Things I'm enjoying about Cambridge # 3: walking

Another thing I'm enjoying about Cambridge how much walking we are doing.

This is partly because driving and parking in Cambridge are not something I am enjoying. I don't enjoy the 7 point turn I have to do to get out of my street. (Many just reverse the whole way out, but I haven't tried that yet). I don't enjoy the intersections which confuse me and I don't enjoy having to share the roads with so many overly confident bike riders who don't wear helmets (including children). I especially don't enjoy parking on Cambridge's narrow streets, which in many cases involves parking halfway up the footpath (the places are marked that way!). See exhibit A - a photo of my car taken at choir last week (I know it looks as if I was parked on a double yellow line, but really I wasn't!):

But these posts are meant to be about the things I am enjoying about Cambridge, so back to the walking! We walk as much as we can at home in Sydney - to school, the local shops etc. - but here we walk much, much more. We walk almost everywhere here and cover much bigger distances without blinking an eye.

This is partly because of the difficulty of driving in Cambridge acts as a deterrent, but also partly because it is so well set up for pedestrians and bikes. Walking or riding your bike instead of driving is the norm here and it's amazing how quickly you adapt to what others around you consider to be reasonable. As a result of all the walking we are getting to talk more and have great conversations; we're getting fitter, too - we aren't doing organised sport here, but walking is great exercise and we're noticing the difference! Just last Sunday, on the way to church, the kids asked if we could start walking to church every Sunday back home, too - so maybe when we get back some of the newly-formed habits will stick!