This is just day 2 of our 5-night stay in Portugal.
The scenery, the people, the food, the coffee, the wine, the architecture just knocks my socks off every time.
But I have to say that wheelchair access is a really dreadful. The cobblestones are charming to look at as are the stone sidewalks but murder for the TravelScoot. There are almost no flat paths atop the cobblestones and very few curb cuts or dropped curbs. Every church, shop, library, hotel, restaurant has steps, a lot of steps. If I were truly wheelchair bound, it would be impossible.
We wanted to take the walking tour tomorrow morning and every morning at 10 am but our one foray from the amazing pousada made us realize that we couldn't keep up with a walking tour. So we went to the tourism office to enquire about alternatives. There is a horse-drawn carriage ride but the horse is poorly this week. So no go. It was too late to reach the association of tour guides.
Our pousada reception desk-concierge was able to arrange a tour of the town with an English-speaking guide who will drive us in his car. We have to see the Chapel of the Bones, among other sights. Luckily we are right in front of the Roman Temple of Diana and adjacent to the cathedral. Great location.
I wonder how the handicapped Portuguese manage to ever get out of their homes and around the town.
It must be very difficult and frustrating. Monaco is a very richy-rich place and could well afford to build paths, ramps, elevators, smooth sidewalks, curb cuts, etc. And they have done a poor job. Perhaps Portugal could ask the European Commission for funds to make the cities accessible for their own as well as for the tourists.
Backtracking to Queluz, the pousada had a rough entrance with cobbled parking lot and surrounding property and no ramp provided to enter the hotel even though they displayed the handicapped logo.
Once inside there was an elevator to the room and a
spacious room and bathroom designed for handicapped access while still retaining old world charm and a gorgeous room with beautiful drapes, border along the walls close to the ceiling, wallpaper borders, comfortable chairs, plush carpet, comfy beds with duvets and crisp sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers. Just the way a fine hotel should be not minimalist, grey and boring like so many chain hotels in the big cities and at airports. Very helpful staff at reception who handled luggage and concierge duties with aplomb.
Bye for now.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
PETALS AND POFFERTJES - A DAY AT KEUKENHOF
Not only is K'hof a flower lovers heaven, it is also the perfect place for wheelchairs. All the pavilions and almost all of the paths are wheelchair accessible. I saw one stone path that had 3 stairs up and 3 down near a pond and, of course, the wooden lily pads across the pond, while whimsical and charming, would be impossible but nearly everywhere else it was a dream visit. I saw literally dozens of wheelchairs today, some being pushed by carers and others were battery-operated. The windmill at the far end of the gardens would not be accessible due to the staircase. It dates from the 1800s and was moved from Groningen.The flower beds are a treat for the eyes, tulips of all varieties and other flowers as well are displayed in literally acres and acres of land for two months of the year - March to May. I believe it is the second largest garden in the world.
Tulipmania may have started in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age but it very much continues in K'hof today.
One added bonus is a wooden hut, in the middle of the garden, unexpectedly, selling a Dutch treat, poffertjes, little-known outside the Netherlands.
Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour. Unlike American pancakes, they have a light, spongy texture. Typically, poffertjes are served with powdered sugar, butter, and sometimes syrup.
REMEMBER THE MAINE, FORGET THE BATAVIA
Cruised to Lelystad, a relatively new town, built in a polder (reclaimed land from the sea) and the site of the historic Batavia. The Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It was built in Amsterdam in 1628 and armed with 24 cast-iron cannons, and a number of bronze guns. Batavia, shipwrecked on her maiden voyage, was made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors. A twentieth-century replica of the ship, also called the Batavia, can be visited in Lelystad, Netherlands. Thanks Wikipedia.
The replica of the Batavia was lovingly restored over a ten year period and is a worthwhile and interesting 'museum' but not for those who are wheelchair-bound. There are loads of steep and narrow stairs.
The 'proper' museum rather than the ship itself is accessible and the film (now 20 years old) tells the story of the Batavia, then and now. Available in English and Dutch.
The replica of the Batavia was lovingly restored over a ten year period and is a worthwhile and interesting 'museum' but not for those who are wheelchair-bound. There are loads of steep and narrow stairs.
The 'proper' museum rather than the ship itself is accessible and the film (now 20 years old) tells the story of the Batavia, then and now. Available in English and Dutch.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY
The Netherlands can be tricky. There can be early morning fog, sun at mid-day, rain in the afternoon, gusty (better make that gale force) winds anytime of day or night, followed by hail, snow, sleet, and possibly even a special Dutch concoction of weather for which you will be unprepared unless you carry a winter coat, rain jacket, rain suit, polar fleece, down jacket, hat with ear flaps, sunhat, suntan lotion, warm scarf, mittens, swimmies, turtleneck, t-shirt, corduroy trousers and possibly capri length slacks with leggings for warmth. Could be a sandals morning and a wellies afternoon.
Today was one of those days.
The sky was blue and the sun was shining mid-morning as we made our way to Enkhuisen for
a bit of window shopping and bike parts for the scooter. Found a great shop called Bike Totaal with a helpful mechanic who fitted an air horn and pads for the footrests. Another day I will look for a collapsible basket and cushions for the handlebars. Also, better lights altho I do have flashers on the front and the back.
The Netherlands is top-notch for me and my scooter. Everyone looks because it has wheels but then this a country with more bikes than people. No one looks askance just interested in an alternative scooter. This is a very creative country for bikes as everyone rides from the very youngest to great-grandmothers.
The best one I have seen is a side by side tandem trike.
The streets have bike paths (not lanes) and all the crossings have dropped or cut curbs. In the afternoon we floated to Sneek amid high winds that blew the furniture around the deck and rain that caught everyone unawares.
By evening the sun was shining again and the sky was starry-night blue but the temps had dropped to near freezing.
We ventured out for an Indonesian rijstaffel and found one on the quiet streets of Sneek. Klein Java or little Java is a family run restaurant in an old pub. As it was a Saturday night at 8 pm, every table was taken but we were invited in (including the scooter) and found seats at the bar until a table was available.
Worth waiting for - a really tasty rice table of 4 meat dishes and 4 vegetable dishes. Lamb, beef and chicken satay, beef in a sweet sauce, gado gado, steaming white rice, tempeh, green beans, a veggie medley and a hard-boiled egg dish.
When the meal was over - 2 hours later - map in hand and lights flashing we make our way along the canal and over the footbridge to our floating hotel-boat. Another wonderful day in the north of the country.
Tomorrow at six we head for Lelystad and Kampen.
Today was one of those days.
The sky was blue and the sun was shining mid-morning as we made our way to Enkhuisen for
a bit of window shopping and bike parts for the scooter. Found a great shop called Bike Totaal with a helpful mechanic who fitted an air horn and pads for the footrests. Another day I will look for a collapsible basket and cushions for the handlebars. Also, better lights altho I do have flashers on the front and the back.
The Netherlands is top-notch for me and my scooter. Everyone looks because it has wheels but then this a country with more bikes than people. No one looks askance just interested in an alternative scooter. This is a very creative country for bikes as everyone rides from the very youngest to great-grandmothers.
The best one I have seen is a side by side tandem trike.
The streets have bike paths (not lanes) and all the crossings have dropped or cut curbs. In the afternoon we floated to Sneek amid high winds that blew the furniture around the deck and rain that caught everyone unawares.
By evening the sun was shining again and the sky was starry-night blue but the temps had dropped to near freezing.
We ventured out for an Indonesian rijstaffel and found one on the quiet streets of Sneek. Klein Java or little Java is a family run restaurant in an old pub. As it was a Saturday night at 8 pm, every table was taken but we were invited in (including the scooter) and found seats at the bar until a table was available.
Worth waiting for - a really tasty rice table of 4 meat dishes and 4 vegetable dishes. Lamb, beef and chicken satay, beef in a sweet sauce, gado gado, steaming white rice, tempeh, green beans, a veggie medley and a hard-boiled egg dish.
When the meal was over - 2 hours later - map in hand and lights flashing we make our way along the canal and over the footbridge to our floating hotel-boat. Another wonderful day in the north of the country.
Tomorrow at six we head for Lelystad and Kampen.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE
Hated Monte Carlo/Monaco, the most frustrating and inaccessible place for wheelchair or mobility scooters, in the western world. It's a big rock with windy roads and underpasses and impossibly steep sidewalks that end abruptly, or with barriers for no apparent reason, or roads under construction, or cars parked on the sidewalk, and very few dropped curbs but mostly no crosswalks and loads of stairs with no alternate ramps.
Occasionally an elevator but no way to reach it.
Don't bother! You've been warned!
If you go despite this cautionary tale there are beautiful views of the Côte d'Azur.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
MY (CHOCOLAT) DREAM DEFERRED
Today didn't go as planned.
There is Hershey's and Cadbury's and Nestle's and then there is the new chocolate mecca and it is in Tain L'hermitage, France, on the banks of the Rhone river.
The plan was made to have a taxi meet us and another couple at the ship, moored on the opposite bank in Tournon, at 8:40 am, to take us to the new Valrhona chocolate museum and shop, built in 2013, and looking like a fancy chocolate box.
www.citeduchocolate.com
No taxi to be had on Saturday morning and almost no time to get there and back before the ship departed at 10:15 am. We gave it the old college try, but the path along the river was closed for construction, we had to criss-cross the river road several times when the sidewalk just ended and finally just before the bridge there was no dropped curb or level crossing. We would have had to take the scooter on a very narrow, very busy road with no guarantee that we could even get onto the bridge. So, sadly, all plans to have the ultimate chocolate adventure were scuttled.
Luckily Trader Joe's does sell Valrhona chocolate bars but it's not quite a substitute for a trip to the chocolat mothership.
There is Hershey's and Cadbury's and Nestle's and then there is the new chocolate mecca and it is in Tain L'hermitage, France, on the banks of the Rhone river.
The plan was made to have a taxi meet us and another couple at the ship, moored on the opposite bank in Tournon, at 8:40 am, to take us to the new Valrhona chocolate museum and shop, built in 2013, and looking like a fancy chocolate box.
www.citeduchocolate.com
No taxi to be had on Saturday morning and almost no time to get there and back before the ship departed at 10:15 am. We gave it the old college try, but the path along the river was closed for construction, we had to criss-cross the river road several times when the sidewalk just ended and finally just before the bridge there was no dropped curb or level crossing. We would have had to take the scooter on a very narrow, very busy road with no guarantee that we could even get onto the bridge. So, sadly, all plans to have the ultimate chocolate adventure were scuttled.
Luckily Trader Joe's does sell Valrhona chocolate bars but it's not quite a substitute for a trip to the chocolat mothership.
Later in the day, a coolish, windy day, we visited the town of Viviers, and as we headed to the smallest cathedral in France for an organ concert, via minivan provided by Avalon River Cruises, we were rewarded by a stunning rainbow across the Rhone.
Friday, April 3, 2015
SOFT AS SILK
Here goes again with the TravelScoot float trip down the Saone and Rhone rivers.
The water levels were so high that we had to leave Macon sur Saone before sundown in order to pass under the bridges and arrive in Lyon for the remainder of the trip to Avignon and Arles.
Some of the river cruise ships were either moored in Lyon or Macon unable to proceed southward or northward necessitating coach trips to see all the sights/vineyards along the Rhone valley.
Avalon has been most accommodating about the scooter assisting me getting it on or off the ship on a daily basis. Even twice or three times a day.
Someone carries it for me from the pier to the ship even when the ships are lashed together and we have to pass though the lobby of a sister ship.
It is easy to charge the battery with an adaptor that has the European two point plug.
Most of the streets have pedestrian crosswalks and dropped curbs although from time to time there is a complicated intersection that requires retracing our steps to find a safer way.
We visited the Lyon Museum of the Resistance and the area known as the Presqu'ile (French for peninsula) and both were easy to traverse. The museum had a ramp entrance, free acess for the wheelchair plus one companion and an elevator to reach the main exhibits. They also provided a free English translation of all the exhibit labels and all the audio interviews with Holocaust surviviors and members of the Resistance had an English version at the touch of the screen. Well worth a visit.
If you want silk fabric by the metre or silk scarves this is your town and the place to go is Tousoie, 19 rue Auguste Comte, 69002, Lyon. (info@tousoie.com) The store manager is helpful, friendly, fluent in English, patient, charming and incredibly knowledgeable about the silk business. Tousoie make their own silk at a factory about 30 km from Lyon. While you shop there is a TV that shows the silk-making process. The colors of the silk will make your eyes dance with delight. While we were there one young woman was purchasing white silk to make her own wedding dress.
The water levels were so high that we had to leave Macon sur Saone before sundown in order to pass under the bridges and arrive in Lyon for the remainder of the trip to Avignon and Arles.
Some of the river cruise ships were either moored in Lyon or Macon unable to proceed southward or northward necessitating coach trips to see all the sights/vineyards along the Rhone valley.
Avalon has been most accommodating about the scooter assisting me getting it on or off the ship on a daily basis. Even twice or three times a day.
Someone carries it for me from the pier to the ship even when the ships are lashed together and we have to pass though the lobby of a sister ship.
It is easy to charge the battery with an adaptor that has the European two point plug.
Most of the streets have pedestrian crosswalks and dropped curbs although from time to time there is a complicated intersection that requires retracing our steps to find a safer way.
We visited the Lyon Museum of the Resistance and the area known as the Presqu'ile (French for peninsula) and both were easy to traverse. The museum had a ramp entrance, free acess for the wheelchair plus one companion and an elevator to reach the main exhibits. They also provided a free English translation of all the exhibit labels and all the audio interviews with Holocaust surviviors and members of the Resistance had an English version at the touch of the screen. Well worth a visit.
If you want silk fabric by the metre or silk scarves this is your town and the place to go is Tousoie, 19 rue Auguste Comte, 69002, Lyon. (info@tousoie.com) The store manager is helpful, friendly, fluent in English, patient, charming and incredibly knowledgeable about the silk business. Tousoie make their own silk at a factory about 30 km from Lyon. While you shop there is a TV that shows the silk-making process. The colors of the silk will make your eyes dance with delight. While we were there one young woman was purchasing white silk to make her own wedding dress.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
WHEN YOU ARE TIRED OF LONDON, YOU ARE TIRED OF LIFE
DEAR GENTLE READERS,
I have heard that quote for virtually ever. Still not tired of life not even wheelchair life. The buses are user friendly though always allow loads of time. Sometimes the first bus already has a wheelchair user or a baby stroller/buggy. Occasionally the ramp doesn't work. But eventually a bus arrives and the ramp extends from the back door and in you go.
Everyone is helpful and curious, especially curious.
We have been to museums, theatres, shops, restaurants, the not-so-mean streets of the West End and even as far afield as Borough in the south to Maida Vale in the north.
Do be careful, look both ways - twice. Always be on the lookout for dropped kerbs/curbs as they are not always right on the corner. Sometimes the kerb/curb has been forgotten and you have to recalculate just like GPS. It would be very nice if the Tube could be adapted but that has only happened in the newest stations/lines.
Someone is waiting for the computer so Cheerio!
I have heard that quote for virtually ever. Still not tired of life not even wheelchair life. The buses are user friendly though always allow loads of time. Sometimes the first bus already has a wheelchair user or a baby stroller/buggy. Occasionally the ramp doesn't work. But eventually a bus arrives and the ramp extends from the back door and in you go.
Everyone is helpful and curious, especially curious.
We have been to museums, theatres, shops, restaurants, the not-so-mean streets of the West End and even as far afield as Borough in the south to Maida Vale in the north.
Do be careful, look both ways - twice. Always be on the lookout for dropped kerbs/curbs as they are not always right on the corner. Sometimes the kerb/curb has been forgotten and you have to recalculate just like GPS. It would be very nice if the Tube could be adapted but that has only happened in the newest stations/lines.
Someone is waiting for the computer so Cheerio!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
I'm taking the leap. Since I was 19, a very long time ago, my friends and family have said I should write about my travels. But don't you have to have a point-of-view or do something dangerous or take spectacular photographs or be all by your little lonesome?
I was born with a skin disorder called EB to those close to me. It's real name is epidermolysis bullosa.
Or to those in the dermatology world EB simplex of the Weber-Cockayne (not cocaine) subtype of EB or variation on a theme. This was diagnosed by the fine folks at the Rockefeller Research Hospital in NYC. But that came much later.
As a child, I just knew that when I wore shoes or walked or ran or danced, I got blisters. Big ugly raw blisters. Sometimes the size of a quarter or even larger ones that would emerge from underneath my toes, work my way through and expand on top of my foot. I learned to puncture them myself. No cure, no relief.
Just don't walk, don't take PE, don't move. That's just not my style. So every year in the spring, I would sign up for dance lessons or tennis lessons and after the first go-round, the blisters would appear.
By the next day, I would be climbing the stairs to my bedroom on my knees.
Please don't feel sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for me. We all have imperfections and medical issues of one kind or another. No one used the words handicapped or disability. What's odd about mine is that most people can't see it. They are hardly going to be taking a gander at the bottom of my feet. Interestingly, most dermatologists have never seen it other than in derm textbooks.
Sometimes in museums there would be a wheelchair I could borrow. Sometimes my dad would carry me on his back. Many years later, in the 80s, we learned that at Florida amusement parks you could rent a variety of mobility scooters, scoot-mobiles, battery-operated wheelchairs. Still it never occurred to me that this was a lifestyle-choice.
Much later, I learned you could rent wheelchairs at conventions and in the big cities. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I asked my dermatologist if she would write a prescription to request my health care provider to supply one. Little did I think this would happen in a million years or not without a long, drawn-out battle of letters from me and supporting letters from the doctors.
Lo and behold, I came back from spring break, where I had rented a scooter for the week, and there was a message on my phone asking me when and where our local medical supply store might deliver a bright red GOGO Traveller Elite. That was a red-letter day in more ways than one. Since that day in 2013 I have been experimenting with ways to travel both locally and overseas.
There are obstacles, but for the most part, folks are kind and helpful. Curious, too. Let's see what this next trip holds because it is a 4 country month-long trip in Europe.
Questions and comments are welcome.
I was born with a skin disorder called EB to those close to me. It's real name is epidermolysis bullosa.
Or to those in the dermatology world EB simplex of the Weber-Cockayne (not cocaine) subtype of EB or variation on a theme. This was diagnosed by the fine folks at the Rockefeller Research Hospital in NYC. But that came much later.
As a child, I just knew that when I wore shoes or walked or ran or danced, I got blisters. Big ugly raw blisters. Sometimes the size of a quarter or even larger ones that would emerge from underneath my toes, work my way through and expand on top of my foot. I learned to puncture them myself. No cure, no relief.
Just don't walk, don't take PE, don't move. That's just not my style. So every year in the spring, I would sign up for dance lessons or tennis lessons and after the first go-round, the blisters would appear.
By the next day, I would be climbing the stairs to my bedroom on my knees.
Please don't feel sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for me. We all have imperfections and medical issues of one kind or another. No one used the words handicapped or disability. What's odd about mine is that most people can't see it. They are hardly going to be taking a gander at the bottom of my feet. Interestingly, most dermatologists have never seen it other than in derm textbooks.
Sometimes in museums there would be a wheelchair I could borrow. Sometimes my dad would carry me on his back. Many years later, in the 80s, we learned that at Florida amusement parks you could rent a variety of mobility scooters, scoot-mobiles, battery-operated wheelchairs. Still it never occurred to me that this was a lifestyle-choice.
Much later, I learned you could rent wheelchairs at conventions and in the big cities. It wasn't until 2 years ago that I asked my dermatologist if she would write a prescription to request my health care provider to supply one. Little did I think this would happen in a million years or not without a long, drawn-out battle of letters from me and supporting letters from the doctors.
Lo and behold, I came back from spring break, where I had rented a scooter for the week, and there was a message on my phone asking me when and where our local medical supply store might deliver a bright red GOGO Traveller Elite. That was a red-letter day in more ways than one. Since that day in 2013 I have been experimenting with ways to travel both locally and overseas.
There are obstacles, but for the most part, folks are kind and helpful. Curious, too. Let's see what this next trip holds because it is a 4 country month-long trip in Europe.
Questions and comments are welcome.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
BABY STEPS
Day 2 of the Wheelchair Diaries.
Baby steps...
I am not only learning about blogging but also learning about my wheelchair. So, here goes ... the scooter arrived yesterday between the time I came home from my little volunteer job at the Goodwill bookstore and the time we took the gas grill out of the garage for a farewell steak dinner.
He was going to rent me a SmartScoot for the trip but none were in stock at this time so instead he very generously proposed loaning me a TravelScoot for my European adventure. It shipped within a week and weighs just 30 lbs (w/out the battery). The battery is charging as we speak, so to speak.
Back to the ranch, after our fine family steak dinner, the three of us (TnTnI) sat in the entrance hall and assembled the chair. Then my son took it for a spin in the kitchen and family room. What a hoot.
Lucy, the family bulldog, was curious and confused. She didn't bark but she cocked her head to one side as if to say 'what next' and 'will you be taking me for walks on the mobility scooter'? The answers are that I am taking it to Europe and, yes, when I return we will go for walks together.
At least she didn't want to piddle on it. Good dog, Lucy!
I also purchased a rolling duffel bag from CAMPMOR
so when I am not riding the it can be folded up and put into a canvas carrying case and transported via car, bus, plane, train, or boat.
Today, I am heading to Target with the hopes of buying a few little accessories. It might not qualify as 'pimp my ride' but I want to have an air horn, cup holder, reflectors, bike lights, clamp buster, gloves with a gel grip, canvas pouch for the bike lock, handlebar grips, and international adaptor for charging the battery. That is the most important accessory.
I intend to ride it through the Miami International Airport to the gate. The ground staff will stow it on the Virgin-Atlantic flight to London much as they do baby strollers, car seats, or push wheelchairs.
I'll be interested to hear from folks who are curious but have never attempted international travel with a mobility scooter as well as those who have gone before me with tips for the journey ahead.
Eastward Ho!
Baby steps...
I am not only learning about blogging but also learning about my wheelchair. So, here goes ... the scooter arrived yesterday between the time I came home from my little volunteer job at the Goodwill bookstore and the time we took the gas grill out of the garage for a farewell steak dinner.
VERY exciting indeed. It is a brand spanking new TravelScoot. I worked out a plan with a fine fellow in Sparks, NV, Mr. Don McLarty, who runs Sierra Mobility Scooters, 775-376-8491.
He was going to rent me a SmartScoot for the trip but none were in stock at this time so instead he very generously proposed loaning me a TravelScoot for my European adventure. It shipped within a week and weighs just 30 lbs (w/out the battery). The battery is charging as we speak, so to speak.
Back to the ranch, after our fine family steak dinner, the three of us (TnTnI) sat in the entrance hall and assembled the chair. Then my son took it for a spin in the kitchen and family room. What a hoot.
Lucy, the family bulldog, was curious and confused. She didn't bark but she cocked her head to one side as if to say 'what next' and 'will you be taking me for walks on the mobility scooter'? The answers are that I am taking it to Europe and, yes, when I return we will go for walks together.
At least she didn't want to piddle on it. Good dog, Lucy!
I also purchased a rolling duffel bag from CAMPMOR
so when I am not riding the it can be folded up and put into a canvas carrying case and transported via car, bus, plane, train, or boat.
Today, I am heading to Target with the hopes of buying a few little accessories. It might not qualify as 'pimp my ride' but I want to have an air horn, cup holder, reflectors, bike lights, clamp buster, gloves with a gel grip, canvas pouch for the bike lock, handlebar grips, and international adaptor for charging the battery. That is the most important accessory.
I intend to ride it through the Miami International Airport to the gate. The ground staff will stow it on the Virgin-Atlantic flight to London much as they do baby strollers, car seats, or push wheelchairs.
I'll be interested to hear from folks who are curious but have never attempted international travel with a mobility scooter as well as those who have gone before me with tips for the journey ahead.
Eastward Ho!
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