I recommend dr maarten walking shoes..not particularly attractive but extremely comfortable....I don't worry about weather because if it is raining, I plan other activities or buy a cheap umbrella or poncho locally...
Everything is available locally
I usually leave my digital camera at home because it is too big to lug..an old sony fd95,,so I like to travel with my Nikon proena aps format which is smaller and lighter...If I ever hit the lottery, I will buy one of the new fuji's digitals that are really small and pocket size
A light weight mountain sleeping bag is always handy...
I lke to travel with binoculars..when I am driving through European cities it is necessary to be in the proper traffic lane and often the directional signs appear just before the turn...which means it is too late to change lanes..so the binoculars really help when you are at a red light and want to read the traffic direction signs well ahead...To me they are a must for driving in large cities...The signs are there but not apparant often until you are right on top of them...









