This is my first pair of Birkenstocks. My husband has 3 pairs and he convinced me to get some. I didn't want to get the typical ones, though, and so when I saw these I fell in love. They are so cute. They don't really look like Birkenstocks (not that there's anything wrong with that), they just look like any normal pair of sandals. At first they felt kind of funny - and the bottoms were SLICK - but after wearing them for a while they seemed to mold to my feet and they felt fantastic and the bottoms were no longer slick. Love the soft footbed. Normally I have to wear tennis shoes for any long distance walking, but I think I've finally found a pair of sandals that can go the distance without pain and blisters! Yay!