Last summer my mom made my dream of traveling through Europe a reality. Two days after I graduated from high school, I boarded my first plane ever. We began our journey here in Bellingham by riding the air porter shuttle to Seattle, to board a plane and fly to Vancouver B.C. We sat in the airport for five hours and then finally boarded our plane to Frankfort, Germany at about 5:00 at night.
On this trip, I took my manual chair, as taking my power chair on the plane was not a risk my mom was willing to take. Another reason was that we were going to be visiting my uncle and he was going to be driving us in his car and we were also going to be utilizing tour busses during our stay in Germany and France. My power chair is not able to fit in a normal car and there is not a spot for a power chair on the tour busses. Where as my manual chair comes apart and folds up; it is able to fit in more compact places.
The first bump in the road came right at the beginning of our great adventure. My mom and I were about to get on the Air Porter Shuttle when the driver explained to Mom that he could not allow her to carry me onto the bus. He said it was a dangerous act and a violation of their policy. He explained to us that we should have booked our tickets for the handicap accessible shuttle. Mom told him that she had talked with the Air Porter Shuttle office and they had told her it would be just fine to carry me on the shuttle, as there were too many people going to Seattle (at the time we needed to go) to fit on the handicap accessible shuttle. So, the company was going to have to send two busses. Well, this seemed silly when my mom could just carry me onto the bus and my chair could be stored underneath the bus. The driver decided that he needed to contact the office to make sure it was okay for Mom to carry me onto the shuttle. While this whole fiasco was going on, not only were we waiting to get on our way, so was every other person traveling to Seattle. I felt annoyed and embarrassed. Annoyed because the company had messed up by forgetting to include on their bus manifest, the special instructions to allow my mom to carry me on the bus, and embarrassed because even though we had called ahead, it was because of me that we were not moving out on time. The 10 minute (which seemed like a forever) delay over, we were finally allowed to get on the bus!
After about a two and a half hour bus ride, we arrived at the SEATAC airport. We had about three hours to check in and find the Starbucks as well as our gate.
Mom and I at SEATAC
The first airplane ride of my life only lasted about 40 minutes, but it definitely was my least favorite ride so far (out of the seven plane rides I have been on). This plane was old and did not seem well pressurized. I could feel the altitude change way too much for my liking. I did not feel very well the entire time and I kept asking my mom for reassurance that this was not what the 12 hour flight to Germany was going to feel like. She said she did not think so, as it was a bigger plane. The other undesirable feature of this plane was it rattled noisily the entire time.
We survived the ride, and when we exited the plane, there where two really nice ladies waiting for us and they took us to where we needed to go. It was obvious that the path everyone else was sent on is not handicap accessible and that if we had ventured out on our own, we probably would have gotten lost. Thank you to the ladies who took us through the maize of the Vancouver B.C. airport and got us to where we needed to be in a timely manner!
The two lovely ladies who escorted us through the maze of the Vancouver Airport
When we got to the right area, we still had about three hours to kill. Mom and I shared a plate of Chinese food, found the bathroom and then waited to board. The bathroom in this area of the airport was well planned out. It was like a small room with a long counter, a bench and enough room for me to easily maneuver.
Airplane bathrooms on the other hand, are not the best for those of us who need assistance. I understand these bathrooms cannot be much larger, as plane architects cram as much seating as they can into a compact space and then bathrooms are an extra necessity. It is just a heads up to anyone who has not used an airplane bathroom before and needs assistance: two people do not easily fit in the sardine can space. I cannot think of any good advice towards making this bathroom situation any easier, as I do not want to say that it would be a good idea to just not drink anything during the flight. Not drinking water for long periods of time is not healthy. Not drinking fluids on airplanes is also difficult as the air is circulated and dry. I continuously felt thirsty, so for tips on using airplane bathrooms: know what you are up against and do not be held back by awkward moments. Then seek out the biggest of the bathrooms on the plane before proceeding.
The plane ride was pretty smooth and fortunately I only had to use the bathroom twice on the plane, thank you mom for teaching me to always go before we leave! On the flight over, I learned how interesting airplane food really is and we both learned from the girl sitting next to us, that we can bring our own food on the plane. Her peta and hummus looked really good in comparison to our mystery meal! But, we did have food so, I'm not complaining.
When we arrived in Frankfort after a 12 hour flight and being up for 24 hours, it was only 2:00 in the afternoon. A rule of thumb for traveling is to stay up until night time to try and beat jet leg and get on the right clock schedule. We were ready to go, first stop: Ramstein Air Force Base, to watch my cousin graduate from high school.
My cousin's class graduated in the Fritz-Walter-Stadion. The family and friends of the graduates did not even come close to filling this football (soccer) stadium. The stadium however, was not that accessible. At first, we did not think I was going to be able to stay in my chair if I wanted to see my cousin graduate. We finally found someone who was able to direct us to where we needed to go and it happened to be right where we were going to eat dinner. On the backside of the stadium, there was a huge banquet hall. My first time eating food in Germany was a great experience (and I do not think it was just because I was starving). I loved being able to watch my cousin walk across that stage and spend that special moment with my family.
My cousin and I at dinner together after he graduated
After our first night in Germany, we traveled to Ulm. We stopped in Ulm to see the Ulmer Munster: a 161 meter tall gothic cathedral. In Ulm, my mom and I tried the famous Doner sandwich that the class president of my cousin's class attributed her success in high school to and thanked it for helping her graduate. This is the contrast to my class speaker at my graduation who thanked Lady Gaga. Another thing that I tried in Ulm was an orange coke, it was the most interesting soda I have ever had and one of two things I would have been okay not trying. We also went in the Ulmer Munster, which was a pretty spectacular cathedral. This was the first time I had seen large stained glass windows up close and in person. I am so amazed by the architecture in Europe: how much thought and passion has been put into every piece. Most of the old buildings looked like works of art and I loved having the opportunity to see the Ulmer Munster!
After Ulm, we continued on our way to Bavaria: the southern part of Germany. We stayed in Garmisch: a beautiful, quaint town located in the German Alps. From Garmisch, we traveled to the Neuschwanstein castle, as well as Kehlsteinhaus.
The trip to the Neushwanstein castle was amazing. On the way there, we stopped at a church in the middle of an open field. This church was one of my favorite places that we visited. It was not gothic like the others, but cream and white on the outside and artistically decorated with breathtaking paintings on the inside. The ceiling was painted before technology, so no electronic lifts involved. Another thing that I was impressed with at this church was, one of the entrances was ramped! This was the first place that I felt a little sad when leaving.
The Church in the Meadow
The beautifully painted organ in the church
After taking in the beauty of this church and it's surroundings, we ventured on to Neuschwanstein castle. There was a winding pathway that lead us up to the castle. Here we found out that I had to enter through the exit, as this was the only way I would be able to get into the castle. An elevator had been put in where the dumbwaiter had been and was connected to the back exit. I met up with my family by King Ludwig's bedroom. Construction of Neuschwanstein castle, inspired by King Ludwig, was started in 1869, but was not finished, due to Ludwig's untimely death and his greedy family. On the same floor as the King's bedroom, there is a study, a literal man cave, an unfinished thrown room and a bathroom with running water. The thrown room is decked out with a giant chandelier covered in diamonds however, the thrown room is missing an important piece; the thrown! King Ludwig died before he could be fitted for his thrown. Though, in the bathroom, Ludwig did have a pretty colorful thrown and running water made possible by the pressure of a stream (that was higher than the castle). One other thing I learned about this castle is that its' design inspired the design of Walt Disney's Castle. I enjoyed touring the castle and learning about the history. It was even more memorable because for the most part, the castle was accessible.
Neuschwanstein Castle
After touring the castle, we decided to hike up to the bridge across from the castle, to see the stream and take our picture in front of the castle. The surroundings of the trail to the bridge are beautiful. We were able to see another of King Ludwig's castles off in the distance nestled in trees down in a valley. When we reached the bridge, I learned that this bridge was the original (and I hoped it had been reinforced since the late 1800's). The bridge was pretty high up from the stream but, the view was spectacular!
Mom and I on the bridge across from King Ludwig's Castle
(like a fairy tale)
On the day in between touring Neushwanstein and Kehlsteinhaus, we explored Garmisch. After being in Southern Germany, I would say Leavenworth does justice in matching the Bavarian feel. The paintings on the buildings are very similar but, there is one main difference; the houses in Bavaria continue with the same style of architecture. In Garmisch, we went to a pastry shop and I had a German donut. It had custard in the middle and a thick sweet cream poured on top. In this shop, I got super excited because they were playing Spanish music!
A building in Garmisch
When we visited Kehlsteinhaus, we road a bus up the mountain to the site. Kehlsteinhaus is Hitler's Eagle's Nest. It was given to him for his 50th birthday and he only went up to it once; Hitler was afraid of heights! Kehlsteinhaus is built on the top of a mountain and overlooks the valley; one whole side practically looks straight down. When we arrived at the end of the road, we still had to walk down an extremely long tunnel and then ride an elevator up about 500 feet. The inside of the tunnel was made out of stone and felt gloomy but the elevator was made of gold. Once we made it to the top and entered Eagle's Nest, there were tons of stairs so, I'm glad I had my manual chair.
Looking down from the Eagle's Nest
On our way back to Garmisch, we stopped at a Bavarian restaurant. Mom and I decided to share a plate of food, this turned out to be a wise decision. The plate was huge and crammed packed with rich, creamy food. Ham, sausage, pork, potato dumplings and potato noodles, all smothered in pork gravy. Everything was delicious and Mom and I finished the entire plate.
After we were stuffed, we decided we should use the bathroom. We found the bathroom, up 14 stairs. We asked the owner if he knew of a different bathroom that I could use. He explained to us that the hotel across the street had an accessible bathroom. He called the desk and told them we were coming. When we walked through the doors, we realized we had just entered a five star hotel. In the bathroom, the toilets were each in their own little room, the toilet paper was in a dispenser similar to paper towels and there were cloth towels to dry our hands on. Thank you to the owner of the restaurant for helping us find a bathroom and thank you to the five star hotel (I wish I knew the name) for letting us use your bathroom! I felt taken care of; I do not find this type of accommodation very often.
While in Garmisch, we went up to a resort area a little ways from where we were staying. We hiked around the lake, sat and ate cherries in the shade of the trees, as well as, drank iced coffee at the restaurant that sat at one end of the lake. My uncle pulled me up the skinny, bumpy path that circled the lake. I love hiking, so I was glad that I had my manual chair. When we ate the cherries, we had a spitting contest to see who could shoot the pits the farthest and see if any of us could make it into the lake, from where we were sitting. The iced coffees where a nice treat after the hike on this hot summer day. Instead of ice, ice cream chilled our drinks. This adventure was an amazing, quiet and relaxing day.
My mom, uncle and I on the trail that wraps around the lake
