Tag Archives: accessible travel

Zest at its Best: Wheeling Through Portugal and Spain

by
Camino_de_Santiago_111

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The following story is about a spiritual pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain.

Susan Peters, the main author of the account, has a spinal cord injury and is a full time wheelchair user. Her story of spiritual renewal, physical daring and warmhearted camaraderie makes me want to return to Europe to travel “The Way” like she did. It must have been such a beautiful experience. See if you agree…

—Sunny

_______________________________________________________________

With Duct-Tape and Daring: Elated Friends Complete Rugged Wheelchair Adventure

By: Susan Peters with Sunny Roller

The Camino de Santigo or “Way of St. James” is a mostly mountainous route that adventure travelers take imagesvvvto reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.  Tradition has it that the remains of Jesus’ apostle, James, are buried at this cathedral in northwestern Spain. Hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims and many others set out each year from a variety of popular starting points across Europe, to make their way to the sacred site. Most travel by foot, some by bicycle, and a few travel, as their medieval counterparts did, on horseback or by donkey. Learning this, I decided to try it last Fall–using my wheelchair.

I’ve been a manual wheelchair user due to paraplegia from a spinal cord injury for 40 of my 68 years and I am still looking for adventure and mountains to climb.  So, when a friend of mine suggested that I test my audacity and dare to set off on a wheeling expedition for hundreds of miles along the Camino de Santiago, in Europe, my eyes lit up. In need of personal renewal and sparked by the possibilities of this expedition, I made a commitment to travel “The Way.” Not just for its physical challenges, but also to rejuvenate my zest for life.

map camino

There are many routes to the cathedral. Pilgrims on the Way of St. James walk for weeks or months to visit the city of Santiago de Compostela. Some Europeans begin their pilgrimage on foot from the very doorstep of their homes.

Soon I had recruited my hardy crew of four people–two hired guides from Portuguese Green Walks and two great friends. After avidly planning the trip’s daily itinerary, off we flew to Portugal on September 25th.There are many different routes to choose for this strenuous pilgrimage to St. James’ resting place, but to receive the certificate for traveling The Way, one must clock at least 120 kilometers and stay on a route marked with yellow arrows.  I selected the Portuguese way, beginning in the city of Valenca then along ancient paths north into Spain. Once I determined the route, the hard part was convincing people it could be done by wheelchair. Wrapped up in this initial challenge was actually finding a set of strong-willed, committed, physically-able helpers who not only believed it could be done, but also wanted to go. They were out there. I just had to look.

Town

Ready to roll from the beginning, Susan and friend Nuno, face a rocky road ahead.

Excited and ready to roll at the starting point, I immediately confronted several dozen stone steps leading down-down-down to a narrow ancient path and then a dirt trail. That was when reality hit me–this excursion would not be the slightest bit easy.  Every hotel was slightly different; so I was glad I had my friends with me to help with shower and toilet transfers, which was the hardest part of the trip, really. By day seven, the rough terrain had snapped off all of the metal screws on my front foot plate, and I had to continue the journey with a wheelchair that was partially duct-taped together.  As we pushed ahead, we came across so many gorgeous sites that also became challenging delights. We walked and rolled through bustling ancient towns and pastoral cow pastures.  We forded streams and bumped over bridges only a few inches wider than the wheelchair.

mondoñedo-galicia-camino-de-santiago

The countryside.

Pushing and pulling, we climbed steep hills and zig-zagged our way down rugged, bumpy Roman roads that had been laid in ancient times using boulders or giant stones. Not easy or comfortable to roll over.

In spite of the obstacles we bashed up against from start to finish, this adventure through Portugal and Spain exceeded every one of my dreams.  All along the way, human warmth and camaraderie carried us.  I met pilgrims from the U.S., Brazil, Korea, New Zealand, Serbia, and from other parts of Europe.

imagecc

The cuisine.

With spontaneous chances to intermingle every day, fellow sojourners and I took delight in sharing warm companionship and stories of our trek. The people who live along the Camino wanted to commune and gave me a joyful sense of belonging. They energized us with constant encouragement, welcoming smiles, and nourishment of all kinds. And they shared so much–from replenishing my water supply, to enfolding us in big bear hugs, to sharing important secrets about the trails ahead.

With each new dawn I felt a fresh sense of renewal and restoration.  As we continued to walk and roll along the rocky hillsides and over singing woodland rivers, my companions and I came to hear The Way’s new harmonies that seemed to be caroling just for us. We sang and danced. We hugged trees.  We savored delicious hot meals–oysters, clams, rice, sausage, kale soup and Portuguese wine graciously served up at our wayside inns.  We happily stopped at so many shrines and churches along the way, praying for the power of love to heal our world’s wounded.

Santiago_Cathedral (1)

Susan (center front) and comrades finally arrive at the cathedral.

After 120 kilometers, we arrived in Santiago at noon on day ten of our journey, just in time for Mass at the cathedral.   Quickly escorted to a front row seat, I was elated to experience the famous incense burner dramatically swinging right above my head.   Suspended and swaying back and forth from a very long rope through the resplendent cathedral over hundreds of pious onlookers, its wafting smoke and scent seemed to cleanse and coat us with a mystical sense of comfort and reassurance.

It was also my 68th birthday that day. So after the mass, we found a cozy outdoor café. With wine glasses clinking, we heartily celebrated our successful journey AND my birthday. A moment I’ll always remember. We did it! I did it! It was a wonderful feeling as we jubilantly turned ourselves into a lively Spanish fiesta.

I enthusiastically encourage others who use a wheelchair to consider taking the Camino de Santiago.  I was so thankful that my therapist had suggested I take a FreeWheel for my chair. (See photo below.)  It’s an attachment that enables your wheelchair casters to be lifted off the ground, turning your chair into a three-wheeler, so you simply roll over any obstacle: curbs, dirt trails, grass, gravel, snow, and sand. I couldn’t have gotten along without it. (To learn more go to https://www.gofreewheel.com/)

Roman_Road2 (1)

The FreeWheel attachment on the wheelchair’s front enabled easier passage.

When you go, strong friends, a FreeWheel, patience and perseverance are a must.  Also remember to pack rain gear, a wheelchair repair kit, and layered clothing. If I can do it at my age, with arthritis and brittle bones, you can too.

For more information contact me at speters@msu.edu.

 

Bom Camino!

 

Susan Peters, Ph.D.  is an Associate Professor Emerita at Michigan State University, College of Education.  As a Fulbright Scholar and educational consultant for Ministries of Education, the World Bank, and UNESCO, her work focuses on inclusive education policy and practice for people with disabilities in cross-cultural and international perspectives.

 

In 2011 Martin Sheen starred in a movie titled THE WAY about one man’s journey to the cathedral. THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an irascible American doctor who comes to France to deal with the tragic loss of his son (played by Emilio Estevez). Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage “The Way of St. James” to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact this trip will have on him. Through unexpected and oftentimes amusing experiences along THE WAY, Tom discovers the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.”   It is well worth watching.

Check it out here: 

 

========================================================

The above story by Susan Peters, Ph.D. was first published in the Spring/Summer 2016 newsletter, SCI Access. Distributed annually by the University of Michigan (U-M) Spinal Cord Injury Model System within the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, SCI Access is sent to 1200 readers in Michigan and across the country. For more information about this program that focuses on people who are living with a spinal cord injury, see their U-M website:  http://pmr.med.umich.edu/SCIMS

=============================================================

 

Thanks for Reading!

 

Want to add an adventure like this to your own To-Do List?

What do you think?  Feel free to comment…

===========================================================

Time for A Wonderful Escape–OR–How Would You Like to Try a Hot Dog Topped with Crushed Potato Chips?

by

Desktop4It’s almost winter. This is the time in the Northern Hemisphere that we dream of wonderful escapes to warmer places–close to the equator.

In 2012, I went on my first accessible cruise with an old friend. What a wonderful experience!  Hurrah for Celebrity Cruises, Inc! Hurrah for all of the disability-conscious tour guides– especially in Costa Rica and Panama! And hurrah for my friend who convinced me to try it!

If you ever get a chance, I would highly recommend that you try going on a cruise. A cruise is a very comfortable way to see faraway lands. And if you choose the right itinerary with port cities that are directly reachable from the ship, without any need for boarding an extra transport boat, you can’t go wrong. I would love to go again, but it must be on a very new and very big ship. Rumor has it that those freshly-built giant ships are the most convenient for people who have a post-polio disability. We sailed on the Celebrity Equinox and it was extremely wheelchair-friendly.

At no extra cost the ship had accessible:

  • staterooms
  • private bathrooms
  • balconies
  • public bathrooms (with both electric entrance and stall doors!)
  • elevators
  • theaters
  • gangplanks
  • chairlifts into the pools and hot tubs
  • destination tours to sign up for

And best of all, there were 1000 friendly employees who were always smiling and ready to help you with almost anything! (Remember to take enough currency for tips.)

We traveled along the eastern coast of Central America in January for 14 days. My favorite ports were in Mexico for good shopping, then Costa Rica and Panama for comfortable day-long tours. In Costa Rica we got to see and hear howler monkeys on an accessible howlerboat cruise down a jungle river. Then we peered out of our accessible train windows at indigenous two-toed sloths napping in the dense green equatorial foliage. We also recognized ripening yellow bananas hanging high above us in huge-leafed trees, as we slowly passed them in our accessible bus. Boats, trains and buses.

It was amazing that we could do all that.

In Panama my manual wheelchair rolled right onto the ramped cable car for a slow, reverent ride through the lush jungle rain forest. We rode in a wheelchair-friendly van across the country to the Panama Canal, and in Panama City stopped for the local treat–a hot dog with first, ketchup, then crushed potato chips on top. It was a delightful, salty taste treat for anyone immersed in Panama’s dripping tropical heat. (Somehow, when I excitedly served it to friends back home a few months later, it wasn’t critiqued to be quite so sumptuous. In fact, they agreed that it was a culinary creation that Martha Stewart would definitely ignore. Wonder why? Oh well. I liked it.)

Back on the room’s balcony that night, drinks in hand, we witnessed a dramatic sunset. Orange, gold, blue, black. Then as twilight transpired, I breathlessly gazed out at all the twinkling international cargo ships that were systematically lined up for at least 30 miles. They seemed so polite. They were each waiting their turn to pass to the other side of the world through the Panama Canal. Hundreds of ships, covering the ocean waters. In my mind’s eye, they became a glittering interwoven necklace of diamonds–a floating spectacle.  More gliding vessels captivated my imagination as they silently emerged on the distant horizon. I grew increasingly enchanted. I wondered about each ship’s home nation and destination, what they were transporting; about their captain and crew members– how their language and voices sounded when they spoke.  What color and design were their ship fatigues? Who, on which ship, might be sadly suffering an intense longing for someone halfway around the world? Who was missing a distant wife…husband…sweet-faced children…a lost lover…a tenderhearted mother?

cruise collage

Ah, the world is so full of  wonderful people and places to see. And thanks to the Disability Rights Movement of  our generation, we now have opportunities to travel to distant lands where our wheelchairs and scooters, crutches and walkers never used to take us.

Now they do.

My friends, Bruce and Diane, are experienced cruisers. They especially enjoy joining folks for the annual “post-polio cruise.” It’s part of a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity get-away that embarks out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida every winter for southern destinations. To learn more,  click on the Boca Area Post Polio Group’s Newsletter.

If you are considering taking a cruise for the first time, here is what they advise:

passport 2

To print a copy, click on HAVE PASSPORT WILL TRAVEL

Yes, it’s almost winter and time for a wonderful escape.

How would you like to sail to a distant land?  Would you even consider trying a hot dog topped with ketchup and crushed potato chips? Hmmm…

It might be your time.

hot dog

 

 

 

What are YOUR thoughts on this?

Ever been on a cruise?

What was it like for you?

Thinking of trying a cruise?

What questions might you have about such sea-faring adventures?