Preston Smith
Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to Austria from the United States as part of an education abroad trip (I wrote a blog about my overall experience), and as I continue to reflect on the experience roughly half a year later, I am realizing just how much I loved our morning walks through Salzburg.
Now, these walks didn’t start out as being voluntary. The dorm we were staying at in Salzburg was on the opposite side of the city from our classroom building. Because of this, we had a 45 minute walk to class each morning. We could have bought passes for the whole time we were there and utilized the public transportation instead of the walk, but we ultimately only really used the bussing system if it was raining outside that morning.
Let’s be honest: being from the United States, and fairly rural areas at that, I wasn’t used to walking across cities. However, after the first week of being there, I loved how much we were walking and exploring. More than that even, though, is how much I loved walking in the morning.
The sun would have only been risen for a short period of time, and the grass was still dewy. The air felt fresher than it did at any other time of the day. Anecdotal emotions aside, these morning walks made me feel energized for the day, and they woke me faster than if I would have taken the bus.
All in all, these walks were energizing, made me feel more alive, helped me stay awake in class, helped me drink more water, etc. A lot of this may be fueled by nostalgia, but as I look back on my experience, these morning walks are something I want to implement back here in the United States.
Since being back, I’ve been going for walks in the evenings, but I personally don’t find it as effective. To me, it doesn’t feel as refreshing. Because of this, I would love to start walking for even just a half an hour each morning, breathing in the fresh air, and being at peace before starting my day. And as mundane as this is, if you’re interested in feeling peaceful in the morning, you should join us in our morning walks!
Do you like going for morning walks? Or do you prefer some other activity in the morning? Comment below and tweet us @Fuzzable with all of your opinions!
