More of this Feature • Day 1 • Day 2 • Day 3 • Day 4

Related Resources • Gary's Nijmegen 2001 Walk • Wendy's Nijmegen '99

From Other Guides • Europe for Visitors

Elsewhere on the Web • Nijmegen 4-Days Walk

Wijchen served as a German marshaling center and troop area at the commencement of Operation Market Garden. It was here that many of the retreating German troops were gathered and re-staged to areas of importance and as a result gave the Allied troops a hard time when they landed or fought their way up the road from Belgium. The walk through the town is long as it is the second largest town/city (next to Nijmegen) experienced during the walks. On the far side of the town we have another rest. At this point I am beginning to feel better about my strength and think it might be a good year.

Having experienced our welcome in Wijchen we push on to Beuningen and then to Weurt, referred to by one British colleague on the march as the "opera box" of the Battle of the Waal. It was from Lent and Weurt that residents had a bird's eye view of the air drops of the 101st Airborne on the far side of the river Waal. Many of the elderly citizens of Weurt remember that day clearly in the present.

Now we re-enter Nijmegen. The military passes through Nijmegen in order to return to Camp Huemensoord. This is not a day to be behind time. I swear each year the entire population gets onto the route, pours themselves a glass of beer or wine, and parties for many hours. If you are in fact behind time, you will lose more time as the streets are clogged with the civilian marchers just finishing their day's march, and further clogged by exuberant Nijmegen residents. There are times when the walking comes to a crawl and even halts. There are speakers and what equates to DJ's on the route, and they ask people to stop and they go through a routine of singing and dancing. I was running late and I think I was the only one within 1000 meters who was looking at his (or her) watch.

Finally, beyond the festivities and now I am working to get to the end of the route. I pushed to the end and just made the cut-off at 1700. I am feeling it now. The lack of training is playing on my mind as I mingle with my European colleagues over a beer…or two.

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