Nath, Author at The Wheelchair Traveller

Day 3 (Iceland) – The Blue Lagoon

Today was all about the famous Blue Lagoon which is located around a hours drive from Reykjavik. Again, one hired an accessible vehicle from Iceland Unlimited for transportation. The Icelandic landscape is stunning…

As we arrived at the Blue Lagoon, our taxi driver informed us that we needed to return in 90 minutes otherwise he would charge us an extra 30000 ISK which is about £150 hence one only had a short time at said location! Luckily, we discovered that one was able to skip the queue giving us a little more time.

The Blue Lagoon has a changing room designated for disabled individuals complete with a shower chair and changing table.

The Blue Lagoon staff were very helpful and came up with an ingenious idea to put a rubber ring around one which helped me stay afloat. However, it is worth noting that a hoist is present in the indoor pool area to allow individuals who require hoisting enjoy the spa in comfort. Despite this, we remained outside for around half an hour to avoid paying the taxi driver the extra fee, however, we could have stayed in for much longer!

Yesterday, one discovered a few modern buildings along the seafront so the theory is that one will contain an accessible restaurant for our dinner shortly.

Tomorrow, we return back to Keflavík International Airport to catch the flight back to Bristol, let’s see if Superbunny gets tied up in Nordic rope again…

Day 2 (Reykjavik) – Sculptures and Parks

The answer to yesterdays cliff hanger is that it has been raining and blizzarding for the majority of today. This meant that the whale watching boat tour was cancelled scuppering ones plans.

However, as said weather front wasn’t forecast to roll in until midday, one had a few hours of sunshine to explore. As a result, a walking route was devised around Reykjavik that included visiting the rest of the buildings on ones to do list including the Perlan. However, before that, it was time to experience the Icelandic weather blast…

In terms of accessibility for wheelchair users in the winter around Reykjavik, the pavements in the centre are fine as they are gritted. However, issues may occur when rolling down the side streets as rather large lumps of ice are present. It is worth noting that ice makes for great temporary drop kerbs!

Anyway, back tour our strategic walk, at this point it was now blue sky and sunshine so we enjoyed a walk through the park and super bunny got to play in the snow….

In order to reach the Perlan, one has to roll through the Strokur Park. The most accessible way through said park is alongside the road. As it is located atop of a hill, the summit provides panoramic views of the cityscape of Reykjavik…

Of course, on the way back down, one couldn’t resist a roll off the beaten path. No match for Superbunny though…

As one tucked into some traditional crab, the forecast weather front rolled in bringing with it rain and snow. According to Trip Adviser, one of the main things to see in Reykjavik is the sculpture trail located on the shores of Atlantic Ocean. Despite the poor weather conditions, one pressed on to visit said sculptures…

A cycle and foot path runs along the shoreline ensuring an easy roll for wheelchair users…

It was no surprise to discover that the Northern Lights tour was cancelled yet again.

Tomorrow, we head to The Blue Lagoon to experience it’s famous volcanic springs!

Day 1.5 (Reykjavik) – City Landmarks

As I mentioned previously, the Best Western Plus is located in the heart of Reykjavik, just a 15 minute walk away from Rainbow Street which is one of the main streets in the city…

Unfortunately, many shops and restaurants in and around the Rainbow Street area possess steps at the entrance making it key to plan your route to avoid endless rolling to find an accessible restaurant.

Our first point of interest was the majestic Hallgrimskirkja. However, during our walk to said structure, one came across some commotion with people standing in the middle of the road taking photos. At first, one thought it was some fellow tourists but as we turned the corner we were greeted by this:

It never ceases to amaze what one comes across on these travels!

Of course, this was overshadowed by the Hallgrimskirkja which stands proud over the Reykjavik skyline…

The ground floor of the Hallgrimskirkja is wheelchair accessible. However, if one wishes to venture up the tower, wheelchair users can only access the 8th floor. As a result, disabled individuals can enter for a discounted price.

In true tourist fashion, one then asked for directions to the next point of interest, Reykjavik City Hall. The modern nature of the structure makes for an easy roll around it’s exterior…

Tomorrow, we are plan to head to Reykjavik harbour for a whale watching tour. In addition, there is a small chance that the Northern Lights will be visible in the evening. However, it is forecast to snow all evening so let’s see what happens!

Day 1 (Reykjavik) – Keflavik Airport Experience

After a very early take off from Bristol Airport, we touched down at Keflavik International Airport around 3 hours later. Of course, there was no sign of Superbunny at the plane door, however, one had an idea that it would be in the baggage hall. Once located, one was greeted by an unusual sight. Said chair was fully tied up in rope:

After Superbunny was untied, we headed for the exit and were greeted by our accessible taxi courtesy of Iceland Unlimited.

Keflavik International Airport lies around 50 km from the city of Reykjavik hence one enjoyed a drive through the Icelandic landscape taking in the baroness of the country.

We arrived at the Best Western Plus Hotel to a little drama. Although one phoned them last week to ensure two rooms were adjacent to each other which they confirmed, this message seemed to have got lost in translation. As a result, we now have two rooms a short walk along the corridor and one on the floor below, this is trying to be resolved as we speak!

As the hotel is conveniently located in the heart of the city, the plan for today is to head out and explore it’s famous landmarks including Hallgrimskirkja and Reykjavík City Hall.

Day 19 (Chicago) – Navy Pier Fireworks

As one mentioned yesterday, Chicago’s Navy Pier holds a firework event every Wednesday and Saturday hence it seemed appropriate to end our epic adventure by having a roll to said event.

It was so that after a few hours of packing, we headed to Navy Pier to watch the fireworks which were being set off from boats. In ones personal opinion, it could have been better if they had music added…

A final word of warning to wheelchair users thinking of visiting Chicago. The city is home to a rather large underground road network. It is fairly easy to find your way into said network but finding your way out is another story!

Today we fly back to Heathrow and hope that no dramas will occur. The question is, where will one travel in 2015!

Day 18 (Chicago) – Ohio Street Beach

Who knew that a major city such as Chicago is home to several beaches! As our mammoth flight back to the UK is in a matter of days, one has decided to spend the next two days simply chilling. Today, we headed down to Ohio Street Beach on the shores of Lake Michigan. The beach is around a 25 minute walk from The River Hotel. As of 2014, only the walkway is wheelchair accessible, however that did not stop one from getting the knees a little sandy…

During the summer months, Chicago’s Navy Pier hold a firework event every Wednesday and Saturday hence it seems an appropriate way to end ones epic trip of America and Canada tomorrow.

Day 17 (Chicago) – River Boat Architecture Tour

Today, one booked onto a Chicago River Boat Architecture Tour, however, there was some confusion as to where said boat departed from. This lead to one spending a hour rolling around the city. It turns out that the tour departs just 5 minutes away from the hotel (Riverwalk)!

As the name implies, the tour informs you about the architecture about Chicago from the construction of the first skyscraper until the present day. The boat tour also offers an unique perspective to marvel at said structures…

As one was unsure of the accessibility of the boat, the manual wheelchair was taken. Due to the size of the boat, one would recommend using a manual wheelchair if possible…

No trip to Chicago would be complete without a trip to the famous Dick’s Last Resort restaurant. Within said restaurant, the waiters are known for their sarcastic and bantering approach to serving food and customer service…

The weather forecast for tomorrow predicts hot sun which only means one thing, a trip to Ohio Street Beach!

Day 16 (Chicago) – Union Station and Willis Tower

The dry (ish) weather today made rolling around Chicago much more enjoyable. The primary plan was to head up the other famous observation deck in the city, the Willis (Sears) Tower. Coincidentally, said tower is located in the vicinity of Union Station hence it seemed appropriate to go for a peek. American stations always surprise one in terms of every detail of the architecture as opposed to British train stations…

The famous Route 66 begins in the area also…

Now, The Willis Tower claims to be one of the worlds tallest buildings, however, it is 262 Michael Jordan’s high!

Akin to The John Hancock Tower, the Willis is also fully ADA compliant meaning that one can roll around in a wheelchair without any issues! The Willis Tower is also home to a glass box which overhangs the structure. This was an opportunity that one couldn’t refuse…

As sky was becoming darker and darker, we resorted to returning back to the hotel where Stuart, the wheelchair engineer came to Superbunny’s rescue with a new joystick, at the expense of O’Hare Airport.

Tomorrow, we plan to cruise The Chicago River on a specialised architecture tour with the hope of learning more about the multitude of skyscrapers!

Day 15 (Chicago) – The John Hancock Tower

Unfortunately the weather in Chicago today hasn’t been too kind with the rain getting heavier and heavier as the day went on. Despite being unsure about whether we would see anything up The John Hancock Tower, one pressed on. Said building turned out to be pretty impressive standing proud through the mist…

The John Hancock Tower i.e. 360 Chicago is fully ADA compliant meaning that all parts are wheelchair accessible. However, to experience the ‘TILT’ (where one gets to look face down over the Magnificent Mile), wheelchair users must be able to stand up. Despite this, the rest of the observation deck is accessible and provides panoramic views over Chicago (albeit through the mist)…

N.B. During our stay in Chicago, one discovered that you can head up to the bar on the 96th floor for FREE.

As the weather seemed to clear by the evening, one thought it a good idea to go for a roll through Millennium Park which is only a few blocks away in search for The Giant Bean. What we did not see was the giant black cloud over yonder. Needless to say, one got a soaking,..

Tomorrow, we plan to head up to the city’s other famous observation deck, the Willis (Sears) Tower which is, coincidentally in the vicinity of Union Station!

Day 14 (Chicago) – The O’Hare Airport Experience

Due to the fiasco with VIA Rail i.e. no wheelchair spaces being available on the intended train back to Toronto, one decided to rebook the flights to Chicago allowing us to fly from London (Ontario) instead.

After a short stay at ones cousins, an accessible taxi took us to London (Ontario) International Airport. The staff seemed really helpful for such a small airport and quickly came up with a solution as to how to get Superbunny onto the aircraft unlike the drama we had at JFK. The flight was delayed around an hour due to bad weather conditions and busy airspace in Chicago meaning one thing, Tim Hortons!

Once one had boarded the plane and started taxing, we we informed that we couldn’t take off for around another 25 minutes due to staffing issues at Toronto Air Management. After an hours flight, we landed at we landed at O’hare where the drama began!

One asked for Superbunny to be brought to the aircraft door, however, the ground crew went and found a manual wheelchair, one asked again for said wheelchair for which the manual wheelchair then showed up.

After finally being reunited with Superbunny, the thing wouldn’t turn on. This time we assumed that London had disconnected the battery after specifically told them not to as we have an inhibitor plug.

This resulted in us getting down on the apron on one of the worlds busiest airfield whilst 5 guys baggage handers standing around looking as we tried to reconnect the battery. After a short while, the ground staff saw us struggling and offered to help.

When we reconnected the battery, one realised that the joystick had lost it’s resistance rendering it undrivable! As such, one went on a mission to complain and file a damage report and attempt to receive some compensation for the inconvenience and cab fares that we had missed at both airports.

After the claim was filed and O’Hare had figured out how to use their computer system, one was escorted out to the taxi rank. An accessible taxi showed up around 9:45pm, we were on the homestretch or so we thought!

We arrived at The River Hotel, went to check in and, as we found in Ireland, they didn’t read the notes on the booking confirmation regarding an accessible room for which they had none. The only way around it was for them to transfer 2 of us to another hotel which one were reluctant to do. Out of the blue, a Canadian woman (who was slightly drunk!) overheard our conversation and realised that her friends were staying in an accessible room and kindly volunteered them to move rooms for which we accepted.

Tomorrow, we plan to explore the John Hancock Tower!

Nath