The ORIGINAL mode of transportation (Hiking/Walking in General)

Member Name: gbopotts

Product:	Hiking/Walking in General
Date:	23/07/01 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Forced to slow down

Disadvantages: Sore feet?

I have not read in depth in this category, so do not know if anyone else has approached walking as I plan to do; sorry if this is a repeat.

But the ones I did read in this section all make good comments about walking as exercise. Great idea, and I am certainly for it. Honestly, I do need to do it more. I tend to sit on the posterior a bit too much, and my body could surely benefit with increasing my pulse and exertion once in awhile.

But I wanted to touch on a different aspect of walking. What about it's original raison d'etat ... transportation!

I'm half afraid to write this because I feel I am only giving you more reason to think badly of Americans, but here goes...we're so bad over here with our cars that we drive to shopping malls and drive and drive and drive looking and searching out that perfect parking place closest to the entrance doors we can find. Then we walk into the mall and proceed to walk around all the shops for exercise! I kid you not. I so badly wish I could tell you I'm exaggerating, but, sadly, I am not. But, I digress.

Someone wrote about enjoying their walk in a place they are vactioning. This I completely understand. I've thought for a long time that driving through some new place I'm visiting leads me to miss much of my surroundings. What am I going to learn about this new place, or even really see, while I go blistering by in the car. And, I must say, if you are anything like me, blistering by some new place is dangerous since my head tends to be on this swivel moving right to left to see the sights while ignoring the road in front of me!

No, walking is the way. This is the best mode of transportation on holiday that you can choose from. Two of my favorite cities in the world are Charleston, South Carolina, USA; and Rapallo, Italy. If I only drove through both I never would have found the pier in Charleston; never would have sat down on the park be
nch near the shore in Rapallo. I can't realistically list everything I would miss in both cities had I not got out and walked. And it is not only the physical sights of the place, but the people, the culture, everything there is to absorb. How can I even touch the surface enclosed in my car?

In Rapallo, my wife and I had dinner at our hotel. Our seats were against these great big windows looking out onto a large sidewalk that ran along the shoreline. A constant stream of Italians walked by throughout our dinner. The older generation walked slowly, most with their hands behind their back, engaged in some deep discussion. The younger generation walked like they probably drived, they nearly were running and seemed to be keeping to themselves instead of enjoying the accompanying friend, or landscape.

Think about this the next time you travel. Drive to your destination and park the car. And walk. Be sure to take the time to enjoy the place you visited, and the people you brought along, or met there.

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