Street art is big in Glasgow, Scotland.
© Joyce McGreevy

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

When was the last time you took a walk just to see what you could see? What discoveries did you make? Sometimes seeing the world comes down to a stroll around the corner.

French photographer Robert Doisneau wrote, “The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.”

So, put on your favorite walking shoes. Let’s meander from street to street.

Footfall and Snowfall

Here we are in Malta on a sunny Mediterranean spring day. As we wander the narrow, baroque streets of Valletta, we turn a corner onto St. Paul’s Street and . . . What’s this? A snowstorm?

Why, the entire street is covered in—oh I see: confetti!  Everyone has come out to play.

Confetti—and time—fly in St. Paul Street, Valletta, Malta.
© Joyce McGreevy

We wade in up to our knees. A marching band plays, crowds cheer and sing, children lark about, and confetti cascades from balconies. A young man graciously explains what the heck is going on.

This is the grand finale to the Festival of St. Paul—a street-centric celebration. Beyond this street, all is business as usual, so most visitors to Valletta never notice this happy hoopla.

Oh, I see: Wandering leads to wonders.

Perhaps you’d prefer to walk somewhere quiet? I know just the place: the Bath.

Bath, England, that is.

Oddly enough, Quiet St has a sound map, the creation of 19 artists. 
© Joyce McGreevy

Animal Tracks

Now then, how do you feel about cats?  Wherever we wander, we’ll see many a feline local.

Turkish cats rest on roofs and walls. Greek cats catnap on cars and motorbikes.
© Joyce McGreevy

Irish cats can be very inquisitive.
© Joyce McGreevy

Look out for lions—they’re the “pride” of many major cities.

Lions in Vienna (left), Chicago (center top), Bodrum (center bottom), and Athens (right).
© Joyce McGreevy

And on some streets “here be dragons”!

(Left to right) Dragons are fired up in Aarhus, Denmark and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
© Joyce McGreevy

It’s a Mystery

In beautiful Budapest, we walk from the Jewish Quarter and then cross the River Danube to Margaret Island. Along the way, we admire Art Nouveau architecture and statues of famous poets and politicians. Then, we turn a corner and see…

American TV detective Columbo.

Wait, whaaat?  

What’s TV detective Columbo doing in Budapest, Hungary?
© Joyce McGreevy

Sure enough, a life-size bronze statue of actor Peter Falk stands before us, complete with rumpled trench coat and cigar. Columbo’s basset hound, “Dog,” is here, too.

Suddenly we’re on the case, Columbo-like, with “just one more question.”

But our best clue turns out to be a red herring. Yes, the street is also named after a Falk. But that Falk was a 19th-century Hungarian author, and no evidence exists that he and Peter Falk are related.

Nevertheless, in 2014 a statue of Falk as Columbo was unveiled to great fuss and fanfare. We question a local witness, who proudly informs us that the canine model for the basset hound attended this event “in person.”

As for Peter Falk? Alas, he was a no-show, having passed away in 2011.

Hmm…Maybe the Columbo and Dog statues should set out for the Big TV in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

David Rudolph’s “Big Picture TV” sculpture invites creative interaction. 
© Joyce McGreevy

The Weird . . .

Some statuary we’ve seen is surprisingly animated:

(Clockwise) Mannequins “rule” in Budapest; a diver demurs in Oslo; a character climbs in Greece. 
© Joyce McGreevy

 . . .  And the Whimsical

And don’t forget these lively knights in Vienna.

Things are looking up in Vienna, Austria. 
© Joyce McGreevy

Scene in the Streets

Who knows what sights we’ll see as our wandering continues?

Ancient streets and modern streets.

(Left) Aghia Ekaterini Square, Athens, Greece. (Right) The Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin, Ireland. 
© Joyce McGreevy

Busy streets and quiet streets.

(Left to right) Friday night in Istanbul, Turkey; Sunday morning in Bruges, Belgium. 
© Joyce McGreevy

Sunny streets and snowy streets.

(Left to right) Sunmery street art in Santa Monica, California; a snow-covered street in Evanston, Illinois.
© Joyce McGreevy

Streets by night and streets by day.

(Left) Millennium Park, Chicago. (Right) Telthusbakken Street, Oslo, Norway. 
© Joyce McGreevy

And always the promise of fascinating street scenes just around the corner.

An evening stroll in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
© Joyce McGreevy

Tell me, what streets are your favorites for seeing the world on foot? What discoveries have you made?

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.