Walking in the Rain

Well, I wasn’t exactly singing in the rain, but enjoyed my 29.4 kms  walking in mostly rain. But the day ended in sunshine, so I dried off a bit before getting a bed in a hostel. I am the only person in an eight bunk room so will enjoy the quiet … not that anything will keep me awake tonight.

I walked most of the day today on cobblestones, some of them dating from Roman times. They are actually an excellent paving material, consisting of thousands of (usually squared) stones set side by side with the cracks between filled with sand or sometimes mortar. Because the cobblestones are quite thick, the roads last for a very long time and can easily be repaired. Not only that, but the sand in the cracks drains off water and avoids puddles. For walkers like me the cobblestones are not much fun as they tend to be uneven and hard on the feet. But one advantage of the unevenness  is that cobblestones make a vehicle’s tires roar and alert walkers that they are coming up behind, especially useful on tight corners or when the rain and headgear can hide the sound on regular pavement. The downside, of course, is that laying down a cobblestone road is very labour intensive and, in this day of expensive labour and the need for instant roads, cobblestone roads are probably on their way out. But it may take some these roads hundreds of years to wear out.