…and the answer to the former cliffhanger is a big no! As predicted, the hotel booked a large taxi rather than a wheelchair accessible vehicle thinking that Superbunny could just fold up resulting in the staff frantically seeking one at 6.30am, easy right? Of course not! The Metro subsequently became our preferred option.
As I explained previously, our Easyjet flight to and from Bristol utilises T2 which is located on the other side of the airfield with no safe way of walking between terminals (it was pure chance that the assistance van dropped us at T1 when we arrived). T2 does not have access to the Metro hence it is necessary to catch a shuttle bus from the station to said terminal. As per usual, the bus has a ramp and a wheelchair space (which is a little tight but works all the same) and takes around 3 minutes.
Although T2 was designed with the vision of creating a ‘more functional and modern space’ for passengers than T1, personally it felt like meandering around an extra large cow shed! However, the main perk with this design was the dedicated security area for passengers requiring assistance, although it appeared as if we were entering the toilets…Anyway, our flight was scheduled for 10am and we were asked to wait in a certain area until assistance came to collect us. The time was now 9:25am and no one was in sight hence we headed to the gate by ourselves. Of course, the majority of passengers were already queuing so barging was in order. After a few conversations amongst different departments in Portuguese, the assistance resumed, even Bristol showed up immediately, shocking!
In just over 3 weeks, I will be travelling to the capital of Croatia, Zagreb for a few days. During this time, I plan to explore the city in addition to catching the train to Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia). If you recall my Inter-railing trip in 2015, you will know that the trains that operate through this part of Europe aren’t exactly new and accessible…said train to Ljubljana doesn’t even have a wheelchair space hence Superbunny will be confined to the hotel that day. Oh and accessible taxis are scarce in Croatia, took around 2 weeks of various companies chatting with each other just to arrange an airport transfer. Also, it is a 4am start to make the 8:55am flight from Heathrow much to the delight of PAs!