Monday, September 1, 2014

Barcelona - Sep 2014




Barcelona is the most wheelchair accessible city I have visited so far in Europe, and thus is my favourite city in Europe. I chose this city specifically to party and hang out on the beach and I did just that.


ACCOMODATION

I wasn’t able to find a couchsurfing host in Barcelona. I did receive an offer from one guy, but his elevator was too small. I asked him to measure it and I determined it was standing room only! … for one person! Why bother even having an elevator if it’s only good for one person? I have encountered the problem of small elevators in every European city I’ve visited.


My Airbnb host and her roommate
I booked a room through Airbnb that was located about a 20min walk from the beach. The owner of the apartment was named Oria and she had two other roommates. It was a very spacious three bedroom apartment. I slept in Oria’s rather empty room while she slept on the living room couch or somewhere else altogether. My only issue was that the bathroom doorway was too narrow and the only way I could get in was by taking the door completely off the hinges for the duration of my stay. Oria hung up a curtain for privacy. Staying here was a lot like staying in a hostel. People were constantly coming and going – mostly friends of the roommates, but also other Airbnb renters. Everyone was very welcoming and nice. They even cooked a few meals for me and invited me to hang out with them. It was pretty much like staying with friends. The exchange of money was more like a token of appreciation and to help cover the cost of having me there. 

I stayed with Oria for 4 days and then moved to an entire apartment to myself which I gave a tour of in the VLOG. It was a bit further out from the waterfront and located on a busy street, but the apartment itself looked completely renovated and furnished entirely with IKEA! Honestly, my reasons for renting a place all to myself was so I could bring a party home which almost happened, but not quite. More on that later. I stayed here for three days and then moved back to Oria’s for the remainder of my time in Barcelona. I admit it was more fun having people around and being closer to the beach and La Ramblas.

ACCESSIBILTY
As I mentioned above, Barcelona is a paradise for wheelchair-users.

Sidewalks
Ramps down to the beach
I don’t know if it’s like this all over Spain, but Barcelona has very different sidewalks. They don’t have curb cuts per se, but very wide ramps from the sidewalk to the street. I think these were made for the motorcycles which are parked on the sidewalks, rather than wheelchairs, but they are extremely useful. While Barcelona is a flat city, most sidewalks are paved with some sort of stone. This requires more energy to push and can possibly slow you down.

Airport
Barcelona–El Prat Airport has the easiest transportation to the city centre of any airport I have visited… in the world! And I mean that! As soon as you leave the terminal, you will find the Aerobus stop. Every single bus is wheelchair accessible! It’s not one of those tall busses that have 5 steep steps to get in. It’s a low floor bus with pull-out ramp at the rear door – very similar to a city bus. You don’t have to book anything in advance. There’s a bus every 5 or 10min (24/7) and takes you right to Playa Catalunya in 35min. Cost is 6€ one way and there’s no disabled discounted. I wished every city had this.

Public Transit
I didn’t use public transit very often so I can’t give too much advice here. Everywhere I went was within walking distance. I didn’t even need to use the metro. I did use a tram a few times when I was staying in an apartment by myself. It’s completely accessible and very easy to use for wheelchair users. However, the lines are not useful for getting to tourist attractions.

Beaches
Smooth path down to the water
Barcelona beach is the most wheelchair friendly beach I have visited… in the world! I seem to be saying that a lot. It beats out Vancouver and anything I’ve seen here in North America.

There are two levels to the beach. The top level is street-level and completely flat. To get to the lower level, there are long, wide ramps everywhere. At beach level, the boardwalk is wide and flat. This design alone is enough to make me happy because it allows me to walk along the beach without difficulty. However, there are wooded pathways that go from the stoned boardwalk right over the sand and down to the water. And there’s not just one pathway, they’re located about every 50 metres or so. Oh yeah, and there are restaurants and wheelchair toilets at every station.  
Dedicated beach area for the disabled

And to top it all off, there is even a designated beach area specifically for the disabled! Here they have wooden floors over the sand (with a covered area, and open area), beach wheelchairs, private wheelchair toilets, and dedicated lifeguards! Sounds like a resort for the disabled.


There is an uncovered and covered area



I rolled up and down this beach many times, every day. It was my favourite thing to do in Barcelona.








ATTRACTIONS / SIGHTSEEING


Stained glass windows
Sagrada Familia is a Catholic church designed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi. This place is beautiful and unlike any church I have ever visited. Admission is free for the disabled and an attendant. Go to the front of the ticket office (don’t wait in line. If anyone asks, just say you were told go to the front) and obtain your free ticket. The towers are not accessible because there are stairs to the elevator – talk about a poor design! After getting your ticket, you will need to go around the block and enter through the group/school entrance. You may have to wait and get your bags checked by security before going inside.


Very steep ramps
Warning: Even though Sagrada Familia is wheelchair accessible, there are some very steep pathways. I am quite strong and can usually push myself up any hill, but even I had to ask for help here.






A mountain of fruit!
La Boqueria is a large public market right on the main drag of La Rambla, which goes from Playa Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument. You will find the most amazing food and drinks here and it’s not very expensive either. My favourites were the fresh fruit juices that were only 1€ each.

Warning:  This is a very busy area and apparently a hot spot for pickpockets. Fortunately, I didn’t run into any troubles, but I know people who have been victims of pickpockets in Barcelona.  Do a simple search on how to protect yourself.

The Arc de Triomf is cool to see and fully wheelchair accessible, unlike the one in Paris. Rambla del Mar provides a relaxing walk near the sea and yachts.


NIGHTLIFE

This was my main reason for coming to Barcelona – to party! And boy, I was not disappointed.

There is an area on the beach with a concentration of about 5 or 6 nightclubs. Some of these are restaurants during the day. Wander around this area any time of the day and you will find promoters handing out passes for free cover before 1:30am. You heard me right. It was no problem for me to get into a club before 1:30am, so this essentially meant free cover. Normally it was 15€. In most of North America, nightclubs close at 2 or 3am, but not in Barcelona where the party is just getting started by this time. I came to this area EVERY SINGLE NIGHT because they were open EVERY NIGHT and they were busy EVERY NIGHT. Not just Friday and Saturday, although they were the busiest on those nights. 

Opium Nightclub
My favourite spots were Opium, Pacha, and Shoku and you will find mostly tourists here.  All were open until 6am. Drinks are pricey at around 12€ each. The music is pretty main stream with the DJs spinning top 40, lounge, and hip hop. The bouncers let everyone in. It’s not like Berlin where they can turn you away for no apparent reason. Wheelchair access was surprisingly very good. All have some steps, but I found ramps built in. Opium and Pacha have one of those old school lifts to get down to the dance floor. It’s one of those lifts that follow a railing and requires a key and takes forever! It was quite a production whenever I used these. It was actually just faster to have the bouncers carry me. There were even single room wheelchair toilets. I usually only encounter these in hotels or nice restaurants, rarely have I seen one in a nightclub.


Pacha Nightclub
One night I met two girls – one was Brazilian and the other Argentinian. We were having fun dancing and drinking together. They literally had to beat other guys off with a stick so I thought ‘great’, she prefers hanging out with me. When the club closed, we left together. They were still in party mode, so I suggested going back to my place because I had a 3 bedroom apartment all to myself. As we were hailing a taxi, that’s when she dropped a bombshell on me – she said she was a ‘working girl’. My enthusiasm dropped to the floor at that point. Here I was, feeling like a king because I was leaving a club with two hot girls and going back to my rented apartment. Little did I know that they were actually hookers. She did say she was hanging out with me because she enjoyed my company and told me she couldn’t care less that I was in a wheelchair.  However, I couldn’t help but feel like the only reason they were hanging out with me was because they only thought of me as a potential customer. I was also slightly annoyed because I could have spent time with other girls who were not hookers. So, I politely declined their offer and put them in a taxi and I… went home… alone. It’s definitely a story for the books.

Making friends wherever I go





Friday, August 29, 2014

Paris - Aug 2014



ACCOMODATION

I sent out couchsurfing requests for Paris, and I did manage to get a few offers to host. However, those people lived quite far away from the city centre. I knew that the metro was not wheelchair accessible, so staying at any one of these places meant at least an hour bus ride each way into central Paris. I opted to rent an apartment through Airbnb, which I had used for the first time last year in Berlin.

The apartment was in a great location – an area called the Latin Quarter, but there were many accessibility issues to deal with. The owner told me beforehand the place was step-free with a ramp inside – good. I headed straight there after arriving at the airport. There was a ramp to get to the front doors which was fine, but the ramp in the lobby was extremely steep. I’m pretty sure the angle was more than 45° with no railing! I’m a strong guy, and I couldn’t even get up this ramp on my own. It wasn’t even a wheelchair ramp. It was something the maintenance or delivery guys used to get a dolly up and down the steps. Worst part was that it wasn’t even a full ramp. It was two narrow ramps side by side. One for each wheel. I wished I had taken a picture of it. Very luckily, this building was connected to several other buildings as part of a complex, and I was able to enter through the next building and get level-access to the elevators. Whew! Disaster averted! The elevator was tiny. I had to enter backwards and my wheelchair, which is already narrower than most, just barely fit in. Then I had to tuck my feet in to get the door to close. And then came the actual apartment itself. One word: small. I knew Parisian apartments were small, but this was beyond my expectation. I think it was about 200 square feet. I was able to maneuver around, except the bathroom door was too narrow. I rarely have this problem in North America, but for some reason in Europe, the bathroom doorways are always narrower than the rest of the doors. I have no idea why they build apartments this way. I would think it would be easier and cheaper to make all the doors the same size. So, I had to place furniture like end tables and chairs inside the bathroom, and shimmy from chair to chair. And to top off the whole bathroom fiasco, the shower was a stand-up and about 2 feet off the floor! It was extremely difficult to get in. Check out my Paris video for a fast view of the apartment.

My biggest advice to you is no matter where you are staying, whether it’s a hotel, hostel, Airbnb apartment, trailer, boat, or tent, ALWAYS ask them to measure the width of the bathroom door.

pain au chocolat everyday!
After explaining the problems to the owner, she agreed to refund me 2 of the 4 nights I was there, which was a nice gesture. Other than the access issues, I loved the neighbourhood. There was a bus stop right in front of the building to take me to all the central places. There was a bakery where I got pain au chocolat every day. On one day there was a small farmers’ market to buy fresh produce and meat. There were many nice cafés and restaurants. Wondering around this neighbourhood everyday just felt very Parisian.  



ACCESSIBILITY
I had heard from many wheelchair users that Paris was not a very accessible city. However, I actually found Paris to be very accessible. The city is flat. There are curb cuts everywhere. There is some cobblestone, but it’s manageable. There are cafés and shops with steps, but I found many that did not.

Transportation
From Charles de Gaulle airport, take the RER B (it’s the only train line) to central Paris. It’s completely accessible. Cost is 10€ one way with no disabled discount. Board at the front of the train where the platform is raised. Have an airport employee assist you if you prefer.

The Metro is not accessible at all. Only one line (14) claims to be accessible, but I had great difficulty trying to use it. I couldn’t find elevators to get to the street. At Chatelet station, I got on a horizontal escalator thinking it was the only way to get out, and then it gradually turned into a steep uphill escalator that lead to 3 stairwells. Bust! It was dangerous and could have ended badly! I strongly recommend taking the bus instead. The bus system in Paris is actually very good. I don’ know why more people don’t take it. In most cities, I prefer taking the bus anyway because you don’t need to worry about hunting around for elevators, finding the right train line, and then finding the right platform. Alternatively, you can board a bus on street-level in one of only two directions and away you go! It would only take you maybe an extra 10min plus you get to see more. And if you travel late at night after the Metro closes, like I do a lot, you have to take the night buses anyway.   



ATTRACTIONS/SIGHTSEEING

The Eiffel Tower is, of course, the top attraction to see in Paris. I went there
on my first day and unfortunately, it was raining off and on. The 1st and 2nd floor are accessible and there’s a special line for you to enter so you don’t need to wait in the long, regular line. Wheelchair users will not be able to get to the very top. I actually didn’t go up at all because of the weather and also because it occurred to me that if you want an aerial view of Paris, you kind of want the Eiffel Tower to be in it!




typical lift in the Louvre
The Louvre is a gorgeous museum and completely wheelchair accessible. You can skip the line and go straight down the piston-like lift to the concourse level. Best of all, it’s free for the disabled and an attendant! You will need to take elevators to the various levels, but for the most part, it is fairly flat. Be prepared to spend the entire day here!

The Arc de Triomphe is not accessible, but you should still go see it. The centre is only accessible via stairs and tunnel that go underneath the traffic circle. However, it’s still nice to wonder around the outside and along the famous Champs-Élysées.

I would highly recommend checking out the iconic Moulin Rouge and the Boulevard du Clichy – Paris’ so-called red light district. Tickets to the Moulin Rouge are expensive and will cost at least 250€,  but it’s worth seeing from the outside. The Boulevard du Clichy is a sketchy street lined with strip joints and sex shops. It’s entertaining to see during the day, but I would caution coming here at night.

Gare du Nord and the surrounding neighborhood is very interesting to see for the architecture. If you are looking for a wheelchair accessible hostel, I would highly recommend St. Christopher’s Inn. Apparently, it’s brand new. I was there one night for a couchsurfing meetup and was shocked to see how accessible it was. Normally, hostels seriously lack in wheelchair access. The entrance was level. There were wheelchair toilets in the bar, a small lift up to the private room where the meetup was held, and also more wheelchair toilets in that area.

Did I?


LANGUAGE
I was also warned that Parisians were not friendly people in general. I did not find this at all. Maybe it’s because I’m in a wheelchair, but who knows. My game plan was to learn basic phrases in French like “hello, goodbye, thank you, please, that’s good, toilet, elevator, help” etc (all in French of course). I think if you try to speak French, they will know you are not a native French-speaker and will be more open to interacting with you. I found this strategy worked very well and discovered I could speak a lot more French than I thought!   

Overall, I found Paris to be very accessible with many services for the disabled and I would highly recommend any wheelchair user to visit the city of light.