Others Barefoot in Public?

Interesting point she raises about Tesco and them being funny with her if she tried barefoot supermarketing in their store - have to confess I was very wary about going to my newly opened Tesco Extra in December (size of an aircraft hangar on two floors), given their track record of barefoot-unfriendliness here in the East Midlands (I refer you here - Long Eaton is about 9 miles from here).

However, I've had no bother whatsoever - brazenly walk past security guys (at first they used to follow me around to make sure I wasn't a shoplifter, now they just sort of acknowledge I'm not one) and go there at least three times a week. Had my eyes tested there, done all sorts of shopping, upstairs and down. Not one comment from a staff member - very refreshing. Occasionally get some interested comments from other shoppers in the lift, but on the whole it's just no hassle - a pleasant surprise.

 

I often go bf in Barton's Tesco without any problems.

 

i love being barefoot
i feel nothing is in the way of me and earth
shit i take my shoes off at school
fuck that!

 

You got that right! :2thumbsup: I'm really looking forward to going grocery shopping in the spring and summer when I can walk on the cool tiles in the refrigerated section after coming in from walking across the hot asphalt parking lot.

 

I played at a brass festival at a local university, and one of the girls working it was barefoot with no shoes in sight. Judging by her outfit, it looked like she may have had high heels in the morning, but shed them sometime before lunch and left them off.

 

Brass festival huh, What instrument do you play?

 

It might be, that I will spot other barefooters this coming Saturday... The weather forecast for Germany on that day: sunny in most places, temperatures between 20° and 25°C (68 to 77F)... this sounds like perfect conditions to spend a barefoot Saturday outdoors, most of the time.

And with temperatures like these, it will also be the opening of the outdoor naturism season, too.

My barefoot plans for that day include some barefoot decadence, which will be a visit to an Italian ice-cream parlor and have them serve me a large portion of something cold, fruit-laden and creamy stuff (I will make sure to take pictures!).


After a very sunny March so far (monthly sunshine hours way above average in our region), a little rain set in yesterday evening and overnight... But rainy days can't bring me down! My bare feet love walking through puddles and through wet grass, feeling soft soil underneath too much to be sad or depressed about it. And with current temperatures around 10°C/50F at 6 am, it's certainly mild enough to really enjoy some puddle-footing on my to work.

Wiggling bare toes in anticipation of near-summer weather in two days,

~*Ganesha*~

 

in South Africa,barefooters are almost a common site.On any given day in summer,you will spot about 15 adults barefoot in our local mall,and about 80 percent of kids.
Teens are frequent.In our immediate suburb,all three major primary schools are barefoot schools.In our town,there arefour regular adult barefooters.Myself,an antique shop owner whom i have never seen wearing shoes,and two others,one riding a bicycle,aged about 60 plus,and another elderly bloke.

 

Trumpet. I played Arutunian's concerto in Ab.

 

I went to my local Costco gas station last week Friday to fill my tank. The lady in front of me was barefoot. Looks like she just got off work and shed her shoes to drive to the gas station, because she was dressed "business casual" (linen blouse and slacks).

 

Indeed, this Saturday was the first official summer day of 2011 in the Ruhr megalopolis, with temperatures rising as high as 25°C (77F) - in some places even above that mark - and the sun shining from a brightly blue sky.

Certainly, such a day just has to be spent outdoors and barefoot, too.
So, I went barefoot into town to take a stroll along the ped zone shopping street and to celebrate an early summer day by sitting down in my usual Italian ice cream parlor/café place - in the outdoor seating area, right in the sun, of course. As the waiter came up to my table, I had decided, that the right choice to properly enjoy this summerly weather would be something cold, fresh and delightful... I ordered an ice cream cup with mixed fruit ice cream, fresh fruit, whipped cream and it came even with a cherry on top:



Although the weather was perfect for barefooting, I was once again the only barefoot person in that café, and the people passing by were wearing summer outfits, but never without footwear. Pity the poor souls (and soles) for missing a treat by keeping their feet from breathing freely and feeling the sun's warmth. Even sandals or flip-flops are too constricting in such glorious weather, I think. At some point, a young couple - college students, by the looks of their outfit - sat down at the table next to mine and the young woman decided to enjoy the summer sun by slipping off her chucks, rolling the cuffs of her jeans up to the knee, and propping her feet up on the chair opposite of hers... wearing dark green socks. A slight breeze was blowing, fortunately away from me, so that I wasn't hit by any smell which would have been likely, since those canvas and rubber sneakers are true heat and sweat traps. While she was baring her shins, but not her feet, I wiggled my bare toes under the table, enjoying my fruit ice cream cup.
As they got ready to leave, I wondered if she might take a cue from my barefoot state and pull off her socks to bare her feet, too... but, alas, she rolled down the cuffs of her pants and slipped her socked feet back into her sneakers, and off they went as shod as when they arrived. Another poor sole missing a barefoot treat...

After finishing my ice cream and having soaked up some sun in that café, it was time for the usual Saturday trip to the supermarket - and it was there where I saw that I was not the only person enjoying being barefoot. One of a trio of young men (college student age) was indeed barefoot without having shoes in sight. All three wore similar outfits: camouflage pants, loose-fit t-shirts and had long hair, the barefoot guy wearing his in a ponytail. The other two were wearing sneakers. Judging from the tenderfoot appearance of the guy's bare feet, I reckoned that he wasn't a habitual barefooter, and that he might have started his day with sneakers on and later on took them off and stuffed them in the backpack he was wearing. At least then and there I wasn't alone in being barefoot.

Another peculiar sighting happened on my way home by tram, when I spotted a teenage girl on the opposite side of the road, waiting for the tram going the other way. She had her dog on a leash and stood barefoot on her flip-flops... she did not wear them, but had slipped out of them and was standing on them rather than having her bare soles touch the paved sidewalk. It was enough to make me raise an eyebrow at that sight. Perhaps she was afraid of touching the dirty ground - but then, standing on foam-rubber sponges, soaked with her own feet's sweat did not seem very hygienic to me, either. In fact, the sidewalk might have been the better option to stand on and the trashbin the best place to put the flip-flops in.

The young man at the supermarket remained the only other true urban barefooter I spotted.

With this fine weather, I just had to spend some time in my usual park, too. So, I changed my outfit slightly, taking off my cut-off pants and put on my sarong and walked down from my apartment to the park, carrying my shoulder bag with something to drink in it, a book to read in (Sabine Kuegler's Call of the Jungle, the sequel to Jungle Child) and some suntan lotion, since I did not only want to walk barefoot there, but find a spot to shed my clothes and open the outdoor naturist season, too.

On my way to the park, I saw evidence of Mother Nature prevailing over civilization: dandelions pushing through cracks in the sidewalk... a little botanic anarchy, so to speak.



On arriving in the park, some trees were showing new leaves, others beginning to sprout and on the grass, more daisies, pilewort and now also dark-blue speedwell (veronica filiformis) were showing their bright faces.

I saw quite a couple of people reclining on benches, some on blankets on the grass and others were playing on the grass, tossing balls, frisbees and other toys at each other. Among one mixed group of young people, again, college student age, the women were barefoot on the grass, while the men wore sneakers - seemingly finding it uncool to bare their feet. Judging from the gait of one woman, who wore neo-hippie clothes, she was a habitual barefooter, too, and it was nice to watch them frolic and play, while I was sitting on a bench, reading in my book, listening to some chillout music.

While sitting there, I had a funny encounter with a young boy, about two years of age, and his young father. The boy walked past me, then stared at my bare feet, pointed at his shoes, then at my feet and said "I got shoes... you don't". I grinned at him and replied "Oh, I have shoes... they're at home". His father then grinned, too, and told his son: "When it's warm, it is nice to walk without shoes" - and he is absolutely right, too.

At about 5 pm, the people who had played on the grass were getting ready to depart, and the barefoot women (who had come to the park by bicycle) all put on shoes before mounting their bikes and leaving. So, they were only part-time barefooters. With less people around, I stood up from the bench, found me a nice place on the grass, took my clothes off and sat down on the grass, giving again the impression of a reclining Buddha and gathered some positive energy by soaking up sunlight and feeling the mild breeze around my body. I already had gathered power from the Earth through my bare soles. The only element missing was water, but since it is only April, the lakes in our area still have water temperatures below 10°C/50F, which is too cold for skinnydipping as yet. If we have more than a week of sunny and warm weather as on this Saturday, I might try it at my favourite lake... as of now, I refrain from it. However, bathing in sunlight and warm air is already possible and very pleasant, for sure.

Today, the sky is overcast, and temperatures have dropped to around 15°C/60F... Still OK for barefooting, but a bit too cool for being skyclad outdoors... well, there are more summerly days ahead, I'm sure. Spring has only just begun.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

I spotted one after-work barefooter today, when I was in the mall after work... he was wearing an overall, stained with plaster and paint - obviously he's in the decoration or construction business - had the cuffs of his pants rolled up and silver toe rings were glistening on both his feet.

On passing each other, we looked at each other's feet, wordlessly acknowledging our common taste in foot jewelry - his toe nails weren't painted though...

Nice to know that I'm not alone.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

Youngsters can get away with it a lot. A dew weeks ago, I went in PJs to a local donut shop. On top of me and my son in bare feet, there was another family with two kids around 5 or 6 who were barefoot, and there was a different family with two girls around 12-13 who were barefoot. But other than me, ice never seen an unshod adult there.

 

I do it all the time. In school, all around town, but especially on grass. Barefoot is the only way to go, and when that doesn't work... Birks!

 

While riding the tram home from work, I spotted a young man, hippie-ish styled, long blond dreads, riding his recumbent bicycle barefoot. No ohter barefooters today... it seems, I only spot the lone barefooters at the moment... perhaps there'll be more this coming mild and sunny weekend.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

I was at my girlfriends college today and saw a girl barefoot. I got excited because besides my girlfriend and myself I havent seen any other barefooters around here.

 

I stopped at a convenience store yesterday and saw a barefoot girl walk inside while I was out pumping gas. I think she must work at the local hospital because she had on a blue nurse looking uniform, but no shoes in sight. Maybe tired feet? First barefoot person I've seen in a long while, except for me.

 

That ice cream and fruit dessert looks REALLY delicious! :2thumbsup:

 

Saw a woman shopping barefoot in the local health food store today. The really cool part is that she was being helped by a store employee, who obviously didn't care about her bare feet.

 

I can't help be a little amused whenever I see a lass walking barefoot because she can't walk in her stupidly impractical high heels (which she's carrying). I see quite a lot them too, as my room at uni looks onto the high street.
Seeing four of them at once in the early evening, all in posh dresses and accompanied by lads in suits actually made me chuckle though.