"you hold an event and we turn up"
THE BAD PENNIES
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THE BAD PENNIES
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WANDERJAHREN TIMESNews and Information for Bad Pennies Across the Globe
Next Bad Pennies meeting
will be on Saturday December 3, 2011
at 1:00 at the start of the
Washington DC Club Alexandria walk. Elections will be held. We will gather
at the start point and find a suitable location nearby to hold the meeting.
Start is at: Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library, 717 Queen
St., Alexandria VA 22314. DIRECTIONS TO S/F POINT.
We just
completed Adventure 46 to the IVV Olympiad in Antalya, Turkey. Several write-ups are included in this newsletter. We are already planning for the next Olympiad at Val Gardena, South Tyrol (Northern Italy) June 25-29, 2013. Another Adventure will be to the Canadian Convention in Ottawa. It was decided to rent vans and drive there due to the high airfare cost. Also, it was recommended to do another weekend in Seattle, one in London and maybe the Belgium, France Luxembourg circuit.
Please let Matt know if you are interested in anything else. We will go where the membership is interested in going.
We are still offering a discount whenever you rent a car from AVIS. Our Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number is Q050308. If a lower rate is available at the time of reservation, you may choose that “over-the-counter” rate and enjoy a 5% discount on daily rates or a minimum of 10% off the weekly and weekend rates.
Please, please, please speak up as to where, when, how long, how expensive, how much road time, etc you want in your Adventures. If you don’t speak up then I’ll only hear from the vocal people, and most of those do not participate in the Adventures. Write, e-mail, or phone day (703) 312-3320, eve (703) 620-5892, cell (703) 980-0392, e-mail matt@thebadpennies.org or snail mail The Bad Pennies; P.O. Box 2393; Merrifield, Virginia 22116-2393.
If you have a new e-mail address, or home or work phone numbers, please let us know.
We are also still looking to purchase small transportable gifts to give other clubs that help us by putting on walks and hosting us. Any suggestions would be welcomed. We used the White House Christmas ornament as gifts on a previous Adventure.
If you know that you haven’t paid your $10 dues in the last year, please do not procrastinate and mail them in to the P.O. Box. We really do not want to lose you.
We are sending you your newsletter by e-mail. This will save the club printing and postage costs, and make the editor’s job a little easier. Also, you can see the photos in color. Please ensure that I have your current and correct e-mail. Send it to matt@thebadpennies.org If you do not have e-mail, will still will snail mail you a copy.
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The following Achievement Awards were recorded in the American Wanderer. Congratulations to the following individuals.
February/March 2011
NAME DISTANCE EVENTS
Dorothy Marshall 20, 000 Marie Kupres 16,000 1,500 Sam Tollett 11,000 Joyce Backus 3,000 325 Robert Lumbert 4,500
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Annette Tollett 3,500 Klaus Waibel 2,500 James Geith 1,400 Evalee Dumas 1,100 Alexander Estrin 850 Judy Estrin 850 Jim Truscott 650
April/May 2011
NAME DISTANCE EVENTS
Kenneth Wilson 90, 000 Shirley Ponse 12,000 1,200 Hans Ponse 7,500 750 Paul Sullivan 5,000 500 Gale Waibel 1,700
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Dee Schrum 1,250 Betty Strawderman 1,250 Daniel Horne 525 Maribeth Evans 225 June/July 2011
NAME DISTANCE EVENTS
Maureen Penta 19, 000 1,250 Karen Kinkaid 10,000 Nancy Geith 6,000 Daniel Horne 5,500 Dayle Horne 3,500 225 Becky Mackoy 3,000 Kathy McGarril 2,000 175 Thomas McGarril 2,000 175 Heather Coxon 1,500 150 John Kupyar 750 August/September 2011
NAME DISTANCE EVENTS
Paul Lamb 22, 000 Marshall Hansen 22,000 1,300 Holly Pelking 13,000 900 Alexander Estrin 9,000 900 Judy Estrin 9,000 900 Meribeth Evans 3,000 Robert Lumbert 4,600 Dorothy Marshall 1,700 Shirley Ponse 1,250 Hans Ponse 800 Paul Sullivan 525
October/November 2011
NAME DISTANCE EVENTS
Gale Waibel. 20, 000 Dee Schrum 14,000 John Kupyar 9,000 Kay Nunn 2,500 Klaus Waibel 3,000 Frank Kupres 1,900 Sam Tollett 1,050 Mary Kinkaid 900 Dolores Grenier 450 Daniel Zegelin 75
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CLUB OFFICERS
President Matt Pernick (703) 620-5892
Vice President Francine York 703-971-4486
Secretary - vacant
Treasurer Claudette Chandonia (703) 927-7645
Editor Dee Schrum (804) 768-0055
Club website
12th IVV Olympiad, Antalya, Turkey B The 12th IVV Olympiad was held 20-23 October 2011 in Antalya, part of the Riviera on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The Bad Pennies Volksmarch Club ( ) from Merrifield VA was well represented by a team of 15 hikers (from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Colorado, California, and Arizona) who gathered at Washington Dulles Airport on 18 October for the journey to Turkey. Travel arrangements for the Bad Pennies group were made by Alabanda Turizm (www.alabanda.com.tr) in Ankara, the official 12th Olympiad travel agency. Great in-flight service and amenities were provided by Turkish Airlines (rated the number one air carrier by European travelers) for our outbound flight to Antalya via Istanbul. We arrived at Grida City Hotel in Antalya at 8:00 PM on 19 October after a 15-hour flight experience. Our hotel was conveniently located just across the street from Atatürk Park and the Antalya Culture Centre “The Pyramid”, the hub of activity for the Olympiad. Turkey is a member of a unique group of five transcontinental nations (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey) whose territories span an overland continental boundary between Europe and Asia. Ninety-seven percent of Turkey’s territory lies in Asia (Asia Minor) while three percent is in Europe (Turkish Thrace). Since Antalya is situated in the Asian portion of Turkey, Olympiad participants were able to obtain an Asian continent stamp in their quest for IVV World Cup qualification (www.ivv-web.org/english/worldcup.html ). According to 12th Olympiad officials, there were 90 participants from the USA A total of 49 IVV member nations were represented at this Olympiad with 1785 participants. The largest contingent was from Germany with 259 participants (including a large group traveling with old friend Manfred Trettin and the Koala Wanderers from Denzlingen, Germany (www.koala-wanderers.de)). Other notable contingents were from Norway (243 participants), Estonia (172), and Japan (105). The nations with the smallest contingents were Romania (two participants) and Bulgaria with one participant. The Olympiad was organized and executed by a competent team of 130 staff members, many of whom were volunteers from local Antalya sports organizations. Planning for the 12th Olympiad had spanned a period of 18 months.
The IVV Olympiad concept has a rich history which began with the 1st Olympiad in 1989 in Valkenburg, Netherlands. Every two years thereafter, successive Olympiad gatherings were held in 1991 (2nd, Schömberg, Germany); 1993 (3rd, Ribeauville, France); 1995 (4th, Athens/Amaroussi, Greece); 1997 (5th, Vierumäki, Finland); 1999 (6th, Bibione, Italy); 2001 (7th, Seefeld, Austria); 2003 (8th, Genk, Belgium); 2005 (9th, Pilsen and Prague, Czech Republic); 2007 (10th, Otepää, Estonia); and 2009 (11th, Yamanaschi, Japan).
In accordance with the typical Olympiad schedule, the first day (Thursday)
consisted of registration and the Opening Ceremony.
At this 12th Olympiad, IVV events were offered at four sites:
Antalya (hiking, biking, and swimming), Lara (sand dune and beach hiking),
Kursunlu Waterfalls (hiking and biking), and Kemer (hiking in the Taurus
Mountains, biking, and swimming). Buses were provided to shuttle
participants between the event sites. Hikes ranged in length from 5km to
the 42.195km marathon. Biking events ranged from 15 to 36km. Swimming
events included 300 and 500 meter laps in local pools and a 1000-meter salt
water course just off the Konyaalti Beach in Antalya. At each Olympiad, the major array of IVV events is offered on Friday and Saturday. During these two days, the Bad Pennies hikers pursued a variety of schedules to accommodate their individual goals for Olympiad adventure. Some concentrated on hiking while others included mountain biking and swimming. Event stamps and distance stamps were collected in IVV Record Books by participants who can achieve progressive IVV award levels yielding certificates of accomplishment, hat pins, and jacket patches. Some Bad Pennies hikers are also members of the International Marching League (IML) (www.imlwalking.org ) and sought to gain IML credit for this Olympiad by completing at least 20km of hiking on Friday and again on Saturday. On Sunday morning, hiking was available in Antalya followed by the Olympiad closing ceremony at the flag-lined outdoor arena in Atatürk Park. After farewell comments by officials, the Olympiad flame was officially passed to representatives of northeastern Italy where the 13th IVV Olympiad (www.ivvsuedtirol.info) will be held 25-29 June 2013 in Val Gardena/Wolkenstein in the scenic Südtirol region of the Dolomite Alps. The 13th Olympiad will be a bit unusual as it will offer ice skating as an IVV event in addition to the traditional hiking, biking, and swimming events.
On Monday, our group took an organized tour around the Antalya region,
visiting such antiquities as Perge (ancient Hellenistic-Roman city) and
Aspendos with its famous Roman theater.
On Tuesday, we took a flight from Antalya to Istanbul where we checked into
the Erboy Hotel (great location near Topkapi Palace just off the Marmara
Sea) and enjoyed three days of group tours to such attractions as a cruise
along the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus separating Europe and Asia where
marble palaces, fortresses, and Ottoman architecture abound; visits to both
the old and new sectors of Istanbul; the Spice Market; Dolmabahce Palace;
Bosphorus Bridge; Camlica Hill; Sultan Ahmet Center; Hagia Sophia Basilica; Members of the 12th Olympiad Bad Pennies group are shown in the attached photo (photo by Matt Pernick). First row (seated): Caroline Sljula (CA); Second row: Margaret O’Brien (PA), Rosy McCloskey (CA), Bernice Bowra (CO), Nilda Roth (MD), Julie (local Turkish guide), Kathy Trekal (MD), Becky Mackoy (VA). Third Row: Nancy McCowan (CA), Jim Bowra (CO), Tom Francis (AZ), Matt Pernick (VA), Robert Gambert (PA), Darlene Bell (MD), Jim Truscott (VA), Wanda Musse (PA). The Bad Pennies organization is a member club of the American Volkssport Association (AVA) (www.ava.org, headquartered in Universal City, Texas) and a member of the Virginia Volksmarch Association. The Organizer and Trip Captain for this Bad Pennies adventure was Matt Pernick (president of the Bad Pennies Club since 1992 and leader of many hiking adventures). Participants in this Bad Pennies outing had a great time and are already looking forward to the 13th IVV Olympiad in 2013.
By Margaret O’Brien
I think that Matt did a great job providing us an itinerary that moved along very well. It was great having things in place before arrival: such as, hotels, meals, tours, etc. and, of course, the wonderful flight that we had with Turkish Airlines. However, in the future, I would recommend that there be an announcement board in the hotel lobby or near the reception desk for announcements, changes, and/or reminders of same to itinerary. We had a couple of place and time changes that not everyone became aware of right away and it caused a little confusion. As a group, everyone was very friendly and hospitable. For the Olympiad, the Program and Courses were well identified and followed along very nicely. I only wish that our group, the Bad Pennies, might have had identifying shirts, hats, or something to show that we were indeed a specific group. We didn't stand out as a group. So many other groups were immediately identified by their like shirts and like hats. I also noticed that other countries were sharing/handing out small memorabilia from their countries to members of the host country and other guest countries. That is a wonderful gesture of friendship and it also serves as an advertisement for your group and your country. Such things as patches, pins, brochures, and flags were distributed. It would have been very nice to have had something to distribute from The Bad Pennies in the USA. Antalya, Turkey is a beautiful and clean city and I was happy to have the opportunity to visit this beautiful city and this very old and interesting country. Overall, the Olympiad, was very memorable. The number of countries present was very impressive - I think about 46 countries (correct me if I am wrong) . I was impressed with the friendliness of all the folks. And, wasn't it nice to see others again whom you met at past Olympiads? It sure was a time for reminiscence. The weather was wonderful, warm and sunny, what more can one ask for. The trails were a bit challenging in some areas, but nonetheless interesting. The opportunities for exercise were abundant.
Then we were fortunate to also have the opportunity to visit Istanbul. Oh,
what an interesting city......Matt did a great job setting up the tours for
this wonderful city. We cruised the Bosphorus which is the waterway
separating the two continents, Europe and Asia. We saw quite a few
Hellenistic-Roman cities of antiquity, Mosques, Palaces, and of course, the
famous Grand Bazaar.
Matt, I have one negative note and that is.......I know that Turkey wants to
show us their best products and take us to their most reputable merchants
but I found that the Jewelry Shop, Carpet Shop, Thanks again for a great job, Matt and Bad Pennies. I hope to travel with you again!!
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Bad Pennies and Matt; Margaret has written allot of what I would say as well. So I will add a few of my own observations and comments. As this was my 8th Olympiad – I do have some additional history to compare respective to the 12th Olympiad in Turkey and others that I have done. Organization by the Turkish Olympiad – it was readily apparent that they did their best to make the overall organization of the event as transparently smooth as possible. In particular the innovative participant chips that we used to either participate in, controls, finish, results and even board buses. Although, somewhat confusing at first, once the instructions were read, and actually applied – everything ran smooth from then on.
Events – I enjoyed going to a different location to participate either
walking, Having the modern buses take us to the other locations was good, however, there was a big bottleneck of many people waiting up to an hour and a half to load up; on a return, we were the only ones on the bus, and it left early! Later I was told there were problems with the bus company. My primary comment is that as a walking event, some of us want to get started early, which may be around 5 or 6 in the morning. As for myself, I would rather start earlier in the morning than around 10:00 a.m. Hotel – while the breakfast was adequate – I thought the coffee was terrible. And I would rather have a simple breakfast and get going earlier. The location of the Hotel was great as it meant that we were close to the Olympiad village and could get signed up earlier to participate in the events, as we did for the bicycle event. Our group was fortunate to be located to other accessible shops as well. It was easy for us to get a cab to take us down to the old town; thereby saving time and exploring more for ourselves. We really enjoyed the Turkish Bath – Hammas; as it was so refreshing and exhilarating. For me, this was the high light of visiting Antalya and being in Turkey. Bicycle event – what an experience it was – to ride crouched over the low handlebars and only able to partially extend our legs – but we made the 15 km ride without difficulty, thereby getting our first Olympiad event stamp before 8:30 a.m. and then off to do a 20km walk. We brought our own helmets for safety but I would like to have brought a wrench to adjust the seat as well. Swim event – having the pool in our hotel – was just so easy to do. Only wish that I had swum each day – another event stamp is always a good thing.
Tour and tour guide in and around Antalya – was a real enjoyment and for me
very interesting. I really enjoyed the Roman and historical sights’ that we
visited. Istanbuhl – good hotel centrally located and easy to walk to shopping and eating places. Tours were great, and I am glad that I did buy a book on the Turkish Harem, as I would not have had time to do the tour. Travel arrangements – although a bit tight for comfort, having a smaller group allowed for transportation of picking up/returning to the airport or hotel was stress free. Overall, the arrangements made met all my expectations – and count me in for another tour.
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Send mail to
matt@thebadpennies.org with questions or comments about this web
site.
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All
Olympiad participants gathered at Republic Square at the edge of the Antalya
Old Town and formed a grand parade (participants from each represented
nation followed their national flag and placard which were carried by three
young Turks in traditional costume) which proceeded down Konyaalti Boulevard
for five kilometers (km) to the Pyramid for welcoming comments by Turkish
officials and IVV leaders and a traditional Turkish cultural dance program,
followed by the Olympiad flame lighting ceremony on the Pyramid main stage.
Blue
Mosque; Hippodrome; Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar.
On Friday, we enjoyed the return trip from Istanbul to Washington Dulles via
a Turkish Airlines flight.
The
restaurants where we ate served wonderful meals and we could choose lamb,
fish, beef, or chicken. Each meal contained a salad and dessert and some of
their wonderful flat bread.
and
Leather Shop that we were taken to were very, very expensive shops. Their
prices seemed to be much higher than those items would have cost in the
States. In the future, I think visiting shops more in a normal person's
price range would be beneficial for the merchant, us, and the tour.
bicycling
or swimming event’s. That provided for new scenery and further exploration
of areas outside of Antalya to include shopping and eating. 
Along with
the lunch and drinks and the size of our group all went smoothly. 