In the articles « From Namur to Manchester » and « Bristol aïe aïe aïe« , I told you how I realized how the charming city, Namur, is not wheelchair friendly. I was also telling you about my holiday in England, before leaving my city Namur, for a new life in Brussels. Here is the final part of the holiday.

The journey from Bristol to London went smoothly. The landscape seen from the train is breathtaking. It sometimes gives the feeling of being in a painting. I don’t know why… there is something to do with the way the sky is, over there.

When we arrived in London, the assistance to help me get out of the train was there. Seeing that we had many bags and due to the fact that my powered wheelchair had no power anymore, they brought an electric trolley. They took us near the area where we were able to take two cabs to reach the area we were staying at. While I was in the cab, through the window, London was offering its beauty.

When we arrived at the place where we booked a place to stay, we realized that we were quite far from the city center. But at that moment, we were a bit tired, therefore we would not find the courage to figure out the best way to go to the city center for a visit the next day. We had a meal and went for a walk in the neighborhood. London seems less accessible than Manchester, Bath and Bristol.

On the next day, we were ready to explore. We would not use a cab for every time we needed to visit the city so, we looked up the closest public transport station. My sister was pushing me in the wheelchair and fortunately, the station was not too far. We took tickets and were about to go by ourselves. The only thing we asked a man working there, was to tell us the best way to reach the center of the city. He informed us, but also offered to assist us. We were surprised by the fact that here, it is all about making our journey easier. We really feel welcomed. He went to take a ramp and helped me get into the train. We were grateful and preparing to overcome the moment we would have to go out of the metro by ourselves. Not knowing how big will be the gap between the train and the dock, when you get out a metro, might be stressful. If you are a wheelchair user, I think you understand what I mean… if you don’t, let me know.

Suddenly, came the moment when an assistant got into the metro at the stop before the one where we were going out and asked: « Are you going out at the next station? ». Oh my God! My sister and I looked at each other… (slow motion) we felt as if a superhero came to save us. That made us so emotional. And by the way, he looked like a superhero.

I have never visited London before and I really liked this city. Big Ben impresses me by its beauty. Only one word came to my mind « Majesty ». Before visiting this city, I perceived the city as full of potential but the rhythm seemed too fast for me. But after the visit, I quite like how fast it is, I like the adrenaline that comes with it, it gives me the impression to be fully conscient of being alive. And what impresses me, also, is the fact that no matter how busy the waiters or other workers were, as a customer we were well treated everywhere.

I really enjoyed visiting London despite the fact that my wheelchair was broken. When the moment to go back home arrived, we knew that things would be less easy there, so we needed to keep all the positive energy we had from the experience in England.

We thought that things would change only when we would arrive in Brussels but they changed before. At St. Pancras International, at the check-in board for the train to Lille Europe and Brussels-Midi, all the professionalism filled with a welcoming kindness was gone. We suddenly were a burden because, among us, was a person in a wheelchair. Their lack of consideration was as if we were traveling for free. When we finally arrived in Brussels, the assistance was late.

Few days later, in Namur, where if you use a wheelchair, going for a drink with friends is a big deal if you don’t always want to go to the same place, someone came to have a look on the wheelchair. Apparently a small cable jointing the motor to the driving board was disconnected and we could have reconnected that easily if we knew.

One thing is for sure, if we were not in England where the cities, places and activities are also accessible to wheelchair users, we would not have one of the best holidays of those we had. Considering the wheelchair incident. And if that country wasn’t wheelchair friendly, things would have been much more challenging for my brave and loving sister.

This is the last part of one of my experiences in England. If they can make their country wheelchair friendly, I truly believe that we can be inspired and do the same. My next article will be about my experience of living in Brussels.

Have you been in Brussels, Namur or London? I’m curious to know what experience you had of one or all these cities, no matter if you are a wheelchair user or not. It is always nice to read from you.

Have a great week, take care of yourselves and your loved ones,

« Petit Cyborg »