One of the most popular pastimes for families on the weekends was to go on a "Volksmarch." It actually translates into "people walk," and is not only a wonderful opportunity for families to spend time together, but also a great way to stay physically fit. I am not sure how many of these walks our family participated in, but sufficed to say at least 50. There were 2 choices for the distance which we could traverse. One choice was 10 kilometers (6 mi.) or 20 kilometers (12 mi.) Wherever the march was laid out, it was always breathtakingly beautiful. It could be serene farm land with grazing contented cows and babbling brooks, or lush green forests with the melodious songs of the indigenous birds of that area serenading us in the background. The reward for completing the walk was a medallion which were made of bronze, silver, or gold. The one we received depended on whatever we registered and paid for. There was a fee to participate in these walks, it was a method of raising monies for the individual clubs. The Americans had a club as did the Canadians, etc. and the fees were used to purchase medals for future walks, and various other expenses. Usually, we participated as a family, but once in a while if I really liked the medal which was given at the finish, I would go alone. One Saturday in particular Lee was on call and I decided to do just that. It was a 20 kilometer or 12 mile walk, or in my case, run. I initially started walking, but found it rather boring so decided to run through. If my memory serves me correctly it took me 2 hrs to do it.
Another weekend when Lee was on call the girls and I went on a walk with a friend. Actually, she was also a CRNA and Lee's supervisor. She had no family to accompany her on her assignment to Germany therefore we included her in many of our family activities. On this particular Saturday, she drove. After the walk and refreshments we were ready to start for home. My friend could not find her car keys, we looked high and low with no luck. There were lots of people of various nationalities milling around, I decided to try and converse with someone to see if they had found a set of car keys. The German word for key is "schlussel," so I started asking people in German if they had seen the keys. One man acted like he had found the keys, "Die Schussel, die schussel" he shouted. I said "yes, yes!! He said "Nein", so after a few minutes it was clear that he had not found the keys. However, this middle age German man whom I did not know, and had never seen before, handed me his car keys to a brand new 5 speed Ford Fiesta. He even showed me where the registration was located. We were incredulous! I mean how many times does someone offer their car keys to a total stranger, from another country?? I explained to him that I lived in Heidelberg and it would take me over 1 hour to get there and then of course the same to return. It was fine with him he said, so I drove to Heidelberg and back with the keys for my friend's car. By the time we returned with his car, he had raised the stein more than a few times, and was in a very jovial mood. We were truly grateful for his generosity and we went on our merry way back home. I really don't know what we would have done with out his generosity. He told me his name was "Johnnie," I saw him many, many times after that at the "Volksmarches. "The first time I saw him again after I had used his car, he told me, "My wife, she was so-o angry that I gave my new car to an American woman." He laughed and laughed when he said it"and I knew he would do it again if the occasion arose. There were other instances where Lee and I were the recipients of German hospitality, simply because the individual told us that "they liked Americans."
Another instance of German hospitality occured when Lee and I attended the famous celebration of the "Ocktoberfest" in 1979, but that is another episode.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Carol
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