Well, before this subject line fades into complete oblivion, I would like to amend a claim I made last Friday when this thread more or less began. (Is a thread of 4-5 days' duration really all that "long ago worn out"? And is there really no more interest in what is surely a pervasive and vital part of German life? Maybe so, but not from this person. Perhaps we should take up the Polka. :-))) I once ripped my right anterior-cruciate ligament doing it. By contrast, walking is much safer. :-))) In my haste to post before departing on a weekend canoe trip, I erroneously wrote that Switzerland has 32,000 miles of hiking trails. Subtract 1,000 from that number. My source is pg. 172, Ch. 28, "Walking the Wanderwegs," Prevention's Complete Book of Walking by Maggie Spilner (Rodale Press, 2000). And to keep this information somewhat consistent with the purpose of the G-L list, I will add that the author suggests taking along a good English-to-German dictionary. Yeah, right--big help that might be with Schweizer-Deutsch. :-) Many of you have observed/experienced the German wanderlust first-hand--would anyone happen to know any good sources of information about walking in Germany? I would like to know more. Actually, as much as possible. Theola, the walker/hiker, wannabe wanderer in Germany, who especially desires to tread the very same ground her ancestors trod