Alegria shoes for men and women!

Laughing, Nance, because yes, I believe people chuck things out as they go! One of the guys who comes to our local Rick Steves' meet up tells a great story about throwing a shirt out of a hotel window into a vacant lot as the darn thing would not dry. He had not run a wash test on it at home before he left and then decided he was not going to baby it for weeks while he traveled. I would probably consider just 2 pair of shoes...one packed, one on your feet.

I have not tried this brand of shoe altho it was recommended to me as very good for people with a history of plantar fasciitis. The foot bed is supposed to be wonderful. I worked in a hospital before retirement and a fair number wore this brand.

Glad you had a chance to do a trial run with your bag!

Those are really cute! I've been on a hunt for about a week now. I've researched and read so much and finally started ordering from Zappos and Amazon last week for the perfect shoe/sandal. I'm a little harder as i have a wide foot and suffer from bouts of Plantar fashiitis. I want to wear dresses for my trip, and want something comfy and, well, semi-fashionable. I've decided to get one pair of walking sandals and one sneaker. I even googled dresses and sneakers and saw images of cute ways and styles to wear them. It's not something I've ever done before...but am willing to try for comfort! DH said he's glad I've found a support group on the internet for my issues :)

I am finding that there really is not one size fits all and this is going to be harder than I thought. The ones I"m keeping my fingers crossed are Naturalizer Bzee's Flawless wedge sandal in the Geo Print:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bzees-flawless-sneaker-women/3778795?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=GEO+PRINT&resultback=344

I think they are cute and stylish with all sorts of dresses and skirts (that don't have much of a pattern of course). I plan on taking beige sandals if I want something patterned. The quest continues.....

Very cute shoes! I work in a hospital lab and am on my feet just about the entire day. I swear by the Klogg and Dansco brand although Dansco's seems to be heavier. The Alegria (sp?) brand is also popular.

I used to bring ankle boots (great for hiking, especially in muddy, off-road conditions) but they are twice as heavy as what I use now. And at $150 or so, I would NOT throw them away.

Since I've found that the vast majority of my walking really takes place on cobbled, city-center, treks from the room to the sights. I now use a brand new pair of affordable, lightweight running shoes. They start off in the luggage, get broken-in quickly, and are used for 'off-road' adventures only toward the end of the vacation. At $35-$40, there's not too much fretting if they get pitched after only a month of use (makes more room for souvenirs!).

If you could make do with just that and a pair of something like those Alegria 'Ettas', you'd be much happier with your schlepping scenario. Think about it...

Thanks Bill, I will think about it. Actually what I need to do is pack my bag and put those ankle boots in there and see how much difference it makes. They're pretty light and they wash up well if mucky. We're going to spend a week in Amsterdam and then a couple of days in Haarlem before the tour starts and I'm well known for getting off the beaten/paved path in my wanderings. Mucky should be my middle name lol.

Pam - I have not test run my clothes yet but bought fairly light shirts that should dry well. I guess I need to make sure!

And yes Lulu - one size does not fit all. I bought a lovely pair of Wolky shoes, thinking these would be great to bring. They fit so well and felt sooooo good in the store. In fact, they work real well for about 4-5 hours as long as not much walking is involved. Ha! They get to stay home with the cats lol.

Nance, can you wear the boots on the plane instead of packing them? This is going to sound really nuts, but I actually weigh my clothes on a large kitchen scale. I would pack the lighter pair of your shoes

And do check on drying times. It is really weird sometimes that something you think is going to be a quick dry for some reason does not meet your expectations. Better if that happens at home than on the road.

Do give a thought to having a tote bag and packing it for your 2 nights in Venice. So much easier to manage on all those bridges (which have steps, not ramps!).

I'm really enjoying my Ecco hiking/tennis shoes as I break them in. I do want to get a more lightweight slip on for easy walking days and quick on/off at the airport. I was wondering about a pair of Sperry topsiders. Do they work well as a walking shoe? I had hugely painful foot issues on my last tour of Europe- mainly due to unbroken in/cheaply made shoes (the bottoms of my feet were covered in open blisters- it was torture walking miles each day with raw, bleeding feet!). I want comfort this time!

http://www.6pm.com/clarks-hedge-tipi-black-suede

i purchased these shoes in black and they are very comfortable...the problem is they did not wear well, even after spraying them with suede protector. i wore them for 3 days straight while walking 10+ miles a day and never had a blister or sore spot. i had hoped to bring them on our 21 day BOE trip in April. They are so lightweight, too! i may have to look for another pair and also for a better protector.....but obviously they are not waterproof nor water repellent so that is an issue. Where to find a cute, comfortable, supportive, laceless, waterproof shoe that can handle 10 miles a day and not make my feet fall off? This is the million dollar question.

I've bought Clarks shoes several times- very comfortable! However, the way all of my pairs have worn, don't know that's I'd trust them on a three week 5-10 miles per day tour. That's my dilemma too.

This is the first pair of shoes I have bought for Europe. These will work very well for me.

http://i.keenfootwear.com/images.ashx?t=product&i=5322_burnt_henna_t.jpg&w=500&h=333&q=90

There was absolutely no break in with these shoes and that's a first for me. I have been wearing them frequently with my orthopedic insoles to test them for the long haul. I may seem to be obsessed with shoes, but having taught for thirty years and being on my feet almost all day has taught me we are much like the horse: If you ain't got good feet, you ain't goin' nowhere! Nice grammar for a teacher, huh? tehehe

And yes, Pam - I would wear the boots on the plane. Easy zip on and off. None of the trip shirts have been washed yet so I think I will make a trial run by wetting them and using a towel to remove as much moisture as I can before hanging to dry. I haven't bought pants yet as my waistline is changing from walking to get ready for the trip. It's pretty flat around Florida with not much access to stairs - except at the local hospital . That'll do!

Oh, and the tote? I got the pacsafe 400 citysafe hobo and the largest Travelon purse. Good advice for Venice - thank you!

When I sold shoes, Alegria was one of the brands we brought in - I didn't know much about them at the time, but customers who'd had them before loved them...they even had a line for nurses/restaurant workers (non-slip, non-marking). They aren't my style, as I found them clunky looking, but they had a lot of fans! That's usually a good indication they are a great shoe...

LOL Nance, as I actually am a Florida Gator who lived many years near Tampa and the parents lived in Neptune Bch. It IS very hard to hill-train in Florida. I would actually do stair climbs at the hospital or perhaps there is a HS FB stadium nearby with some bleachers?

Hahahaha - Pam, isn't that just too funny? Neptune Beach is where I go to sunbathe at the ocean and Tropicana field and area beaches have played into many vaca's in the past years.

~cuing the Small World theme song~ !! While you are out and about could you run up to Mayport and eat at Singleton's for me?

The great thing is you can train for longer distance walking really well where you are. Plus if you are trying to up your distances now is a great time in Florida as summer is too, too hot for a couple of hours of walking.

OhEmGEE!!!!! Singleton's Seafood Shack is one of our fave's. We used to make my husband drive and the rest of us would drink Margarita's all the way there. After dinner we would feed leftovers to all the ferals out front and then take the ferry across to a little bar and play pool, hitting the ferry back on the last run. Such fun!

Well, so disappointed with the Bzees Flawless Wedge. I am a wide and the wides I ordered were not! I had read one review that complained about that, but I had to check for myself. Other than that I loved them. The material was so comfy, and no uncomfortable rubbing. The little bit of height made it feel more fashionable...soft insole. I loved the Geo Print, but they have different colors. If you are a narrow or normal width foot, I would definitely check these out for stylish shoes.

Tisa, so sorry about the wide not being wide. I find that with Clark's too. Their idea of wide is not my foot's idea of wide! Thank goodness for Zappos and easy returns.

Nance, just have to look past the cat population at the front door of Singleton's! I'm not a big cat person, but if I were a feral cat that is where I would choose to live, lol.