Mike D Goes to Europe!

So, I’m pretty much at the halfway point of my vacation. I have seen a lot of amazing things and walked many miles to see them. Even in good, comfortable shoes, my dogs would be barkin’ at this point. However, the one pair of shoes that I brought with me to Europe, the waterproof ones that were stylish enough for most any occasion, which I purchased explicitly for this trip, could be called many things, but comfortable is not one of them.

After a week in Europe, I have a bruise on the top of my left foot where the shoe’s seem has been digging into it like a clamp. The other foot has a blister on the little toe about as big as the toe itself. If you’ve ever read Steve Martin’s short story, “Cruel Shoes,” you’ve got the idea. I bought some gel pads in Paris, but they were no match for my Ecco Track IV Hydromax instruments of torture.

There comes a time when you have to make adjustments to your game plan, or you may soon find yourself in a no-win situation. For me, that time was Wednesday morning, October 22nd. My new Parisian friend, Anne-Cecile, directed me to the Vieux Campeur (sort of a French REI), where I purchased a comfy new pair of Columbia Sportswear walking shoes. They may not look so nice at a restaurant, but screw it - comfort is the absolute top priority. The tops of these shoes feel like my feet are tucked under a snuggly down comforter.

Of course, the bottoms of my feet still hurt after a day’s trecking around, but I think that is just normal pain - not the cruel and unusual pain I was subjected to before.

If you’re wondering what I did with the old shoes, I left them on the sidewalk in Paris in case some nice homeless person who hates their feet wants them. Maybe I should have attached a note of warning. Oh well. They’ll figure it out.

I am attaching pics of my vanquished foes and my new allies.

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