The Power of a Single Step: How Walking Connects Us to Places and People

The Unhurried Journey, A Voyager's Guide to Walking

Dear Travel Journal,

The first thing I do when I arrive somewhere new, after settling in, is to go for a short walk to explore the surroundings. It might even just be a trip to the market. I love discovering a place by walking its streets, shores, or trails. It’s as if with every step, I get closer to the emotions and thoughts of the people who live there. As I observe my surroundings and reflect on what I like and dislike, I feel I’m getting a little closer to myself, too. Soon after, even if I’m never going to visit again, I feel like I'm a local—and I love that feeling.

This past summer, one of my favorite things to do was take long walks. Hiking in nature, short city tours, or exploring new routes like a tourist in my own neighborhood—alone or with someone—has become my favorite activity. When friends called to get coffee, I started asking, "How about a walk instead?" And what's not to love about getting a blueberry ice cream cone from the local, unpretentious but delicious ice cream shop in our neighborhood and heading out for a walk?

I can’t even remember how many times during these walks I argued with my mom in my head about our morning conversations, felt disappointed with my reaction to an event from three years ago, or worried about my future. But once the walk was over, those thoughts were gone, too. There were also moments when I found the word I’d been trying to remember for days or when little girls, the age of my nieces, told me I looked beautiful as I walked past. My conversations with a cousin I invited on one of these walks deepened, and I honestly think our friendship progressed a level or two. We shared what was on our minds just as it came. We would have had fun talking in a noisy cafe over coffee, but there was a different vibe to sharing things while walking. I want to talk a little about these things and a few routes I had the chance to explore on foot.

Let's Go for a Walk

"Let's go for a walk" has become a date phrase for me this summer. Inviting someone for a walk, I believe, is more than just getting some exercise. It's actually saying, "I want to share this good thing I'm doing for myself with you." It’s never selfish; more importantly, it comes from a place of self-worth.

Walking a mutually agreed-upon route at a set time is also a great way to get to know someone. For example, you can tell if they're someone who complains halfway through. This might give you an idea for future plans you can make together. If they can’t synchronize their breath with their pace, you can, after considering their health, question how balanced their life is. It seems like a great way to get to know someone, right?

Besides, walking only gets more enjoyable with autumn. As the sea begins to cool and the beaches empty, I can't think of a better plan than trading flip-flops for sneakers. And you don't even have to be with someone or walk a centuries-old route. Wherever you are, whenever you can get outside, I think that is the best route for a walk.

My Personal Connection with Walking

My walks are both my escape and my way of connecting. They're a great opportunity to take a break from a tense discussion and think, as well as an amazing way to get to know someone better. I'll explain now how they allow me to both escape from things and connect with them. But first, I should mention how I got used to using my legs, the most primitive form of transportation, since childhood, and how this made me too lazy to even get my driver’s license.

Thanks to my parents, who spent every opportunity by the seaside or in a green area, I lose track of time when I'm in nature. I also loved my physical education classes. I think my dad's constant plans to escape to nature were just an excuse to use his car. I’ve actually inherited his love for nature more than his love for cars. During our time at my grandmother's village house, my cousins and I had to walk for any mischief we wanted to get into and to satisfy our curiosity to explore the surroundings.

Yet, despite this childhood fondness for walking, my walks also became my escape maneuvers in a way I can't quite remember when it started.

When I was angry, couldn't get out of my head, or couldn't focus on studying, I started walking, even if it was just a short loop. I wasn't even aware of it until recently, but walking wasn't just for escape; it was also important for connection.

It was important for me to connect with the friends I called for hours on my long walks. It was important to get to know my friends better, the ones I invited on walks to share our anxieties about the future along the shore with coffee in hand. In short, walking has always been important to me. I want to share a few routes from my walks in Europe and some small moments that might escape your eye in the rush of daily life to better explain what I mean.

As you know, I previously completed the last hundred kilometers of the Camino de Santiago journey, walking for five days. You can find my posts where I shared everything and more detailed information in the link here.

When I started writing this piece, it hadn't even crossed my mind to mention Strava, but while looking at my photos to talk about a few of my walking routes and places, I thought it would be appropriate to mention this app. Of course, Strava had no idea of this storytelling method I just decided on.

Strava is a very enjoyable app where you can record your sports activities, join challenges, and meet people through a shared hobby. When I went down to my very first post for this article, I realized my first activity recording was only in May 2023. It felt like I had started using it much earlier. Looking back now, each one has become a beautiful, memorable moment. The feature to save with photos has also turned the app into a digital album.

Everything Passes, It Stays Behind

Revisiting these days did more than just bring back a few memories. These photos, which might have no meaning if I saw them in my phone gallery, now made me realize that everything is in the past. It’s incredible that the days I spent worrying and couldn't find a solution to during my long walks have now just turned into memories. Many of the things I worried about back then are now behind me. The stressful times I experienced no longer have any significance.

A short look at the past felt good to understand the value of today. If you're curious, I’m sharing these journeys below, which I embarked on without waiting for an invitation, just to explore the place I was in at the time.

Santiago de Compostela, Noia - Spain

Noia was a small coastal town where I lived for over a year. As I set off for Spain with the question "Who am I" in my mind, this small town was very good for me. The poplar trees that reminded me of my childhood, and the moments when I volunteered with children and imagined who would become what and what kind of a future they would have, are some of my memories of this place. This place was so good to me that I even considered naming my future dog Noia.

Just when I had to leave, I received an offer to work together the next summer at a stone hotel and restaurant called Pesqueria del Tambre, very close to Noia, during a nature walk I took there. I don't know if it was because I knew my great uncle had his own hotel and even my father had worked at this hotel for a period, but there was something calling me here. The stone building of the hydroelectric power plant impressed me so much that I said, "Why not?" I will soon write about the details of this adventure on my Substack account. If you'd like to follow, I'm leaving a kind invitation below.

A Coruna, Ferrol - Spain

In Spain, especially in Galicia, you often hear the phrase "Ferrol Feo," which means "Ugly Ferrol." The city didn't seem ugly to me on my first day there or after. Maybe it wasn't the most beautiful place I’d ever visited, but I don’t think it was ugly either. What's more, it had such beautiful beaches suitable for surfing that they were worth exploring. Walking here required risking a little bit of cold, but it felt so good at the time.

If you’re walking in a forest, it’s normal for the right and left sides to be different shades of green, but in Galicia, it’s normal to see green when you look at the ground and even when you look up at the sky. Since it’s impossible to describe its wild nature with words, I tried to show it in photos. I hope it has also motivated you to record the sports activities you do where you are.

Valencia - Spain

Valencia is another city that was my home for a while. It was so enjoyable to explore it on foot because the center, especially, wasn’t hilly at all. That’s why bicycle and scooter use are so common. Besides the wide Turia Park, it’s possible to get lost in the city center or take long walks along the coast and participate in many sports events.

Barcelona - Spain

And then, Barcelona. I first visited Barcelona for just a few days to explore it before flying back to Turkiye. During my time in Galicia, I didn’t hear anything good about this city. People constantly talked about its difficulties, from security issues to its lost charm. Maybe that’s why I was so impressed by this city, because my expectations were so low when I arrived; it seems so funny now when I think about it.

When I first went to Barcelona, I arrived in the evening and woke up the next day with no plans. It didn’t take long for me to decide to go for a run to see the historical buildings. When I put on my sports clothes and stepped outside for the first time, what I felt was indescribable; it was as if I wasn’t in a foreign place at all. The city was so familiar, and every street was so beautiful. It was such a magical place that from the very first moments, I realized what a good idea it was to explore it by running. Besides, exploring a city by running, I think, is a kind of safety precaution, as we don't give off the impression of a tourist. With our phones on us, we’re a little bit local everywhere.

For example, it takes seconds to open VAGMAG’s "Cafes that Make You Feel at Home in Barcelona" guide on our phones and decide where to get coffee. For this reason, shouldn’t the curious eyes of tourists with hats, maps, and backpacks be replaced by voyagers like us who want to feel at home everywhere?

Barcelona is also a wonderful place for walking and for creating unique memories to tell your nieces in the future. Have you ever paid attention to how a place you visited for the first time made you feel? Has there been a place that impressed you as much as Barcelona impressed me?

Gstaad, Geneva - Switzerland

Switzerland is an incredibly enjoyable place where civilization is at a different level, and everyone who has the opportunity should visit it at least once in their life. Not only hiking, but also taking a train or visiting any of the lakes should be among your memories. Gstaad is a cute, small, luxurious village. It’s equipped with walking routes, and even the benches are carefully made. If you have visited or are thinking of visiting, don’t forget to write to me!

Urla, Izmir - Turkiye

In Turkiye, we always refer to Izmir as "Our Beautiful Izmir." It is therefore worrying to see its beauty gradually fading. The intense migration it has received has changed everything, especially the social structure, but it is always enjoyable to be here. Urla has the vibe of a forgotten coastal town.

There are many more cities I have explored by walking, but I didn’t want to extend this article, and I am sure there will be many more in the future. I am confident that as Nature Quarter, more articles and content, especially about walking, will come to our travel journal. Walking has influenced not only me but also many artists and their immortal works. Perhaps we'll talk about these things in the future.

Have you explored a place by walking? Don't forget to share it with me.

I hope you enjoyed this article as much as you enjoyed breaking the lock of your sibling's diary and reading it when you were little. Don't worry, there's no mom coming to scold you. See you next week.

with care,

Idalia