22. Bilbao and then it was goodbye as I boarded the plane home

Arriving in Bilbao we checked in at the quaint Petite Palace right on the edge of the Old Town and near the river. As our love of old town villages continued, this one didn't disappoint. On our first night we found a little bar in the piazza, Gure Toki and had the most epic fun trying the different wines and Pinxtos specials. I was a huge fan of the green olive, chilli and anchovy skewer, Dickey not so much! We loved trying to communicate with the bar staff and realized how different the basque language is to Spanish, not that we knew much Spanish. Via smiles and pointing we ordered many rounds over the next three nights as we made it our local. Sometimes we weren't quite served what we were expecting but it was so much fun! When each round was only around 3 Euros, we sure didn't mind at all.

Gure Toki delight!

Old town Piazza

Bilbao is an incredible city and a great place to see on foot. Like in many of the cities we had visited I loved taking the opportunity to get out for some great morning runs around the town. There is always a place to run and so much to see! I was so excited to see the Guggenheim in real life and despite having no idea who Frank Gehry was when we left Australia, it was now going to be our third Frank Gehry designed structure for the trip. My first glimpse was from the opposite bank of the river as I ran by and the size and layout was incredible to see in real life! The titanium exterior shining in the sun, the silver balls, Mama the huge spider, the way it has been given prime position between between the two old bridges that traverse the river and of course the flower covered giant puppy at the main entrance. It was one thing to take it in on the run, but even more impressive up close. In fact when Dickey and I returned to explore in detail later that day we were so taken by the outside that we decided not to go in and see any exhibitions and instead spent hours wandering the outside and then reading up on it all in the shop inside! Outside the main entrance the big Puppy is insane! When we were there it June he was adorned with colourful spring blooms. Changing with the seasons, apparently through winter he is all green!
The Guggenheim is certainly a statement and deservedly takes prime of place on the river looking back towards the main town center. From what we have read it did single-handedly save the struggling port town of Bilbao and put it firmly on the map. No longer as an export town, but as a tourist destination.

Since this creation of the Guggenheim the rest of Bilbao had a reason to flourish and the old buildings have been beautifully restored around the city center and the streets are spotless. The locals are without a doubt very proud of their city. There are many piazzas, green spaces and fountains. A main roundabout that is a gorgeous floral display and the building overlooking it famous because every one of the windows and balcony's are different. The architect was clearly having a laugh! We stumbled across the Azkuna Zentroa and were so very glad we did. A 1900's facade it has had the most interior renovation and all of the pillars inside are different and the design giving the illusion that the upper office buildings are suspended!

What a roundabout!

Every window is different!

Back in 2007 & 2008 I had worked on board cruise ships and had made many friends who I am still in contact with today, thanks to social media! Mariette was the first captains wife on my first ship and we became great friends. She was in fact the first one to explain the Basque/ Spanish relationship to me! By luck she was back home in Bilbao when we were there, rather than sailing the world with Sindre and she and their three year old son Markus were living near the port just north of Bilbao. We organised to go up and meet her and it was a fantastic trip. Using the super easy metro we headed out to Santurtzi disembarking the train as the first storm of the day hit. It was a blustery cold day, but between rain showers did manage to walk along the west bank of the port up to the incredible Vizcaya Bridge. This transporter bridge is incredible and one of only few still in use around the world. Back and forwards it travels every two or so minutes, loaded with people, cars and bikes covering the 160m span across the river. It was the first gondola suspension bridge in the world used to transport people and traffic and it is awesome to see it still operating. We were meeting Mariette on the opposite side of the river so the Vizcaya was to be our mode of transport too. Convinced for some reason it would be expensive and not able to understand the ticket instructions I started shoveling coins into the machine. At around 8 euros it started beeping and with a clatter out came the change. It was in fact only .40 euro cents each way for a pedestrian to cross. So cheap, we did consider doing a few trips, but thought that may be odd! 

On the other side of the bank we sheltered in a cafe for the next few hours as the rain poured down, but to catch up with Mariette and Markus it was worth it. It is always so good seeing a friend after many years and just picking up where you left off. We were also super intrigued that at 31/2 Markus had just been picked up from school at 4.30pm. We had presumed she meant care, but no it was in fact full time school! At three children are sent off to school in Spain and Basque from 9am til 4.30pm, with the only break being the traditional siesta after lunch. Just like everyone else! Possibly a combination of this early schooling and the fact that his parents are bilingual his language was incredible and his English clear and confident. He speaks Basque, Spanish & Norwegian as well and when starting school had been the only child able to speak anything other than Basque. We were super impressed and loved hearing his stories about going with his Dad to Australia on the ship and that he was currently sailed through Asia in and out of Hong Kong! With the rain taking a break as we said our goodbyes, hopeful to see each other again soon, we decided to head to the marina and beach nearby. The beach was perfectly groomed, but of course deserted and the cruise port and marina impressive. Watching the clouds coming in from the water we realised the next storm was headed straight for us and we rushed to find shelter. As it hit our best hope was a bus stop and we took refuge for the next 20 minutes as it poured and stormed! Slightly soaked but happy after such a great day we made it back to Bilbao for our last night.

As the trip for me drew to its final days our last journey together was to Madrid on the train before I flew home the following evening. With more leave available Dickey was set to stay on for an extra two weeks and was heading south to meet a couple of ex-pat mates in Rhonda and Seville. Despite knowing the whole time that I had to leave him eventually it was still a hard and as much as I tried to keep it together I was pretty emotional those last two days! Leaving Bilbao the train was again exceptional - fast and comfortable. As we whizzed past the baron terrain it was with a surprise when Madrid seemed to pop up out of nowhere!

For our last night Dickey had booked a room at the stunning Dear Hotel, located on the Gran Via. It was a perfect location and a great spot given we only had 24 hours. Following a wine at the roof top bar to admire the view we proceeded to accomplish all site seeing possible in a short space of time. We saw the amazing Royal Palace, many gardens, fountains, statues and monuments. The Grand Palace, Plaza Mayor and the market which was a bit to hectic for my liking! At the main train station we spent around two hours trying to purchase Dickeys ticket to Sevilla the following day but found the lifts impossible to navigate between the metro and national terminals. There were hoards of people but no assistance and when we finally made it to the correct ticket office there was literally 30 people in line ahead of us! The only good bit about the station experience was the tortise pond in the middle of the atrium. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many in one place! With the afternoon disappearing and the train network and accessibility all getting a bit too much in my emotional state it was a cab to the airport. Cutting it a little fine we were suddenly saying our goodbyes before I was pointed through customs and then on to a train to take me the 10 minute journey to the departure terminal.

Looking back and reflecting on what had been the most incredible trip and blissful learning experience I was able to acknowledge how we had changed, and not just in the obvious - that I had gone away with a boyfriend and come home with a fiance! I think when we left Australia we had both genuinely expected we would do lots together but would also spend time apart exploring on our own. After eight weeks I was pretty sure I would be fine to head on home and we would be happy to have some time apart. The reality was that we had settled in to such a smooth routine and become such an exceptional team that other than while I ran of a morning we had hardly spent a moment apart. For a couple of typically fiercely independent people in our regular lives we had become pretty used to being together! We had grown as a couple, seen amazing sites, meet incredible people along the way and drank many exquisite wines. We had deepened our love of travel, culture and architecture and were already itching to plan our next adventures, our wedding and a life together. Though there had been challenges and we had experienced issues that many possibly avoid there had been many wins and we could only be grateful for all we had learnt, seen and overcome. Truly an experience of a lifetime and after 57 days away together our Royally Dickey European Adventure was complete and it was time to get home and plan the next adventure.....

Bilbao - 13/6 - 16/6

Madrid - 16/6 - 17/6

17. Venice and the challenge of the canals

From Como we were off to Verona bright and early to drop off the hire car. Being early on a Sunday morning the roads were quiet and we zoomed along the autobahn blissfully happy sitting on around 130km/hr! We were still buzzing with our new secret and had a blast discussing our ideas and options. I had never thought Dickey would propose, let alone had given a thought to being married, but how wrong I was! He had kept so many good secrets and actually had lots of ideas of what we should do. Thankfully pretty similar to mine!

With the hire car successfully returned to the depot we were on the shuttle from the Airport depot to Verona Railway station to catch the train to Venice. The shuttle had an accessibility lift installed and we were excited that this driver was able to use it! At the Verona station the 'Saila Blu' assistance personnel were fantastic as well as hilarious and we were on the train without an issue. 

Arriving in Venice I was totally blown away. Dickey had been years ago when on his contiki tour so had a bit of an idea of what we were in for but for me it was my first experience. We had given ourselves just an afternoon to explore prior to our flight to Dubrovnik and had expected there would be some accessibility limitations. The reality was he had forgotten some key points about the layout and the limitations were actually pretty excessive....

From the main Santa Lucia station we were out the doors and face to face with the Grand Canal. I couldn't comprehend that it was right there! The airport shuttle terminal was just over the canal, around 400m away so we decided to take our bags over there and store them at on of the bag drops - at 6 euro a piece to make it an easier transition later in the day. This main bridge was beautiful marble .... and stairs, no ramp, but we spotted a 'wheelchair accessible pod' that looked set up to get us across the river. Winning we thought! 

Venice is famous for the haggling porters and as we made our way down to the pod we had one of them in hot pursuit, desperately trying to gain our business. Quoting 20 Euro to carry 2 cases we weren't so keen. We persisted in brushing him off and as we got to the pod he continued to call out to us until we eventually realised he was genuinely trying to tell us the lift was out of order. It was indeed not operational and looked to have been so for a long period of time, but minus any signage. Other than by boat down and back this bridge was the only access across the canal from the station to the bus terminal. As the drizzly rain started to fall we rearranged our bags and got everything into two cases and as Dickey stayed minding one bag I headed off over the bridge carrying the other. Stubborn and sweating over two trips I got our 50kg of luggage over the Grand Canal, checked in to the storage locker for a few hours, confirmed which shuttle was wheelchair accessible (ACTV is, ACTO isnt!) and was back with Dickey in 40 minutes. Apparently the porter had watched this all unfold and when I headed off with the 2nd bag had offered to Dickey to carry it for free! I think his reply was something to the affect of 'you try and stop her'.

With 3 1/2 hours left to explore we headed to the tourist office. My only request had been to see St Marks square and to take a ferry down the Grand Canal. Fortunately my aim had been set quite low, because it was almost all we were able to do. The reality of Venice is that every single bridge we saw had stairs! At the tourist office we were able to get a ferry ticket for 1.50 euro each (discounted price likely due to how little you can do if in a chair maybe?!) and boarded the ferry up to the square. Despite the constant drizzling rain we had a great time watching the gondolas, speed boats, water taxis, ferry's and magnificent building that were somehow still occupied and no doubt expensive despite the obvious water damage. The traffic on the water has to be seen to be believed and despite constant close calls we didn't see any carnage. Similarly, even though I had seen plenty of pics of Venice I don't think I had actually comprehended that the only transport is by boat and that the entire city is a series of canals and buildings built on the water. It truly does have to be seen before it sinks below the rising water for good. 

St Marks was of course stunning and we took some time in the square and surrounding streets. We grabbed a last Italian coffee, which was unfortunately almost undrinkable and headed back to the ferry. We worked out that at least this one would get us to the right side of the canal to access the airport shuttle. Turns out we cut our trip a little fine, underestimating 'Italian time' and got ourselves a little stressed when the return trip took 20 minutes longer than the original. As the ferry docked we flew off, Dickey headed to the ACTV bus office to get our tickets and me to get our bags. We made it to the crowd of people waiting for the bus with 5 minutes to spare and thankfully a lovely Swedish couple jumped in to assist with getting our bags on the bus as people insisted on pushing past. The bus probably did have a ramp as advertised but it was so overcrowded it was easiest just to help pop Dickey up the step and in to the bus before it went roaring off. We weren't even sure the driver was aware we were on until he saw Dickey bounce off the bus at the airport. 

Since leaving Melbourne on April 22nd these were our first flights and part of why we had been pretty conscious of our luggage weight and not buying too much along the way. That and the fact that we were dragging it around with us every few days! Croatian Airlines were fab and despite each of our bags being 7.5kg over the limit we had no issues and our bags, complete with a few bottles of Italian wine were checked in. Boarding was also super easy and we were taken up a special lift that took Dickey, in his aisle chair, right to the front door of the little Dash 8. The aerial view of Venice as we left was amazing and really put it is perspective. I was glad to have seen it, ticked it off the list so to say, but not somewhere we would need to come back to. As far as accessibility, it really was about as inaccessible as you can get!

Our three week Italian adventure had come to an end, with our final two destinations ahead of us - Dubrovnik and Spain.

Venice - Sunday 29th May

13. Italy here we come, first stop Verona

With little sleep, but eager excitement to start our three weeks in Italy we checked out of the hotel and headed down to the station for our train to Verona. This time we caught the tram and despite it being Monday commuter peak hour other passengers happily assisted us on and off with our bags while I popped Dickey up the step in his chair. Bavarian's are a truly lovely bunch!  We were early at the station and 'checked ourselves in' at the info desk being advised to keep an eye out for the platform information and that the assistance lift would be there waiting. Time for breakfast we sat back and watched the world rush by, not a care in the world....

11. Berlin...

Berlin was absolutely the top of my list and having been to Germany three times previously I was adamant that I was not missing Berlin again.  Dickey had been in his 20's and loved it as had many of our friends. It came highly recommended.While elements were awesome, and it is a very livable, yet historical city, ironically perhaps Berlin turned out to be my least favorite destination on our itinerary. Maybe the saga of our arrival dampened it, maybe it has simply changed over time.....

Leaving Prague via train we had a little hiccup with the original train we had booked on, not being accessible. We were allocated a later train and the staff in Prague phoned ahead to the Berlin main station, assuring us there would be assistance on the platform when we arrived. On the journey I had spoken with the conductor who strongly resembled Sergeant Schulz off Hogans Heroes. With a simple inquiry it seemed he spoke some English and we continue on our way, again enjoying a lovely a train ride. When we arrived in to Berlin many hours later, it fast became evident that there was no assistance personnel waiting for us and throwing our bags from the train, I ran up the platform to seek out 'Sergeant Schulz's' assistance. All he could reply with was a shrug of his shoulders and 'Nein', over and over. It seemed both his English and human decency had vanished! The stress wasn't simply how to get Dickey off the train, it was the fact that this was not the final destination and the train would be leaving in a matter of minutes. Thankfully two other passengers came to our assistance and we carried Dickey down off the train. In exasperation I ran back up to the conductor, who continued to shrug and say Nein and yelled at him, in English, that one day he would need help and know one would be there. Not my finest moment, but at least I held in all the other profanities that came to mind. Back to Dickey and our pile of bags I burst in to tears, while Dickey, true to form remained calm and collected while over my shoulder secretly watching one of our saviors give our 'Sergeant' a solid talking to, in German this time!

10. Perfect Prague

Prague was a must on our list, and once again it was incredible! We had both been previously when travelling in our 20's having spent most of our time drinking cheap beer and finding random underground bars, plus a little afternoon site seeing. Returning this time, as an 'adult couple' we were excited to experience some culture and take in more sites. We were also intrigued to see just how hard the cobbles would make it for Dickey!

We left Budapest on the most gorgeous clear blue morning, catching our first Euro train on the 6 1/2 hour journey. The trip was brilliant from start to finish. The assistance lift was on the platform ready and waiting when we arrived, the staff were super relaxed and we were loaded into our own private cabin, paying second class prices! Dickey had the option of parking his own chair in one of the two spaces, or transferring onto a seat. The accessible toilet, complete with SOS buttons was right next door, winning! And the view on the journey.... Through the poorer, more rural parts of Hungary with its big 'Eastern block housing towers', vege gardens lining every rear yard and canola fields. Along the river and then down through Slovakian country side and into Czech Republic. So many fields, castles and forests to enjoy along the way. The train was definitely a great way to get around Europe.

Arriving into Prague we had great assistance off the train and were escorted all the way through to the main concourse. Our ongoing ticket was eventually purchased, with a few translation issues and we were on our way to our next hotel. With the help of other tourists and an abandoned tourist map we made it to our hotel. The distance from the station to Katerinska may not have been far in terms of distance, but carting 60 odd kilograms of luggage, over cobbles and up and down hills definitely added to the  intensity. 30 minutes later we arrived, checking in to our budget hotel for the next three nights, with the aiming of spending little time in the room. Thank goodness for our plan, because it was TINY. Dickey could get to one side of the bed and squeeze into the bathroom, just. With our cases as well, my challenge was having the flexibility to jump across the room and the cases blocking my only walk way.


Prague was a total delight and while we enjoyed plenty of wine and our nights out in the old town, we were enthralled in the culture and felt very 'adult'. We found a walking tour to join spontaneously while randomly watching the Astro clock and had a blast. Another 'tip' based, free tour and it was great. So much info and random fun facts. The history of the Astro clock and the gluttony, greed, death and Turkish figurines. The Tyn cathedral and the difference between the two towers; the history of the Jewish Quarter and the cemetery stacked 12 deep, the 'Old New Synagogue' and the haunted St James cathedral with the mummified hand said to belong to the hand of the thief who was caught stealing from the church. We found the Coffee Cube, who served the best coffee we had all trip and saw the composers building now missing one of its 34 figurines. The story goes that one of the Nazi leaders believed one of the composers was Jewish and ordered he be removed, but not knowing what he looked like his lackey's destroyed the wrong one!

We also loved wandering both new and old town's, along the river, past Frank Gehry's 'Dancing House', over the Charles Bridge at least three times, Wenceslas Square, seeing the upside down horseman again. Learning the story of Franz Kofka at the headless suit monument and then randomly discovering his huge silver rotating face when we were wandering home late one night. We spent hours sitting in the sun enjoying the Old Town Square just watching the world go by. For once we had no were to be, and it was bliss. A definite highlight was getting tickets to see the Royal Czech Orchestra at the Tyn Cathedral. It was the most magical experience and we were so spoilt being assisted by staff to get Dickey up the marble entrance stairs and then placed in the front row! Neither of us had ever experienced anything like it and the location just added to the experience, especially when we had expected back row, restricted viewing seats given our purchase price.

Once again Prague was a total love affair and a place we could return to again and again. It may have been a short stop but we achieved loads, and ticked off our goal of discovering the cultural and history as well as reliving some of the party days of our 20's. A word of warning from the now wise, Absinthe is hideous on ice and the cobblestones are brutal in high heels but 1000x's worse in a wheelchair!
Berlin the next stop.

Thur 28/4 - Sun 1/5

4. Closer and closer to reality

With the itinerary planned it was essential to get our flights booked and to confirm that the airline was equipped with an on board aisle chair. Most domestic flights use an aisle chair to get mobility restricted passengers to their seats but don't actually carry the chair on the plane. On a flight to Bali a few years back we were informed that he just couldn't go to the bathroom and if he had to then I would have to carry him. WTF??!! 

Going such a long distance we were confident that there would be a way, but we were obviously a little tentative and without getting too personal the many online searches we did seemed to all suggest that mobility restricted passengers should take measures (in dwelling catheters) to not have to leave their seat for the duration of the flight. 14 hours stuck in the seat was not an option.

Dickey's parents, being avid travelers had recently flown with Emirates and had done a good scope out on the A380 determining that there was a toilet that could be opened out to fit a wheelchair in. Good news! In consultation with our travel agent we secured our flights. Qantas/ Emirates code share on the A380 Melbourne - Dubai. Dubai for the night, then Dubai - Budapest. Flying out Thursday April 21st 2016 arriving in Budapest on April 23rd. The day before my 37th birthday. The trip was to celebrate Dickeys 40th birthday (which had been in March), but I was getting Budapest for my birthday. A double celebration!!