Elderly in Shoe Fight

I am taking CROCS and Rock Ports.
Ill need the flex for wet (beach/boat), dry, walking, dress etc.

Thanks for the great replies to my questions. I think at this point I'll keep my ecco's but bring or get something more dress up for Florence.

Howard, my MAN. You wouldn't believe it but one of the most frequent questions we get on the site from women is about what kind of cute and comfy shoes they can wear. Let them worry about THEIR shoes and you worry about yours. If your wife is into traveling "trendy", just wait until she gets you into a pair of those men's trendy capri pants that they wear over there. Thank goodness it hasn't caught on here.

As a senior citizen, I need shoes that help me walk better and not those that look fashionable. I wear P.W. Minor shoes that are almost orthodic but they are soooo comfortable. We walked the trails of the CT and we were just fine. You are not out of line by wearing eccos. Of course, if you want to be German fashionable on the CT trails, you will need really good hiking boots and hiking poles. They power walk the trails.

My wife wore a pedometer in Florence and the CT and she registered 4-7 miles a day. You need your feet to be comfortable most of all.

Howard - I wear Mephistos and Eccos here - Save your feet; wear what feels comfortable to you!!!!

Ciao,
Ron

Howard, I actually bought ECCO walking shoes to take on my 2 trips to Italy last year because they were less "clunky" and more fashionable than my SAS walking shoes. It's important that you have a good pair of walking shoes - already broken in. So, as other say, wear what is comfortable and don't worry about how others think you look.

Gela - a 53 year old seasoned female traveler :-)

Howard: I'm with the others. Wear what's comfortable for you. But your wife has a point in that it may be a bit hot to wear sometimes where/when you're going. Are you planning to take an additional pair of sandals? I think that would be advisable.

Good excuse to buy Mephisto (or other) sandals here in Italy!

I used to wear a pair of docker's lace up oxfords but recently bought a pair of Ecco's because they weigh next to nothing and are very comfortable. Since they are black instead of brown, they dress up better than the dockers did.

For Italy and Greece in July, a pair of sturdy sandals might work well too. Maybe you could buy some there so they'll also be fashionable.

Take (and wear) your comfortable ecco's, but consider taking a pair of sandals (teva's, keen's) that are comfortable too- they're light, and often feel really good on a hot day (and give your feet a break from your "regular" shoes. I've hiked the CT in both my Keen shoes (what I wear day to day) and Keen sandals- both have great grip on cobbles and rock trails.

"Fashion" is a funny animal- but Americans will "look like" Americans anyway, just no sense in trying to travel light and then "compete" with locals on the fashion scene.

Howard, I have a pretty nice pair of Ecco shoes that made a good trip to Italy this past December. They are mesh and look like hiking shoes. They are called Ecco Men's "Orba Ultra Terrain II". They are more of a casual shoe, but looked good with both khakis and shorts. I wear them here in Florida alot, so I think they would be fine in Europe in July. I also wore some Timberland leather slip ons in June in France and Germany and they weren't hot at all. Have a great trip!