Instead of crossing the pond with Virgin Atlantic as per the adventure in 2014, one opted for British Airways on this occasion albeit still in Premium Economy. In ones opinion, there isn’t much difference between the two airlines except from a lemon!
After a 9 hour flight, one landed at Miami International Airport. As per 2014, Superbunny had to be picked up from baggage reclaim rather than it being brought up to the plane door.
One of the good things about visiting the USA is that wheelchair accessible taxis are almost always available meaning that the trip to the Hilton Miami Downtown was relevantly easy to achieve.
As the Hilton is an international hotel chain, one already knew what to expect from an accessible room, especially in America. Apart from providing a spacious accessible room and wet room, it seemed as if the Hilton predicted the exact view that was wished for…
As one has a full day in Miami tomorrow before embarking on the Caribbean cruise, the plan is to head to the famous Miami Beach for a roll around and hopefully a dip in the Atlantic Ocean!
After a traditional Spanish dinner at a local restaurant, one headed to the Cuatro Torres Business Area which contains some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe. It has to be said that the surrounding area is something less to be desired, especially at night. However, as one would expect from an European financial district, the immediately area is fully accessible for wheelchair users to admire it’s modern architecture…
It is here that one bids you fair well from Madrid. In August, one will be flying to Miami to take a cruise around the Caribbean for 11 days, stopping at Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico and The Bahamas.
Contrary to the weather forecast, today was full of sunshine hence it was straight across the road and down to Madrids metro system to visit the Faro de Moncloa observation tower!
Whilst travelling on the metro and changing lines at interchanges, one was able to get a feel for how accessible it is. The line that is closest to the Hotel Exe Plaza (Line 1) does seem to have one of the oldest rolling stock on the network, I put it similar to the old style Paris metro train. As a result, a large gap between the train and the platform edge is present. However, one noted that wheelchair users are advised to board the front carriage. This means that the driver can offer assistance if necessary. The more modern rolling stock does seem to have better accessibility…
Adjacent to Oeste Park is the Faro de Moncloa which stands against the backdrop of the mountains. Disabled individuals and one companion can enter for just 2 euros. The lift up to the observation deck provides panoramic views of the surrounding area. However, one was only able to view 180 degrees over the city from the top…
Nevertheless, one would recommend the Faro de Moncloa if you are at a loose end in Madrid and seeking something cheap to do.
Heading back onto the metro, one travelled to Atocha Railway Station only to discover that the elevator was out of service. As a result, one did the usual trick of hopping back onto the train, go down to the next accessible station and then doubling back.
Now, when one thinks of accessible metro stations, elevators spring to mind. However, it appears that the Spanish term ‘accessible’ as simply being a travellator…
One of the highlights of Atocha Station is the famous train shed which has since become a tropical garden full of cafés and bars. Said tropical garden is wheelchair accessible and certainly puts an unique twist on a railway station…
Even the disabled toilets are rather unique…
To conclude our time in the Spanish capital, one plans to have a roll around the nearby Cuatro Torres Business Area this evening containing some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe before heading back to Barajas International Airport tomorrow.
After a tour around the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, one delved deeper into Madrid to gain a sense of the citys accessibility. From rolling around for a few hours, Madrid seems fairly easy to explore akin to many European capitals in terms of drop curbs being located in appropriate places etc…
Near the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, one stumbled upon a generic shopping centre. Now, it is common sense for shopping centres to sign post the location of the lift, right? Apparently not as the lift in this shopping centre appeared to be by the toilets with no sign postage. One says lift, it was actually a cargo lift which I swear dated back to the 1980’s!
A few hours later, the sun decided to appear meaning that one got to roll around the other financial district that Madrid possesses. As usual, ones artistic style of photography showed as we wandered around…
From here, one thought that the hotel would be easy to find due to the straight road going back and the Cuatro Torres Business Area being in close proximity but neither of these two were evident. To add to this, ones phone had no internet access. Heading down some back streets, we eventually found out that we were following one of the numerous metro lines albeit the wrong way! As there was an accessible metro station nearby, one couldn’t resist going on it to get back to the hotel.
In terms of accessibility, the metro reminded one a little of Paris as only a portion of stations are accessible. Depending on what line you wish to go on, the gap between the train and the platform edge varies. In this case, Superbunny was required to take a leap of faith whilst attempting not to run over anybody.
Tomorrow, we head across the city using the metro network to the Faro de Moncloa in addition to Madrid’s Atocha railway station!
As predicted, today was a dreary day in Madrid as headed out on our quest to find the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, one of the biggest in the world (who knew!). It was pretty easy to navigate from our hotel…
One reached the stadium in the knowledge that disabled individuals and one individual can enter for FREE, however the nice lady at the ticket office let us all in for free! One was told to walk around the stadium to a particular gate where we were greeted by security and taken up a glass elevator to begin our tour. Before heading into the stadium itself, the tour guides one through various exhibits displaying trophies and other memorabilia…
Unfortunately, the football pitch isn’t accessible for wheelchair users as it is down a flight of steps. As an alternative, one is allowed to visit the wheelchair seating area which is a stones throw away from the V.I.P area!
It is worth noting before one starts the Madrid adventure that the weather forecast for the entire week is a mix of rain and thunderstorms hence how much of the Spanish capital will be rolled around remains to be seen!
In a twist of events, one decided to book an evening flight from Bristol to Madrid hence we were up in the air around 18:45pm and landed 2.5 hours later. As we approached Madrid Barajas International Airport, the dark clouds began to roll in as predicted.
One is unsure whether this was due to arriving at Barajas rather late, however, special assistance seemed rather confused as they boarded. Even though the gate possessed a jet bridge, instead of taking Superbunny to the door, Barajas decided to park an Ambulift by the rear door which wasn’t particularly useful as one was sitting at the front of the plane!
Although our plane was delayed, our accessible taxi driver was still waiting for us to bring us on the short journey to the hotel. Nonetheless, the good thing about Western Europe is that wheelchair accessible taxis are of plenty. The Hotel Exe Plaza is situated within the Chamartín district and just a stones throw away from the Cuatro Torres Business Area. Ones room is pretty standard for a Western European hotel in terms of accessibility and wet rooms…
Despite the thundery showers, the plan tomorrow is to visit the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium which is around a 25 minute walk from the hotel.
As one boarded the brand new PKP High-Speed Intercity train to Warsaw (during which the staff learnt how to use the on board lift!) followed by a suburban train to the airport, it seemed appropriate to reflect on ones interrailing trip. The question being, would one recommend interrailing Europe using an electric wheelchair?
The answer is a definite YES, however, there are multiple factors that one needs to consider whilst planning. One of these is regarding luggage and equipment. The main difference between Interrailing and driving a WAV around Europe is that the latter allows space to store however much luggage and equipment one could wish for without any manual labour involved. This isn’t possible with Interrailing, one is constantly having to physically carry everything from destination to destination. However, this can be helped by booking a hotel within walking distance of the arrival station. Granted, it may be a little more expensive, however, it is worth questioning whether this will make a positive influence. This is especially if your train arrives at 11pm!
Another factor to consider when planning an Interrailing trip using an electric wheelchair is the accessibility of trains and the assistance process. This isn’t particularly an issue in Western Europe, for example, France or Switzerland as the majority of trains accommodate wheelchair users plus the assistance is relatively easy to book. However, as soon as one steps out of this region, it becomes a little more difficult. It is worth noting that in countries such as Poland, Romania and Bosnia, only certain trains on certain routes possess wheelchair access. It is usually possible to check this out either on the railway company website or by simply watching YouTube videos. The assistance staff in these countries are usually flexible and willing to adapt.
If adequately planned, European train travel is a great way for wheelchair users to experience the diverse cultures that the continent has to offer.
Auschwitz is located around a 45 minute drive from Katowice. Prior to visiting Europe, one researched the accessibility of the place and concluded that it would not be suitable for an electric wheelchair hence the manual wheelchair it was. For a conventional taxi to take us to Auschwitz at 10.45am and return at 18:30pm, it cost one 410 zlotys (which is around £69).
One arrived at Auschwitz to be greeted by a long queue line for tickets for the guided tour. It was interesting to observe the amount of wheelchair users considering the poor accessibility of the place. Disabled individuals can enter for a discounted price.
There are two sites within Auchswitz, Auchswitz 1 and Auchswitz 2. We began the tour at the former. Although the paths running through the site are a little rocky, one believes that it would be possible to explore the outside portion in an electric wheelchair…
The issues arise when the tour enters the blocks. Due to the historical status of the site, steps lead into the various buildings…
Granted, this obstacle could be overcome using a large portable ramp. However, once one enters said blocks, only the ground floor is accessible. Despite this, it’s possible for wheelchair users to wait at the bottom and listen through the head set. One must say that it is very eerie once you are left alone…
Next, one was transferred to the Auchswitz 2 site via a shuttle bus which has folding ramp as you would find on any modern European bus..
Auchswitz 2 is slightly larger than the former and the main path running alongside the famous train track is a little smoother for wheelchair users…
At certain points during the tour, it is necessary to cross the railway tracks. One did note a semi-accessible point to do so. A large portion of the memorial located at the end of the track is wheelchair accessible, however, there are steps to reach the top…
Of course, if one strays away from the main path to, for example, visit the individual huts, its back to rocky surfaces…
Tomorrow is a day of R+R at the Novotel in Katowice (involving the jacuzzi) in preparation for our 14 hour trek back to Heathrow via Warsaw.
Another day, another country! Today, we embarked on the 8.5 hour train journey from Budapest to Katowice in Poland via Vienna. One began by taking the M4 to Keletei station. As this is the terminus for said train to Vienna, one thought it wise to jump on at the start just in case of assistance issues. This was a wise choice as we discovered that the on board lift malfunctioned meaning that the train was subsequently delayed. However, the manual lift came rather quickly.
It was surprising how helpful the train staff in Vienna actually were, two guys greeted us at the train door and then remained with us until we were safely on the train to Katowice. One would highly recommend train travel in Austria.
On this trip, all the trains that one has travelled on have been fairly modern and accessible. This was until we saw the train to Katowice by PKP. If one conjures up an image of an Eastern European train dating back to the 1950s, that is what Superbunny had to contend with!
As the train was already a little late, Vienna boarded us in the coach in front of the ‘accessible’ coach hence it was necessary to move between coaches. It is worth noting that said coaches merely had a thin piece of rubber lining to bridge the gap between vehicles. Pulling out of Vienna, it was possible to see the track below as we crossed points. Bear in mind that one had to try and cross in an electric wheelchair. The only way to do this was to look out of the window and try and predict when the thing would be travelling in a straight line!
Now, let’s discuss the ‘accessible’ coach. Akin to many old fashioned coaches, it is formed of many compartments connected by a narrow gangway. The only difference between a conventional compartment and an ‘accessible’ compartment is that the seats in the latter flip up…
It is worth noting that the turning circle to enter said compartment is non existent meaning that one had to, essentially, shove Superbunny into the thing…
Due to staff shortages, there was no catering for our 4.5 hour journey meaning one thing once we reached Poland, McDonald’s!
For the next few days, we are staying at the Novotel in Katowice which is around a 25 minute walk from the station. In terms of accessibility, it is what one would expect from a Novotel, a spacious room and a decent size wet room.
Tomorrow, we head to Auschwitz. One has mixed feelings, however, it feels important to experience the place.
Aside from the Széchenyi Thermal Baths and Houses of Parliament, one of the highlights of Budapest is the Fishersmans Bastion with its neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style. Situated overlooking the city, it also provides a good vantage point for one to admire the cityscape. Unfortunately, the main route from the city consists of multiple flights of steps with no clear wheelchair accessible route up to the top. It is, however, possible to visit said structure by road which may be preferred by wheelchair users. However, if one is prepared to roll up a rather steep hill, spectacular city views present themselves…
Once one reaches the Bastian, a large proportion of the area consists of smooth surfaces making for an easy roll…
One cannot deny that the views are a little special…
When one travels, it is always interesting to see how various countries integrate (or not) disabled people into society. At the Fisherman’s Bastion, one noted a model of the Bastion decorated with Braille. However, the problem was that the model was made out of metal. Metal sitting in the sun tends to get hot, very hot meaning burning is possible…
Tomorrow, one heads back to Vienna to catch the train through Czechia to our final destination, Katowice in Poland.
