Tag: walking

Urban Parks in Northern Virginia

M's Adventures

One of the things I like about living in the Washington area are all the parks and greenery. Having lived in Rome where there are lots of streets with no plants or trees, it is nice to live somewhere where there are plants everywhere, and lots of free parks.

Many of the parks have picnic areas and bathrooms. Many have parking lots. Plus the parks are free. Some are educational including signage about the history that took place along that road or about with information about the plants that grow along that path. Other parks are nature preserves and can be a bit “wilder” with hills, boulders, and forests.

Depending on what time you go and which park you choose, the traffic can get busy. On the paths that are split down the middle, you have to walk on the side with the traffic going in your direction (counter to when you walk toward oncoming traffic) and you will hear the “on your left” or “passing” as the cyclists whizz past you.

10 Walks in Washington, DC

M's Adventures

So you have done all the touristy things… now what?

Clamber the rocks and walk on the Billy Goat trail. My favorite in this area because it is rocky and yet you are so close to the city.

Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island. Find the trail at Key bridge.

Walk along the canal in Georgetown.

Watch the mighty Potomac crash through Great Falls. It is magnificent without being strenuous. Great Falls is on both sides of the river but the better walk is on the Maryland side.

View the monuments by night with friends. The monuments are lit up at night and it is completely different than visiting during the day. And cooler (if it is summer).

Walk in Arlington National Cemetery. Available by Metro. It is quiet and hilly. Great view of DC.

Walk in Rock Creek Park.

Walk in the Arboretum. See pretty plants and Greek columns.

Explore a local trail. There are many that one rarely notices. One example is the Arlington Loop, map here.

Walk along the George Washington Parkway, or along the river on the Virginia side. Take the trail from Memorial bridge. Walk all the way to Mount Vernon if you… bike! It is 18 miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island (see above) to Mount Vernon.

A view from the car of the Washington Memorial across the river.

Join a walking group. Or find other walks in this list from Town and Tourist.

The Valletta Street Food and Culture Walking Tour

M's Adventures
Sandwich “lunch” stop. The drink was also traditional.

I rarely go on food tours because I prefer to wander around on my own. But the tour I took in Malta was an example of why one should take a food tour.

The tour is not just food. This is the view from the upper gardens where the tour guide explains a whole lot including which films were filmed here.

In Valletta, I joined a tour with the Valletta Street Food and Culture Walking Tour, found by my friend on TripAdvisor. This tour was great. Not just food, but culture, history, and movie locations.

The guide spoke excellent English (it’s one of the languages of Malta) and used a micrphone/headset system so you could always hear her.

It was good value for money, the walking was not too strenuous, and guide was great (guides must be licensed in Malta so they have to know their stuff).

Fried ravioli.

The cost is about $43 per person and for that you get four food and culture stops and three hours of information about Malta.

Horse meat stew.

The guide will ask you to pre-select if you want to try the horse meat.

Cheese and salami plate.

The amounts of food are not overly huge but enough that you will not need to eat lunch.

Coffee stop at a traditional bakery.

At the final stop, you get free beer, an appetizer slate, and a small main dish.

Dessert at the “dinner” stop.

Conveniently, the tour ends in a food hall so you can keep eating if you are still hungry or just want to sit for a while.

Mine, Mine, Mine — Personal Space in Bogota

M's Adventures

Personal space in Bogota is very different from in the U.S. Like in many places, MIGHT is right. But, what happens more often than not is that everyone walks, drives, and moves like they have the right of way.

So, to my friends, if you notice me moving into your “air space” and not saying “excuse me” every time I pass within five feet… sorry.