RSS

|

AAA |

Part 5: Success, In Spite Of ...

Today, Karen recalls the last leg of her trip through Europe. In this final installment of Karen's travel diary, a magnificent sightseeing trip to Monte Carlo is overshadowed by a startling experience at the airport.

By Karen Joyce Baker

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Tuesday, August 29, 2007: Livorno-Florence
I went up to the eight cab drivers and said "Bon Journo! Who has the best English?" and hired the driver who spoke the best English. Luigi said 450 euros. I said 400. He said 425, and we made it a deal. We called for tickets to the Galleria Dell' Accademia and found out that this was free for us because we had the wheelchair. It is good that we didn't arrive in Florence for a little while, since Richie was sleeping in the back seat. Our second stop was Gallery Uffizi. Since Luigi was born in Florence, he suggested that our last stop be Pieti Palace.

In Cannes I went on the street to see shops while being pushed in the wheelchair. It wasn't easy because of the unsmooth pavement. Then we went to the museum. Karim, my guide, asked where the art gallery was, and we went to three of them.

The third gallery had works of David Goldstein. The lady told me it would be cheaper to buy it in Israel, and that just happened to be where I was going the day after tomorrow! She also added that the music was more inexpensive there, too. Karim helped the lovely lady get more business by providing introductions. He mentioned a place that would have luggage, but it turned out all they sold was food. He was very cute, strong, and accommodating, but his English was very poor—along with his knowledge level.

Wednesday, August 30, 2007: Monte Carlo, Monaco
On the cruise ship, I had the excursion desk book Monte Carlo since I could not find an available guide. On my first day in Monte Carlo, the guide whose English was poor took me to the Visitor's Bureau. He could not answer my questions and needed directions to a major gallery. I did not need that excursion. I requested another guide who spoke good English. By the way, this is what I got for $1200 per day!

My next guide, Michelle, was from the same firm. He took me to St. Paul De Vance, which was a magnificent day. However, the following morning, he arrived at 5:30 a.m. to take me to the Nice Airport for my flight to Tel Aviv. He drove very fast the entire way, saying he had not slept and had another client at 7:30 a.m. He kept talking about how he had to hurry. I held onto my strap. I guess I prayed a bit—I do that when I am scared.

We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, of course, and Michelle wheeled me into the airport lounge. And, I waited for him to return. Guess what—he never did! I started to feel uneasy when 10 minutes passed and there was no Michelle. Finally, I yelled for a stewardess to please help me. I explained how I lost my guide. She explained that I did not lose him; he told her to tell me he left.

I could not believe this. Here I was in the middle of Nice Airport waiting for my guide—my helper—who was far away racing away to see his next client. I was glad that I caught my flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. I had lived in Israel for six years and was looking forward to seeing my friends during a three-week stay.

Reflections on the trip …
In conclusion, I would hope that the excursion desk staff would acknowledge requests from partially disabled people so that arrangements for tours could be made prior to boarding. How wonderful it would be if Crystal became the first cruise line to have a "special needs" department for those handicapped like myself.

During the beginning of the cruise, I received a lovely call from the Captain informing me of an easy plan for me to leave the ship with my wheelchair. I think I had to go to deck 4 where a ramp was in place. I was so grateful and was able to exit the ship with ease. Unfortunately that was the only time that provision was made for me.

To exit, I had to use the steps. It was difficult to do that because I felt everyone looking at me like a spectacle. It was hard to concentrate on going down the small steps with people watching me. I felt like I was being judged and treated like a side show or freak show. Notice the people in the photo. It would have been nice if arrangements had been made for an easy exit.

It would be useful to have a floor plan and a fact sheet about the accessible rooms comparing them to the non-accessible rooms. Having a stewardess or a butler makes a big difference. Although there was a bar in my shower, it was still difficult to step into the bathtub. The accessible room had a shower with no barriers around it. One could ride in the wheelchair right to the shower. It was unfortunate that the accessible room was the first room on the ninth floor, where the motor vibrations were more pronounced. It would be nice if the accessible bathrooms were as high as the toilet in my suite, which had a riser.

See More Travel Articles