As I head out with Kelsey's family to enjoy a nice walk through southern Virginia, where we are staying this weekend I stumbled upon a great article in today's travel section of The New York Times that focuses on "Europe, in 9 Walks."
It features great walks from London to Turkey, Scotland to Berlin, and even a few that I have been on myself. But I have always felt that you can get the true character of a country, of a region and of a town if you just take a walk through its streets. Not just the streets next to the tourist areas and not just the three block area around your hotel, but the real streets. The streets that the locals take every day to and form their homes to work. The streets that feature their favorite restaurants and their favorite shops. You will then learn the true feeling of what it's like to live in the city.
When I studied abroad in London in College I would often use Saturday and Sunday to simply wander. I would use track work on the Tube to my advantage by hopping on at my local stop and then whenever I would hit some track work or a closed station I would just get off and explore that area! I found so many amazing things that way. From delicious restaurants to great views of famous sites that no one would think about...I kind of felt like I wasn't a tourist anymore, that I was just a citizen of that city ready to go about my weekend and enjoy my neighborhood.
So...where's your next walk? What's your favorite walk in a city you love?
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Prague is by far my favorite city in Europe, largely because of how easy it is to walk in. But Paris (next week) is my next one!
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