After our time in Garmisch, we traveled to my uncle's house in Brussels, Belgium. While we were there, we toured Brussels, Brugge and Leuven. In Brussels, I had the opportunity to ride a European Subway. I am not sure if I could have made it onto the train in my power chair, as there is about a three to six inch gap between the car and the platform. However, I was told that there is a ramp that can be flipped out onto the platform at the front of the subway. The only problem is, I would have to be able to get the driver's attention. I guess that would be something I would have to figure out if I were to travel by myself. Fortunately, I was accompanied by my family and it was easy for my uncle to pop me across the gap and onto the subway. The other thing that I learned is that not every station has an elevator up to the street; so, before traveling, we had to make sure I would be able to leave the station when I exited the car.
One day when we were in Brussels, we took the subway downtown. I really liked downtown Brussels. There are mid-evil looking buildings that are amazing. On one side of the Gran Plots, the buildings had all burnt down but, had been rebuilt to replicate the originals. Many of the buildings near the Plots were not accessible; they all had stairs. But, this did not stop us from entering; my uncle pulled me right up the stairs, backward, and into each shop.
While in Brussels, I tried the Fritz and the famous Belgium Waffle. Fritz are pretty much thick cut french fries with ketchup, mayonnaise and fried onions on top. The first time I had Fritz, huge globs of each condiment blanketed the top and it seemed as if there was more toppings than potato. In contrast to the Fritz, Belgium Waffles are probably the best dessert food that I have ever tasted. Belgium Waffles are not like waffles here. They do not need toppings, as they are sweet when finished. Belgium Waffles are made with dough, not badder, and the dough is filled with pearl sugar. When cooked, the pearl sugar melts and drips through the entire waffle, caramelizing the outside. The waffle is soft, but is perfectly crispy on the outside. The sticky surface makes the waffle even more enjoyable to eat. We got to watch the vender make our waffles fresh. The dough is pressed out on the iron, the iron is stuck in-between hot plates, then taken back out, flipped over and stuck back into the hot plates. The result; pure deliciousness!
Mom and I with our Belgium Waffles
Another town in Belgium we visited is Brugge. Brugge was a port town before a storm destroyed the canals connecting it to the channel. The canals through the town are now used for tourism. Brugge is also famous for their tapestries (which in my opinion are beautiful). Many of the shops in Brugge were accessible but, the place we wanted to eat at was not, and the area around the steps was also crowded so, we just ate outside. In the middle of ordering our lunch, the lady, sitting at the table next to us, slapped our waiter on the butt. After we asked if the lady had just whacked him, he replied in an italian accent, "that's okay, she's my wife." The waiter's wife had brought her three month old and eight year old daughters to see their dad.
The restaurant that we ate at was on the edge of a large farmers' market, one that to my knowledge is open every day that the weather is nice. There were cloths (socks and underwear to pants and shirts), handmade jewelry, paintings, as well as fruit, vegetables, breads, meats and cheeses. I learned that throughout Europe there are many open markets and when looking at fresh produce, you do not touch or you buy. The jewelry was amazing and I loved looking at all the different designs created by the artists. I had a great time in Brugge and am glad I had the chance to see another smaller European town.
Leuven, a college town, has some mid-evil buildings as well. One of the buildings has so many gargoyles on it and all the thought and care that was put into it made me appreciate the ancient architecture even more. I am so impressed at how much time and effort was put into each building. It amazes me that in a time of no modern technology, people put so much work into such a time consuming process. Now that we have modern technology, most buildings are mass produced and just put up as fast as they possibly can be built. Buildings should be built with quality materials, passionate architecture, as well as handicap accessibility.
An interesting occurrence happened to us when we were visiting Lueven. We had a fabulous dinner and explored the town; however, when we went back to the parking garage, it was locked up for the night. There is a sign hanging over the exit that clearly states that the parking garage closes at 7:00pm. How we missed that I have no idea. However, the previous times my uncle had come to Lueven were for concerts. He said that on those nights, the car garage stayed open until after the concerts were over; he did not think anything of it. So, there we were, stuck without the car. I was kind of excited as we started to go over our options. All the obvious resolutions were adventurous, but expensive. If we were to leave the car in the garage, it would mean a 300 euro ticket ($450 US), plus the dollar rate for every hour the car was left in the garage. The other costs would include either staying the night in a hotel or the cost of us all taking the train or a taxi back to my uncle's apartment. Then, my uncle would have to come back in the morning to pick up the car and pay the fine. I was enjoying the idea of the spontaneous adventure but, it came to an end when my uncle found his way into the garage. It just so happened that two girls were in the same predicament as us but, they had the advantage of knowing someone who had a parking pass for the garage. They had called him to help them and when he came we were able to get the car out. We were free to go and did not have to pay the fine.
After our time in Belgium, we went to Paris, France! I loved Paris even more than I thought I would. My love for Paris did not come from the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, or the other main tourist attractions as much as it came from the Latin Quarter.
Welcome to France
Located in the southeast part of Paris, on the West bank of the Seine River is a hidden gem of the city. History is woven throughout this area, restaurants and bars line the streets, and the food is just as tasty without the tourist price tags. The Latin Quarter is the place to go to see the authentic Paris; this is where to find the Parisian culture of quiet streets in the morning and a hopping transformation that continues late into the night.
On the first night, we ate at Chez Fernand. This amazing restaurant, along with many other restaurants, cafes, bars and ice cream shops, lined the cobbled backstreet. Tables stuck out of the door, so guests ended up practically sitting on the sidewalk. Many of the restaurants also had their menus posted outside. It is nice to know what can be ordered before entering. And tip to picking a restaurant, do not eat at a place that posts their menu without prices. The feel of the backstreet made me intrigued and I was excited to eat authentic french food. I also spotted the special of the night, duck, listed on the chalked on the outside menu outside of Chez Fernand. A meal of duck, mashed potatoes and applesauce may sound interesting but was prepared perfectly. The mixture so scrumptious trumped every other meal in France by far. To add to the deliciousness, we ordered creme burlee; creme burlee that has set the standard that will never be matched. While at Chez Fernand, I needed to use the bathroom. Now, Chez Fernand is a long skinny restaurant cram packed with tables and chairs. Every seat was filled, which made the pathway to the bathroom even more tricky to get to. When we did manage to work our way back there, we found the bathroom to be super tiny and on top of that, an awkward shape. Now, the building is super old, so I am not complaining that it is not accessible. But what we need to do more is that every time something stands in your way, turn it into an adventure and try to overcome it. Mom and I made the best out of the situation, we laughed a lot and to make it easier, we had someone hold the door open when we went in, and had that same someone open the door back up again when we were finished. I loved my time at Chez Fernand and if I ever return to Paris, they will definitely get my business again!
My scrumptious dinner at Chez Fernand
Our hotel was located in the Latin Quarter, and I loved it. Mom and I had an adventure in making the tiny bathroom work, and we did it. The small area actually came in handy, as there was not a shower chair that I could use. Instead, I sat sideways on the toilet (which was beside the shower), and Mom was able to hold me over the shower (which was actually a tub), and wash my hair using the handheld shower nozzle. The beds were tiny and seemed as if the designer did not know that people over 5'6'' existed; which for my mom and I was fine but for others, they may just find themselves in Shaquille O'neil's shoes. The decor was super colorful and our windows opened like french doors. There were no screens! This was new for us, and we had to make the decision, cool and noisy, or hot and quieter. I loved the big portrait windows, they reminded me of all the Europe based movies I have watched. My poor mom was tired, so the first night we made the mistake of going to bed at 10:00pm. Sleep did not come, as everyone in the Latin Quarter rings in the morning everyday (well at least the nights we were there)! The second night, my uncle took me exploring, and I had the chance to experience the Latin Quarter down on the streets. We listened to a french folk band play in a pub a little ways down from our hotel. I enjoyed getting to see this part of Paris at night.
The view from our hotel in the Latin Quarter
The view as the sun was setting
We did explore the city of Paris as well. I am so glad that I had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, Parthenon, and the Arc de Triomphe. When we were exploring Paris, we also saw the two bridges covered in locks, a school for the deaf, and the Marie Curie Institute. We also went to Luxembourg Park, to Angelina's, and to the fair.
The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower, the thought of "I am actually in Paris" flashed through my mind. The Eiffel Tower is humongous. Standing in the square that sits up a little ways from this remarkable land mark, the tower does not seem as spectacular and ginormous as we ended up finding it to be. As we walked towards it, the Eiffel Tower kept growing and growing. At least twice, I remember thinking, "we are almost there" but, we kept on walking. On our way there, we came across a large flight of stairs. My uncle could have popped up the front tires and bumped me down each stair, never the less, on the sides of the stairs are wide flat edges that slope with the stairs. They happen to resemble ramps and both my uncle and I saw this and took it to our advantage.
Mom and I "infront" of the Eiffel Tower
When we arrived at our destination, we realized how big the Eiffel Tower actually is. We ran into our first indentured servants. They are all over Paris, trying to earn their freedom. The men will try to sell mini replicas of the Eiffel Tower for cheap. The money that they make goes to whoever brought them to Paris. Every time the cops would show up, the men selling the trinkets, quickly packed them up and scattered. There were also indentured servants cleaning the bathrooms underneath the tower. There is an elevator down to this bathroom, which was amazingly convenient.
In contrast to there being an elevator down to the bathroom at the Eiffel Tower, there is not one for traveling underneath Notre Dame. Going to the bathroom at Notre Dame entails going down a flight of stairs, then across a landing, going down another flight of stairs, then across a second landing, turning left, going down another flight of stairs, walking down a hallway, turning left again, then walking down another hallway about three times as long as the first. When we finally arrived at the bathroom, we ran across indentured servants. One of the ladies cleaning the bathroom expected anyone who was going to use the bathroom to pay her on top of the price it cost to use the bathroom. This first time using the bathroom here, it was not clean. However, the next time we used the Notre Dame bathroom, it was very clean and the ladies who were working did not expect a tip. They just kept working away the entire time we were there.
The first time we went to Notre Dame, a French Cardinal was preaching outside the building. Even though he was speaking Latin and we were not able to understand him the moment was still spectacular. The second time we visited Notre Dame, we had the opportunity to go inside. The interior was breathtaking: the stained glass windows were so beautiful, and the life of Jesus was elegantly carved in the stone throughout the cathedral.
Mom and I on the east side of Notre Dame
We also walked around the outside of the Louvre and the Partheon. We did not explore inside either of them, as they are both super expensive to tour. I also do not know if the Louvre is accessible or not. The exit that everyone was coming out of was clearly not accessible but, I do not know if there is an alternative exit. The Partheon, an amazing architectural design, resembles the United States Capital. I love them both, and am so thankful that I have got to see each of them.
While in Paris, we were able to utilize the tour buses. My uncle carried me up the small spiral staircase so I could view the city from the second level of the bus. This was entertaining, as the staircase was just big enough for my uncle, let alone the both of us. My mom folded up my chair and left it on the first level of the bus, and when we came back down it was still there! It would have definitely been an overcoming experience if my chair had rolled off. When on the bus, we could take pictures without having the glare of the windows impair our photos. On the tour busses there are headphone jacks in over 15 different language channels to plug into.
When riding on the bus, we saw many sites; two of which include the Arc de Triomphe and a newly wed couple hooking a lock to the to one of the lock bridges. When we were walking around the city, we crossed both the lock bridges. My mom's favorite lock (that caught her eye) had "Ted and Queeny" engraved on the front. I would love to one day place a lock on one of the bridges and throw the key into the river.
While rolling around Paris, I also passed a deaf school and the Marie Curie Institute. These two sites are two places that I did not think that I would come across, but two places that I am glad that I did get to see. I am curious to know if the deaf institute is still in use and if any other countries, including France, require their deaf students to go to a special school. The Marie Curie Institute was a neat treat, as my dad is a chemistry teacher, and I learned about her and her early studies on radiation in his class.
While venturing around Paris by foot, we went to the Luxembourg Park. In the park, we witnessed Elaine Dreyfus, from Seinfeld, shooting a short film. The park was so beautiful and at one end of the park sits the Luxembourg Palace and on the opposite side stands rows of manicured trees. There is also a staircase at the same end as the palace. When leaving the park, the clouds formed a "staircase" in the sky above the stairs exiting the park.
The staircases
My Uncle insisted that we went to Angelina's and have a cup of hot chocolate, and boy oh boy am I glad that he did! Angelina's hot chocolate is so thick, rich, and creamy; it is as if Dove Chocolate was melted down and poured into a glass of cream. Just like Chez Fernand's creme burley, no other hot chocolate will ever stand up to Angelina's! I loved it's deliciousness and I hope that one day I have the chance to sip it again.
A culture experience occurred while at a cafe a little ways down from our hotel. My mom ordered a cup of coffee, and then asked for a glass of milk to create her own latte. Our waiter brought out a tiny glass of cream, not exactly what my mom was looking for and he told her that they do not serve glasses of milk. Now the interesting thing to us was, at Angelina's, our waitress brought us a pitcher of cream and whipped cream to go with our hot chocolate! Extremely concentrated coffee without milk and extra rich and creamy hot chocolate anyone?
Angelina's hot chocolate
After our stomachs ached from the chocolatey goodness, we continued on our way. When we went under the road and came out the other side, we came across a fair in the middle of Paris! My uncle wanted to go on the chair swings, but did not want to go alone. So, I made a deal with him. See, my favorite ride is the Rainbow and I cannot go on it by myself; so, I told him I would go on the chair swings with him, if he took me on the Rainbow. In the end, I got to ride two fair rides in Paris.
One tip for visiting Paris in a wheelchair is many of the main roads do not have crosswalks. Instead, there are stairs that go under the road and then back up to the other side. Be prepared to be bumped down the stairs by a fellow traveler or unfortunately another route will have to be found.
Even though stairs found their way into our path many times on our adventure through Paris, we over came them every time. Overall, I loved Paris!
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