If you must go flat.

I'm sure by now you know by now that I like my heels. A lot. A lot, a lot. I will admit though that there are times when it's a must to wear shoes with no heel. Gasp! Shock! Shudder! I know. Sigh.

If you're going to the gym or exercising, it's obvious you need flats shoes. Sure, sure, Mariah Carey shows off her work out moves on Oprah in stilletos (I'm calling BS on that BTW), but for the average person, gym shoes are the way to go when getting your workout on. Gym shoes should, however, only be worn when working out. Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't wear them out or as your every day shoes. I hate how America has become a land of gyms shoe wearers. Ack!

If you're going on a trip where you will be walking a lot, obviously flat walking shoes are the way to go. NOT your gym shoes,but flat walking shoes. Europeans have super cute sneakers and walking shoes. I bought a few pair to take with me when we leave tomorrow on our fabulous 11 night Mediterranean cruise! I didn't tell you? It's true!!!! We fly to Barcelona tomorrow morning (we have to leave at 3:30am to get to the airport, which kind of sucks) and on Saturday we board the Disney Magic. Did you know Disney cruised Europe? Neither did we until a few months ago. We're terribly excited. We'll be leaving from Barcelona and going to Malta, Tunisia, Corsica, Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), La Spezia (Pisa), and Villafrancha (Monaco and Nice) and back to Barcelona. We're all so excited. Have a look at our ship:

Doesn't that sound fab?  Look for many awesome posts to come, including a few from Pocket Indy.

So, back to the shoes.  When you're traveling and touring, you want your shoes to be comfy, but not ugly.  Please, no Crocs.  I don't care what you say, they have no place in this world, especially when you're touring foreign countries.  They will mock you for being a tacky American.  I have a few cute walking shoes, but needed some new ones for the trip (of course).  I went to my local Deichmann's and found these:

Aren't they cute?  They're sporty and comfy and small and sleek, not huge and chunky like gym shoes.  Perfect for exploring ruins or traipsing down cobblestone streets.

If you wear white sneakers, believe me, everyone will know you're American.  Everyone.  Only Americans wear plain white sneakers.  Europeans do have white shoes, but they are not like the plain white KEDS so popular in America.  If you buy white shoes over here, they will be decorated with jazzy little designs.  The ones above aren't typical sneakers, but they give you an idea of what white casual shoes look like.  It's kind of hard to tell in this photo, but they have sparkly silver detailing in the swirls.  And they were only Euro 19,95 (about $25).  If you are going to wear white shoes on a trip though, wear them a few days before you go so they don't scream I'm new!

These were just too cute to pass up.   I probably won't be wearing them off the ship, but for the 3 days we're at sea, they'll be perfect for going to and from the pool, lounges and shows.  Here's a close up view of the details:

Nice, eh?  They called to me in the store.  AND they were Eruo 16,40 (about $20).  Can you stand it?  So adorable.  Oh, here's another important tip, especially for keeping your feet from hurting.  See these little stick on pads?  I know, adorable!  While no one will get to see their adorableness, you'll know they're there and your feet will thank you for it.

Of course you all know I'd rather be wearing something like these, but even I am smart enough to know that they're just not practical for touring.  Sigh.  Aren't they pretty though?

So, there you have it.  I'm hoping to do some blogging on the boat, look for posts from fab locales.  Until then, wear pretty shoes!