I’m pretty sure I made up the phrase “Urban Hiker”. I love to go to a city and just start walking. At first, I’m totally lost, but if I keep exploring long enough, my navigation skills become as sure as any native’s.

I set out from my hotel in London, knowing that if I followed along The Thames in a specific direction, I would come upon some really famous landmarks.

The King’s Royal Horse Guard

I walked and walked and reached the ultimate prize! The goal of every London tourist suddenly was there in real life before me, Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abby!

I had done it. My perseverance had paid off. I needed to sit for a while, to rest and think about the significance of my existence in this iconic place. But I was in the middle of a tourist trap that wanted to keep the herds moving and buying.

I returned to the hotel and searched for a coffee or tea shop. I’ve never been much of a drinker or a barfly, but suddenly a pub appeared, and a bar stool seemed my only option. I went in.

I was, as the British say, “cheeky” enough not to buy a drink and sat myself down at an empty table. Soon, the spirit of an English pub engulfed me as I was joined by two soccer fans, a female airline pilot from California, and an elderly gentleman leaning against the wall, intent on his phone.

We talked and exchanged origin stories. It was fun. Mission accomplished, I was rested and, in the process, had experienced British pub culture. I got up to go, and my new friends wanted me to stay longer, but I knew, as a wanderer, I had more exploring to do.

Smiling, I returned the way I came and found a lovely park I must have missed. It was a welcoming refuge, a path with benches by the water, a place to rest and think. It was a green oasis surrounded by stone buildings and gas-driven cars, simplicity in a world of history and stories of conflict and manipulation. The park offered a bit of nature in a manmade world. And it was a tribute to a shy girl turned into a royal icon, a human being who did the best she could. It provided a space to contemplate and accept a flawed world and the flaws in each of us. It was a place of peace.

My urban hiking has led me to many moments of discovery. I have learned to love the process. Is it fate that leads me to what I need to experience? Or is it a belief I have developed over the years that the world is fascinating and always ready to offer me something new and exciting? Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Copyright 2024 theautonomoustraveler.com All rights reserved.