…and the answer to that cliffhanger is that Superbunny did indeed return to Gatwick in one piece and fully alive, congratulations Riga!
Anyway, after a morning of catching up on work emails and prepping ones lecture for the forthcoming day, we ventured out to catch the route 22 bus to the airport. Unlike the casual 12am wander to the hotel on Monday night, the bus stop was located on the same side of the road as us eliminating the need to use said underpass and, more importantly, the requirement to see Doris! Like the majority of buses in Riga, the 22 was equipped with an automatic ramp enabling Superbunny to roll on and off, definitely the best transportation method as the trams are a mix mash of Soviet and modern rolling stock meaning that you never know what will turn up!
It seems that catching the 22 in the daytime as opposed to the 12am journey is a whole different experience taking the scenic route around various Latvian housing estates before ending its voyage at Riga airport (RIX). Although said airport is deemed to be the busiest airport within the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), it is pretty quiet meaning that AirBaltic could take their time to work out how to handle Superbunny. This also meant for a rather pleasant experience through to boarding the scissor lift (if not a little trek past empty gates) and subsequently the plane. Now, I never understand why major airports in the UK such as Gatwick and Heathrow are reluctant to bring either wheelchair up to the gate rather send them to oversized baggage, would be so much easier but there you go!
Well, that is that then, every country in Northern and Central Europe (not counting the self-governing states or Serbia, the latter being a bone of contention by many) has been rolled around by moi coinciding with the end of 2022 (and the start of the busy work season!)! So where to in 2023…Southern Europe of course. I thought that I would take the opportunity whilst the world is coming to the end of the COVID pandemic (apparently ‘the end is in sight’ for all countries according to WHO) to explore more of the Southern end as, let’s face it, only Spain and Portugal has been rolled around. The plan for next year is to make ones way west to east along the top of the Mediterranean (kind of!) starting in Malta sometime in April (with a day trip over to Sicily in Southern Italy via catamaran) then onto Athens in Greece (with a day trip over to the Greek island of Crete (bucket list time!) via plane), back to Milan in Northern Italy (with a day trip down to Florence utilising the high speed train network…should be no DEATH trains in sight?) finishing the year off by visiting somewhere east of Greece (torn between several ideas but will most likely be in the ‘crossroad’ section between Europe and Western Asia). Now, if you have been to places in Southern Europe (Especially Malta and some parts of Greece), you will know that it isn’t the most accessible places in the world so I suspect Superbunny will be confined to the hotel room at times but hey, that is the fun of traveling with a disability?
Until then, let’s enjoy a ‘pondering’ photo of one marveling at the architecture of Riga…
Today has been much warmer than yesterday (although I have just been told that it’s raining…fantastic) making perfect walking conditions for the short walk to the Latvian Academy of Sciences within which an observations deck can be found. On the way, we passed the same woman that was in the lift on Monday night (who a PA has aptly named Doris)…she did not look happy with us!
Anyway, the tower soon loomed over us and we followed the wheelchair signs around, around and around…until we reached an ominous fire exit door equipped with a concrete slab acting as a ramp…
As we entered said door. we were greeted by a series of steps with a precarious stair climber lift to one side. As we had entered into a basement area, there was no one to assist us thus we simply operated it ourselves, getting onto the thing was difficult enough due to a tight turning circle. In the UK, these kind of lifts have some kind of barrier to prevent you from falling off said platform, not in Latvia! What is worse was that there is a ramp connecting said lift and the top of the steps to navigate also. In the middle of said lift journey, a mechanic appeared and precariously we navigated the obstacles (only one scary part to be seen)…
I really think that this mechanic guy thought that we were students as he sent us to a floor that can only be described as a hospital, even had the smell! Realising that this was the wrong floor, we headed up to the top floor where we were greeted with two doors; one presumably leading to some seminar rooms and one sign posted with ‘Panoramic Riga’ on leading to a series of steps. After deciding which PA would have the pleasure of walking up numerous steps, we video chatted to marvel at the views…
(Note the lack of safety netting etc!)
After that thrilling experience, we headed through the Central Market, crossed a few roads and took a riverside walk…
The fun didn’t stop there though, after a while, it was decided that we would hop on to a bridge and circle back through town. I knew beforehand that said bridge had a lift connecting the footpath at the bottom to the bridge deck. What I didn’t realise was that the platform was corroding away with just a plank of plywood to catch you if it fell to imminent death…ahh well, such is life!
Tomorrow, we catch the 22 bus route back to the airport and then back to old Gatwick…better be nice to Superbunny this time!
It is always nice to wander around a city that is quite compact rather than spread out like London and NYC, especially if you only have 48ish hours! This is true for Riga as the main sights are all within a 25 minute walking radius of the hotel and it is so that we began our exploration of the Old Town in the heart of the city.
Having wandered around Tallinn and Vilnius, I knew that I was letting myself in for a bumpy ride throughout the historic city with Superbunny due to the cobbly streets. Despite this, we marveled at the main sights (braving the freezing wind!) such as the Town Hall, Riga Castle and the Freedom Monument…
Wandering around Riga (outside of the Old Town), it seems that Latvias interpretation of accessibility is rather mixed. We have already discussed said underpasses (some of which have been retrofitted with ramps instead of steps), drop kerbs are of plenty and mostly in the correct places, however, as usual for Europe, the majority of shops and restaurants have one or two steps to enter the place. By now, we have learnt to simply seek a shopping centre for said arrangements. Our hotel is in a perfect position for this as it backs onto TWO shopping centres plus the train station (of course!).
Whilst we are discussing hotels etc, let’s talk about ones room within the Mecure Riga Centre. Being an international chain, I chose the safer option as I was unsure what Latvias legislation regarding disability is like. It’s a pretty standard room bar the single beds which is rather annoying if you like to spread out…
The shower seat situation is rather odd, however, as the dials are directly behind meaning that you have the handle sticking in your back throughout…
Tomorrow, we head in the opposite direction to the Old Town to a TOWER located within the Latvian Academy of Sciences and then where the lighter winds take us…
Here we are at the end of the first year of constantly exiting and re-entering the country after old COVID and what a way to finish than visiting the last country in Northern and Central Europe that one hasn’t explored yet, Latvia!
As I mentioned in my previous post, Riga took a little more planning due to the accessibility of said country which almost went to plan (come on, something always has to throw a spanner in the works!). For the first time this year, we entered the airside section of London Gatwick with oodles of time and even had time for a sit down meal…I know!
Now, LGW has a different approach to assistance than Heathrow where you are required to ‘check in’ at the Special Assistance point akin to Bristol (but not as bossy!) and then the baggage handler (ish) comes up to the gate to discuss how to disengage Superbunnys batteries etc which is a nice touch…if only LGW do what I say! By coincidence, our seats looked directly onto the baggage belt, unlike Heathrow, Gatwick uses solely manpower to heave wheelchairs onto the belt for which the brand new manual wheelchair (that BA paid for) experienced a near fall going up and then who knows what happened. Annoyingly, Superbunny was pushed around the back so one couldn’t see what it enjourged until the other side.
We are flying with AirBaltic who utilise one of the newest Airbus’s claiming to be the most greenest plane in the sky etc…very odd experience indeed! Instead of the cabin crew making announcements, you are treated to a screen above your head that plays jingles during the flight to tell you to ‘have a snack from the trolly’…and then in Latvian!
Anyway, we arrived in Riga around 22:30 local time (I hate flying forward in time!) and were immediately greeted by the old scissor lift and a fussy woman who reminded me of an old friend in looks and personality. She reassured us that both wheelchairs were onboard and swiftly arrived with the manual wheelchair…must be one of the quickest turnarounds on record! As usual, we were escorted through passport control only to be presented with Superbunny sitting on top of the oversized baggage belt with no way down! Luckily the two PAs this time were able to lift it off the end to avoid a nosedive. However, when attempting to turn on said wheelchair, nada! Realising that it was approaching 23:30 and the prospect of missing the last bus into town thus becoming stuck at the airport until 5am, we turned it to manual after trying a few cables (to no avail) and pressed on through the car park to the bus stop. On the way, we also noticed that the wheels on the manual wheelchair have been bent by the straps…GATWICK!!
As per my research, bus route 22 is fully accessible with the vehicle being equipped with the usual ramp and TWO wheelchair spaces! It takes approximately 30 minutes to reach our stop after which we disembarked and found our way to the notorious underpass that I was banging on about in my previous post. Luckily both lifts were operational at 12am, however, when we called the second lit, we were greeted by a woman slumped on the floor, it was immediately obvious that she was either heavily intoxicated or on some kind of crack as she fell straight into the lift door several times attempting to stumble out, oopsies, welcome to Latvia!
Reaching the room at past 12am, we took Superbunny apart to find that the power cable from the battery had been either disconnected (which would have taken some knowledge to know where it is!) or been knocked out, all dandy now!
Tomorrow, we simply plan to be common tourists and meander around the Old Town area…
Before I start rambling on about our final day in Oslo, I omitted information regarding the accessibility of the other means of public transportation in the city from yesterdays post, clearly the T-Bane was just too exciting! Asides from the metro, Oslo is also home to a tram and bus network. As in many European cities, the former comprises of old and new rolling stock with only the new having low floor access so you may be waiting for a while for one to come. In contrast, every single bus is accessible, this seems to be a recurring theme across Europe. Anyway, back to today…
As our flight back to Heathrow wasn’t until 5pm, the morning was spent catching up on work emails etc before being kicked out the rooms at 12pm. As per before, we utilised the Flytoget train link between Central station and the airport for which I booked assistance for a certain train. Despite pre-booking, it seems that Norwegian train guards aren’t phased to simply assist regardless.
Now it’s time for the fun bit, THE AIRPORT! Apparently I didn’t register Superbunny onto the BA system which I did but there you go! Once we had faffed about resolving said issue, we were informed that the airports protocol to leave electric wheelchairs at oversized baggage to be collected by the forklifts onto the plane and only manual wheelchairs are allowed up to the gate. Oversized baggage was rather confused by this, however, it turns out that it is only BA’s protocol as they are required to put Superbunny in its own container to avoid any damage…kudos needed here for British Airways!!
Anyway, everything was dandy and we arrived at LHR slightly ahead of schedule for once, however, the answer to yesterdays cliff hanger is ‘kind of’! Although we parked at a remote stand and the lift was waiting to take us to T3, the piece of equipment needed to transfer Superbunny off the container was over at T5 which is at the other side of the vast airfield thus taking approximately 15 minutes to reach us…Heathrow needs forklifts!
So, where is next for me? Of course, Latvia as it is the only remaining country in Northern and Central Europe to roll around unless we are counting the self-governing states (or Romania/Serbia which some class as Central Europe, surely they are located in South East Europe?) which could take a while! Whilst in Latvia, we are staying in and exploring the capital, Riga. Unlike Oslo which is pretty easy to wander around in an electric wheelchair, Riga has taken a little more planning due to the scarceness of accessible taxis and general accessibility. Although the historic centre of Riga is pretty conventional in terms of drop curbs and pedestrian crossings, once you step outside the centre, you are faced with a concept that seemed to be popular to construct within the former USSR countries and indeed China in previous years. We all know that the USSR enjoyed constructing VERY wide roads hence instead of having a series of pedestrian crossings over ground, said architects decided to build huge underpasses with multiple exits which, in theory is good as it helps traffic flow etc, however, the majority of exits have steps rather than ramps making it near impossible to cross even in a manual wheelchair. I have noted that Riga have installed lifts at a few major exits but nonetheless I have booked a hotel which is near an over ground crossing and on the airport bus route hence everything should work (in theory!). We shall see on the 3rd October!
In the meantime, here is another photo of the stunning T-Bane…
After exploring the centre of Oslo and its associated sights yesterday, today we headed to a suburb called Stovner which is located on the very edge of the city and is surrounded by woodland. Of course, it seemed fitting to reach said area via the T-Bane, Oslo’s very own metro system (come on, this is me that we are talking about)!
From my prior T-Bane research, I was very impressed to learn that all stations bar one have a ramp and/or an elevator (whether the latter actually works remains to be seen!) and the trains are ‘apparently’ flush to the platform. Once we sought the accessible entrance to Jernbanetorget station (next to Central Station), we headed down into the earth. The thing that immediately strikes you is the lack of ticket barriers and visible ticket machines. Disabled individuals can travel the network for free anyway but we soon discovered that, in order to purchase a ticket, you either need to use the app or retrieve one from a local shop.
Now to discuss said trains, compared to many countries, the rolling stock is relatively new and is indeed level with the platform…at times! What they don’t tell you, however is that the gap between the platform and the train is rather large making the possibility for a wheelchair wheel to get jammed within highly likely (memories are now flooding back of last weekend where muggins was too busy talking at Kings Cross Underground station to remember that Paddington’s platforms are on a slight curve meaning that one needed to be in a certain part of the train to avoid said gap…a leap of faith was definitely needed!). The other issue when you exit the central section of the network, the platform height differs from station to station and we all know what that means. Anyway, as usual, Superbunny was able to jump onboard with assistance and everything was dandy…
After reaching Stovner, the objective was to find the Stovnertårnet which is another architectural splendor where the walkway rises up over the surrounding scenery, the best bit is that it is fully accessible! Following on from a journey through, what I think was a Scandinavian council estate, the structure presented itself…
The walkway winds itself up through the trees at a gentle gradient presenting panoramic views over the surrounding woodland and Oslo’s cityscape…
The theoretical plan after marveling at said structure was to enter the woodland for tea and cake at a café situated within, however I failed to realise that it is only open at weekends, made for a good wander nonetheless…
Tomorrow we head back to old Heathrow via the Flytoget airport train and then subsequent means of travel, the question is, will LHR still be in a complete mess?
The strategy for today was to explore central Oslo whilst taking in the main touristy sights whilst attempting to avoid the downpours. I must say that it is nice to be in a city where the majority of shops and restaurants are step free…think this will be my fix for the next few years at least!
Anyway, the architectural wander began by a purchase of a new waterproof as the weather today was similar to yesterday…WET AND COLD!! Nonetheless, let it start we did…
The majority of the major sights in Oslo are within walking distance hence it is easy to hop from one to the other, especially as ramps and drop kerbs are plenty…
After wandering for a while, we stumbled across the Oslo Opera House, I did read about the architectural concept of said building a few years ago, however, didn’t realise that it was located in Oslo! Now, the best way to describe the concept of walking up the outside of the building in the first instance is to have a gander at the below photograph…
Essentially, it’s a massive ramp up the side of the building, it is quite steep (one side is steeper than the other – trust me to go downhill on the steeper side!) but no match for Superbunny…
Apart from the steepness, the other issue is that, because the pattern is the same all the way up/down, it is difficult to distinguish which parts are flat and the parts that have ‘ledges’ until it is too late! Anyway, the views from the top are spectacular (if you ignore the cruise ship monstrosities!)…
It was shortly after this that a black cloud approached bringing heavy rain but we powered on regardless…
…if not a little drenched…
Tomorrow we try out the public transportation in Oslo (in particular, the T-Bane (metro)) to reach Stovner, an area on the city limits for some tree top walking etc!
Oslo has always been a city on my travel list, just never got around to visiting said place. However, seeing as I have only two countries left in Northern Europe to wander around (the other being Latvia next month), now seemed the appropriate time.
In preparation for our flight from old Heathrow, we arrived in ample time and, unlike flying to Zagreb, LHR pulled out their finger meaning that we had ample time to wander to the gate. I swear Heathrow employ whoever they wish regardless of their intelligence level as said staff at the gate failed to comprehend the importance of talking directly with the ground crew to ensure that they are clear on how to operate Superbunny! Ahh well, all turned out well for the short flight to Norway…
Like Zagreb, Oslo airport is pretty quiet in comparison to the epicentre of the UK which is Heathrow, the only difference this time was being greeted by the cold and heavy rain (you can never trust Weather apps nowadays?). The former meant for a rather quick experience through passport control etc.
Now, as Superbunny weighs approximately 100kg, major airports are required to use specialised equipment to transport it to and from the plane (unless you are traveling from Bristol where only strong manpower is used). This equipment varies from country to country so what could it be this time?? Only in Norway, Superbunny was treated to an airfield tour on a forklift before being graciously delivered to oversized baggage (only took around 40 minutes)!
The next quest was to arrive at the hotel, we achieved this using Flytoget which utilises the only high speed railway line in the country (reaching speeds of 130mph…thanks Wiki!) to provide a link from the airport to Oslo Central Station (where the Scandic Byporten is conveniently located within…I wonder who booked that??) in just 19 minutes.
Before I came to Oslo, I read numerous articles about how inaccessible the Flytoget rolling stock currently is hence I was expecting to be sat in the doorway. However, I was pleasantly surprised, I mean, it COULD be more accessible but it’s way more than the DEATH train! Essentially the guard has to come to pull out a ramp stored on the train…easy as that…plenty of room to maneuver…just don’t shoot up and fall down the steps for the opposite door!
As mentioned above, we are staying in the Scandic Byporten hotel in Oslo, the accessible rooms are pretty much what you would expect from a Scandinavian hotel…I swear that more and more hotels across Europe are being equipped with actual shower chairs…so much easier!
The strategy for tomorrow is to explore central Oslo taking in the sights such as The Barcode Project and the Oslo Opera Centre which, unbeknown to me, you can walk up to and on the roof…should be fun!
…and the answer to that cliffhanger is no! Honestly, I have never seen Heathrow in such a state…
Anyway, the hunt for the wheelchair began when we arrived back to Zagreb airport. The airport itself looks a little out of place with its architectural design seeming to have been ‘plonked’ in the middle of the countryside. We tried our luck at check in and managed to seek someone who, very kindly, went to Arrivals to double check that the wheelchair wasn’t there subsequently narrowing the search to ‘somewhere’ at Heathrow.
As in Lisbon, airport security is upstairs hence we were chaperoned through various backdoors which eventually led to an eerily quiet location ready to be picked up by the van which took us to the plane…here is where the mess starts! As Zagreb airport is fairly quiet, we taxied straight out to the edge of the runway and then stopped…the plane wasn’t allowed to take off because Heathrow weren’t responding to confirm the total weight was acceptable. After 20 minutes, we were off, 2.5 hours later, it was touch down and then stop. Due to staff shortages, flights were being delayed meaning all the gates were occupied meaning yet another 30 minutes on the airfield. We finally connected to T5 where the assistance awaited but it was then time to justify that one could actually sit in a chair without injury requiring the manager to come down to assess. The next challenge for them was to find Superbunny, luckily we were in deep conversation with two managers discussing the mess that Heathrow is currently in which passed the time!
After negotiating the chaos of passport control and passing through the baggage hall, it was time to head to T3 Lost Property via the Underground. Unbeknown to us, Lost Property closes at 4pm and, as it is dealt with by an external company, Heathrow can’t access that area after that time! Anyway, the wheelchair is now in the hands of an electronic system and will supposedly be delivered to Bristol when it is found…we will see!
My travels take me to Oslo in Norway next from the 12th – 15th September; one of the two remaining countries that I have yet to visit in Northern Europe. Once again we are flying from Heathrow…surely they will have more staff by then??
After an exhilarating day yesterday visiting Ljubljana, today was more of a calm day in preparation for our return to good old Heathrow tomorrow. The plan was to explore the opposite side of the city and have a wander along the river. Over breakfast, we discovered that there is actually a lake with a beach beside the river hence that became our target.
As per usual, we enlisted trusty Google Maps, however, it failed to recognise the steps leading from said bridge over the river down to the path. A large detour was necessary through a very exciting Zagreb housing estate…you can’t say that you don’t experience culture being in a wheelchair! Finally, we hit the path, you can’t really say that it’s a river path as it was hard to see the actual river but a nice stroll all the same…
Looking down on Satellite view, said lake didn’t look that far so we walked, walked and walked…no sign of beach. As I needed to get back to the hotel to do some work, we ditched that idea and took one of the many off shoots back to the main road. By pure chance, this road was the one with the TOWER…
Now, I said yesterday that I would check out the accessibility of the public transportation in Zagreb and this road provided the perfect opportunity. As in many cities across Central and Eastern Europe, Zagreb is home to a tram network, however, the rolling stock is a mix of old and new. Only the new stock is ‘low floor’ but still has quite a large step to negotiate (with a pull down ramp) when boarding…
Buses are probably a better option as they have the conventional ramped access.
Later on, we were shocked to discover that the PA (who had the day off) actually found said lake in just 50 minutes compared to our 2.5 hour trek!!
Tomorrow we head back home into the mess of LHR, will we find the wheelchair?
