PARIS, FRANCE

WHEN:

October 1-4, 2019

WEATHER:

Some rain, some sun…moderate days and cooler evenings.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Hotel Sacha. Wheelchair accessible room located on main floor…fully accessible bathroom including roll in shower. Only drawback is that this hotel is located in a very hilly area of Paris. We used Uber and took busses when we didn’t feel like we wanted to conquer the hills :) The busses are wheelchair accessible, and we were able to find an accessible Uber as well!

SIGHTS/ACTIVITIES:

John and I spent a couple of days in Paris (Sept 21-22, 2019) for the wedding of one of John’s former PhD colleagues…so technically my first experience of the eiffel tower, arc de triomphe, etc was with him. Most of our time, however, was spent outside the city at a beautiful chateaux where the reception was held. It was an incredible experience…more on this at a later time.

So, although my TECHNICAL first experience of Paris was with John…my TRUE first experience of Paris was with my dear friend of over 15 years, Meredith, who visited us in Delft, traveled with me to Paris, and then continued on by herself to explore London. I’m telling you…I would have wanted to experience the magic of the Eiffel tower, the wonder of the museums and art, and the romance of the French architecture with no one else :)

After an apparent miscommunication with the train-accessibility people led us to ALMOST miss our train from Rotterdam to Paris, we spent a lovely few hours in the first-class car, sipping coffee and eating pastries. The only wheelchair accessible seats in the high speed Thalys train are located in first class, and they are available to those with mobility impairments (and one accompanying passenger) for a super-low fixed price…amazing.

From Gare du Nord, grabbed a taxi to the hotel, dropped off our bags, and then proceeded to brush up on our French with a little bite of lunch at a cafe. Next, we headed for the Musee D’Orsay. My parents had visited Paris recently, and had highly recommended this museum. With its large collection of impressionist paintings, as well as a vast array of sculptures, it did not disappoint. We even got a sneak peak at some behind-the-scenes happenings as we were led (for ease of accessibility) through a section that was under construction. Seeing world-renowned art-pieces stripped from their places of hanging and instead stacked and casually leaning against walls was an experience I won’t soon forget! We also learned here that my ticket (as a wheelchair user) is free at many museums in Paris! We also got to skip the line to get in…a perk you won’t find me complaining about :)

We exited the museum into some classic Parisian RAIN. What would our trip have been without at least a small experience with this!? So, we quickly chose a nearby restaurant and hunkered down for dinner. My largest memory of this dining experience was ordering escargot. After receiving and eating the first set of snails delivered to our table, we were surprised when a second order appeared shortly after. Turns out, unbeknownst to us with our inexperienced taste-buds, the first set had been very overcooked. Apologies were given by the wait-staff…but I think Mer and I both liked the first batch more than the second haha…shows what we know :) Mer called an Uber to take us back to our hotel, as neither of us were feeling particularly jazzed about hiking up the hill in the dark and rain of the evening. The app had said that the vehicle was wheelchair accessible…but we were doubtful upon first sight of the car. To our amazement, the driver proceeded to unveil a ramp that came down from the rear, as well as fully functioning safety straps to secure my wheelchair in the back of the vehicle…see pics. We made it back to our hotel exhausted and ready for a good night’s rest.

Day two started out with a lesson in the Parisian bus system, which is actually fairly straightforward, and conveniently accessible. We snagged a bus very close to our hotel, and proceeded down the hill with the goal of seeing (and hopefully ascending) the Eiffel tower. The wheelchair perks kept on coming as we once again got forwarded to the front of the line! Due to safety reasons, wheelchair users are not allowed to the top level of the tower (only the middle platform)…but while Meredith went to the top, I spent my alone-time on the middle-level taking pictures and videos for my sister-in-law’s classroom. See my thoughts on inaccessible locations in my blog post “Climb Every Mountain?” posted in March. Upon descent, we proceeded to take far too many pictures posing in front of the tower before finally deciding that is was time for lunch. Pizza, pasta, and wine at a restaurant along the Champs-Elysees was followed by a walk all the way down to the Arc-de-Triomphe. We, of course, stopped for macarons along the way, and concluded the adventure with crepes. At this point in the day…I was TIRED. We headed back to the hotel for a short rest before the FINALE of the evening. If I had not been with Meredith, Lord knows I would not have engaged in what came next…but let’s be real…I’m not complaining about it. Meredith’s ONE requirement for our trip to Paris was that we attend a show at the historic Moulin Rouge. And so, dressed to the nines, we proceeded to the theater. The costumes were phenomenal, the dancing was amazing, and the vision of the adults at the next table over covering the eyes of their 10 year old daughter is an image I hope will never leave me.

After a good night’s rest, we commenced with day three. First stop was a trip to the Louvre, which I honestly enjoyed less than the Musee D’Orsay. My admission was still free, and we did get to skip the entry-line, so we’ll take it :) The afternoon led us on a lunch-walk through Le Jardin de Luxembourg where we witnessed the passionate kissing of several young couples…when in Paris, I suppose?? With less time than anticipated before nightfall, we decided to forego a trip back to the hotel before dinner, and instead pressed on towards a location where we hoped to dine with a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, neither of us had REALLY prepared to be out into the evening, which led to a few shenanigans to attempt a better seat underneath a heat-lamp on the terrace of our selected restaurant. Did the manager come out to make sure everything was “ok”? Maybe. Did I eventually end up wearing an extra set of leggings I had brought along as a scarf around my neck? Possibly. But did the night also culminate with delicious burrata and warm french-onion soup, along with the dreamiest views of the Eiffel tower as the sun-set, and some of the best belly laughs I can remember having? Absolutely. We finished dinner just in time to see the Eiffel tower light show, and then, exhausted and cold, but so full of joy, caught a taxi back to the hotel.

Our final half-day took us to the Sacre Coeur for morning prayer. This incredible cathedral is on the very tippy TOP of the hilly area our hotel was near. We started our adventure attempting to walk to the Basilica, but quickly discovered that this was unlikely to be a successful method. Fortunately, a kind Parisian man directed us towards a funicular that quickly transported us up the treacherous hillside. After some exploration and question-asking, we were let in through the accessible back-door of the cathedral and permitted to take the elevator to the sanctuary. We sat as the nuns sang and prayer, and even though my French is nowhere near good-enough to understand what was being said, it was one of the sweetest and most sacred times of devotion I’ve experience in recent memory. On our way back down the hill, we stopped for pastries before catching the bus back to our hotel, and finally calling a cab to take us back to the Gare-du-Nord train station.

As I mentioned before…Meredith and I parted ways at this point. She caught a train to London, and I returned once more to Delft. And so, our whirlwind trip to Paris came to an end. I am so grateful for this experience, and although I hope to return to this city for some more exploration once COVID is more under-control…I will never forget my first experience of the city of love with one of my besties :)

EQUIPMENT USED:

I brought my free-wheel, but didn’t end up using it much. If I hadn’t had Meredith with me, the hills would have been a challenge!

OVERALL ACCESSIBILITY THOUGHTS:

As stated throughout the post…the hills may have been one of the biggest obstacles we faced on the trip. Most buildings and restaurants we wanted to enter had wheelchair accessible options, and the fact that we could use the bus-system made a big difference.