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

9. Beautiful Budapest (Part 2)

Budapest was a treasure trove of sensory delights, culture and beauty. From the Jewish Quarter where we were staying to the Inner city there was such a difference, including the polished marble paths and buildings. It was just so perfect! Vaci street, the Parlimentary buildings, the banks of the Danube. Buda, the Citadel and Liberty lookouts and the city gardens were all stunning. We adored it all!

6m deep communist facade. A shallow bunch...

Keen to gain some cultural knowledge we headed off to do the Budapest Walking Tour early on our second morning. Somehow ending up on the Communist Tour rather than the general tour we were stoked with our fortune and were amazed by how much we learnt, and the knowledge and passion of our 20 something tour guide. Her detail and enthusiasm for her country and culture was admirable and highlighted how little many of us really learn, or possibly care about Australian history. Despite our frozen fingers and toes we found coffee to warm us up and headed on to join the Budapest main walking tour for the afternoon. Zoltan our guide was just brilliant, a true entertainer and story teller. We had a blast and his assistance with ensuring we could access every part of the tour was just fantastic. The facts were amazing - extended families all living in tiny apartments, even today. The hiding of religious preference during the communist years, the communist attitude we witnessed still alive in the city, particularly amongst so called authoritarian figures. The history of the bridges, the Danube, the market place, even the pixie sitting on the fence down by the Danube. The fact that all monuments, other than the Liberty and Soviet now reside in the cemetery. The Hungarians are a witty bunch!

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!!