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2001 Tour of Bavaria
and Austria (page 3)
29 September 2001
through 11 October 2001
We split this into
several pages to avoid long load times. Thanks for your patience.
We spent the afternoon at the Wiesen, the meadow
where Oktoberfest takes place and again, the crowds were way down
from normal. The weather was
fantastic – blue skies, sun shining and temps in the 70’s. It was reported by reliable sources that, try as they might,
our friends were not able to run the Oktoberfest out
of beer. Next year guys – try it
again in 2002.
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| On the midway at Oktoberfest | Part of the show we enjoyed in the evening | Our group in one of the large halls |
Put yourself in these
pictures. We are going again! Come with us and
enjoy a wonderful time.
Here is what Dr. RENEE von WÖRDE wrote:
“Everything
was so wonderful, but I think the lovely people we met and learned to know in
Germany and Austria will remain in my memory always.
I really did love this trip, especially getting to meet the old veterans
and participating in activities as a SHARKHUNTER.
I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in military history.”
After refreshing at our hotel and getting spiffed up, we were back at the Pshorkeller for our evening’s dinner and entertainment. The food was great as were the beers, and the band and dancing were great like in 2000 but what was missing were the crowds. Last year, it would have taken a shoehorn to get anyone else into the room. This year, it was only about 1/3 full and 2/3 empty. Osama bin Laden even screwed up attendance at the Oktoberfest.
The evening finally ended with us returning to our hotel and going to bed. Others, the official beer taste testers, headed again for the Irish pub and a major disappointment – it was still out of beer!
6 October ( Saturday)
We had a pleasant ride through the magnificent Austrian Alps.
Anywhere you pointed your camera, you had a post card shot.
There were tunnels, mountains, castles and quaint little villages in
every direction. Naturally, there
were stops along the way for photos and videotapes.
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| the President of
SHARKHUNTERS and the President of the M-K |
Eddie kept the
beer flowing, and the fellowship flowed even better. |
We checked in to our hotel, then went for refreshments
with the Marine Kameradschaft (Navy League) of the town of Villach (photo
above)
where we met
with many veterans, one of whom served aboard U-172 from her
commissioning through her loss. Then
we went to the Kärntner Abend (photo below), an evening of performances by various local
singing and dancing groups and of course, we met many veterans.
Our friend KARL WALDECK and his wife Anne were there,
and everyone in our group loved them.
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| Singers and Dancers | the Austrian Army Band |
JOHN BUCK talked with one veteran, one of the lucky ones to survive Stalingrad. This man was missing one eye and part of his face from that battle, the result of shrapnel. He told JOHN that he and his sweetheart decided not to get married until the war ended, in case he was killed. They lost contact and for many years, neither married and one day, this veteran was literally walking down the street and by sheer chance, there was his sweetheart. They married shortly thereafter and are still happily married today.
In the words of
JOHN BUCK:
“This is the real
deal. These are the men who made
history.”
SHARKHUNTERS
will return to this beautiful area in 2002. Will you be with us?
There is plenty of room.
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