Madrid and Paris with a slight disability, the end

http://www.texasarchery.org/images/signage.jpg

First, thanks to all the folks up here that gave me information and
help - I think the trip was a total success, and after recovering for
a couple of weeks I am wishing we could do it again, right now.

Wife, daughter, and self went to Madrid for 12 days and then to Paris
via train, stayed another 6 days there before returning to Austin.
Daughter has slight impairment that requires use of crutches (and
wheelchair for museums to avoid pain) so I needed to insure our hotels
had elevators, and to find out the best ways to get around. Y'all
were instrumental in that.

Daughter shot in a paralympic world championship archery tournament,
so she stayed with the team at one hotel, while we were at a cheaper
hotel and free to roam Madrid, which we did.

We got off an American Airlines flight in Madrid, breezed through
customs, stopped at the first ATM and got Euros. Stopped at an
information kiosk and got maps for and directions to the metro.

Followed the signs what seemed like an incredible distance to the
metro station. I kept expecting it around the next cornerG, it was
only a few hundred yards. Fortunately we had a roll-aboard suitcase -
wheels are such a nice invention, and there were frequent rolling
sidewalks as well.

We got to the TRIBUNAL subway stop, and took the escalators to the top
- there are roughly 8 or 9 stories' worth 'cause Tribunal is atop a
hill but the subway stays level with the rest of the city. Only the
last 10 or 12 steps are not escalator, though, so I humped the bags
while the wife encouraged (just a few more steps.."). The hotel was
the Aparthotel Tribunal, just a hundred steps or so from the subway.

Very nice rooms, sound proofing not good enough when young Aussies
come in at 2 to 4am laughing and joking, though. After a brief and
genial chat they were much more considerate. The hotel had three
lifts, but for some unknowable reason one has to climb 14 steps up
stairs to get to the bottom level of these lifts. The webpages for
the hotel are fairly accurate, but no one at the hotel
mentioned/volunteered in their several emails to me that the
restaraunt was closed for remodeling. Not a big thing, as the room had
a two-burner stove, sink, and small refrigerator. We ate tapas and
drank beer all over Madrid. Love those patatas tortillas though. Not
what I'm used to, growing up an hour or so from Mexico in south Texas.

We tried using the metro as well as the surface bus system to get
around Madrid - the archery competition was in a stadium far to the
east side of Madrid, and we went there each afternoon for the
competition, taking the mornings to sight see. We walked. a. lot.

I guess I dropped 5 or 6 pounds, which wasn't bad at all. (I'm 6'6",
around 231 pounds normally) I did find that buses were slower but a
lot more fun since you could see more, while the metro was fine in all
respects except that it always took time to get oriented when you
reach the street, and even then you often weren't quite sure where you
wereG. We decided to get a compass, finally found one reasonable
in price at a Coronel Tapioca and that made this old boy scout much
more oriented and happier. trying to say compass in spanish damn near
killed me - and even the Spaniards didn't seem to be able to say it
easily. abrujula. or somethin' lahk thet.

All of the metro stops we used had a mix of escalators and regular
steps, and we never once saw anyone in a wheel chair using the metro
or even crutches.

For some reason, unlike Paris, Madrid's metro requires the last flight
to the street to be steps rather than escalators. In Paris, numerous
stops whisk you all the way to the street level.

The people we encountered everywhere were invariably helpful and
polite - one or two waiters in Madrid weren't well motivated, but
certainly not any worse than I get in traveling around the Yew Ess.

I think that the French are really being adversely affected by
American absence, unfortunately. For example, there was no line at the
Eiffel, and all the double-decker sightseeing buses were far from
full. I've decided these buses make a great cheap, easy, lazy way to
get your bearings in a town, and to get from one point of interest
(ok, tourist spot) to another without having to try hard. Freedom to
spend time at one place, and resume later in the day was also nice.
Taking in the Prado with 12 members of the US Paralympic Archery Team,
all in wheelchairs, was very interesting and a lot of fun - though I
admit I felt somewhat overdosed on cherubs, Marys, and Jesi (jesuses?)
by the end.

I found a number of cyber cafes in Madrid - one favorite was
reasonably priced, close to a Metro Stop (Bilbao), another was in a
Subway (sandwich) shop. Several were in restaurants and grocery
stores (VIP - red signs on the storefronts). Trying to find jars of
spaghetti sauce proved to be hilariously impossible. Newmans? RAGU?
Que?

Get a map for the bus routes from the bus driver - MUCH better and
larger than the dinky maps handed out in the Metro station. Buy
multi-ride tickets at the metro station for use in both metro and bus
rides, which discounts the cost per trip a lot. Watch the bus stops
carefully, and use the push buttons to signal the driver you want the
next stop, else they will blow right through. And even then,
sometimes they don't stop unless you have moved to the door and/or
yell. Our favorite mistake was usually getting off one or two stops
early by accident. walk, walk, walk.

Getting to the North train station via taxi to rendezvous with
daughter was easy - the station is very nice and well laid out.

Elevators service the platforms, so getting her down there was easy
and simply, two rollaboards, one double Olympic bow case, several
carry-ons, one backpack and all the artwork in a flat. Train ride was
in first class to insure we didn't have to endure cigarette smoke.
The only negative I have to say about Europe is this insane presence
of cigarette smoke EVERYWHERE, constant and unrelenting. They didn't
smoke IN the subway cars, but the second they were out, all bets were
offG. When you don't smoke yourself, it becomes very oppressive at
times - restaurants, bars, elevators, everywhere, and when you wake
up, your pillow even smells. Two showers a day helps a lot. But
that's the price you pay fer kulchur, I guess.

The land on the trip from Spain north to Hendaye was extremely similar
in many ways to parts of west Texas, until the Basque region. That
reminded me of Germany due to the architecture of homes, I guess.

My reservation at the hotel Central St. Jean Du Luce was a big
surprise - turns out that the name I just typed was both the hotel
AND the city, a good 15 km away from the train station in Hendaye.

Imagine my chagrin, having read on their website "just across from the
train station". G Yeah, but in a whole 'nother town!

The worst thing was that I had to carry all the suitcases down the
stairs under the tracks and back up again to get into the station from
the platform where we arrived. One knee still complains todayG.

Quick scouting around the station found a very nice hotel with a
triple for 50 Euros, so we paid the 25 E penalty to the other hotel
for cancelling and went out to eat.

We picked up a taxi, and asked to go to someplace with a view, and he
took us a short 2 or 4 miles, where there were several outdoor
restaraunts together looking out towards the Atlantic. Well, we
mainly could see a marinaG. The climate was much like say, LA or San
Diego, but not too chilly the way it gets in San Francisco when right
on the water.

We had a nice time, though we would discover that we kept reverting to
spanish instead of french in our attempts to communicate. And I've
decided that most Euro cooks are just plain lazy when it comes to
shrimp - they'd rather make the diner shuck the heads and legs. As a
kid back in the early 60's on Padre Island camp outs I got used to
boilin' shrimp by the buckets and that isn't the problem - you just
get kinda messy at the dinner table doing so. grumble....

After a great crepe for desert I asked a waiter for a phone to call a
taxi. I called the taxi stand at the station in Hendaye, and a guy
picked up. I said I wanted a taxi, and he said, "hey, me too.
there's no one here" . So after discussing it with his boss in rapid
fire french, the waiter took off his apron, escorted the three of us
to his car, and drove us to the hotel himself. I tried to pay him 10
Euros, he wouldn't take it, so I slyly dropped it on the seat as I was
getting out and quickly closed the door. He threw the car into park,
unbuckled, and literally leaped out and forced it back on me. Yes,
indeed, those French really hate America. uhuh.

What a pleasant experience!

The next morning we went to the station, where they produced a
wheelchair to take daughter to the platform, the long way around the
tracks. So no carrying up and down the steps.

The TGV is a nifty experience. It doesn't immediately run up to max
speed, because it turns out that it stops in St. Jean du Luce, where
we waved to the Hotel Central. DOH! The train started out
virtually empty, and with each of a half-dozen stops or so, got
progressively more people on board. Periodically we would see some
astonishing piece of architecture/art. At one point I saw some 3 or
5 story glass and steel buildings, in the basic shapes (ball, square,
cone, etc.) that appeared to have been dropped intact from the sky,
embedding themselves into rolling grass countryside. But it was there
and then gone, before I could do more than exclaim. Dang hi-speed
train! Another oddness was the horizon, which at high speed moves by
in a visible, apparent way that is unusual to the mind of one used to
driving in a car at only 70 mph. The horizon, and far away hills
between your eye and the horizon, all MOVE in obvious speed.

The taxi from the train station to Rue Cler was easy, but I got ticked
off when the driver charged me extra for our multiple bags. I later
read a decal in another cab that indicated he was within his rights,
so it was just a typical kneejerk reaction on my part. My bad.

Rue Cler is the place fer me. We actually stayed one street over, on
Rue Valadon at Hotel Valadon. 18 rooms, no 24 hour staff (one person
from 8am to 7pm) , and no problems at all, aside from not having the
promised/advertised internet-able PC linked to the net in the lobby.
It had a sign about being temporarily out, but I couldn't see any
outlet for a ethernet connect and it definitely wasn't wireless so I
kinda doubt they felt they had enough business to justify the extra
cost for DSL.

The hotel was NOT full. Rooms were very clean and kind of IKEA
modern stuff. Shower was definitely designed by an artsy architect
who didn't care about functionality (the glass wall did very little to
stop the water from splashing beyond the drain areaGGG. But they
had a small elevator (good for up to 3 people if they didn't mind
getting European close)that started at street level. Again as in
Madrid, if you get some Aussies (and Americans) that come in late from
drinking they will wake you up, due to the common courtyard all rooms
shared, and in the absence of AC leaving windows open to the perfectly
comfortable air. There were no "city noises" so it was very nice even
with the partiers. They have a breakfast dining area, and provide
croissants, baguettes (rock hard french bisquitsG) coffee and jams
each morning. For most lunches we ate out near the museums and each
evening we either dined in small restaurant or else used the Cler.
For the first time in my life, I actually returned a bottle of wine
when I saw the cork had a stain to the tip and the wine had a vinegary
flavor! In France! zoot alors! The waiter was VERY nice about it,
gain consistent with everyone else we experienced.

Rue Cler is a pleasant little avenue, and has a number of specialty
shops and small hotels lining it, with very little automobile traffic.
The shops are wide open to the street, and you browse in, select
your foods, and then use outdoor tables to eat at or take back to the
hotel dining room. All food is provided in carryout containers. One
shop for meats, one for fruits and veggies, one for cheese, one for
wines, one for deserts, one for chinese, etc. One little shop for
crepes - ummm.... oh yeah, good.

Most of the trip I used cyber cafes, but I also had my laptop with me,
something I have grown most accustomed to. I started travelling on
business in 1986, have acquired 2.4 million miles on American Airlines
alone (all of it domestic flights - that is a helluva lot of take offs
and landings on AA throughout the Yew Ess), and I can easily recall
that I was for years the only person with a portable computer on board
the flight. Of course, it weighed near 45 pounds, had a 386 mHz (WITH
a daughterboard populated with many 8-pronged 16k chips to get a full
1024K of RAM) and a 6 inch mono CRT. I've been platinum on AA for all
but 6 months of that time (and did slipping back to gold really suck).

Every steenkin' mile I have accrued has been with a computer in tow,
how sad is that? And I've carried a pocket cell phone since 1988,
which I actually had the smarts to leave behind on this trip. (it
isn't GSM). So as an inveterate techie, when I noticed a couple of
gentlemen in bidness suits sitting at a street table, with a laptop on
it and a WiFi antenna sticking out of it, DING! went the bell.
I got my laptop with my 54G and quietly found a park bench near where
the guy had been, and LORDY! an 804.11b router set to DEFAULT within
range! 40% signal strength/link quality on the connect was plenty
great! yesssss......so each morning at 6am, while the shopkeepers
were getting their fresh produce and stock for the day, I sat in the
semi-darkness, surfing, catching up, and updating my various websites
(DisabledArcheryUSA.ORG and Texas State Archery (texasarchery.org)).

To whoever that kind soul is, that didn't WEP, my sincere thanks.

So we spent a day at the Rodin museum with a late pm to the Eiffel
(again, ZERO lines), one at the d'Orsay and the Picasso, two at the
Louvre, on the Champ street thingyG, all in a non-rushed, layback
kinda way. We actually got to a point on the last day, during the
Louvre, where we looked at each other and said, enough - we can't
absorb any more.

I will say that while the Louvre people are very helpful, and there
are often lifts to get the wheelchair (which they provide at no
charge) up the frequent short set of 5 to 10 steps, they do a very
poor job accomodating chairs and the place is a freakin' maze if you
are unable to easily use stairs. At times it was nightmarish. Often
the Louvre employee is at the opposite end of the gallery, or couldn't
get the lift to work, or there simply was no lift. I could see often
where a simple ramp could be easily installed without causing problems
or detracting from the appearance or display of art. MANY times we
had trouble finding the elevators - in one case it simply isn't there
despite the map, and when you did find one, they didn't always go to
the floor desired. Very much like dungeons and dragons you must
sometimes go up, go half way round, then go back, then go down again,
simply to get out. Able bodied people simply do not comprehend.

And I have some great photos of the people trying to get photos at the
Mona Lisa or the Venus - I overheard some of the most bizarre things
as people jockeyed for position at the Venus - in American of course -
"you stepped in front of me" "yes you did" "I'm trying to get a
picture here - move" .... People doing their best get some space
apart from everyone else while getting someone to take a pic of them
standing in front of the statue, humans are very weird.

We three agree - the Rodin was by far the most singularly enjoyable
museum, most well done and designed both inside and out though Lindsey
did have to crutch up the steps to the second floor while I carried
the wheelchair.

All museums provided wheelchairs which was a lifesaver (well, saved a
lot of pain, literally).

The Picasso museum, while lacking his most well-known pieces, was very
informative and enjoyable as well and a nearby bistro had very good
food. Bus rides to and from Rue Cler to the major touristy spots was
very easy and good, and at no time did someone fail to provide Lindsey
with a seat no matter how full the bus was.

We purposely left a lot of France and Paris unseen and undone - my
primary goal was to insure that Lindsey got to see that the French are
not deserving of the abuse and scorn and derision our idiots in
America heap upon them. The same jerks here in the US that are happy
to say "If not for the US you'd be speaking German" are too stupid to
recall or know that if not for the French, we'd still be speaking the
Queen's English instead of mongrelized 'merican.

My goal also was to insure that my daughter had a set of life-long
memories of the people, places, and experiences. (as do I from my
summer at 17 of hitchhiking through Europe, back in 1972 when I had to
spend my time honestly denying support for yet another republican
arshole - Nixon). It was good to be in France back then, it was good
to be in France this time as well. I just wish I could afford to stay
longer and do more.

My goal was to fully enjoy that which we did undertake - my running
joke during this part of the trip was to say the Chevy Chase
utterance: "Hurry kids, the Louvre closes in five minutes" (as they
were running in the front door).

So mission accomplished!

I found the hotels using http://www.venere.com - Very Useful. A
number of you up here shared personal emails with me regarding
disabled travel and access, and that helped a lot - again my thanks.

I had read on the Louvre and other websites that wheelchairs and one
helper were admitted free. That is true, but only if you have a
special ID card that one must get in France. I would recommend
checking about getting one BEFORE travel - it may be possible and
would be a substantial savings. I recommend using the doubledecker
buses if you want to spend a day just "getting the lay of the land" as
long as you don't plan to hit any major musuems on that same day(and
as long as you can navigate up the steps - something Lindsey could
fortunately do. They are good for short stops and frequent resumptions.
Do get a phone card ahead of time, but don't overestimate how much
time you will want to spend chatting with friends and family. Your
focus is on "being away", after all.

I have several shirts with USA or TEXAS on them, my daughter has the
TEAM USA USOC shirts as a paralympian, and we wore them without fear
or negative repercussion of any sort. In fact, I suspect perhaps they
actually helped us to get more focus from people when we asked them
directions or for information.

My thanks again to all those up here that helped me before the trip,
and to all those along the trip as well, anonymous though they may now
be.

A.Ron Carmichael

Please write me via email if you have any particular questions you
think I might be able to help with. I'm eager to "pass it on and pay
it back".