Chronicle of a trip only in Europe in wheelchair

An unmissable life lesson for those of us who don't use a wheelchair and a travel guide full of essential tips and advice for those who do, and are thinking of embarking on the adventure of traveling alone.

by Stefano Banfi.

I am 29 years old and have been in a wheelchair since I was 11 due to a congenital problem, but I have always avoided this stopping me from doing the things I want, and I believe that I have succeeded.

I am one of those who loves to enjoy what they observe, walk and discover new places. I've been lucky enough to get to know quite a few parts lately and, as they say, this becomes almost an addiction.

They have always said that traveling alone is a test of life that one must experience, and it is still true: you get to know new things, different people and, mainly, you get to know yourself. I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared because I didn't know the problems I could face, but at the same time I was confident. I think I've lived many things, more than some and less than many, but for the same reason, the experiences I've had have taught me that everything turns out in the end, one way or another, and it's up to you to define how you want them to turn out. …

My older sister, who lives in Madrid, had her first daughter. It was the perfect excuse to travel, meet my niece and, why not, see places I had never been before, taking advantage of the fact that traveling within Europe is relatively easy and cheap, I said “bah! Let's give it to him” and I bought a ticket.

I had traveled alone for work-related reasons, having been lucky enough to get to know Barcelona and Tokyo, but staying in a single city is not the same challenge as dedicating myself to traveling, mainly due to the two main concerns: resolving transportation issues and how to carry luggage

This was a step further... I only had the ticket from Santiago to Madrid, I was three weeks away and I had no travel itinerary, so in one afternoon I defined my plans, based on the little I found out on Google and the photos what I saw:

I want to see London, Edinburgh and Dublin. In the meantime, I would take advantage of seeing some friends who are living nearby. I made the reservations at Hostelworld.com and Airbnb (always applying the filter that they were accessible, which both pages have) and I bought the internal tickets through Ryanair, all in three hours (I recommend Google Flights to plan round trips).

I wasn't sure what the places where I would stay would be like, what the transportation system of the cities I was visiting would be like (one expects the first world to be very conditioned, but this is not always the case, for example, the Paris subways or New York is terrible, as I was able to corroborate in a previous trip that I took with my other sister in 2016, I never found an elevator or an escalator and, luckily, I had her to help me in those situations), nor the difficulties that awaited me due to the geography of the place. But I thought "well, the stones are fixed on the way" and as I say about this trip, I planned little and improvised a lot.

The only thing I planned was the chair I would use, the things I would take and how I would carry them (with a routine in the gym that would allow me to be in good physical condition for the trip): I put together a bag (that could be carry on his back like a backpack) of about 30 liters, in which he brought the necessary clothes for the tour, personal items, a microfiber towel and a small folding floor for the shower (one of those floors that are used for some jobs of hardware store or reaching for things, they cost about $3,500), and a small backpack with a down parka, my camera, documents and several small things.

For one as a wheelchair user it can be useful to have two chairs, a spare one in case one breaks/breaks down and the one for daily use, so I bought a new one for daily use. When I bought the new chair, I considered two main things, putting cushioned front forks for uneven paths, and looking for a backrest that is as low as possible that allows me to carry the backpack on my shoulders and thus distribute the weight better when I move and avoid falling out of place. back. The bag I put together would be on my back and the small backpack on my chest.

Space was tight, so I wasn't going to bring almost anything from the tour. I also carried a larger suitcase, where I carried the clothes that I would wear and leave with my sister in Spain, to keep the other bag intact, ready to go. When I left my house in Santiago, I put on my bag, backpack and pushed the suitcase to the entrance of my house, where the Uber was waiting for me to the Santiago airport. Once at the airport, I got out and pushed the suitcase to the Avianca inn to leave it, while I carried the bag and backpack with me at the airport. Then, in the PDI I had the first setback, when I took out my bag one of the straps broke from the clasps.

It seems that I had bought a very comfortable backpack that I could put everything in a small space, but of terrible quality. I managed to tie the strap and I was able to continue without major inconvenience.

This was the plan, I would arrive in Spain and spend time with my family, I went with my parents by AVE train (high speed) to Toledo and we also drove through Ávila, Manzanares El Real and Córdoba, to then continue my own adventure the next day we returned to Madrid from Cordoba.

The AVE carriages are at a height, but one requests assistance and at the station they have elevators to easily get up with the chair.

Toledo is small, but super hardcore for the chair, very steep slopes and cobblestones everywhere, so it is advisable in this case to take the tourist buses, because if not uffff, but anyway you have to put a lot of pine on it .

Ávila is a small walled city that is very flat, and the only drawback is the cobblestones, which are not a major problem, in fact I saw many people in chairs around there. And Córdoba is very similar in that aspect, it's a beautiful city, very old and also flat, but with cobbled floors everywhere (suddenly some shitty roads that one got stuck all the time) that could make it a bit difficult to walk. For these roads, the ideal would be to have an attachment, which is a large front wheel that suspends the girls, I think I'll consider it next time.

In Spain I bought a cell phone chip with 6gb for 15 euros, since within the EU there are no charges for roaming use and I would have internet at all times, because Google is smarter than you and knows how to give you precise instructions how to get to a place, and I was going to be able to stay connected to make a Whatsapp call in case of an emergency, which gave me a lot of security.

The first stop on the adventure from Madrid was London, arriving at Stansted Airport (which is an hour away by bus or train to Stratford tube station). My brother-in-law dropped me off at the Madrid airport by car, since it was rented and he had to return it to the same place. I arrived at the London airport, withdrew money from the ATM to have pounds in cash and bought the bus ticket to go to the city (it costs approx. 10 pounds).

Then the second inconvenience appeared, the mobile internet didn't work, it wasn't going to be that easy, but hey, good luck in bad weather. The bus had steps, but the first seats are reserved for people with disabilities, so I went up sitting on the steps and the chair was stored under the bus. On top of the bus I connect to the WiFi that they have available to try to solve the mobile internet issue without success, and I find out that an attack had just occurred in a London subway station, I got a little scared thinking that maybe the lines would be blocked and I would have to look for an alternative to get to my hostel. On the way I looked for the instructions to get to the hostel, I had to get to Oxford Circus station, I didn't know which lines to take but as the saying goes, asking if you get to Rome, I would find out when I got to Stratford station, where I loaded the Oyster Card (like the Beep!).

At the station I asked how to get to Oxford Circus and the third problem appeared, not all Underground stations have a lift (in fact there aren't that many), and this was one of them. An alternative was to get off at the previous station, Tottenham Court, and walk to my hostel for a longer distance, but this station was being remodeled and the elevator was out of service, so they told me that the best alternative was to take another line (with a trip twice as long) and get off at Green Park, even further from the hostel (the tube ticket was approx. 2.4 pounds).

Once I got to Green Park I opened the Here mobile app where I had the London map downloaded to give me directions to my hostel, which took about half an hour. The good thing is that London is quite flat and all the corners have slopes, so it wasn't that difficult. I settled in the hostel and it was indeed accessible, it had elevators, but due to security measures they left me in a shared room (with a bathroom in the room) on the first floor. The hostel bathroom had a shower with a folding floor attached to the wall and all the necessary measures. The only low point is that it wasn't that clean, but everything else worked perfect.

My first impression of London was “they have money” (and lots of it). The city is beautiful, very clean, the people were very stylish and it was very common to see a Rolls Royce or a Bentley driving around. And yes, everything is very expensive, so you have to be prepared to throw away the bills. And my second impression, “Look Right/Look Left” if it weren't for the fact that it was written on the ground in every corner more than once I would have looked the wrong way getting scared of being run over, because these guys drive on the wrong side.

In addition, it must be said that here it seems that the pedestrian has the last preference, the pedestrian traffic light lasts very little and if you are in red nobody stops, they just dodge you and honk at you.

When I arrive in a new place, the first thing I try to do is take one of the free tours (you leave them a tip) to get a glimpse of the city. I arrived at the meeting point of the tour, but I didn't see anyone. I saw a guy with a map who was going around in circles like me, I asked him if he was looking for the famous tour, and he was in the same circles as me. Since we couldn't find it, we started to explore on our own, trying to sneak into the paid tours with headphones, but the guys do everything possible so that people don't join them... so we continue on our own using the Citymaps2go app.

According to the cell phone of this compadre Javier, a very cool Mexican by the way, we covered 27km in one day, we ended up dead, but we did the first great tour of the city. He would continue the next day to Barcelona and I would continue on my own in London. In the end I did not find the free tour because I did not have my cell phone with an automatic time zone, although I thought so, and I spent two days with Spain time (one hour ahead of the UK), but I realized when I saw the hour at the Clock Tower (popularly and erroneously known as Big Ben), and I found it strange that it was “so early”.

So I walked into the grocery store to see that many of my fellow Nebraskans were purchasing large amounts of beans… https://t.co/rVf0SiuLhE

— Rebecca Roston Mon Mar 23 17:53:55 +0000 2020

In London I was lucky, it rained very little, I even had sun on the days I was there, which is not usual, not even in summer. For those of us who use wheelchairs, the rain is an issue: since you are sitting down, your legs get very wet and when you use your hands constantly you cannot carry an umbrella, but a friend from the past gave me a plastic poncho that served me well in more than once in the short but heavy London rains.

As I didn't have mobile internet to check the routes of the city buses (the typical red two-story ones) and the subway stations weren't all accessible (they don't have elevators and many times the car isn't up to the task) from the platform, depending on the season), I preferred not to risk it and go by surface everywhere on my own, the city is quite flat and I walk fast. I think it took less time, so trying to find out the buses I needed every time. This has its advantages, I can get to know the city better, and find corners that one would otherwise miss, but it is still tiring, especially the lower back due to the position and the upper back due to the effort, considering that On average, he walked easily his 15 km a day, I think it wasn't little, but it's worth it. Even so, the bus system seemed very comfortable, with automatic ramps and floors that were almost level with the sidewalk.

In general I would say that London is quite easy to ride in the saddle. In addition, almost all the buildings, in general, have good access, perhaps you can find some steps in one or another small store.

Now came the second part, going to Edinburgh. I leave the London hostel the same way I arrived: the bag on my back and the backpack on my chest, and I followed the same path to return to Stansted airport (go to Green Park to Stratford, where you can buy the bus ticket in person at the bus stop that takes you to the airport, these buses have a frequency of 30 minutes).

Once at the airport connected to WiFi, my brother-in-law talks to me and sends me a page with instructions to correctly configure the cell phone and have mobile internet by roaming.

And I arrive in Edinburgh, my favorite part of the whole trip. Scots can't understand shit when they talk, but this place is lovely, a gothic little town, cold, damp, moss everywhere, wholesale cemeteries (the ones that are open 24 hours and people use them even for picnics when the sun is out) and many stories that border on the sordid.

At the airport came the fourth inconvenience, the other strap of the damn bag broke, now I had to carry things in a different way: the bag on my legs and the backpack on my back, which made it a little more difficult . He had a screenshot with the point on the map where the Airbnb he had paid for was located.

To get to the center one can take the Airlink buses or the tram, and there take a taxi or bus to your destination. Edinburgh does not have a metro and has few tram lines, but the buses (Lethonian buses) work super well, and are very comfortable to get on in a chair, they are also two-story and with automatic ramps. To get an idea, the single bus ticket costs 1.6 pounds and the daily pass 4, which are paid on the same bus (but it must be with the exact money), it wasn't that cheap either. But the tourist office at the airport suggested that I take a bus from the airport that would leave me very close to my destination. It was a longer trip, but easier and cheaper. It did not make it difficult for me that it took longer, because the Airbnb mine could not receive me before I arrived from their paste, in fact the timing of my arrival was perfect.

Also, since I had internet, knowing which bus to take and where to get off wherever I was going was very easy using Google Maps. As for the apartment, the spaces were very comfortable and I had no problem with the chair, I put my portable flat in the tub and took a shower without major complications.

Now, you have to be prepared for Edinburgh, as it is very beautiful and old, it is not so easy for the chair (despite the good buses). It has a lot of slopes and cobblestones, so it was necessary to put effort into it (you have to be physically prepared for this). From what I know, it has been one of the most complex places, competing with Toledo and surpassing Prague, Lisbon and Porto.

On the free tour I met two very cool Chileans, Cindy and Daniel, with whom I spent the day touring, and we had a few cocktails. We also signed up for a night walking tour where they show you very interesting things about the city. Stories of witch hunts, torture, trafficking in the dead for science and paranormal activities. This tour went through Calton Hill, as its name says, it is a hill, the highest in Edinburgh, so it was not going to be very easy. Even so, the guide was looking for easy routes, as far as possible, trying to pass paths without stairs, but in several parts it was impossible. But people always help you, I climbed the stairs sitting on the steps and others climbed the chair, or other times three carried me, or if the slope was very difficult, it was enough for someone to give me a hand on the back so as not to go backwards or lose momentum.

With all the hustle and bustle, one of my wheels ended up with several loose spokes, a couple that came out all the time, it was very annoying having to always screw them, so another accessory that I have to carry is a spoke wrench for wheels bicycle. Almost at the end of the tour, ending up in a very dark cemetery at night (you had to illuminate with flashlights) I jumped with the chair from a very high step, I fell a little to the side, so the left wheel, which had loose spokes, fell off. misaligned and socketed a bit; When rolling, the crooked part rubbed against the mudguard of the chair and slowed me down, a fifth and no less minor inconvenience...

Then I got to the apartment where I was staying and, thinking about how to solve the problem, noticed that the right side has a slightly larger clearance between the wheel and the fender than the left, so I rotated the wheel and put electrical tape on the sides. joints of the loose rays, so that they do not come out more. This would be enough for me to get to Santiago and find a place to repair the shit.

One of the days walking through the streets of Edinburgh, Cindy and Daniel, the Chileans I met, entered an alley that led to a kind of inner courtyard with houses around it and a statue in the middle. Under the statue was a small envelope that said “Open if you need courage”. I opened the envelope and took out the paper inside with this message...

It's something I've always believed, though sometimes I forget.

I thought about taking it with me, but it was better that other people also find this message.

Among my typical phrases I always say “they are putting me to the test” and Edinburgh did it, and with quatic, but it was a test passed, and without a doubt it was worth it. In this part I had an excellent time, I saw that I can go further and I took tremendous experiences.

Now came the last part, Dublin. Here the truth will stop me less, because I think Dublin was the least challenging city. Like London, it is very flat, it does not have a subway but it does have trams and buses, which repeat the same pattern: two floors and very accessible.

Again, with Google Maps getting anywhere was papa. I bought the pack that brought transportation on the Airlink bus from the airport to the center, transportation on the hop-on hop-off buses (which take you to the tourist places and tell you the stories, but the drivers telling stories were insufficient. No they never shut up and talk utter nonsense. I do not recommend this option, I would look for the daily public transport tickets and buy the return ticket to the Airlink buses from the airport. The hostel itself was also quite accessible with a lift, very nice, clean and ondero, but the entrance to the shower was a little more difficult (again I made use of my portable floor) and the mattresses ufff insufferable, I slept badly every day. The only difficult places to go through Dublin were Temple Bar (the tourist district of the reel), for some very annoying cobblestones, and Phoenix Park (a park in the city of more than 700 hectares) because you cannot enter the grasslands in the chair.

12 tiring days had passed, clothes by now didn't smell so good (I traveled very lightly), but everything was very comforting, I was returning to Madrid and my backpack was also breaking above the shoulder straps. This was a problem, I wasn't going to have a way to carry her because her bag was already on my legs and I can't keep my hands busy, I had to treat her with a lot of love.

I arrive at the Madrid airport and take the urban train to where my sister lives. The Renfe-Cercanías urban trains have wagons with two steps high, but some of them, which have spaces reserved for bus cars and wheelchairs, do. Since not all trains have these wagons, suddenly you have to wait until you find one of them. The subway cars are very accessible, but not all stations have an elevator, or many times there are only escalators, in which case I would hold on to the railings and go up/down on them.

My vacations were over and I spent my last days in Madrid, sharing with my sister, my brother-in-law and the dwarf ball that was barely a month and a half old.

These days were mainly spent resting and spending time with the family… the personal adventure was over. Leaving Madrid produced a lot of emotion and nostalgia in advance for separating from my sister and niece. Now I am returning to Santiago, where I will take the taxi home and leave my things, to resume work and normal life.

I reiterate that it is an experience that I loved living, knowing new places, doing what you want, meeting cool people on the journey. Follow your own rhythms, etc.

But above all, I got to know myself more, what I am capable of and that I can go further, leaving many fears behind.

However, you have to prepare physically before everything, otherwise the exhaustion and fatigue would be enormous. And as it was always the keynote of this trip, I planned little and improvised a lot, all you need is trust.