I’m breaking in a new pair of hiking boots so walking has been my principal mode of transportation of late. But that’s OK since walking through unfamilar cityscapes is one of my favorite travel pastimes.
So far so good with my new bargain boots.
I’ve been in Athens now for a week. You’ve probably seen my first post on the Acropolis; now I’ve got some other photos taken on various other walks, starting with the Wednesday open market on Kavlou Street, in the Gizi neighborhood of the city, where I live.
Here’s a view of the market from my 4th floor apartment terrace, the terrace being a comfortable and appealing feature of my Airbnb in Athens.
You can see how near my apartment is to the orange tents of the vendors with their gorgeous vegetables and fruits, beautiful flowers, nuts, spices and all sorts of other goodies extending for several blocks.
Travel Talk: Seeing More By Meandering
No method of transportation rivals the often surprising, visceral pleasures generated by walking casually without a particular destination through a city. You see more, feel more, and learn more about a place by walking than by taking any other mode of transportation. You also get some exercise to stave off the billowing effects of all that good food you can’t resist trying.
The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot.
— Werner Herzog
Walking is an underappreciated but important part of the art of slow travel. Most travelers associate slow travel with staying in one place for a while, which it is. However, slow travel can take place in a trip of only a few days, reducing a hectic, nerve-racking pace to see too much in a short period of time to an enjoyable, leisurely walk.
There is also the benefit of exercise. What better way is there to work off that delicious meal you just had in your latest destination?
Of course, you could argue that you see more specific destinations by using taxis, hailed rides or other motorized forms of personal transportation to get from here to there while traveling. That’s true.
But what you may miss is the quality of the experience between your destinations, the deeper absorption of a city’s feel, its quality of life, the character of its people; it’s all more readily apparent when you take the time to really experience a city by walking its streets, riding its trains, spending time among its citizens as they go about their business, and exploring the nitty-gritty of life with your senses as much as you can. You won’t get that by only seeing the standard tour sites that the guide books and touts take you to.
Some of those sites, though, are the unavoidable must-see destinations, I will admit. When I’m here in Greece, for example, I’m not about to miss the Acropolis.
When I go to Cairo I will see the pyramids and the probably the Sphinx. I often think it’s because explaining later to your friends why you went somewhere and didn’t see the most famous attractions can be more difficult and exhausting than battling the crowds, the touts and costs of seeing the most popular attractions.
But after the main attractions, I just start walking again. I carry my phone with Google maps, and often have a general destination in mind, but sometimes I just turn off the phone and walk, letting my senses guide my feet, sometimes even getting lost, at times finding places where I ought not be. But that rarely happens.
Ten Travel Tips For City Walking
Walking around a city requires a little forethought in your preparation. Here are some recommendations:
- Wear sturdy shoes
- Dress comfortably
- Take things you might need (snacks, water, an extra sweatshirt or jacket, rain gear, a hat, sunscreen, lip balm, necessary meds, maps, notebooks, pen or pencil, your phone and a battery charger, etc.)
- Don’t wear fancy clothes or flashy jewelry. Dress down when exploring neighborhoods. You’ll still be noticed, but you don’t want to stick out
- It’s a good idea to have your passport or some form of identification on you or in your backpack should an emergency arise
- If you require medication at certain times of the day, make sure you have that as well
- Watch the traffic AT ALL TIMES, both ways; if you are at a busy intersection. or a particularly difficult crossing, I find it helpful to get close to someone local who’s also trying to cross. Just watch them and when they go, you go, and always keep them between you and the oncoming traffic
- Keep in mind that exploring by walking is not a race. Take your time, pause for a while, take a seat on a bench and just watch the flow of life for a while in your new location
- Don’t restrict yourself to tourist areas; get off the beaten track, open your mind and your senses, and explore the local neighborhoods
- Above all, enjoy! It’s what travel’s all about.
I’ll complete this post with a few more pics from Athens, and an update of my travel plans which are unfolding quickly.
My Travel Plan Update
Lately my travels are happening a lot faster than the pattern of slow travel I’ve become accustomed to on my journey.
Lately I’ve had three-month stays in both Turkey, and Georgia, but then I went to Crete to visit a friend for 11 days, now I’m here in Athens for 11 days, and packing again to leave Friday for about 15 days in Cairo.
It’s with some regret now that I made that last booking. A good travel friend told me I’d really enjoy Athens, and she was right. I would have liked a little more time here as I feel like I’m just getting settled in and I have a great Airbnb apartment. My host Dimitrios is super and Athens is great.
But the plans are made and and I’m not interested in changing schedules and reservations now. Time to move on.
Since Cairo will mark my first stop on the continent of Africa, I’ll be going from there to Zimbabwe to visit another friend for a couple of weeks. It will be our first meeting, though for the past couple of years I’ve supported his work establishing a permaculture farm in a village about 190 kilometers south of the capital city of Harare. I’m really looking forward to this trip.
That will lead me in April to Delhi, India, where I’m meeting a friend I met in Georgia who is an expert on Delhi as a tour destination and is about to launch the best of all websites for anyone desiring to see and understand this vast, complicated, intense and fascinating city. The length of my stay in India has yet to be been determined.
That’s just a snapshot of my itinerary for the next couple of months. I’ll be reporting more about my experiences as they happen at each one here at realontheroad.com. And of course plans can always change. Stay tuned and travel well, my friends.
May all your journeys lead you to a better place in your heart.
Enjoyed your stories. Do many people speak English? Glad your still travelling and all the walking will keep u young. In Irosi CR there are so many older people that walk every where.
Hi David, What a great post! Love the photos and your point of view on hunkering down and getting to know a place by walking everywhere and immersing yourself with the locals and doing as locals do–not solely as tourists do. I must add one more TIP to your pointers on walking—WATCH YOUR STEP! As an active gal who had a bunch of trips planned for the spring (as you know!), I have been stopped in my tracks by a BAD uneven sidewalk, which I tripped on, resulting in a fractured tibia. Believe me, you do NOT want this to happen to you, especially when overseas.