I’ve spent the last five days in Basel and I’ve been barefoot all the time, every minute. I went to the library, an archive, restaurants, shops, a museum – no shoes! I came by train, took the tram – barefoot! I met some relatives – my feet remained bare! I didn’t carry any “emergency sandals” – I never do… The weather was quite nasty: Rainy with temperatures between 10 and 12 °C. Only the last day was sunny. It might be due to the weather or it might be due to the well-known fact that Switzerland is “different”: I was the ONLY one in town who was roaming around barefoot! I didn’t bump into a SINGLE fellow barefooter! OK, nobody made a comment, nobody was staring or complaining… But it was quite obvious that I’m doing something – well, something “exotic”, kind of! Basel – it’s not like in India where my bare feet aren’t anything exceptional at all. Definitely not… But I made a remarkable experience: I wasn’t feeling uncomfortable, not even for a single moment. I think that’s the BIG advantage if you’re LIVING barefoot – 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year: You’re not feeling “exposed” anymore, even if you’re travelling alone or with a shod friend and even if you’re not spotting a single pair of bare feet throughout the day - except your own one bare paws! That should be encouraging for you, especially if you’re a “newbie” who’s just discovering how much fun it is to walk barefoot! See: In the beginning you’ll have to convince yourself EVERY SINGLE DAY that it is OK to leave your shoes at home. You’re feeling almost nude, and – the worst thing! – you’re constantly concerned what people might think. Especially if it rains or if it is cold. But after some time you’ll realize that you’re doing something which is actually totally normal – freeing your feet from those little prisons that can become a serious health hazard! From THAT day onwards you’ll stop caring about the weather, staring people or the fact that you’re the “only one”. Well, be sure: You AREN’T the only one anyway… Do you feel encouraged, at least a little bit? Let me know and I’ll be sure that writing this wasn’t a waste of time! Keep ‘em bare!!! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/
