he did what?!
Inspired by a number of factors - 40 pounds overweight, exhausted by all the walking in Prague, sallysimpleton & grok's recent participation in marathons, annesblog's taking up of Pilates, another friend starting to play soccer, and a love of walking, I've taken up serious walking. It ain't much yet - just 2 miles around the hill we live on - but it's a start. Takes about a half-hour, has two really good uphill stretches, and gives great panoramic views of Athens. I'll work up to more...if I stick with it...but I've actually walked two days in a row (this may be a first).

When I was young I walked all over my hometown...I'd even take the long cut I liked walking so much. To get downtown, a walk of about a mile if you go straight there, I'd walk a mile or so to the train tracks, then a mile down the tracks to downtown. There was something very peaceful about walking on the tracks (and of course there was also the notion that instead of turning right, I might just turn left to see the rest of the continent on foot). I've been missing that the last few years. My favorite city to visit so far has been Venice, because you have to walk or take the vaporetto (or walk, then take the vaporetto, then walk some more, as was more often the case).