On the Trail

Yesterday, my husband and went on a wonderful volksmarch in Pottenstein, Germany.  Volksmarches are organized walks throughout Germany (and other countries as well).  Most of the people who participate in these belong to clubs and take busses all over to attend these every weekend or sometimes on German holidays.  My husband and I used to belong to a club in Schweinfurt but since we've moved to Grafenwoehr, we just do them on our own.  You get to pick the distance of the trail you would like to walk (i.e. 5 kilometer, 10 kilometer, 20 kilometer, etc.) and the trails are marked usually with different colored tape along the way to guide you.  You pay a small fee of around 1.50 Euro for your insurance.  Also most of the walks have little prizes you can earn for a small additional fee as well.

  Sometime the prizes are nice like beer mugs, garden decor, windchimes, candle holders, etc. but sometimes they are just plain junk like to me.  The Pottenstein prize this year was very nice.  You had the choice of three different types of beer glasses with a Pottenstein scenery on it.  We opted for the prize on this one (I forgot to include a picture but they are very nice).  You can never have too many beer glasses.  Plus they make great gifts!  Many times there are little grill stands selling bratwursts, pork steaks or leberkaese (yum!).  You of course have your beer stand, and there might even be a band playing fest music.  If you're still hungry or just have a sweet tooth, there's the kuchen stand with various  homemade tortes and kuchen that the women prepare to go with a nice cup of coffee. 

We love these walks because it's a good way to get some exercise and fresh air, mingle with the natives, and plus find some beautiful little towns or villages.  The people are usually friendly and will greet you with a "Gruss Gott" along the way.

If there is anyone that is interested in participating on a volksmarch and would like more information on how to find one, just let me know and I can try and find one that is in your area.