Shoes, an observation in Lisbon and Porto

Interesting and timely. We’re planning our trip to Portugal for September. I’ll have to look into Vans.

@Barbara, yes give them a try. I would highly recommend the versions that are labelled "Deluxe". My understanding is Deluxe simply means extra padded insole. If you're going to walk everywhere in Lisbon/Sintra like we did, that extra padding does help.

The ones my husband got were these, called Vans Atwood Deluxe sneaker:
https://www.dsw.com/en/us/product/vans-atwood-deluxe-sneaker---mens/542029?activeColor=001

Honestly, I think Vans shoes mostly all look alike; only the canvas's color is different. Aren't they? :)

Oh, I should have added that my husband's concern about getting the right shoe was not being overly cautious. Initially I thought it was maybe too cautious. An older friend of ours visited Lisbon around the same time we did and she slipped on the tile pavements, ended up needing to go to the hospital there for her broken arm, and it totally ruined her vacation because she couldn't go anywhere else :(

We did a walking tour and the local tour guide did say that almost every local in Lisbon has slipped on their infamous tiles one time or another. So I guess it was right to be cautious!

Thank you for this information. I've been looking for waterproof shoes with rubber soles in case of rain and just haven't found anything I like yet. I wonder if they offer leather Vans. They might not be waterproof, but more water resistant than cloth shoes anyway. I'll have to check.

Hmm, the question about waterproof and water resistant is interesting. I feel like the Vans we bought could resist a light rain.

Apparently they do make Vans with suede upper: https://www.vans.com/en-us/shoes-c00081/old-skool-comfycush-shoe-pvn0a3wmavne

The only reason I noticed how "everyone" who seemed to be a local was wearing Vans was because my husband and I were wearing them (and we have never worn Vans before). So it immediately became an interesting thing because we suddenly felt like we were locals. Hahah. I do remember other shoes like New Balance (the kind that look like retro running shoes) and there were a few Adidas football (soccer) type shoes, but by far it was Vans that really dominated. Really, really surprising. Now, we went in October and do Portuguese stop wearing these in the colder months? I don't know. I don't see why they would though as their "cold" is not all that cold.

Also, I noticed that a difference in how people dress in Portugal vs. France (for example) is that Portuguese are much more relaxed and informal. A difference though between Portugal and the US is generally that people are NOT sloppy. They wear better fitting clothes even though the overall style besides fit look like what people in the US wear. In the US, people's clothing are almost like shapeless, oversized, or baggy (saggy butt etc.). I hardly saw any oversized pants and shirts in Portugal.

In terms of how we dressed, I feel like my husband and I fit right in with our well-fitted casual clothing and Vans shoes. Totally like a local, but we don't talk like one :)