Tag: nurse

Stirring the travel bug ..

A famous quote says: “ The journey is lived three times: when you dream it, when you live it and when you remember it” but for me was already very intense living this dream once!

It seems yesterday that I was actually writing my first article daydreaming about the challenging trip that was just getting closer and closer, and now here I am thinking about the months that have gone and all the memories that will always accompany me!

I must admit that when I accepted Charles offer (and we all know it did not take much at all), I could just think about Pros but at the end of the trip, well I could only see Pros! As soon as I got back from this journey, I met with my mother and while having a coffee she started listing all the innumerable things that could have gone wrong by travelling around Europe on a wheelchair for 7 weeks, I interrupted her and roughly said : “ Why you did not tell that to me?” and she not even needed to say anything else because her look was talking more than 1000 words and was kindly saying: “Would you really wanted me to have told you that?”. No thank you and I am glad I actually never had a moment during these weeks where we actually panic and could not face a problem! I guess we were “lucky” or just very flexible which is essential!

Going back to the “normal” life has been quite difficult. I did not expect to experience all these conflicting emotions, because this trip is very hard to explain emotionally.  I think that while you travel you have the unique opportunity to see your life with different eyes, from a different point of view, more detached as if you are stepping back, as if you are watching your existence as a spectator and these days have brought up many and many different emotions. Because each of us travel for different reasons: you can do it just as a tourist or to learn new cultures and traditions or languages, you can travel to meet your Family, your loved ones or you can do it also to relax yourself. It could be for work, to find a better future, to celebrate, but you can also travel to escape from something or you could do it for your need of “rebirth”. No matter what is the real reason why you travel, when you will return to the place that you call Home, there is only one certainty, you are going to be nostalgic and you will need to reflect on it and accept it. How you will cope with it?

Keep yourself busy, write a list of the 5 most important things you need to do in the next 2 weeks and crossed them every time you accomplished one goal! Go out with your Family and Loved ones and enjoy a cup of coffee with a Friend (had way too much alcohol during this holiday so I need to recover).  You could also start a new course and dedicate yourself to an activity/hobby that you always wanted to do but “you never had the time to” or subscribe to some app where you can actually meet or host other traveler.  After all that we have eaten we should actually try to go back to the gym, but come on there is time for that!

But also try to rest, getting your thoughts organized again, find time to listen to yourself as you have not done while strolling around from one city to another. Last but not least, accept also your nostalgic thoughts,  and try to develop gratitude for the irrevocability of the past, acceptance for the present and excitement to change the future, because yes it is now time to concentrate on your next trip and this time you will be stronger than before, more confident and you will know exactly where to start from, because yes you have successfully done it already!

Tutte le strade portano a Roma

If you are not yet fluent in Italian like Jessie and Charles, the translation of the title which is a  proverb with medieval origin is:“All roads lead to Rome” and  here we are at the end of this journey after more than 6000km, crossing the finish line and ending this trip in this amazing city!

I was very surprised how wheelchair friendly was Rome, if you  have a FreeWheel, otherwise is it still possible to stroll around, if you love the risk! Cobblestones could compete with the one in Prague, with the only difference that their size would vary from “smooth”  to huge from one road to another. Infact,  I truly believe that renting a “FreeWheel” could be your ticket to Freedom, although having a friend next to you, who will assist you with stability could help (as long as he/she is sober!)IMG_20190730_164620

Apart from this after one day in Rome we soon find out that rolling in the street was actually a great idea! Italians are crazy drivers (and not only) but they have “rules” in their chaotic streets; the best advice that I can give you is: “as long as you keep walking straight with a confident face and forgetting that what you are doing is actually veeeery unprofessional, everything will be  good”.  Dealing with cobblestones was not the only issue while getting around, also avoiding broken bottles was a real adventure and unfortunately I was really surprised from how degraded the city was. However, the Hop on-Hop off bus service was once again a great way of visiting the city and from what I have seen also public buses, but you certainly can not rely on the subway because many stations do not have a lift.

Attractions that we were able to visit without standing in line, booking or paying:

  • Colosseum, where the staff directed us to the lift and once in, is accessible and impressive
  • Roman forum, amazing but be aware that it can be very hot and personally in some spot I am glad there were people willing to help and push because a couple of time I thought we needed a tow truck!
  • St.Peter’s Basilica
  • Vatican museum where there is a specific line just for VIP wheelchair users and one companion, who do not pay,however if you are traveling with more than one person you should buy an advance ticket
  • Pantheon and Trevi fountain
  • Castel Sant’Angelo
  • A MUST SEE is the “Altare della patria” you will need to get to the side entrance which is a bit hidden but then you will be able to access the outside lift that will take you 80meters high, with a breathtaking 360° view of Rome.dav

However, do not push it too much, the buildings and attractions are amazing and it feels like you are living in another millennium but also having a drink in a beautiful square and  having one of the best meal I have had in a loooong time by visiting “Trattoria La Fortunata”  it is worth the visit!

Well what can I say, we finally arrived at the end of this challenging journey and I need to thank everyone for being so supportive during this trip, I can not thank you all enough! But actually all the languages in the world would not be sufficient to express how proud I am of you, Charles, because no matter how scary was to decide to do this trip, how overwhelming was organizing it, the obstacles we met, the fears we faced in an unfamiliar environment, you made it Charles! You crossed “the finish line” and from now on, you will have a huge strength “the knowledge  that  IT WAS REAL , YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DONE SOMETHING AMAZING,INSPIRING THAT PEOPLE WILL NOT DO IN A LIFETIME;  I am also  sure of one thing: now that you have started travelling, it is going to be hard to walk behind you!  Was an honor sharing these days with you, you have been such an inspiration and I just wish you to find all the pieces missing of your puzzle and start living the life that has been taken away from you, because there is so much to enjoy outside waiting just for you! Go strong, always, and may you be the “Muse” to someone Special as you are!

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FIRENZE-HOME SWEET HOME

Although I have studied to become a nurse, I have to say that before I started to work in Australia and became passionate about sharing the daily  life with a person with spinal cord injury, I was not aware of all the obstacles that someone on a wheelchair has to face. But sharing this journey has opened my mind and my way of seeing things; and has given me the possibility to be more aware of what  surrounds  me.

So after the period spent in Australia, when I came back to my hometown, Florence, I was watching everything with new eyes and with a different awareness. I must admit that luckily in the last years I have noticed that things have started to change and what in the past had to be sadly accepted, like not being able to catch a bus because not accessible, today is inadmissible and people will speak loud for their rights to be respected.

However, considering that the city’s streets and the buildings in the historical center are at least hundreds of years old, we managed quite well to get around the city; I was also surprised with all the adaptations made in order to allow anyone with a physical disability to access all the attractions without too many problem.

Well, there are so many things you can actually do in Florence but there are a few accessible one that you can’t miss:

  • visit the Uffizi for example (I waited 32 years in order to visit this Museum but was worth it strolling around with someone who actually knew more stuff than  Wikipedia, THANKS CHARLES)
  • visit the Academy Gallery, Piazza Duomo and the cathedral, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Santa Croce, Palazzo Pitti, Boboli garden and I could actually keep on writing for hours
  • having a drink and almost touching the Cupola by going to the “Rinascente” shop located in Piazza della Repubblica and visiting the rooftop bar
  • visit the Mercato Centrale and have lunch or dinner in the food court area and hopefully being braver than Charles who did not want to try the Panino al Lampredotto (please do not search what it is or you might not want to taste it too!)
  • admiring Florence from the panoramic Piazzale Michelangelo and from Fiesole a small city just 9KM from Florence that you can easily access by catching the Hop On-Hop Off bus.IMG-20190724-WA0028

 

Moreover, I think that to tick all the boxes, if visiting Florence, you should try a good Bistecca alla Fiorentina which is a must-to-eat and if you are eating it in the “right” place and ask the steak to be cooked “medium or well-done”they should definitely refuse themselves!

 

What else can I say? “Firenze is Firenze” and I think if you are planning a trip somewhere in Italy, this should be one of your first choices (just make sure I am  not around or you will be forced to see me!)

Time to move to our last stop, or I should actually say MY last stop, because “culi rotti” Jessie and Charles are going to Dubai too!

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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!!