diane

I have been looking for great sandals or shoes for my trip to Italy and France and all those cobblestone streets and stairs! <BR>I can't wear flats because of high arch. Any suggestions out there. I know metaphistos are comfy but mostly ugly. (sorry girls) <BR>I can't wait to buy shoes in Europe but are they cheaper, more variety there? <BR>Hurry, need to find them and break them in soon! PS. My college daughter thinks I am nuts! She says wear tennis shoes. I say forget that! Help!

Sheryl

Diane: I want the answer to this question too. The only thing I have to add is that I have shoe shopped in Europe and have NOT found selection, price or ease in shopping as good as in the U.S. So definitely don't wait until you get there to buy something. I agree with you about not wanting to wear tennis shoes. I am standing by anxiously awaiting someone in the know to give us both the answer for the perfect shoe. (When I was in college in Greece, I wore huge blisters all over my feet with lousy shoes -- I was crippled. An old Greek woman saw me sitting with my shoes off, ministering to my feet and told me to go to a special guy who custom made Greek sandals. I did and he fashioned beautiful leather sandals so that none of the straps chafed my blisters and they were super comfortable. That was the last great pair of shoes I ever had -- 20 years ago.)

dahlia

I have the same problems as you guys, I went all over looking for the perfect shoes for my problematic feet. Last resort, I went to Nordstrom, but cannot stomach the high price of the Mephisto shoes (I know, I know, it's ugly!) but they are heavenly comfy. When i went to France last year, I went hunting for Mephisto shoes, from Paris to Avignon to St. Remy. Found the perfect size in St. Remy and has been using it every since. Note: price in France is half the price compared to US price. I also used as a back up, a Dexter sandals. I will never go anywhere without those 2. Good luck, shoe hunting!

esther

Dahlia <BR>What style of Mephistos did you finally purchase?

SB

I went thru this same thing and I found shoes made in Israel called NAOTS I got a pair at Marshalls($40) and I also got a pair on line($75)Do a search and take a look at them . They are the best after Mephistos and the other one

elaine

Diane, <BR> <BR>I, too, am on same quest. I know you think Mephisto are not only unattractive and expensive, but with a high arch they are very, very comfy. I own one pr. of Mephisto 'mules' which I got on sale for $80. They are great on cobblestone. I do own a few pairs of Birkenstocks which are very comfy for folks w/high arch. Think it depends on how you 'wear' the unattractive shoes. If you couple the shoe w/the right clothing, I bet you can pull it off. <BR>For the record, I resisted wearing Birkenstocks for decades and finally caved last summer. The sandles work and the newer models are not as unattractive as in years past. <BR>Hope this helps.

Carol

Hi Diane, <BR> <BR>Have you tried the Clark's sandals with the three straps across--wish I could describe them better--many manufacturers make them, but I find the Clark's most comfortable for cobblestones and long days.

spanky

Try Great Lakes Shoe Company 888-948-7463. I think that Ray can order you a catalog which shoes all of the Mephisto styles. I ordered a pair of black nubuck half boots which I wore with black jeans and slacks during my trip to France and Spain last month. No more sore feet! They were fantastic and quite fashionable. I think Mephisto is coming out with newer and younger styles. The store was very accommodating when I had to return the first pair because they were too small. They sent me another pair to try for size.

patty

Diane-I have been having the same problem as you. I am going to Paris in May and wanted comfortable shoe (not sneaks). I bought a pair of Easy Spirit shoes (open toe and heal) with a strap in the back. I wore them to work all day and they were great. Generally new shoes always give me a problem but not these. They are cushioned inside which really makes a difference, they are very stylish and like you, I like a little heel. Hope this is helpful!

lisa peretz

Hey Diane, I'm in the same boat. I do have some great shoes but could use another pair to walk in. However, I walk A LOT every day in Manhattan and I can tell youthat Guess makes a pair of Prada-ish looking maryjanes that are REALLY comfortable. They're stylish too:flat, square toe, velcro strap, funky heel, but not clunky and I repeat, VERY COMFORTABLE. I got them at Bloomingdales. Good Luck.

frank

I have high arches & wide feet.I find Clarks are great for comfort, they look OK & are tough enough for lostsa walking.They are widely available in the UK, also I've seen them in other counties in europe.Don't know about the US.

Joann

Hi, Diane: I have two solutions for you - both are a little more expensive than the other responses but I can tell you I never have sore feet, blisters, etc. A warm weather option is the sandals made by a French company called Arche - they're sold at Neiman Marcus and at Nordstrom's for about $198 a pair. The sole is rubber and very flexible and the upper straps are some type of synthetic that looks like suede. Mine are sort of a higher wedge type and are endlessly comfortable. A second option is a Gucci boot (approx. $400 in the US) - I have a narrow foot so I wear a light sock - the shoe is actually a little too wide for me so with the sock it is perfectly comfortable. The boot I have is a square toe (more comfort!) with a chunky heel - it is not a high boot - just over the ankle. I work in retail and can wear it to stand for 8-9 hours on marble floors in total comfort - have also worn it on the plane to Europe and tromping all over - so far 2 yrs of frequent wear and they look like new! Worth every penny. Good luck! Have a great time!

elvira

I am a barefoot sort of girl (despite my penchant for high-heels) so built-up walking shoes are very uncomfortable; ditto athletic shoes. <BR> <BR>I have found a couple of solutions: Easy Spirit and Aerosole have slip-ons that are very comfortable and look nice, too. Black or navy look the best; I bought a pair of brown ones and they really aren't very nice looking. They also make tie-shoes that aren't bad-looking. <BR> <BR>And, finally, Kmart carries leather tennis shoes - in black, they don't look half bad. <BR> <BR>Dexter makes attractive walking shoes, too. I never bought them, so I can't offer an opinion one way or the other. <BR> <BR>England has good shoes (we like Bertie); French shoes are a shot in the dark - lots of expensive, poor quality shoes (by U.S. standards) but there are lots of gems if you look (my best luck has been in the department stores); Italian shoes, well, are Italian shoes. <BR> <BR>More than anything, make sure you have good socks (ok this is my drum I beat constantly); I made the mistake of buying cheap socks, of course they rode down inside my shoes and the dye came off on my feet.

Sheila

I too have problem feet and found a pair of white SAS sandals for about $65. They look really nice and I wore them all over Italy last summer - very comfortable. Hope this helps. You can find SAS shoes in most shoe departments and they last forever.

pam

Well, you guys probably don't want to hear this, but I'm 35 and about to have bunion surgery on my feet. I have pretty much stopped caring what my shoes look like. If you still have that luxury, more power to you. I wear Danskos, Birkenstocks, Naots, Eccos, JOsef SEibels, Tevas and others. I also have a high arch, and don't find Clarks to be comfortable. Haven't coughed up for Mephistos yet, but they sure feel good every time I try them on. Other brands to try: REikers and Wolky (trying to remember what I've seen in the stores 'round here.) If you're in the neighborhood, Austin, TX, has several 'European comfort footwear stores.' So does HOuston. <BR>

sophie

I bought a pair of Easy Spirit shoes and loved them! I walk a lot so I too needed a pair of comfortable but cute black strappy sandals and I was so happy to find these! They fifty dollars and totally worth it because of a soft, flexible, comfortable sole. I wonder if Easy Spirit has a website...

s.fowler

I'm an easy spirit fan too. I also saw a rustic, but nice pair of Ecco sandals when I was cruising Nordstroms last week. <BR>Here is one site where easy spirit shoes are available: http://alansshoes.com/easyspirit1.html

merriem

My vote goes to AEROSOLES!

Karen

Another vote for Naots. I bought two pairs last year at the Naturalizer shoe store at our local mall, where they also had a catalog with more styles. I can actually walk in them, without stockings, all day without getting blisters.

Jolene

<BR>Here's another vote for Naots. I bought a pair last summer two days before our trip to Europe...wore them out of the store, went to a BB King concert and danced all night--no blisters or sore feet (but a REAL sore knee!) I wore them exclusively on the 16 day trip except for a couple of times when I wore a pair of Nike tennis shoes I bought in Switzerland (really cute and not like anything I've seen here). In Italy, the women looked at my feet first, then my dress, then my hair. I saw a few looks of distain about the shoes (know for certain they were dissing my hair!) but I get lots of compliments on the sandals in the US and best of all my feet don't hurt! <BR> <BR>My mother-in-law travels to Europe, Asia and Africa frequently. She swears by Clarks and has a very attractive pair of slings that she loves.