News About Shoes

What with all the discussion of bookings and tickets and things I feel that I have overlooked some of the important minor details of planning a trip. Hence this blog entry will cover a subject which is imperative for any traveller to contemplate at length - especially so for females.

SHOES. What is a tourist without their trusty treadware, with which to traipse the well-trod trails of... okay I am annoying myself now. Basically, it's important to choose the right shoes for your expedition. Having the experience of trudging along Prague's punishing cobblestones for 5 days a few years ago wearing my fashionable ballet flats, I am all too aware that I will have to sacrifice a little style (just a little, though) in exchange for some substance.

Here were my mental notes regarding shoe requirements for our Epic Romp:

1. It will be hot. Ideally my shoes should be breathable, light and preferably sandals.
   
   
2. We will be most likely be walking for hours everyday. The shoes must be comfortable, and provide arch support, shock absorption, and all those other boring chiropodistic catchphrases.
   
   
3. I want to wear dresses, skirts and shorts most of the time, so my shoes must be versatile enough to go with all of these. This means NO TRAINERS or other horrible, clumpy, inelegant footwear.
   
   
4. On the note of versatility, neutral colours are best. Browns, tans and creams are the best bet.

With these 4 criterion in mind, I ventured to town today with my family for moral support (i.e. to reign me in when I started cooing over some trendy but highly impractical gladiator sandals or something). Predictably enough, it wasn't hard to find pretty sandals in neutral colours. The problem that arose is that my feet are so sweet and petite that even in the size 5s a shop assistant had prescribed, they lolled around like drunken babies in a kayak. Many a pair were tried on and dismissed. Nevertheless, here are my top 3 shops for comfortable sandals that aren't designed for old age pensioners:

1. Clarks
2. Scholl
3. Ecco

Eventually it was Scholl that provided the fruit of my quest. The shoes I ended up with aren't quite sandals, they are sort of pumps with a strap across which solves the problem of my feet's slenderness. Alas, I may be forced to subject my fellow hostellers to some ripe fumes from my sweaty shoes, but I am sure they will understand.

So here they are: soft leather for malleability, slight heel for shock absorption, padding for arch support, cute little flowers and a Mary Jane strap for cuteness, these are the shoes which won an all expenses paid trip around Europe:


Mojo