Erkelenz Trip Update

Published by Travelling Blackbird at 11:00 pm under Anecdotes Edit This

When the train pulled in at Erkelenz, I saw the problem. The small station looked completely deserted, just an empty platform that was even lower than the one in Dusseldorf. To get out, most wheelchair users would need to be carried, but this would be very awkward with the bar in the middle of the doorway and the small steep steps. However, I was already prepared to get out there. I took a leaf out of my wheelchair mentor´s book: I sat on the floor of the train by the door, put my backpack on my back, semi-folded the wheelchair and, when the train had come to a complete halt, rolled the chair out onto the platform and climbed down after it. It´s not a graceful way to get off a train, and it´s probably not even all that safe, but it was all I could think of.

Just as I was about to get the wheelchair off, the conductor showed up and tried to stop me, but, possibly seeing how determined (stubborn) I was, he ended up helping with getting me back into the wheelchair. He wasn´t really that nice about it though - I got the distinct impression he was a bit worried about liability, and now that I come to think of it, he may also have been less than happy with me having lied about a friend helping me off the train. I just nodded, smiled and generally did my I´m-still-learning-German-so-I-don´t-understand- you thing.

As he got back on the train, a young lass of about 18 came up to me, looked me right in the eyes and said “Respect.” It was good to see that some people appreciate ingenuity and determination.

Unfortunately, although I could manage it, if I had a high spinal cord injury or muscular dystrophy, I wouldn´t have been able to do this. Perhaps I could have asked someone else to help, but I don´t know if I would´ve found anyone, nor if I would have been entirely comfortable with the idea. What if someone fell or hurt their back? It´s a terrible shame to have all this extra stress because the offered service failed.

I was going to post about something completely different today, but with this just having happened, I decided to go with it while my impressions were fresh. I´ll return to the regular posts about Hanover and Wroclaw tomorrow.