good walking shoes

When someone asks what to wear in Paris, everyone comments black %26amp; good walking shoes. What do you suggest for good walking shoes that are chic and fashionable. My husband and I will be in Paris Nov 6 for 1 week. We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. I don%26#39;t particularly want to look like your %26quot;average american tourist%26quot;. Any suggestions would be helpful.

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smurf, my wife bought a pair of shoes for our trip next april so she%26#39;d have enough time to break them in a bit, but she says they are so comfortable they don%26#39;t really need %26quot;breaking in.%26quot; I think she found them at Target. They are black loafer-ish, but with kinda %26quot;pebbled%26quot; soles - little bumps all over, and the %26quot;strap%26quot; piece across the top is not quite the %26quot;normal%26quot; for loafers - I think they are very stylish for casual comfy shoes. They are Cherokee brand, if you notice any of those anywhere.

My 2 cents,

Mike

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LL Bean has a new line of shoes called %26quot;true comfort%26quot; that are good walking shoes but not ugly. I%26#39;m not sure if I%26#39;d call them fashionable, but they%26#39;re just your basic leather boots in a couple of different styles.

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One pair of black and one pair of brown Rockports is all I bring.Your feet will thank you for the super comfort and won%26#39;t care they don%26#39;t look too fashionably chic.

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Smurf25 -

You can get the opinions of 45 people who have

visited Paris and written about their choices of

shoes, all at one time, by placing the word

%26quot;shoes%26quot; in the search box in the upper left

corner of the page. As I recall I posted

3 or 4 times on shoes.

Good Luck

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I bought my first pair of %26quot;walking shoes%26quot; at Easy Spirit which are more reasonable than shoes you buy at a walking shoe store however by the end of the trip I threw them away because they were worn and not practical for walking on cobblestone streets.

Since then, I buy at either The Walking Company or Step Ahead.

Of the two Step Ahead are more stylish.

I have a pair of Ecco%26#39;s and wore a pair of walking socks and were they ever comfortable(pricey but worth it). Good for many hours of walking. I wear these to work and after a year they are still like almost new.

I have also bought Mephisto%26#39;s which are also good walking shoes.

Step Ahead also has a line called 1803 which are good to go out in the evening(not a fancy pump but look nice with a dress).

I choked when I paid the price for the first pair of good walking shoes I bought but found they were worth every penny.

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My husband and I celebrated our 25th two years ago in Paris - I hope that your experience is as wonderful!

Purchase a pair of %26#39;bowling shoes%26#39; - the tennis/sneaker type shoes in the style of bowling shoes are everywhere. I purchased a pair of black ones and with the exception of nice dinner, wore them all the time. You%26#39;ll be in style with the crowd - everyone seems to have them. (This year we were in Italy and they seemed to be everywhere there as well.)

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Much MORE IMPORTANT than a comfortable pair of walking shoes will be that your feet and legs are in %26#39;..shape..%26#39;. You will walk more miles than you can imagine and climb more stairs in a single day in Paris than most people do in a month. If you don%26#39;t already have a regular exercise regimine for this, then get out and start walking tonight. Depending on relative conditions, start out slow...around the block a couple of times..working up to perhaps a mile (if you have time...but don%26#39;t %26#39;push it%26#39;), at a brisk pace. If you have a reasonable %26#39;climb%26#39; at work (probably not if you work on the 39th floor), begin to take the stairs. When you go to the local mall, take the stairs, rather than the escalator. In the process, you can try out shoes already in your rack (or in boxes under your bed) or new walking shoes to find out which %26#39;..work..%26#39; for you and begin to get your feet and legs in %26#39;condition%26#39; for Paris.

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Try Born and Ecco brands. Check out zappos.com for selection. The website even has a %26quot;comfortable%26quot; section. I have a pair of Born sandals that have been to Paris twice as well as all over Europe. Sandals won%26#39;t work in November, but Borns have a very comfy cushy footbed and offer reg shoes too. My friend wore her Eccos. And just in case, load up on those bandaids (have them ready in your purse) that seal in the hotspot with a medicated gel-pad before it blisters -- not the normal everyday bandaids. Hopefully you won%26#39;t have to use them, but if you do you%26#39;ll avert a complete disaster. Get them in different shapes and sizes because a toe is different than a heel.

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I used my Mephistos for the day and

a pair of Eccos for the evening.

Both pair were well broken in.

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One super secret to comfortable walking that noone seems to heed: Alternate pairs. Your feet will go MUCH further if you alternate shoes everyday. Two pairs of Parisian city shoes will still bemore comfortable than one pair of great walking shoes.

Your feet, legs and back will thank you for lugging the extra weight.