These Shoes Weren’t Made for Walking

Travel teaches you many things, both about yourself and about the world. It has taught me to be adaptable, to go with the flow and to understand that things won’t always go the way I hoped/expected, and that’s okay. It has taught me that there are all kinds of people in the world, and that’s a wonderful thing. It has taught me that I have more patience than I ever would have acknowledged or claimed, and that has served me well, on more than one occasion. It has also taught me just how far a smile or a simple act of kindness can get you.

I have learned a few good lessons so far on this trip, in particular.

1. If you are going to sit on the patio/terrace, be prepared to have smoke with your meal because there are ALWAYS people who smoke while they eat. That’s while, not before and/or after, but during the meal.
2. When visiting medieval cities, wear proper shoes or else be prepared to buy new shoes or walk around with the broken ones, or both!
3. In keeping with the shoe theme, if it’s raining, closed shoes are a much better option than open ones. Your feet will get very muddy and be cold and your shoes will take a while to dry out (and they will start to smell).
4. When your server offers you special items that aren’t on the menu, always ask the price because chances are, they are more expensive than anything actually on the menu.
5. When taking a group tour, particularly one where you have to take a bus, always bring headphones or earplugs. For sure there will be at least one person who wants to talk the entire way to your destination, and the entire way home, and unless you are feeling especially social, you may want to have a way to tune them out. (questions)
6. Try to check the dates you will be visiting places with upcoming festivals and events so you aren’t surprised when the sleepy town you were hoping to visit is overrun with tourists. There was a medieval festival in Sighisoara the weekend we were there- it was their busiest weekend of the year.
7. Reserve Mondays and Tuesdays for cities where there are no museums or public buildings you wish to visit as most are closed on these two days.
8. Contact your hotel before you arrive in the city to ask how much a taxi should cost from wherever it is you will be arriving. This will help you to not get swindled by the taxi drivers who will charge you inflated prices if you are unaware. My last taxi fare went from 20 euros, to 10 euros to 10 leva to the 5 bulgarian leva I eventually told him I would pay him. That’s an initial $30 CAD to $3.85 CAD. Some lessons are more expensive than others!
9. Consider where you are travelling when deciding what luggage to bring. Cobblestones and wheeled luggage do not make a good match. As well, wheeled luggage and all the stairs in train stations can be a challenge.
10. When taking a night train, if possible arrange for you and your travel companion to go for pedicures, especially if you have been walking all day and it’s his/her turn to be on the top bunk.
11. Buy your beer for the train journey at the stands at the train station. A big (massive) bottle of beer, (2.3L to be exact), costs less than $2.50 CAD.

Two personal lessons learned today, (though they are all personal, really):

1. Don’t wear my blue buttoned shirt anymore while carrying my camera or cross-body bag. I wondered why the men were looking at me, thinking it was the big camera around my neck, only to find that it was probably my pasty white chest since my shirt had come unbuttoned!
2. If you get a muscle cramp in your calf, squeeze the sides of your big toe (of the same leg) and push on the base of the back of the calf. It’s amazing how the cramp releases!

** Please refer to previous blogs for other lessons learned (e.g., keeping quiet when you speak a different language than most people on the train and checking your bill to make sure the items for which you are being charged are actually the items you ate/consumed.)

We did a walking tour this morning and learned about the history of Sofia, more about the people and got to see some things that as a tourist we would otherwise have missed.As we left the tour in search of a toilet, on our way to the covered market and the Ladies’ Market, my shoe broke. The first day we walked on the cobblestones, at the very beginning of this trip, I commented that I didn’t think these were the best shoes to bring. I have been good and for the most part I have been wearing my runners, but every so often I crack out these sandals. This is actually pair two of these sandals as the first pair broke last summer when I was walking Sadie on some stones at the beach. I liked them so much I bought another pair.

Today the same shoe broke, in the same place. It was a pain, but more a hassle than anything since we were walking and nowhere near our hotel. I thank all my years in Brownies and Guides because I went to a souvenir shop, got some string and figured out a way to tie my shoe to my foot so I could keep walking. I think I impressed the shopkeepers with my MacGyver skills.

We continued walking, albeit more carefully at this point and I started looking for shoes while we made our way to the markets. I learned quickly that the Bulgarian women must have a thing for orthopaedic looking shoes that are really sparkly. My reconfigured shoe was holding up well, so I couldn’t bring myself to spend unnecessary money on new shoes that might give me blisters and that I might never wear again. Not only that, but I had budgeted my money so carefully that a pair of shoes would have meant no lunch or dinner (or possible afternoon snack). I didn’t think that was a fair trade.

We had a cheap lunch, a doner on the street, which was delicious and then started making our way back to the main part of town. We came across a “Beauty Centre” and decided with all the time we had to kill before our night train that a pedicure would be a great way to spend a couple hours in the afternoon. We made an appointment and went to our favourite café for an afternoon treat. I had a slice of banoffee pie, which was lovely, but not nearly as good as the ones my aunts in England make. We went back for our pedicures and I am guessing the length of the appointment was indicative of just how rough our feet were after a couple of weeks of traveling and walking all day. I was a little embarrassed when it was time to put on my shoes, because I had to redo my fancy tie around. The woman who had done my pedicure did it for me, and did a much better job, tying underneath the shoe, rather than overtop, like I did. Her way was much more discreet. I might get a few more days out of these shoes yet!Now we are on the train. I must say there is something romantic and beautiful about riding the train. We have a sleeper car again, this time without a shower, and it’s perfect. It’s night so we can’t look outside, but we can lie around, talk, read, listen to music or just listen to others who are really loud next door.