Walking in the Staad

In the US, I had a cute little Smart Car. A car was necessary where I lived. So many kilometers to the grocery store, so many to friends houses or other destinations. The roads were unpleasant for walking, and dangerous for bicycles. The nearest public transportation was about 3 kilometers from my house, and the bus system was not very efficient or pleasant to use.

Let me say that there are some places in the US where it is convenient to live without a car. But those cities are few.

When I came to The Netherlands, I’d already decided not to have a car. The cities here are better organised, and public transportation is a hundred times better. At least.

So now, I walk much more than I used to. To the markets, to the library, to appointments and shopping, to meet friends, or a stroll along the river. I’m not a fast walker, but I get where I’m going eventually.

Roermond is so well laid out for pedestrians. Once I learned to stay off the bike paths, walking here in the city and the nearby areas became such a pleasure. I’m so glad to be healthy, able to walk everywhere, and to enjoy it. I take a wrong turn sometimes in unfamiliar neighborhoods but that’s part of learning my way around.

It’s not always perfect, of course; nothing is. A couple of weeks ago a young man followed me. I noticed him near the Ziekenhuis, and he was behind me all the way to the Hoogvonderen neighborhood. He was tall and fit. He kept me in sight, even taking the same wrong turns I did when I was looking for the address I was going to. Finally, I thought I should do something about him. So I walked around a corner and stepped into some shrubs. When he came jogging around the corner I stepped out and snapped his picture. We had an argument when I refused to delete his picture, and when I called the police, he walked away.

The incident doesn’t worry me and hasn’t stopped me from walking everywhere. And it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying those walks and being so glad to be walking here in Beautiful Roermond.