Click here for this week’s European Volksmarch schedule.
Where has the time gone? With February approaching, so does the end of our third year of writing this column. It has been a very rewarding experience. We have gone on some very nice walks, but more importantly, have met some great people on the trails, in the start halls and on the buses.
However, for every person we have met, there are several more who send fliers and e-mails, and although we feel that we know them, we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting them. Living in the Netherlands places us at a bit of a disadvantage — the switch from gas coupons to fuel cards for those living in Germany have made it more expensive — and difficult — for us to make a spur-of-the-moment drive to an event in Germany, the center of activities for American volksmarchers in Europe.
But living here allows us to enjoy and spread the word about the excellent walks in the Netherlands and Belgium. We hope we are meeting the need for walking information in the Benelux as well Germany and Italy, and hope that readers will want to cross borders to see and experience different countries.
Any success we achieve in this is due to the many readers who send the fliers and e-mails, as well as after-action reports. Without these contributions, life would be much more difficult.
One recent e-mail from “Pat” and Cheryl Patterson told us of their volksmarch experiences over the Christmas holiday. Their many plans for volksmarching in the U.S. Pacific Northwest were thwarted by the heaviest snowfall in 35 years. They even went to Chilliwack, British Columbia, on Boxing Day to do a Canadian walk, but the deep snow resulted in it being called off.
The Pattersons were able to get in a couple of walks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day before returning to hit the European trails, including the annual Paris walk. More on that walk next week.
Upon their return, “Pat” sent a copy of the 2009 IVV International Events Book, from which I pulled more dates for your calendars. Please add these walks to the ones from last week; all except the two June dates are in Germany:
March 28-29, Berchtesgaden.April 25-26, Hohenfels.May 2-3, Bamberg.May 6, 7, 8 and 9, Rodenbach.June 6, Kinderdijk, Netherlands.June 13-14, Delft, Netherlands.July 25-26, Stuttgart.Sept. 19-20, Heidelberg.Sept. 26-27, Schweinfurt.Oct. 10-11, Grafenwöhr.Oct. 14, St. Goar.Nov. 26, Ramstein Turkey Trot.If you know of any more walks that you think are noteworthy, please send us a message so we can spread the word. Send us your after-action reports as well.
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Miscellaneous short notes about this week’s events:
• The start and finish of the volksmarch in Flacht Germany, are in different places. The flier says there will not be bus service back to the start hall. You might consider parking at the finish, the Gemeindehaus at Hauptstrasse 13, and walking to the start at the Bürgerhaus, which is about 200 meters.
• The maximum time for the Cordenons, Italy, walk is four hours, but it is a flat, easy walk.
• The walk in Murelle di Villanova di Camposampiero, Italy, is a new walk, mostly in fields. The prize is a plant in a vase for 3.50 euros or wine for 5 euros.
E-mail volksmarch information to two.walkers@yahoo.com. Mail brochures to Bob and Lorraine Huffaker, CMR 460, Box 278, APO, AE, 09752.
