A Walkabout: Do you Wear Socks?

zara home

photo via zara home.

 

A walk about town, I'm not talking about my town, but about a more famous one, some think it is France, but in France we call it Paris.

Walking around Paris my feet roll. The French countryside is beautiful to walkabout. I don't know why I prefer to walkabout in a city verses the country. Crazy to most. Maybe it is because I grew up in the country, lived most my life in the country, love the seasons that a country offers, but when it comes to walking about give me the city. 

 

walking about

 

 

Another thing I find amusing is that in Paris you do not need a car. The metro, the bus, your feet… can take you anywhere you want to go in a relatively short amount of time. Of course in my town I can walk to almost everything I need: Groceries, bakery, doctor, bank, post office, cafe, hardware store… all within five minutes from my home. But if I want variety, or a change, or to take in a museum or a cultural experience… a car comes in handy.

Walking in Paris is a pleasure. Walking around my town is a habit.

 Both good for different reasons. 

 

paper design

 

 

A creative window display.

Note the forks and knives at the base.

 

 

walkabout

 

 

Larger than need be door knocker. Celebrating creativity is what Paris shows me. It so beats what I often say about France… are you ready for this I am going to say something not so positive about France, hold on… I often say about living in France:

"Why be simple when you can be complicated."

But the flip side to that is:

Amazingly beautiful architecture and design, and we lest I forget the petit fours. Complication has its rewards. Except when it comes to red tape and getting something done.

 

 

french finds

 

 

A large styrofoam medallion from LEROY Merlin.

I bought one to go around the chandelier in our apartment. After putting it up I wsh I had bought a bigger one.

 

 

 

French antique molds

 

Small antique molds from the brocante at Porte Vanves. 

One costs as much as the large styrofoam mold I bought.

These will last another hundred years, though the one I bought?

Will practicality ruin art?

 

antique lampshade

 

An antique fabric lampshade. I cannot believe I left it behind. I was being practical, "I do not need a lampshade, nor have a lamp for it." 

I forgot that the apartment needs a lamp.

When I walked back to the shop to buy it, it was gone.

 

fickled

Oh the whoas of being fickled.

 

walkabout

 

Large stone slab sidewalk.

Walking about without socks.

A weird fact about me:

In bed my feet are cold, walking about I rarely wear socks.

You are probably asking yourself:

"Why is she telling me this?"

Good question.

 

arcades

 

When it comes to walking about do you prefer the country or the city?

Do you wear socks?

 



Comments

30 responses to “A Walkabout: Do you Wear Socks?”

  1. I wear socks a great good part of the year, inside my winter boots that is…

  2. Definitely the city. I enjoy the beauty of the countryside, of course… but I get a real buzz from the city. I can walk hours in NYC and not even realise that I’ve been walking hours. Not so in the country. I tend to look at my watch a little more.

  3. I don’t wear socks when it is warm enough not to. I don’t like cold feet, so I usually wear them in the winter.

  4. I am the opposite, Corey. I simply cannot wear socks in bed, but I always wear socks when I am walking or hiking. I have had many a blister in my life and try to avoid them like the plague.
    Living in Placerville, most of the walking I do is fairly country. I don’t find Sacramento to feel very safe for walking, for whatever reason. I love walking in San Francisco, though!
    Di

  5. I love to walk both, depending on my mood…if I’m “inside my head” I like the soothing country walk, but if I want stimulation I love the city for people watching and window shopping. Socks: when I was young I avoided socks AND shoes whenever possible, but now that I am middle-aged I wear both more often. But I hate it.

  6. That lampshade is sublime…

  7. In a large city I like to walk, in a small town, I like to walk. In the country side, in the mountains, on the beach I like to walk. In the city I wear shoes like yours and no socks, unless it is winter, then I wear a different loafer type shoe and wool socks. In the summer I wear sandals. When i walk for exercise I wear running socks with running shoes. On the beach I go barefoot. In the mountains I like hiking boots. Finding a comfortable shoe to walk in the big cities is a must!!! Finding a comfortable shoe is necessary to enjoy walking period!!!
    Ps I love your shoes! jody/fl

  8. Ps I wear socks in bed all year, in the summer so Mosquitos don’t bite me, in the winter to stay warm! Jody / fl

  9. Shelley Noble

    Corey, I LOVE the pairing of the last two photos together. Such artistry.

  10. I only wear shoes with socks a few months out of the year, the rest of the year it’s sandals!

  11. RebeccaNYC

    New York is a lot like Paris in this regard. You walk, take the subway, the bus or a taxi. We gave up our car long ago. Because I am such a tender foot, I usually wear socks, unless I am wearing my Birkies. I like walking in the country, but I am so accustomed to not having a car that having a car when I am visiting France is a real treat!

  12. Like you, I climb into bed with my socks on just to kick them off and out when I get warmed up. And, like you, I hardly ever wear them with shoes. Maybe, the only exception would be during the the uber cold polar vertex spells we have been experiencing.
    Love your shots!

  13. I love your shoes-without socks-I prefer walks in the city–up and down the streets–Philadelphia is an old city so we have the best of both worlds- old and new-I wear socks with sneakers when walking but with shoes no socks…. well sometimes socks – like penny loafers – sometimes I wear socks to bed-for warmth and if I lotion my feet-but mostly I turn my chenille comforter(yes a summer cover I keep on all year) around so I can rub my feet on the chenille parts-I cannot have a smooth comforter I need texture-then I pile my quilt and down blanket on top-but I prefer a white bed all white-my chenille is vintage and I always have one in reserve just in case-way more info than needed-but what the heck-

  14. Gloria Nickels

    I love both for different reasons…..ditto for socks.
    I read your blog every day , but commenting for the first time. I will be in Paris on the 14th for a week, then in Nice for a week. If I should see you. I’ll give a friendly wave!
    G from Washington DC

  15. I hate wearing socks, but break down in the winter and do so. I wait as long as possible in the fall.
    Love to walk in the city, especially Paris.

  16. Kathie B

    During winter in brutally cold climates like ours, sometimes we wear TWO pairs of socks! Also we wear socks to bed, because the only thing that’s less sexy is a partner with cold feet :-(((
    Growing up in the Bay Area, once I was old enough to choose my own clothes I pretty much stopped wearing hosiery of any sort. Although I DO have fond memories of fuzzy wool Bonnie Doon bobby sox in a wide range of luscious shades to match our fur-blend sweaters, which sold for the then-exorbitant price of $1/pair at Hink’s (back when the minimum wage was still $1/hr.).

  17. Like you Corey I too was brought up in the country but the excitement of walking in Paris can’t be beaten. Sublime at every turn, socks or no socks!

  18. Susan Davis

    I thought I was weird because I hated to wear socks. I finally figured out why, after foot problems diagnosis. I have neuromas on balls of feet. Socks squish my toes together making the pain worse. My toes like to be free and wiggle in my shoes.
    I have walked around Paris with no socks and any other city when it is warm enough. I even cut off the top of sock midway, to keep my toes barefoot and ankles warm in the winter. It looked strange to have half the foot bare, but once shoes are on, no one can tell. Finally, I have now heard of others who don’t wear socks. They are my new support group!

  19. Marlena.maizar@ggaweb.ch

    As a CA girl myself I found that when I moved to London I walked everywhere! My family called me ” a walking fool”! The architecture, shops and people just made walking so interesting and I felt there was something new to be discovered at every turn….
    Now I live in a small village outside Zurich. A not very inspiring village. Walking was not very interesting …..until we got a puppy. Now I walk out into the forests and fields and my little companion makes walking in nature a joy again!

  20. Hi Gloria
    When you are in Provence give me a shout out, let me know, we could meet for a drink?
    Hope to see you soon,
    C

  21. CITY – especially Paris & Nice with their unique sights, people, and city sounds. Lived in the country and had a horse farm, so a kind of ‘been there/done that’ for me – love walking in the city (socks in winter)!

  22. I LOVE walking in the country. Less claustrophobic, less people, more wind, air, nature to refresh my spirit. If I were lonely, I would walk in the city. If I were in need of rejuvenation, the countryside. There is such BEAUTY in the natural world that man cannot touch! 🙂

  23. I am NOT a WALKER……..country or city!I do it out of necessity .As for socks……it depends.I would say YES< I do wear most of the time as I am always COLD!As for that LAMPSHADE!!!!!!!!???What were you thinking! XXX

  24. paula s in new mexico

    Oh love that lampshade.
    Like both walking venues…but city sure satisfies my people watching addiction.
    Socks…depends on the shoes and temp. I like fun socks for around the house.
    Hug….

  25. I wear socks only when its so cold my feet get cold. I love the city walking over the country. I think it makes the time pass faster because there are so many things to see. I especially LOVE walking in Paris.

  26. The door knocker is almost the size of my door . . . I like the picture of you. Loved the lamp shade . . . would be fun to see who bought it.
    Socks you say . . . city would be a no sock day if the weather permitted. Winter days around here this year meant socks! And at bedtime I pulled out my heavy wool socks and felt like my mother. I must confess . . . I have been wearing wool socks four four months, and more than just at bedtime!
    Taking off for a walk countryside happens for me more than in the city . . . A NYC visit a few months ago though was made delightful because of our walking transportation . . .Soooo much more to see . . .
    Liked this post Corey . . .

  27. Teddee Grace

    I liked walking in the city when I lived in Chicago. I think the bigger the city, the more interesting. Now, I live in Boulder, Colorado, and you can get tired of Pearl street fairly quickly. Now, I much prefer walking in the mountains. Socks keep blisters at bay.

  28. Laurie SF

    I prefer to take the long shortcut puttering around street corners, up hills, down narrow lanes, through an alley, turning right, then turning left, walking up stairs, slowing at flower gardens, walking through parks, pausing at newly discovered details of a door or window.
    After 24 years in San Francisco. The city continues to reveal something new of itself each and everyday.
    *Note on the shoes. Good God Woman! Your shoes are adorable!!

  29. Jenny Neumann

    I LOVE walking in Paris. The country is certainly quite nice but oh, my, Paris is magical. Oh, Corey! we will be in Paris for only 2 days in June. Any treats or surprises away from the norm that I can share with my family so they can delight in the charms of Paris from an insider? We will not, sadly, be near your parts…or we would have to stop, stalk and see if we could treat you to a dinner. Love to you and your too cute shoes.

  30. Wear socks to bed in the winter,
    Go barefoot in the house,
    No socks when walking.

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