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See this week's Volksmarch chart

Sunday is Valentine’s Day. Why not spend some quality time with your sweetheart on a volksmarch? The list of walks is still pretty short, but certainly you can find one that will suit you.

If you want to do something to warm up for Valentine’s Day, there will be a torch walk Saturday evening in Lichtenwald, Germany. This walk starts between 5 and 7 p.m. and you must finish the 5-kilometer trail by 10 p.m.

If you have other plans for the evening, you can attend this walk earlier in the day Saturday. Five- and 10- kilometer trails will be open between noon and 5 p.m. Medals from previous years (B-medals) in limited quantities are the prize for completing one of the trails.

This weekend also marks the start of carnival week in many parts of Europe. Tuesday, the town of Winnenden, Germany, is having a special Fasching volksmarch. The start is at the Buchenbachhalle on Jahnstrasse. You can start the 5- and 10- kilometer routes between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and must finish by 5 p.m. After you finish the walk and pick up your B-medal, then try something to eat from the special Fasching menu.

Both of these walks have been designated “Stammtisch” events for members of the Stuttgart German-American Wandering Club, so get out there and support your club. If you are from the Stuttgart area and are interested in joining a club, check out its Web page at www.sgawc.com and click on the flag for the language of your choice.

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Battice, Belgium, is hosting an interesting walk as well. Not only is this a pretty part of Belgium, but also the flier makes it sound like the fortress is open this weekend. This massive underground fort has several kilometers of tunnels connecting gun turrets, observation posts and a large number of storage rooms, offices and living spaces. During May 1940, Fort Battice put up a stubborn defense until it was overcome by superior numbers and technology. Just like its sister fortress at Eben-Emael, Fort Battice is being restored by volunteers and is a tribute to those who fought so valiantly there. So, after the walk, make sure you stop by the fort and visit the museum.

You can start the walk both Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 a.m. Cut-off time for starting the 5- and 10- kilometer trails is 2:30 p.m.; the deadline for the 20-kilometer route is noon; and 10 a.m. is the deadline for the 30k course. The start is at the Cercle Saint Vincent which is near the center of town. We have walked in Battice several times before and it is always a nice event.

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For those who like to walk the longer routes, here is a list of projected 42-kilometer marathon walks in Germany. This list is from the Terminliste 2010 booklet. We do not have fliers for these walks, so we cannot provide more information at this time. We just want to give the dates so you can start your long-range planning. This week, we’ll list the walks through June. We’ll provide the last half of 2010 in the near future. Have fun!

• March 21 and 22 — Grolsheim

• March 27 and 28 — Hahnstätten

• March 28 — Bad Münstereifel

• April 3 — Wuppertal-Ronsdorf

• April 10 — Freudenberg-Niederndorf

• April 17 and 18 — Rhaunen

• April 25 — Glauchau

• April 30 and May 1 — Bliekastel

• May 2 — Büren-Harth

• May 13 — Montabaur (Ascension Thursday)

• May 22 — Bücheloh

• May 23 — Gräfinau-Angstedt

• May 29 — Sangerhausen

• June 12 and 13 — Schömberg

• June 19 and 20 — Fehl-Ritzhausen

• June 19 and 20 — Dörlesberg-Wertheim

• June 26 and 27 — Alt-Hürth

• June 26 and 27 — See

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Other miscellaneous short notes:

• We have learned that this year’s “Kiddie Volksmarch” at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg will be April 24. Make sure you mark the date on your calendars.

This week’s information from Clark Soeldner, our Italian walking expert:

• After the Busseto walk, your start card gets you a reduced entrance fee to the Carnivale.

• The walk in Concamarise will have a special award of a primrose for all women with a start card.

• The flier for the Noventa Padovana event notes the walk passes numerous villas in the Noventa Padovana area.

• The Malo walk is in the mountains; expect elevations of 1,300 to 1,650 feet. If your name is Valentino or Valentina, you will receive a special floral souvenir.

E-mail 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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