For most of the walk the ground was flat and firm although there was a large area with rough and uneven paving. The roads seemed to go on forever, as it was impossible to see where they ended. The inability to see was disorientating and the need for someone to guide me everywhere was unnatural.
The pedestrian areas such as the old wall in Old Portsmouth and in Peel Place in Somers Town were much more relaxing for me. Peel Place is a pedestrian street and it was enjoyable to walk through the fallen leaves and to feel closer to nature. In stark contrast was when we crossed the district edges. The district edges in Portsmouth are very harshly defined by wide and busy roadways.
I felt relaxed walking in the different districts of Portsea, Old Portsmouth, Southsea and Somers Town. In contrast when crossing the edges such as Elm Grove between Southsea and Somers Town and Jubilee Terrace which divides Southsea and Old Portsmouth I felt much more disconcerted.
Around the Portland building we walked through the fallen leaves and it was a relaxing experience but when walking down the Burnaby Road we had to cross the Park Road. There are three lanes of traffic on Park Road and this is very different to the narrow streets in the residential areas of Portsea. To hear such a difference in noise from the cars travelling at high speed did make me feel slightly nervous. When we crossed this junction we could hear the young children playing rugby. In contrast when we walked this route again the noise was mainly of the oncoming traffic which made me tenser in contrast when the young children were playing rugby.
We crossed from Cambridge Street onto High Street in Old Portsmouth very easily because of the Pelican crossing but the surface on entering high street was quite uneven and I nearly tripped. In fact the surfaces in Old Portsmouth were the most uneven surfaces and difficult to walk in of all the districts. Saying this it was the most relaxing in terms of lack of traffic and the relaxing noise of the sea. We even sat and took a break at the benches on the sea wall.
When we were leaving Old Portsmouth we had to cross Jubilee Terrace but my helper had to take me slightly off the route for a safe crossing. Instead of taking the assigned route we walked down to Bellevue Terrace for a pelican crossing.
Once again the narrow roads of the residential areas were much more relaxing especially when I could hear children playing rather than speeding oncoming traffic. This though was a short-lived experience as we had to cross over Elm Grove. This was an easier experience than crossing Jubilee as there was a pelican crossing on our assigned route. I did feel much more relaxed when we had crossed and were walking through the leaves on Peel Street. A few minutes later we were at the Eldon building. The difficulty then was for us to get safely across Winston Churchill Avenue on our way home.
Sound:
The sound was far more diverse than what I could feel on the ground, as every noise was different with different pitches and tones. Nearly everywhere there was the sound of traffic rushing past or rumbling in the distance. There was never silence, even in the with no cars around there is always a noise in the background such as building work, waves on the beach and ship engines; and sounds in the foreground like people talking, footsteps and birds singing. There were the occasional different sounds such as church bells, seagulls and announcements at the ferry terminal.
Touch:
On one part there was gravel, which crunched when walked on, which contrasted to the hard flat surface, which separated the patches of gravel. The mud was soft as it absorbed the footsteps and the grass resisted the movement of my feet. The concrete was hard and the shock of every step vibrated through my feet. The feel of the roads began to fade as I got used to it, only for the surface to change suddenly and the new surface would give a new experience.
When I wasn’t blind
Everything I could see had lines, the lines ranged from the small almost microscopic structures on the stones and trees, the lines making up the details of the buildings and even the outline of the buildings themselves. The ability to view objects ahead gives a confidence of where to walk, which is lost when blind.
The pedestrian areas such as the old wall in Old Portsmouth and in Peel Place in Somers Town were much more relaxing for me. Peel Place is a pedestrian street and it was enjoyable to walk through the fallen leaves and to feel closer to nature. In stark contrast was when we crossed the district edges. The district edges in Portsmouth are very harshly defined by wide and busy roadways.
I felt relaxed walking in the different districts of Portsea, Old Portsmouth, Southsea and Somers Town. In contrast when crossing the edges such as Elm Grove between Southsea and Somers Town and Jubilee Terrace which divides Southsea and Old Portsmouth I felt much more disconcerted.
Around the Portland building we walked through the fallen leaves and it was a relaxing experience but when walking down the Burnaby Road we had to cross the Park Road. There are three lanes of traffic on Park Road and this is very different to the narrow streets in the residential areas of Portsea. To hear such a difference in noise from the cars travelling at high speed did make me feel slightly nervous. When we crossed this junction we could hear the young children playing rugby. In contrast when we walked this route again the noise was mainly of the oncoming traffic which made me tenser in contrast when the young children were playing rugby.
We crossed from Cambridge Street onto High Street in Old Portsmouth very easily because of the Pelican crossing but the surface on entering high street was quite uneven and I nearly tripped. In fact the surfaces in Old Portsmouth were the most uneven surfaces and difficult to walk in of all the districts. Saying this it was the most relaxing in terms of lack of traffic and the relaxing noise of the sea. We even sat and took a break at the benches on the sea wall.
When we were leaving Old Portsmouth we had to cross Jubilee Terrace but my helper had to take me slightly off the route for a safe crossing. Instead of taking the assigned route we walked down to Bellevue Terrace for a pelican crossing.
Once again the narrow roads of the residential areas were much more relaxing especially when I could hear children playing rather than speeding oncoming traffic. This though was a short-lived experience as we had to cross over Elm Grove. This was an easier experience than crossing Jubilee as there was a pelican crossing on our assigned route. I did feel much more relaxed when we had crossed and were walking through the leaves on Peel Street. A few minutes later we were at the Eldon building. The difficulty then was for us to get safely across Winston Churchill Avenue on our way home.
Sound:
The sound was far more diverse than what I could feel on the ground, as every noise was different with different pitches and tones. Nearly everywhere there was the sound of traffic rushing past or rumbling in the distance. There was never silence, even in the with no cars around there is always a noise in the background such as building work, waves on the beach and ship engines; and sounds in the foreground like people talking, footsteps and birds singing. There were the occasional different sounds such as church bells, seagulls and announcements at the ferry terminal.
Touch:
On one part there was gravel, which crunched when walked on, which contrasted to the hard flat surface, which separated the patches of gravel. The mud was soft as it absorbed the footsteps and the grass resisted the movement of my feet. The concrete was hard and the shock of every step vibrated through my feet. The feel of the roads began to fade as I got used to it, only for the surface to change suddenly and the new surface would give a new experience.
When I wasn’t blind
Everything I could see had lines, the lines ranged from the small almost microscopic structures on the stones and trees, the lines making up the details of the buildings and even the outline of the buildings themselves. The ability to view objects ahead gives a confidence of where to walk, which is lost when blind.
No comments:
Post a Comment