1996

"No Stress"

A Lone Wheeler Takes on Europe By Roxie Meck

"Don't ever take Roxie to Europe, Mom. It's no place for wheelchairs!"

These were the words of my older brother, who was living in Germany.

"You can do anything you want to, Roxie, it's up to you." These were the

words of Benjamin, our Swiss exchange student. He was always encouraging me to do new things, go a little farther, and be as independent as possible.

When his parents visited us in Tucson last spring, they invited me to come to Switzerland. At first, I declined. I have muscular dystrophy, and I didn't know who could go with me, where I would get the money or how I could get around in this very inaccessible place I had heard about. And I'd always been a little afraid of flying. Flying alone was doubly terrifying.

But after a lot of lost sleep, I decided I just had to go. When would I

ever get another chance like this?

As I started to research the logistics, I found there was very little

accessibility information on Switzerland available from books and travel

agencies. The best information came from people with disabilities who had traveled there and from the Swiss National Tourism Office.

I called several airlines and found American and Swissair to be the most

accommodating. Unlike some of their competitors, they had no problem with checking my manual and power wheelchairs and assisting me with transfers.

Swissair had the best schedule, so I went with them. They were very

helpful, and in four languages!

I took a direct flight from Los Angeles to Zurich, then a commuter to

Geneva, about 14 hours altogether. Benjamin's family met me at the airport and we drove about an hour to their home near Estavayer-le-Lac, a beautiful town near Lake Neuchatel.

The house I stayed in was typical of many European homes--beautifully

constructed but not very accessible. There were stairs at the front

entrance and to the bedrooms on the second floor, so they made a path for me through the garden to the back door and fixed me a room downstairs. The bathroom doors were narrow--too narrow for my narrow-adult wheelchair--and I'm afraid I left some scraped paint behind.

All of the exterior doors had thresholds about an inch high. Even in my

power chair, I sometimes struggled with them. My hosts solved the problem by making little wooden ramps for each side of the threshold and connecting the halves with a leather strap. All the doors had those wonderful lever handles instead of knobs, and door pulls made from winter scarves allowed me to pull the doors closed behind me.

Switzerland has a few large cities, lots of towns and hundreds of villages.

We traveled in a VW bus with a plywood ramp, cleverly put together by a

family friend. Accessible vans are scarce, although I was told that hand

controls and converted minivans are available on one-day notice in some of the larger cities.

In 1994, the Swiss government funded the AVEC Foundation to design and build a wheelchair-accessible touring bus and sleeping caravan. I had the privilege of seeing a prototype, and it certainly got my stamp of approval.

This beauty can carry and comfortably sleep six wheelchair-using

passengers. It is now available from the foundation, complete with driver,

to groups or individuals at a reasonable rate. What a way to go!

European train systems are legendary, and Switzerland is no exception.

There are portable wheelchair lifts at 150 stations, and most of the trains

have at least one accessible car. The new ICE (Inter-Country Express)

trains have modified restrooms, dining areas, sleeping berths and very

clean, comfortable places to sit during the trip.

Notification is required 24 hours in advance, and an early arrival is

strongly advised. European trains absolutely, positively do not wait for

anyone. On one trip to Germany, I arrived at the station late and was

picked up by four men and bodily loaded on the train--no time to use the

lift!

The Red Cross was born in Switzerland, and is one of the country's best

resources for people with disabilities. Look to them for loaner

wheelchairs, crutches and walkers, and a visiting nurse service that will

provide daily assistance at a reasonable cost. I utilized this service

throughout my stay in Switzerland, which freed me from relying on my hosts for personal care.

Taking service dogs, or any dog, for that matter, into a restaurant is not

a problem in Europe. I was amazed to see dogs sleeping under the tables in the finest restaurants. No problem with leftovers--just give them to the

dog.

I did see Braille markers, raised letters on doors and a Braille menu in

one restaurant. The Swiss franc even has Braille markings to identify each denomination.

Dining in Europe is expensive, and consequently I ate out very little. Most of the restaurants have steps, and if the building is more than 10 years old, don't bother asking about the bathroom. The Swiss love their old buildings, and the government will not allow them to be modernized in any way that would change their historical appearance.

I visited Geneva, a beautiful, cosmopolitan city and home of the United

Nations. As in every city and village I visited, beautiful window boxes and

flower pots lined every balcony and patio. We walked through the gardens and along the edge of Lac Lemon, (Lake Geneva), stopping for coffee at an outdoor cafe. The streets are narrow and curbcuts are few, but the gardens and boardwalk are completely accessible, as is the Museum of Natural History.

My favorite place to shop was the town square in Yverdon, one of the

flattest cities in Switzerland. I enjoyed the many little shops, the

beautiful buildings and the regional specialties (chocolate, sausage,

sauerkraut, cheese, wine). Many of the shops had one step up or down to

enter, but there were always people eager to help.

During my visit, my wonderful hosts, the Pluess family, gave me an

unforgettable experience. There were lots of problems to solve and

challenges to meet, but they always remained patient and encouraging. I'm especially grateful to Benjamin because, without his faith in me, I never would have made the trip. He reminded me that anything is possible.

Sometimes things would get pretty overwhelming, and occasionally they still do. When this happens today, I think of Benjamin's father who, sensing I'd reached my limit, would put his arm around me and say two of the few words he knew in English: "No stress, Roxie, no stress."

<I>Roxie Meck would like to correspond with people interested in travel to Switzerland or Germany. Her e-mail address is rdmeck@azstarnet.com<I>

Resources

= AVEC Foundation, La Yema, 1474 Seiry (FR), Switzerland; 037 65 18 70.

= Swissair Reservations and Information; 800/221-4750.

= Swiss Association Of Invalids, Froburgstrasse 4, 4601 Olten, Switzerland;

062 32 1262; fax: 062 32 3105.

= Swiss National Tourist Office, Los Angeles office, 222 N. Sepulveda

Blvd., Suite 1570, El Segundo, CA 90245; 310/335-5980; fax: 310/335-5982.

= Swiss Rail Ticket Information: Rail Europe, USA; 800/4-EURAIL

(800/438-7245), 800/TGV-RAIL (800/848-7245).

= Swiss Red Cross, International Services Department, Post fach, 3001 Bern,

Switzerland; 011 41 31 3877111; fax: 011 41 31 3877122.