Europe – July 2015

As today was the only day that we had to explore Geneva, we wasted no time heading out. The United Nations complex is around a 20 minute walk from the Ibis hotel during which it’s hard to ignore ‘The Broken Chair’ sculpture…

A little further from said structure is the impressive United Nations complex…

The visitors entrance is located within it’s grounds and, of course, wheelchair users can skip the queue. Disabled individuals can gain access for a discount. The tour around the Palais des Nations is largely accessible and allows access to the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room, the Library and much more…

Saying goodbye to our amazing tour guide, one rolled down to Lake Geneva with its picturesque views along with its famous ‘jet of water’ which shoots water an impressive 120 metres into the sky and can be seen for miles!

Although one didn’t use the tram network, the rolling stock comprises of low floor vehicles enabling level boarding. Where large gaps are present, automatic ramps are deployed which bridges the gap between the tram and the platform edge.

It is worth noting that a large proportion of restaurants in the centre of Geneva have some kind of curb or step, but there are a few that are step free. 

Coincidently, today was Geneva’s turn to host a triathlon event. This meant that a ramp down to Lake Geneva had been erected enabling one to take a dip in an otherwise inaccessible lake…

 (Whether one was actually allowed to do this or not is another story!)

As one has a 12 hour train journey tomorrow to the Austrian capital, we headed to the train station to pick up the tickets and make sure the assistance was in place and booked. The staff at the ticket office at the station were very, very helpful in ensuring that all the assistance was in place, especially seeing as one has to change at Zurich. However, Google maps failed us on the way to the station, taking us for a little tour around the red light district, one will say no more!

Tomorrow, we travel the breath of Switzerland and Austria to Vienna!

After a lazy morning, one headed back to Marseille St Charles station in plenty of time ensuring that all the assistance was in place for the forthcoming journey over the Swiss border to Geneva.

The French TGVs themselves are low floor between the train and the platform edge allowing for level boarding, however, once inside there is a step down into the carriage…

To overcome this obstacle, the floor automatically raises up to the top of the step hence becoming flush to the level of the door and then lowers back down so one can enter. It was quite tricky for Superbunny to manoeuvre as the area inside the carriage, however, it would be more doable in an electric wheelchair that has front wheel drive.

As the train set off for its voyage to Geneva, I discovered that ones phone hadn’t been charged meaning we were rather clueless as to the whereabouts of the hotel in Geneva! Anyway, getting off the train was quite straight forward.

Planning an Interrailing trip as a wheelchair user isn’t the easiest thing to do hence to make it slightly easier for everyone, all the hotels would be within 15 minutes of the arriving station. In this case, we are staying at the ibis (Genève Centre Nations) which is approximately 13 minutes walk.

Tomorrow is our only day in Geneva hence we plan to take a tour around the United Nations building before heading down to Lake Geneva.

As I mentioned yesterday, the plan for today was to visit the Notre-Dame de la Garde which stands proud over the city of Marseille and provides panoramic views from its numerous vantage points.

The Notre-Dame de la Garde sits atop of a rather steep hill hence one was unsure of how accessible it would be in terms of pavements. During ones research the night before, Google stated that the best way to reach the top of said hill was via road train. Although their website claims to be ‘wheelchair accessible’, this means for manual wheelchairs, not Superbunny! After some more Googling, a bus route was found. The buses in Marseille are similar to the ones that can be found in London, where automatic ramps are deployed from the side, so it was simple to get on and off.

Once at the top, one was surprised to see that there was a lift which takes you to the top of the Notre-Dame de la Garde, The Basilica of Notre-Dame despite all the steps which can be seen on arrival. Before we ascended, it seemed appropriate to explore inside which is mostly accessible for wheelchairs…

Again, the top level is mostly accessible for wheelchair users and provides a great vantage point to admire Marseilles cityscape…

The next stop was the CMA CGM Tower which is tallest skyscraper in Marseille. The easiest way to reach said structure from the hotel was to hop on the Marseille Tramway (as the accessibility of the Metro is debatable). Akin to most modern tramways, the network uses low floor vehicles allowing for level boarding. This, in addition to the bus network, makes it a great way to explore the city if you are a wheelchair user…

Of course, one had to admire said towers architecture…

Back in the city, the final stop was the bridge connecting the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations to Fort Saint Jean which is a feat of engineering in itself…

Although there is an accessible path around Fort Saint Jean, the issues occur when one crosses the second bridge back into the city. One would highly recommend doubling back on yourself to avoid numerous steps..

Tomorrow, we head back to Marseille Saint-Charles station to travel to Geneva tomorrow via TGV!

It’s not everyday that one gets to explore a National Park from the water, especially in Europe. However this isn’t the case for Calanques National Park.

As one was unsure of whether steps led onto the boat, we decided to take the manual wheelchair down to Vieux Port just in case. However, there was no need to worry as there was a level platform at the rear of the boat which didn’t involve any steps….

As the boat twisted and turned it’s way around the coastal terrain, it provided a great vantage point to admire the National Park…

The strategy for tomorrow is to visit Notre Dam in the morning before hopping onto the Marseille Metro
to visit the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations, or rather the bridge which you need to walk across to access it. In the meantime, doesn’t Marseille look pretty at night…

As I mentioned yesterday, today was a 5am start to catch the 07:18am Eurostar service to Marseille from London St. Pancras International. In a few years, Eurostar are introducing a new fleet of trains with much improved accessibility, however, until then, one has to settle for the rolling stock introduced in 1994. Nonetheless, the accessibility is still quite good until you get into the carriage where the space is a bit tight for an electric wheelchair plus there is a seat right next to you…

It came as a surprise that the table seats in front of us were all available, much comfier than sitting in Superbunny for 6.5 hours! It is worth noting that wheelchair users are automatically upgraded to Premier Class hence enjoy the subsequent benefits including FREE meals…

After watching the fantastic French scenery as we travelled down the country, we arrived at Marseille St Charles station. As expected, you could tell the difference straight away in temperature as the train doors opened. Countries in Europe seem to have all sorts of contraptions to help one get on and off trains, this time it was a portable lift (doesn’t beat the fork lift though in Switzerland back in 2013). It took a while to work out how to exit the station as the main entrance is compromised of a large staircase leading down from the station into the wonderful city. Of course, staircases and wheelchairs do not mix…

After dropping the bags off at the hotel, one headed down to the Vieux port area to see if it would be possible to book a boat tour for tomorrow around the Calanques National Park and whether Superbunny could join. Granted that there is a few cobbled parts within this area, however, a large portion of smooth surfaces make it a perfect location for an evening roll…

So here we are in the capital of the United Kingdom, London ready for an epic 14 day adventure around Europe by train! During this trip, we will be visiting Marseille, Geneva, Vienna, Budapest, Katowice and Auschwitz. However, it was necessary to traverse the British Railway Network first from ones local station, Bristol Parkway.

At the present time, a large proportion of long distance services are operated by trains constructed in the 1970s or 1980s hence the accessibility is debatable. As the wheelchair space in standard class was taken on the service to London Paddington, one was entitled to a free upgrade to first class! After a little shuffling, we arrived into Paddington on time.

One discovered only a few weeks back that Paddington now has step free access onto the Circle and the Hammersmith and City line which was needed get to St Pancreas International. It is always amazing how the end carriages on Tube trains are always nearly empty, which one used to his advantage.

Outside St Pancreas station, we found our way to the hotel and checked in without any problems (I have probably jinked it now). The room is nice enough and what you would expect from an Ibis hotel.  

Tomorrow we get up at 5am in order to catch the 7:18am Eurostar to Marseille where the adventure really begins!