I must have chosen Germany over France all those years ago based on the shoes (it sure wasn't because of the food here or my skill with the language!)
How about Camper's shoes? I bought a pair of those for travel. I don't absolutely love the way they look, but they are totally solid and will take you on 8-hour walks through cities (I bought them after I went to hilly and huge Sao Paulo to a conference with the wrong shoes and came back with wickedly painful feet).
Some Camper models are really stylish, others are more like daintier tennis shoes. I think they look quite nice over all, better than big tennis shoes! But the price is also two to five times the price of a simple tennis shoe... usually above my student budget...
Next time you are in Barcelona you can get a pair - they are cheaper there.
Camper-style shoes - especially the big black lace-ups - were really trendy 7-8 years ago. They were great because they were so comfortable. My American friends referred to them as "Euro shoes."