IVV books with you.

If you’re looking for a history-related walk this weekend, head over to Ettelbruck, Luxembourg. After this walk, head to the excellent National Military Museum in Diekirch.

The walk in Hottenbach, Germany, near Idar-Oberstein, is not far from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. The prize is a stone from their mineral series mounted for display.

The event in Ebernhahn, just off the A3, north of Limburg, also has been a good walk. Choose routes ranging from six to 50 kilometers. The prize is a big, green frog garden decoration for the shorter routes and a colorful patch for the marathon distances. Children younger than 16 walk for free.

On, Wednesday three towns near Stromberg will stagger the start times of their walk events so you can finish one and head to the next. The first walk starts at 7 a.m. in Waldalgesheim. We hope to be there again this year. We’ll be looking for you!

We just got our first copy of the flier for the Heidelberg volksmarch coming up Sept. 8-9. With the Army moving out of Heidelberg, this will be the last volksmarch for the Heidelberg International Wandering Club. This could be the end of this wonderful club, but they are going all-out to make this a volksmarch to remember. The prize will be a glass beer mug with colorful scenes from around the city.

The Heidelberg volksmarch in 1996 was one of Bob’s first European walks. He took the train from Würzburg to Heidelberg and then a taxi to the start hall. At the start hall, the room was crowded, the music was loud and food and beer was everywhere. Bob thought, “Now, this is what I call a volksmarch!” After walking the 10-kilometer trail, Bob found the start hall was still loud and crowded!

Since we returned to Europe in 2000, we have tried to attend this event every year and we have never been disappointed. You just can’t beat a wonderful walk through one of the prettiest cities in Europe. The visit with friends and the food and beer at the start hall are icing on the cake. Count on seeing us there again this year as we do out small part to take place in this historical volksmarch.

Email volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO AE 09752.

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