Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
October 21, 2011 11:34 AM Subscribe
The Solitary Walker - a blog (mostly) about walking.
Great find. Thanks. And I feel compelled to add:
Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.
~ Soren Kierkegaard
posted by KokuRyu at 11:43 AM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.
~ Soren Kierkegaard
posted by KokuRyu at 11:43 AM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
Completely and embarrassingly misread this as "Wanker". While the substitution does nothing for the blog, it does greatly improve the Kierkegaard quote.
posted by The Bellman at 11:50 AM on October 21, 2011 [13 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 11:50 AM on October 21, 2011 [13 favorites]
"Honey, where are you going with my Victoria's Secret catalogue?"
"Pilgrimage."
posted by villanelles at dawn at 11:56 AM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
"Pilgrimage."
posted by villanelles at dawn at 11:56 AM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
How fortuitous.
Thanks for clueing me into the movie; hadn't heard of it.
I walked the Camino from Irun through Oviedo to Santiago in the Spring/Summer of '09. If you have the time and the wherewithal, I highly recommend walking it, although one could argue for biking it as well. It will take you through the backcountry of Spain, far away from the touristy beaches and cities and give you ample opportunity to get in touch with whatever it is you'd like to be thinking about.
posted by jsavimbi at 12:06 PM on October 21, 2011
Thanks for clueing me into the movie; hadn't heard of it.
I walked the Camino from Irun through Oviedo to Santiago in the Spring/Summer of '09. If you have the time and the wherewithal, I highly recommend walking it, although one could argue for biking it as well. It will take you through the backcountry of Spain, far away from the touristy beaches and cities and give you ample opportunity to get in touch with whatever it is you'd like to be thinking about.
posted by jsavimbi at 12:06 PM on October 21, 2011
While the substitution does nothing for the blog, it does greatly improve the Kierkegaard quote.
In fact, it's pretty versatile in general.
posted by cortex at 12:16 PM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
In fact, it's pretty versatile in general.
posted by cortex at 12:16 PM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]
Hate when the mods come in and walk all over your post.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 12:19 PM on October 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by villanelles at dawn at 12:19 PM on October 21, 2011 [3 favorites]
This is a great find, I've always loved walking. As a kid, I thought walking the six miles to the library, finding books and walking back was one of the best things ever. Even these days, I like walking to work.
Walking is what I call the human speed. You can ride a bike or drive in a car through a place or neighborhood, but walking puts in you touch with the people. It's easy to miss things when you're biking or in the car, but walking, you have you a lot of time to notice the details of environment and the rhythms and pace of the streets or of the forest.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2011 [7 favorites]
Walking is what I call the human speed. You can ride a bike or drive in a car through a place or neighborhood, but walking puts in you touch with the people. It's easy to miss things when you're biking or in the car, but walking, you have you a lot of time to notice the details of environment and the rhythms and pace of the streets or of the forest.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:03 PM on October 21, 2011 [7 favorites]
This is a great find, I've always loved wanking. As a kid, I thought wanking the six miles to the library, finding books and wanking back was one of the best things ever. Even these days, I like wanking at work.
Wanking is what I call the human seed. You can ride a bike or drive in a car through a place or neighborhood, but wanking puts in you touch with the people. It's easy to miss things when you're biking or in the car, but wanking, you have you a lot of time to notice the details of environment and the rhythms and pace of the streets or of the forest.
posted by KokuRyu at 1:23 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
I used to always travel by bike or subway to get somewhere as quickly as possible to be able to do whatever I wanted to do as soon as possible, wasting as little time in transit as I could. I'd never walk more than a kilometre or so.
Then I realized that walking can BE the activity. I didn't have to rush home to start living, I could walk for two or three hours and it's not a waste of time. Rather, it's a lovely way to spend a free evening.
It's lovely to discover a city this way. Brandon B. put it nicely- it's "human speed". You can easily stop to eat, to talk, to rest.
Though I do think it takes more deliberate patience than biking. Biking is also a great way to discover the city, and efficient enough that it makes sense to take lots of detours. It's the more fun, whereas walking is more contemplative.
I hope to do the Camino de Santiago one day.
posted by beau jackson at 1:28 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
Then I realized that walking can BE the activity. I didn't have to rush home to start living, I could walk for two or three hours and it's not a waste of time. Rather, it's a lovely way to spend a free evening.
It's lovely to discover a city this way. Brandon B. put it nicely- it's "human speed". You can easily stop to eat, to talk, to rest.
Though I do think it takes more deliberate patience than biking. Biking is also a great way to discover the city, and efficient enough that it makes sense to take lots of detours. It's the more fun, whereas walking is more contemplative.
I hope to do the Camino de Santiago one day.
posted by beau jackson at 1:28 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]
"I propose we call ourselves The Perambulators"
And exactly, Brandon: I call walking and cycling "appreciation speed". At 20mph or less I can smell the air, feel the weather, hear birds singing, take detours to play with a friendly dog, note changes to the neighborhood, stop to chat over a garden fence. Any faster and a bubble of sensory isolation and diminished awareness starts to creep in, while distractions rise. The lower the speed, the greater the opportunity to "be here now".
Walking is not the most efficient form of transportation, but I would argue that it's the most meaningful.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 1:46 PM on October 21, 2011 [6 favorites]
And exactly, Brandon: I call walking and cycling "appreciation speed". At 20mph or less I can smell the air, feel the weather, hear birds singing, take detours to play with a friendly dog, note changes to the neighborhood, stop to chat over a garden fence. Any faster and a bubble of sensory isolation and diminished awareness starts to creep in, while distractions rise. The lower the speed, the greater the opportunity to "be here now".
Walking is not the most efficient form of transportation, but I would argue that it's the most meaningful.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 1:46 PM on October 21, 2011 [6 favorites]
Walking and thinking go hand in hand, as followers of Aristotle's peripatetic school would agree.
posted by binturong at 2:17 PM on October 21, 2011
posted by binturong at 2:17 PM on October 21, 2011
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posted by crunchland at 11:39 AM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]