8. Beautiful Budapest (Part 1)

Novotel Centrum - formerly know as the Palace Hotel

Budapest & love at first sight! (April 23rd - 28th)

What a positive surprise Budapest was! Travelling in from the airport to the city we could have been convinced we had landed in a remote country side village. From the airport surrounded by gorgeous green open spaces we gradually started to take in big old apartment blocks that became more and more impressive the closer we got to the city centre. The buildings and architecture were stunning and our senses were on fire, from the beauty but also the hectic driving style of our shuttle driver and his reliance on brakes with short notice!

Arriving at our hotel the Novotel Budapest Centrum we were beside ourselves with happiness. The building was stunning and formerly being the Palace Hotel is still held its glamour. There were floor to ceiling windows, a grand piano on the restaurant landing and chandeliers throughout. And our room...It was just huge, and fully accessible! The low set bed was deliciously comfortable and the bathroom was a spacious set up with a hilariously funny basin set up that was only just above my knees! For me to notice how low it was I could only imagine the challenge those of taller stature would face when trying to use it accurately. It was the first time Dickey or I had seen a basin lowered for accessibility and the irony was that because it was so low he couldn't roll in close and get his knees under it.

7. Challenges, tears and pushy cues; Dubai to Budapest

(Note: This blog is mostly about the accessibility issues we tackled between Dubai and Budapest. While hopefully informative to those with mobility restrictions, it may not be entertaining to others. Stay tuned for the next Budapest blog for more sights and tales!)

The next leg of our journey was flying Emirates to Budapest and we couldn’t wait to get there! Sadly the start of the day was far from smooth sailing and we were in for a long day. At the Emirates check in the staff member had no idea what to do when confronted with the wheelchair and after several attempts at trying to explain what we needed or that Dickey was not able to get up and walk despite her request she finally called her supervisor and he was able to check us in with no issues. 20 mins of challenge to achieve the positive result in 5 mins!

We then breezed through customs only to be confronted with what was clearly a Saturday morning at the Dubai airport! There were thousands of people everywhere, toilet cues miles long and the coffee vendors working at snails pace. Compared to the opulence we had witnessed around Dubai, especially in the arrivals terminal, the departure terminal was definitely a bit worse for wear. Making our way to our gate we presented ourselves to the staff, with plenty of time before boarding and again were met with no apparent sense of urgency or awareness of getting Paul on board the plane first. As boarding was announced it became pretty apparent they were not at all ready for us and as the other passengers filed on we continued to wait. For anyone with mobility issues you become very used to boarding first and debarking last, a way of ensuring you are safely on, briefed and don’t hold up the other travelers. On this flight there was none of this. All of a sudden an Emirates ground crew member arrived with the boarding chair, Dickey transferred across and his wheelchair whisked away. We crossed our fingers it would be there at the other end!

6. 24 hours in Dubai

Glass elevators at Dubai Airport

Arriving in Dubai our eyes were widened. The enormity and opulence of the airport was incredible, as was the humidity in the huge terminal, the number of different cultures represented, the 100's of staff and also law enforcement personnel. We had landed on a Friday and given we had only 24 hours in Dubai we had chosen a budget level Ibis hotel close to the airport. The aim was to see Dubai, not spend the time sleeping! The start of the day didn't so much go to plan as we headed to the Airport train station to travel the 3 stops to our hotel. But being a Friday and the Middle East's Holy Day the trains weren't running! The first research fail on our behalf!
After walking in circles for about 30 minutes as we couldn't understand the signage (sleep deprivation, rather than translation issues perhaps) we finally found the right cab rank. The Cab system in Dubai is interesting and we were pointed towards the 'Pink Cab fleet' which is their taxi system for women and families, driven exclusively by women. Our driver was great and after more circles on one-way roads we arrived at our hotel, from which we had a great view of the airport! It had been a long first 90 minutes in Dubai but we were at the hotel and ready to drop our bags off and head out to explore!

5. Three cheers for Qantas!

Being one to naturally push myself to fit everything possible in I had decided to work right up to the day we flew out. Finishing work at 0700 hours, I was now officially on eight weeks annual leave and both excited out of my mind and totally exhausted!! Three hours sleep post a 12 hour night shift, was just enough to get me through the final day of chores, packing and at the airport with time to enjoy the Qantas lounge and a few champagnes before we boarded our 10.55pm flight on the QF009 to Dubai. Whoop whoop!!!

Overall most things were organised and it really was a matter of just finishing the packing, dropping our very spoilt Staffy at her 'Aunts' and doing the final check of our house before we jumped in the cab. We had listed our home on Air BnB and for anyone heading away for more than a week or two we would so thoroughly recommend taking the time to clean up, pack up important personal items and enlist the help of a cleaner or friend to be your 'caretaker'. Of the eight and a half weeks I was away we managed to have it booked for what totaled seven weeks all up! What luck!

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!!

3. The Itinerary

Choosing our itinerary was possibly the most exciting process! Reminiscing about places we had been in the past, expressing our dreams of places to see. Knowing we had 8-10 weeks and Europe was our oyster!

The trip idea had originated around Dickey's dream of going over to follow the Giro d'Italia Cycling race so being in Italy in May was the main requirement.

I was desperate to see Berlin. In fact, willing to go alone and miss other countries just to see it. The place that many label as the most amazing city in the world. I had been to Munich three times previously, so it was time to go north. There was also a Berlin City Run I knew of that is held early May every year which I was very keen to line up for.

With atlas in hand we came up with our list, in time realizing that every place had already been visited by one, if not both of us! With excitement we eventually decided on two 'new' countries to include - Budapest & Croatia. We now had an outline to include Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Croatia and Budapest.

2. Let the planning begin

With any trip comes planning, and I guess depending on the type of traveler you are dictates the amount of time given over to the pre-trip research needing to be done.
There are many types of traveler; everything from what I term the 'uber planner' who schedules the entire journey on a timeline, all bookings, excursions, museums, etc locked in ahead of time; right through to the 'Organic' traveler. The sort that just floats on the breeze and sees where the world takes you.
Dickey was most certainly an Organic type of tourist in his 20's and his tales of adventures through Mexico, Indonesia & South America never cease to amaze, impress and scare the shit out of me!
While I loved some freedom to change my mind, I also was the type to have my return flight booked and at least the first nights accommodation safely locked in.

Planning this trip needed to be entirely different. Due to the necessity of finding fully wheelchair accessible accommodation it was essential the itinerary was set and all of our nights away booked.
There was no more pretending we were carefree 20 somethings with no physical challenges! Our compromise was that we wouldn't pre-book anything else, not even our internal trains. We wanted at least some challenge and spontaneity!