Sit Back & See the World

Thank you for traveling on the Eurostar

For those planning to travel throughout Europe, the Eurostar is a great way to get from city to city. The Eurostar is a highspeed train that reaches over 100 destinations and each train is wheelchair accessible. I've taken the Eurostar 3 times - twice from London to Paris and once from London to Brussels. That is the only catch of using the Eurostar - it seems from the website, that you must either end or begin in the United Kingdom. So you can't use this train to go from Italy to France, for instance. However, if you're planning a trip to the UK then this is a great way to travel to a few other countries while you're there.

I was originally going to stay in my wheelchair during the trip, but decided to transfer to a regular seat once I saw that the train wasn't full. We were served lunch & dinner (depending on the length of the trip) and overall it was a pretty enjoyable way to get from place to place. You do have to put your luggage in overhead containers  - not just carryons, but your actual luggage. So if its heavy or oversized then you will definitely have a problem, as there is really no one that works on the train that will help you put it up (its not that they're rude, but honestly you hardly ever see any employees). The fare is cheaper for wheelchair users and for one wheelchair companion. You can read more about the Eurostar and its special needs services here. At the end of each ride the voice of a British woman comes on through the intercom and says, "Thank you for traveling the Eurostar," my sister and I still say this to each other every now and then.

P.S. My favorite part on the linked page  is the Pet section at the bottom. It says, "Elephants, cobras and foxes are still a no, no." Seriously? What train doesn't take elepants?! At least they have a sense of humor.

Bringing Accessibility to Brussels

 I've been to Brussels, Belgium one time - for a day trip that lasted about 8 hours. Lets just say that accessibility wasn't something that I was impressed with. The good news is that the city is gradually renovating to accommodate people with disabilities and that by 2012 the entire subway system is suppose to be wheelchair accessible! Since each station is set up differently, the process of converting the entire system will take longer than it typical - with about 2 stations being renovated each year. The new stations will not only accommodate wheelchair users, but people that are visually impaired or of "dimiutive stature" as well. While its a giant step to make the entire subway system accessible (something not even London has gotten around to doing), there are still many obstacles to overcome regarding accessibility in Brussels. I remember not being able to get into most buildings and having trouble finding curb cutouts throughout the city. However, its good to see this capital begin to make things more convenient for disabled citizens and visitors.

You can read more about the changes here. Its actually a PDF and loads a bit slowly, but there are several good pictures of the current changes.

Hawaii Beaches

An earlier post is dedicated to all-terrain chairs, but with their price tag and size it isn't realistic for everyone to have one of them or to drag them along on vacation. Well if you're traveling to Hawaii, you don't have to. This website has information on all-terrain chairs that are available for some of the beaches on Oahu. Most of them have one or two chairs available at concession stands along the beaches listed. I can't imagine going all the way to Hawaii without spending anytime on their beautiful beaches!

Hospitals not accessible in Moscow?

I was browsing the web and came across the article, Hark Knocks for Disabled Patients, which talks about Moscow and the government's plan to make hospitals more accessible. What seems odd about that sentence? Hmm, let me think... Well, if any place should already be accessible its certainly hospitals! The article shocked me, but maybe its because I grew up in the U.S. and am naive to some of the extremes of inaccessiblity in other areas of the world. But Moscow, Russia? Really? I never would have guessed.

Its an interesting article and worth a quick glance, my favorite quote being, "Doctors are claiming that they don't have any disabled patients. Of course, they don't -- because disabled patients can't get in!"

Something tells me I'm going to have to do a lot of research for my trip to St. Petersburg in 2012.

Rio 2016

As some of you may know I'm planning on attending the Olympics in 2016....in Rio de Janiero! I've always wanted to go to the Olympics - I feel like its a once in a lifetime experience and when I heard it was going to be in Rio I knew that it was time to plan - I'm hoping/expecting the opening ceremonies to have a Carnival theme! Its going to be somewhat of a family trip - with my boyfriend and parents, and we'll probably be staying for about 1.5 weeks (possibly extending the trip so that we can make a detour and visit Machu Picchu in Peru!!). The Rio 2016 website has digital models of what the Olympic park is going to look like, but the specific link I've included has information about the accessibility changes that are going on in the city! I've said it before - where the Olympics go, accessibility follows - so I haven't even done any research on Rio regarding wheelchair access, since I knew the city would be going through conversions.

Apparently all of the accessible information is going to be available in a guide that can be found at hotels, tourist attractions and information desks. I'm going to try to get one of these in advance so that I can share some of the information with everyone before the games start - which shouldn't be a problem since they are 6 years away...

Navigating the Louvre

 

A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to one of the most famous museums in the world : The Louvre. The museum prides itself on being handicap accessible and in 2002 its committment to accessibility earned the museum the "Tourisme et Handicap" award. I've visited the museum twice and found it to be extremely easy to get around in with my chair. Upon arrival, my sister and I were escorted to the front of the line for immediate entrance (I'm not sure if this is the norm at this museum, as the 2nd time I visited there was no line and we went right in. I often find that being able to skip the queue depends on the employee working at the time). There are elevators and ramps all throughout the museum and upon arrival you can find maps for disabled visitors, which will direct you to all the lifts and accessible passages throughout the exhibits.

I've recently discovered that the museum actually has a "touch gallery" for visually impaired visitors. There are exhibits that you can actually touch and run your hands along, allowing guests with visual impairments to experience the art as well! Amazing!

The museum is usually extremely crowded, so when you arrive to the most popular exhibits, the Mona Lisa for instance, it is sometimes difficult to even catch a glimpse of it while sitting in your chair. People crowd and swarm around you and it is pretty irritating. On my first visit some of the employees/guards around the Mona Lisa cleared a path for me to go directly in front of the picture - but I'll tell you that many of the other visitors around me seemed really annoyed by this and were not exactly friendly or well-mannered. On my second visit no employees/guards helped me when I encountered a similar situation (though I think it is because they simply could not see me in the crowd). Everyone was crowding and bumping into me again and most people didn't seem to have any interest in helping me see the exhibits. So I simply yelled, "Pardon! Excuse me! Scusi!" etc, etc. and basically pushed people out of my way. There was one very kind Italian man that saw what was going on and made people move for me, but mainly you just have to force your way through - don't be shy!

Of all the museums and attractions I've been to, the Louvre was the most difficult to manage in terms of seeing the popular exhibits. Those that are less well known were much easier to enjoy, as people were far more spread out and not so crazed. However, I would still encourage everyone to visit the more popular works - just be prepared for the crowds and the attitudes of some of the visitors. Of everywhere I visited in France, this the was the only place I encountered rude people - and most of them weren't French.

Overall the museum is extremely wheelchair friendly and the map for disabled visitors is a life saver! Don't expect to be able to see this entire museum in one day, do some research on it beforehand and decide what your must-sees are, then locate them on the map and make your way around.

For more information on the exhibits and accessibility visit the museum's website.

 

London Cabs

I had never been any place where accessible taxis are constantly available throughout a city, until I visited London. In most cities you have to call and specifically request an accessible cab, if there are even any available, but in London you'll never have to look far to find a cab that has a wheelchair ramp and plenty of space for your chair. The key is to look for the black cabs, which are all wheelchair accessible and equipped with ramps and grab handles. These cabs made getting around London so incredibly easy and quick! The ramps can be a little steep, but the drivers always offer a hand if you need it. Once inside, you can opt to stay in your chair, or transfer to one of the cab's regular seats.

Conquering Venice

Now that we are going to Venice next year I have been reading everything I can get my hands on concerning visiting Venice in a wheelchair. One helpful thing I came across were maps of the city that show accessible routes for travelers. You can view an accessible Venice map on the City of Venice website, which has a map that is color coded to highlight the most wheelchair friendly areas. On the same website you can also view more detailed maps of specific areas throughout Venice, which includes information on which vaporetti to take, where accessible bathrooms are located, and sample walking itineraries. Needless to say, I'm getting very excited about this trip in general, but the recent addition of Venice has really sent me into full planning mode. I have no doubt that Venice is going to be the most challenging of all of our destinations next year, but after hearing so many negative comments about it from people I am very much looking forward to proving everyone wrong.

Italian Riviera

The Italian Riviera is not on our itinerary for our upcoming trip to Spain & Italy in 2011, but it is definitely one of our future destinations. I've stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure before and visited Porto Fino during that same trip. What I'm most interested in visiting is Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is basically made up of 5 little fishing villages, which cling to the cliffs of the Ligurian coast. These small villages aren't the most accessible of destinations, but from my research I have found that Vernazza is supposedly the most wheelchair friendly of the five, followed by Monterosso. Of course, "wheelchair friendly" can mean many things, so specifics are very important before planning a trip there, but at least its narrowed down to two of the 5. When I was in Santa Margherita Ligure I traveled to Porto Fino by boat, and from what I understand this is the easist way to travel among the towns of Cinque Terre in a wheelchair (driving is out of the question due to the lack of parking). There are also trains that run among the five towns, however they are not considered very accessible and would require someone to carry you and your  chair on board.

You can view the boat routes and schedules here. Be aware that not all of the boats are accessible, and that just because a boat that drops you off may be accessible, it doesn't guarantee the same boat would be returning to pick you up. The last time I contacted this company they suggested that I e-mail them before each trip to inquire about which boats were being used at the time and for which ports. I would be sure to be very specific with your questions and dates if you intend on using this service, but like I said - it worked great during the time I was there.

Finding accessible hotels does seem very difficult in this area, but I have only briefly searched. If necessary, one could stay in Santa Margherita Ligure and simply visit the Cinque Terre for day trips - Santa Margherita was larger and a bit more modern than the smaller villages.

A Change in Plans!

There has been a major change in plans in our trip itinerary for Europe 2011. Originally we were going to go to Seville--Ronda--Granada--Barcelona--Tuscany--Rome. Well after looking at prices for car rentals for Seville to Granada we have completely deleted that portion of the itinerary.

To rent an automatic for one day to drive from Seville to Granada costs $700!! I'm not sure if its because there is a shortage of automatics or because we're picking up the car in one city and dropping it off in another (probably a combination of both), but $700 for one day is ludicrous! Especially when we're renting a car for 5 days in Tuscany for a total of about $600.

I am so disappointed, as I really wanted to see the Alhambra and visit Ronda, but I guess that just means we'll have to dedicate a subsequent trip to Andalucia in the future.

So now what to do with those spare days? Well we surely aren't making our trip shorter, so Venice here we come! I've always been hesitant about visiting Venice, mainly due to accessibility, but also because I've heard that you either love Venice or hate it, and I am scared to be one of those who hates it. However, I think that it will be a good experience to see if its doable in a wheelchair - that way if we love it we can return without reservations about the city (we're only going for 3 days). I've read many articles about visiting Venice in a chair, but none of them are very specific at all, so expect a very detailed trip report regarding this city.