Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

Ah travel........ Wanderlust........ The Germans have a beautiful word for it....... "Fernweh" (meaning a longing for far-off places) which incidentally happens to be my favorite word. Many of us long for looking out of the window at new skies, testing new waters and feeling the warm glow of new sunsets......

The foreign children playing their foreign games (that seem very familiar somehow.... children have the the same laugh everywhere)...... Smiles of those toothless old women....... Getting lost in forgotten pebbly lanes...... Discovering something spectacular that is completely undocumented in tourist guides, the memory of which becomes a private souvenir frame for you and only you.... Stopping for a cuppa and landing up having this life changing conversation with a friendly stranger...... The dust, the perfect moments captured, the unfamiliarity and the adventure.....

Now imagine doing all this in completely inappropriate or uncomfortable shoes...... :P

Not pleasant? Of course not......

I get on a flight and head to Madrid today.... Over the course of the next three weeks, I plan to experience the Black Paintings of Goya at the Prado, sample paella at its birthplace Valencia, soak in the vibrance and culture at Barcelona, get lost in the many old lanes of Monaco that lead to nowhere, relax at a beachside resort in Nice and visit the highest point of Europe at Jangfraujoch.


And my greatest struggle over the last few days has been packing right. You see, my husband believes in travelling light and he would have it no other way! I am the kind of girl who drags a 45 pounds bag even when she visits her parents over the weekend and that when she already keeps some of her clothes there because she simply had to carry seven pairs of shoes. Why, you ask? A girl needs to be prepared! I digress. So I have had to deal with the impossible task of packing all of my stuff (inclusive of my beachwear and snow gear) in a singular suitcase! How does one carry 21 pairs of shoes in one suitcase! What?! Weren't you listening.... 21 days....... across Europe..... etcetera etcetera..... But I climbed that mountain! Yes. I am carrying only 4 pairs of shoes... Now if that is not smart packing, I don't know what is! I am leaving the chic and beautiful but uncomfortable ones behind and sticking with the modest but comfortable pairs. I did it. After all, my marriage and travel were on the line! :)


These babies are travelling with me to Europe this spring....

No. 1 are the Michael Kors Fulton Saffiano Moccasin Flats in light pink. I love them. They come in different colours and I own a few including scarlet red and tan leather. One could dress them up or dress them down depending on the event. Very versatile. No. 2 and 4 are from Aerosoles and feature embedded memory foam insoles. Very comfortable to walk in! And of course, No 3 - res ipsa loquitor. I never go anywhere without a pair of sneakers. If you suddenly find yourself amidst a zombie apocalypse, you will wish you were in a pair of sneakers (and of course that you had spent that extra 20 mins on the treadmill, training.... but that's besides the point.....)


So, what are your travel must-have shoes? Do you always carry a pair of heels? Or do you stick to sensible pairs and leave the fancy ones behind? I would love to know!