Europe – July 2015

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.

The city of Budapest is magical by day but what happens after dark is even more majestic. Before heading out, one devised a simple route crossing one of the many bridges, rolling alongside the Danube River until we hit the Houses of Parliament and then back to the hotel, simple right?

All seemed well as we crossed The Danube catching glimpses of places of interest lit up…

What one was unaware was that the footpath on the other side was undergoing refurbishment work. Of course, we thought that only a short section was closed hence we followed the diversionary route. This subsequently took us back onto the main road. Rolling around Budapest as a wheelchair user, it is worth noting that, the further one ventures outside the centre, the less accessible it becomes in terms of drop curbs. Unfortunately, said diversion lasted a large portion of the way to the Houses of Parliament meaning that Superbunny got battered!

However. the 2 hour diversion was definitely worth it…

Tomorrow, one plans to visit Fisherman’s Bastion, one of the main sights in Budapest before we embark on our final train journey to Katowice in Poland.

After a days travelling yesterday, one spent the entire day visiting the famous Széchenyi Baths. It is worth noting that the bus network in Budapest is fully accessible making it one of the best ways for a wheelchair user to traverse the city.

The entrance to the Széchenyi Baths has steps going up to it, however, there is a stair lift to get up, one just has to ask for assistance. In terms of accessibility, there is an accessible changing rooms and pool hoists (once the refurbishment is complete). A wheelchair user can also access the pools edge with ease…

It was then time to deploy the inflatable buoyancy system…

Tonight, we are taking a walk along the Danube to see the spectacular lights of the Houses of Parliament and other significant places of interest.

Today, one headed over the Hungarian border from Vienna to Budapest. As predicted, it was the same type of train as we caught to Vienna with the ingenious lift system. Although this journey takes around 2.5 hours, one had the additional issue of getting to the hotel in a city where the public transportation isn’t exactly accessible.

Prior to this trip to Europe, one did some research into the accessible of the Budapest public transport system and discovered that there is only one fully accessible metro line as of 2015 (M4) hence one booked the hotel around that. For ease, rather than staying on the train to Budapest Keleti (one of the main stations), one disembarked at Budapest-Kelenföld located in the suburbs. The reason for doing this (in addition to the station being quieter) was that said station is the terminus for the M4. This made for a smooth run to our hotel.

The M4 reminded one a little of the Docklands Light Railway in London except this one had a driver. The trains and the platforms are flush enabling level boarding.

Again, we checked into our hotel without any problems (this is going so well so far regarding the hotels!) but again it seems that the Hungarian version of an accessible room consists of a bath rather than a shower.

After dropping ones bags off at the hotel, one decided to take a roll along the River Danube to Balna which is a marvellous piece of modern architecture and is, essentially, a shopping centre. However, as of 2015, it seems that it is rather empty inside but still a pleasant walk around if you like empty shopping centres!

Said building also contains a ‘fake’ football pitch making for a perfect way to let off some steam after a days travelling…

Tomorrow, we plan to visit the famous Széchenyi Thermal Bath and attempt to inflate ones ‘inflatable horseshoe buoyancy rescue system’ with its own whistle and flag!

Today, it was time for Superbunny to experience the U-Bahn that would take us to Karlsplatz which is a stones throw from the famous Opera House. One was unsure about the accessibility of the Opera House at first, however, as soon as we found the accessible entrance, we were greeted by a guy called Nelson. Nelson remained with us throughout whole guided tour and assisted with the various lifts ensuring that one could enjoy the wonders of the Opera. What one found surprising was that 95% of the tour is wheelchair accessible…

To conclude ones time in Vienna, we took the ‘Hop On, Hop Off’ bus taking us around the old city for about an hour, it was very informative as to the history of the city. The buses themselves are wheelchair accessible with fold down ramps and you are able to hop on and hop off at any given point so it’s a great way to explore the city for a wheelchair user.

Tomorrow we travel to Budapest using the same train company that brought us to Vienna so hopefully everything should be fine. However, ones hotel is located in the heart of Budapest hence the metro needs to be traversed before one can settle in for the night.

After a late arrival into Vienna last night, the plan for today was to utilise the U-Bahn to travel to the DC Towers (the tallest skyscrapers in Austria) and then head up the nearby Danube Tower which has its own observation deck.

As one was unsure about the accessibility of the U-Bahn, the manual wheelchair was opted for. However, all the stations on the U-bahn network are equipped with lifts making it ideal for wheelchair users. A large proportion of its fleet are low floor or have automatic ramps to bridge the gap. However, it is worth noting that the older fleet do not allow for level boarding…

A short distance away from the DC Towers is The Danube Tower which stands proud within Donaupark. The park is largely accessible, however, one had to stumble across a few steps…

As of 2015, disabled individuals and one companion can enter for FREE! The observation deck provides the perfect vantage point to admire the cityscape in addition to being wheelchair accessible…

Back on the U-Bahn, one wished to the town hall. However, before we reached said location, one discovered that the Vienna film festival was occurring. It’s amazing what happens when travelling…

As one travels around Europe, it’s always interesting when an individual believes that they have a ‘cure’ to Cerebral Palsy. This time it was an elderly lady who claimed to be studying Cerebral Palsy and its treatment through electrolysis and potassium tablets, not sure if one would be up for trying that!

Tomorrow, we plan to tour the famous Vienna Opera House before exploring the city by bus!

Before one delves into the experience given by SSB and RailJet, a word of warning for those thinking of using the Geneva bus network. As we chose to catch the bus from the hotel to the station, however, when one signalled to the driver that the ramp was required, the simply driver decided to drive off Despite this, the buses in Geneva are fully accessible with ramps that fold down.

The SSB train to the Zurich (where we had to change in order to get to Vienna) arrived with precision timing, however, one was put in the wrong carriage so spent the journey in the door way. Although the train was flush with the platform, there was quite a large gap with no ramp to bridge this. It may have been possible to source a ramp from the station, however, a little manpower did the trick.

One had a 12 minute stop over at Zurich train station, giving plenty of time to find the next platform.

The train from Zurich to Vienna was courtesy of RailJet. It is worth noting that RailJet possess a large fleet with both old and new rolling stock with varying levels of accessibility. One was lucky enough to have one of the newer vehicles with a self deploying ramp which you can see a clip of on the YouTube channel. Once inside, several wheelchair spaces are available…

The 8 hour train journey took us through spectacular scenery as we travelled through Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria.

After arriving into Vienna at 11pm, we plan to use the U-Bahn network tomorrow to head over to the DC Towers (the tallest skyscrapers in Austria) plus visit the Danube Tower to gain a birds eye view of the city.