Author: Veronica Signorini

My name is Veronica and I am an Italian-American nurse with one big passion: TRAVELLING! After spending three years "Down Under" which is a colloquialism used to refer to Australia and New Zealand, working in the AMAZING world of the Spinal Cord Injuries and Acquired Brain Injuries and sharing several unique moments during my work experience, I have decided one thing: why not start a blog? Here everyone, no matter what their physical limitations may be, can dream and live these trips and see that despite what life throws at us, "LIFE IS LIFE". This is the greatest knowledge I have received from "The General" a very important person in my journey! Michael this is especially for you because although we are 14486 KM away, I am sure you will share all these experiences with me and you will be seated in your VIP electric chair without even spending a cent (which I am sure for you is the most important part) and who knows maybe one day we will win big at the Casino with your Blackjack strategies and find the funds to travel together again! To sum up, I have one goal, one "only", to reach one person, and to encourage him/her to leave their comfort zone and believe that the "only" big barrier to overcome is in the mind and if I accomplish this, for me this blog will be a success! So fasten your seat belt, Italians are famous for their crazy driving and lets get started!

Pros of being a quadriplegic.. By Charles (with a bit of editing to make it incomprehensible)

 

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May your PROS outweigh the cons always!

1-You can get the last ticket available for Eddie Vedder’s concert playing in Berlin just 15 minutes before the start (trust me if it was for showing my boobs, they would have not find a spot for us)

2-You can find great parking spot where actually also a clumsy person like me can fit

3-The “panorama” at your eye level when you are in the street is usually amazing especially when Jessie is pushing

4-You will always find a place where to seat although the venue is crowded

5-If someone is annoying you, you can run into his/her ankle pretending that you lost control of the wheelchair

6-You can always get drunk and wait for your chaffeur

7-Shoes last forever

8-You can always say something which is not funny and makes no sense but people will still laugh at your jokes

9-People are eager to help (not valid for taxi driver in Spain so far)

10-You can get great discounts pretty much everywhere and also your lucky and privileged companion will

LAST BUT NOT LEAST If you smile you will always get a smile in return but this is valid for everyone!

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Ich bin ein Berliner!

The 26th of June 1963, John F.Kennedy during one of his most famous speech, pronounced this 4 words “Ich bin ein Berliner” and you might find it a strange coincidence, but I do not think that our Trip Manager Charles leaves anything to chance. So where could we arrive 56 years after this well-known and eternal JFK‘s  quote, if not in Berlin?!  However, there is a whidespread that the 35th President of the United States of America did an embarassing mistake by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner” and  by not omitting the indefinite article “ein” he changed the meaning of  the sentence from the intended “I am a citizen of Berlin” to “I am a Berliner” which is a type of German pastry similar to a jelly doughnut! Well, this hilarious story made me simpathize with the famous President even more, not only because due to my terrible knowledge of languages I often say things that have crazy meaning and are mostly incomprehensible for a mother tongue person, but most of all because I love doughnut and I always dreamt to have the shape of a pastry! But maybe this is not a great idea because I do not think I would survive long to myself!

However, Germany so far has been very kind to us, although I think it is still a bit early to draw some conclusions about this very different country. At the moment this city is one of the stops I was more excited about, because this is my first visit to this amazing city and I was looking forward to it. Today we also received a warm welcome from the metropolis not only for the historical reason written in the introduction, but also because there were 37°C!

Well, we managed to get to the hotel somehow and go for dinner to a typical local “Vietnamese restaurant” because this is what I am expecting from this Amazing city: a melting pot of cultures and free people,  with countless historical places to visit and what is evenmore fascinating is the recentness of all these important events in history! So what can I say lets cut it short otherwise I will not be on time to publish this article before the end of the day and yes maybe it will be even less meaningful of what already is!!

Please find attached a really impressive photo of our top models Nun Charles and Jessie, while Charles was overheating due to a problem with the aircon in Germany (if this is  the first class in Germany I am getting a bit worried of what will happen in the 4th class in Italy!) Stay tuned!

 

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ADIOS SPAGNA!

For once in my life I will try to be serious because it is now time to leave Spain and to slingshot to Germany, actually catapulting to Frankfurt could be a great idea so we should not have to deal with the Spanish accessible taxi again.. will see!

Madrid was also a great city to visit, very different from Valencia and Barcelona but still amazing to tour. The roads were a bit older than in the previous cities and the pavel was made of cobble stone which was great as a stimulator for Jessie’s and mine bicipes but a bit less for Charles’ gluteal muscles! Having said that,  I think we managed quite well except from a couple of small , little, meaningless,  tiny details that we will omit. Just remember one thing about Madrid, this city is very hilly so if you are on a wheelchair and a drunk person is pushing you, make sure that you both decide to go in the same direction..that is it..simple as that!

However, in the first line I said I was going to try to be serious and I will try to concentrate on it although it is veeeeery difficult! Honestly, I think it is now time to focus on some reflections because  this should also be part of the trip and although times really flies it is important also to stop and carefully listen to ourselves.

Well, if I meditate just now after almost 10 days and I ask to myself: “ if I could have a magic wand and be able to do anything during this trip, would I change something?” The answer would certainly be: “YES”, there are many and many things that will come up to my mind, MANY, but unfortunately I do not have this magic power! So if I rationally watch myself in the mirror and repeat and modify this question and say: “For what is within my power, if I could do something to make this trip better, would I change something?”  the answer is “NO”! Because I honestly can’t think about something that we could do differently, “no matter” what the obstacles can be, the problem, the frustrations, the limitations, we are doing it and we are actually doing it well!Yes guys because we are here, right now, in the middle of this dream that has now become true, fulfilling all the sensations that we have postponed for too long and we saw practically that this is possible and is real!

So let’s focus on this, let’s focus on what WE CAN DO and forget about what WE CAN’T DO  because we are living or maybe I should say leaving now and although we can’t change the past,  we have now only two options:  ruining the present by worrying for how our future will be  or concentrating on what is actually beautiful about what we still have got, because happiness is a choice, life is a choice and it is now time to shift to what we can control! So I do not know about which option you picked, but  I do know that I personally do not have time for option number 1! NOT TODAY.. Yes, because is now time to go to pack and shout: “Adios España und WILLKOMMEN IN DEUTSCHLAND!”

#NOT TODAY-NOR TOMORROW!!

 

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10 things NOT TO DO in Barcelona

1) Only drink Sangria

2) Miss on the Tapas at “Vinitus”

3) Wait for an accessible taxi without booking 24 hours in advance through the specific company number (actually, we should say: book an accessible taxi, because we did it 2 days in advance and it still did not show up! If it was not for our superhuman strength and all the calories/fats eaten at the buffet breakfast, we would have not been able to lift Charles’ muscly ass into a regular taxi and then missed the train to Madrid)

4) Wait for an accessible taxi without booking 24 hours in advance through the specific company number (actually, we should say: book an accessible taxi, because we did it 2 days in advance and it still did not show up! If it was not for our superhuman strength and all the calories/fats eaten at the buffet breakfast, we would have not been able to lift Charles’ fat ass into a regular taxi and then missed the train to Madrid)

5) Go to the Sagrada Familia without booking your ticket online and expect to visit the tower if you are on a wheelchair or have limited mobility

6) Expect everyone to speak English at the information centre

7) Expect to catch the metro from anywhere, because not all the stations have a lift. When you do find a lift, take a deep breath and hold it till you get out unless you like the smell of urine

8) Go to the Casino and expect to win (they want your money!)

9) Walk to the Cable Car to have a great view of Barcelona without checking the weather forecast

We were going to write 10 points but actually we could come up with only 9 because Barcelona is such a great and accessible place, however repeat point 3 or 4 for 500 times because this was such a biiiig thing!

And now,  let’s see what you have in stored for us Madrid!!!!!!!

 

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10 Things we have learned during our 3 days in Valencia

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1)  Sangria is great

2) Valencia is one of the most wheelchair accessible city I have seen with great footpaths all flat, elevators everywhere, pretty much all accessible cafes and restaurant, Museums, buses, accessible taxi. However, the train station needs more accessible services (there is not even an office where people with disability can go and ask information, and from our experience today they did not have proper ramp that fit in the intercity train) BIG ADVICE: if you need to catch a train in Valencia, arrange in advance and request days before the departure “special assistance”  because yes YOU ARE SPECIAL!!

4) Sangria is great

5) When travelling with a wheelchair and searching for accommodation you need to make sure not only about:

the size of the room, the shower which has to be wide and totally flat with a wide entrance with a large door screen or curtain. Also double check  that the rooms have aircon, handheld showerhead, a fridge if you need special medications to be kept refrigerated, the absence of carpet on the floor, but also if there is enough space under the bed if you need to use a hoist (these things are just lessons  we have learned in a short period time!) Finally, do not hesitate to ask also the height of the toilet seat! Send an email to the Hotels (prepare the same one and just copy and paste) and ask them to send photos, videos and all the information you need. This step is very important and you do not want surprises when you have checked-in already!

Many accessible rooms have a high toilet seat to facilitate people with limited movement functions, but if you have a permanent disability like a spinal cord injury and you need to access the toilet seat with a shower chair then the seats has to be low, so yes always ask also about this technical detail and make sure there are no obstacles between the toilet seat and the wall!  All  the modern accessible rooms nowadays should be built following a standard however, the “world of the disabilities” is soooooo huge and different that the needs are personal . Therefore, it is important to speak up, in order to minimize all the issues that travelling with a disability can  present and also make sure that if we had a bad experience we can make  a claim and hopefully help other people in a similar situation to have a better experience (Jessie are you ready for the next letter?)

6) Repeat number 3

7) There is no number 3

8) You have just checked if number 3 was there

9) You are laughing thinking I am a clown, which I am

10) Memorize these light and diplomatic expressions that might be very handy if somebody is not willing to help and is a nonsense: (please choose also your anger level)

ANGRY: “Eres tonto o peinas calvos?” (Are you stupid or you comb people with bold hair?)

VERY ANGRY: “Eres tan feo que desde que te naciste ya no se volvieron a hacer experimentos con las ratas” (You are so ugly that since you were born they stopped doing experiments on the mice)

VERY VERY ANGRY:“Vete a chuparla” no need to know the translation and better not searching on Google  the real meaning because you might end up in an adult website!

BARCELONA HERE WE COME!

VIAJE EN VALENCIA! HACERLO REALIDAD NUESTRO PRIMER TRIUNFO

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Finally I managed to stop and dedicate some minutes to describe this amazing Adventure! If you were wondering if we are alive? Well we are! We managed to arrive to Valencia and it is almost time to leave!! These days literally flew away and I still do not realize how this is possible! Maybe because half of the time we were drunk?

Well Valencia is incredibly amazing and honestly one of the best choice if you are planning a wheelchair friendly destination! (Any reference is purely coincidental Mr. GENERAL!!!)

The city is flat and very accessible!

Here is a list of things we managed to do:

Day 1 ARRIVAL IN VALENCIA

Meeting in Valencia with Charles and Jessie and getting to the Hotel sober!

Day 2:

-Charles woke up with a purple eye that I promise it was not my fault although purple looks great on him.

-Having a great Spanish tortilla and still clever enough to drink a coffee

-Visiting the “Mercado Central“and pretending to sell jamon to the tourists

-Visiting the amazing Valencia Cathedral and spotting Jessie praying

-Finishing a jug of Sangria in 30 minutes with 28°

-Having lunch at 3.45PM eating a 5 stars Paella at Navarro Restaurant and finishing a second jug of Sangria

-Having our first busker show where Jessie was the mute singer, I was the mute guitarist and Charles was collecting money with a fake hat! What a success guys, however we can still improve and we will! This special moment was immortalise from Cedric the best photographer in the globe! Can’t wait to see your amazing job Cedric and hopefully you will make the miracle to make me look beautiful!

-Going to the train station totally drunk to convalidate our Eurail ticket and being rejected by the helpdesk guy 24335534653 times and recording Jessie standing in front of a closed window for one hour while the man was checking from behind the curtain if she was still there AND SHE PATIENTLY WAS!

-Writing our first formal complaint of the trip!

-Being able to find our hotel although following the wrong map and holding the phone upside down! Charles, Google maps should hire you to update the itinerary, many people will end up in the Ocean with the car!

-Drinking our first glass of water at the end of day 2 because we had to brush our teeth!

Day 3:

-Visiting the City of Arts and Science and go for a walk around the beach!

-Leaving my resume to the CIRSA Valencia Casino and hoping they are not asking for references to Charles

Well I think these days have been really intense, but was a great start and the most important thing is that I managed to tick the first two things were on my bucket list! Now I am just worried for Barcellona because the next point on the list was “stealing Rossi’s bike at the MotoGP” (glad my insurance covers the legal assistance!)

So what else I can say guys, I can’t believe tomorrow it is already time to say “ADIÓS VALENCIA” but it is now time to say “BIENVENIDOS A BARCELONA“!!!! Day 4!

 

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Flat Michael project!

img_20190611_100824Dear General,

one year ago while chatting through your NeuroNode device during one of my 8 hours shift, I asked you: ” So General what do you want to do this afternoon? ” and you wrote using your assistive technology device : ” I want to tour Europe! ” I still remember my face when I red the message, I was hoping for a drink or a coffee in a nearby Cafe but you never liked simple and boring thing so I ended up thinking: ” Well that is easy enough! ” I went on youtube wrote : ” Tour of Europe ” and we started viewing 100 videos! Of course all of them were not fun enough for you so we ended up turning everything off and at that point I promised you that one day we will have travelled to Europe together! I still have impressed in my mind your 5 blinks of the eyes which means a BIIIIIIG YES and that was the ” end of the story! “

For me was ” just ” a new challenge and in my crazy mind I started thinking a way to make it possible and who knows maybe making a video that could gain your attention for more than 5 seconds!! So after all these months here we are, ready for this adventure! I have used intensely my only brain cell and finally I got it!! In fact, many years ago I remember that my cousin, who was studying in an American elementary school, sent me a request: ” helping him and Flat Stanley ” to visit Florence, my hometown! ” Flat Stanley ” if you do not know it, which is quite weird because you know everything, is a figure cut out of paper, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the doll by paper folding tabs.  It is a great educational project designed to facilitate the improvement of the reading and writing skills of students, while also promoting an interest in learning about different people and places (this was centuries ago when internet was a dream). So after all this you might ask yourself: ” So come on Veronica, time is money ! What does Flat Stanley  have to do with me?? ” Well ” Flat Michael “, just relax and enjoy the trip because as I promised you, we are going to Europe! ” and you know what ? You also look thiner in this photo!! 

 

READY- SET- GO now please listen carefully to the Captain because our Flight to Valencia is leaving shortly!!

Trip bucketlist

  • Eat a really good Paella
  • Get drunk with a Sangria and be able to find the hotel room
  • Win a biiiiig poker tournament in Barcelona
  • See the MotoGP race and steal Rossi’s bike
  • Buy a really ridiculous item at the “ El rastro market “
  • Wear a red shirt in front of a bull
  • Eat a “Frankfurter Würstchen” and drink a jug of beer for breakfast
  • Go on the cable car built in 1957 in Cologne
  • Buy the Schockoladenmuseum in Cologne (even a small pistachio chocolate will do)
  • Convince Charles to jump of Berlin’s tallest bridge
  • Challenge a Berliner in a Ping-Pong bar and win a match
  • Climbing a WW2 bunker
  • Have a drink at the Ice Pub in Berlin
  • Try a real nakládaný hermelín in Prague a typical pickled cheese
  • Go to the top 10 pastryplaces in Vienna and try all the Sacher Torte pretending to be a famous pastry chef
  • Relax in one of Budapest’ famous bath and stay there from the opening time till closing time
  • Go to Venice casino and win big (or lose also since we are almost at the end of the trip)
  • Hop on a “Gondola”
  • Spend 154.634 euros for THE gelato at ” Cracco Gelateria ” in Milan
  • Visit the Ducati Museum in Bologna
  • Take Charles and Jessie everywhere in my hometown in Florence and show them the place where I first almost died for alcohol coma
  • Let Charles and Jessie eat the typical ” Panino al Lampredotto” before explaining what it is
  • Eat the typical “Saltimbocca alla Romana” in a Trattoria in Trastevere
  • Go to a concert at the Colosseum
  • Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain because this trip was a success and,as the tradition wants, we are going to come back!

Travel itinerary

Creating and organizing an itinerary for a trip can be veeeeeery tiring (am I right Charles?) but once that you start filling the gaps and give a shape to your wish list it is  a great sensation! Just be realistic, think logically, understand if for this trip your priority is the budget or the effectiveness,  but for me the most important tip is  to allow yourself all the time you need to be FLEXIBLE, because personally I think that the trip is freedom and even if I have an itinerary to follow, I will never be able to pass a recommendation from a local who I have met on the road, especially if it is food-related and we were supposed to go to a Museum! Noooway!!!

So here is our solid trip:

11/06/2019-14/06/2019 Valencia, Spain

14/06/2019-18/06/2019 Barcelona, Spain

18/06/2019-21/06/2019 Madrid, Spain

21/06/2019-23/06/2019 Frankfurt, Germany

23/06/2019-26/06/2019 Cologne, Germany

26/06/2019-30/06/2019 Berlin, Germany

30/06/2019-4/07/2019 Prague, Czech Republic

4/07/2019-7/07/2019 Vienna, Austria

7/07/2019-11/07/2019 Budapest, Hungary

11/07/2019-14/07/2019 Venice, Italy

14/07/2019-17/07/2019 Milan, Italy

17/07/2019-20/07/2019 Bologna, Italy

20/07/2019-25/07/2019 Florence, Italy

25/07/2019-29/07/2019 Rome, Italy

It is going to be very intense but we are young (at least we feel like it), free and we are on a lifetime holiday, so lets just keep it simple and enjoy every single moment!

Beyond the trip..

“Be with someone who inspires you and makes you be the best version of yourself ” – Roy T. Bennett CHARLES YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION!

This is the background of this trip around Europe: approximately 2 years ago, in Perth, Western Australia, I met Charles, a lovely young gentleman, smart, clever, handsome “30 years old again” man (Charles you can deposit 100 euros in my account) and while sharing some amazing moments together, I still remember our talks where we were just mentioning about travelling and dreaming with our eyes open (well since most of our talks were at 6AM I can admit I was still sleeping and “sometime” drunk).

At the end of February 2019 I had to temporary leave Australia for some visa restriction, while waiting for my nursing degree to be recognized. Although on one hand I was a bit sad, on the other hand I was now able to hug my loved one in Italy after almost 2 years and a half!

An apparently normal morning, I still remember receiving a phone call from Charles with the big news: “I am organizing a trip to Europe, do you think you will be free by the end of June-July?” I think it took me 5 minutes to accept whatever the offer was! I still remember the long conversation of a lot of blabla words and then two keywords : “MotoGP” in Barcelona and “the Casino“, well I was sold already! (I think it is not too difficult to convince me).

After that, time flew away and in a blink of an eye it was June already! Charles, since I think he knows the big danger he was putting himself in, has decided to travel with Jessie one of the best nurse in W.A. who I think should also be a top model and we are going to share this adventure together! I am just worried about one thing: we are going to share a double room together and last time I did it, the roommate complained with the receptionist about a “truck” sleeping in the bedroom (well I do not know what that guy was assuming but I did not hear it!!)

Well this is just a short introduction of the background of this trip but the only important thing is the new story that we are about to write, because this is a new chapter.. so stay tuned for the new Novel written by Charles S.- Jessie L. and Veronica S. and see you in Valencia guys!!