Nov
03
2008
Friday was Hallowe’en, one of the two Irish holidays that made it big in the US, and from there have been creeping into other countries. Time was Hallowe’en wasn’t even acknowledged in Germany and other northern European countries, but each year, it seems to gain popularity, with stores, bars and restaurants getting into the modern spirit of the day. There’s even some trick-or-treating that goes on in some neighborhoods, although nothing like the scale of the Irish and US versions.
I’m actually not big on celebrating Hallowe’en, even if it is an Irish holiday, but I’ll never turn down a good idea for an evening out, so when my friend Jens suggested going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Galapagoz, I was right on board. Continue Reading »
Oct
29
2008
After dinner on Saturday, the newlyweds had a surprise for all the guests. They’d hired a boat to sail the canals of Amsterdam for a while, something I’d often wanted to do, but never had the time for. The landing stage and boat were inaccessible to wheelchairs, but, as I mentioned yesterday, I wasn’t missing out on a minute of Jonathan and Stan’s big day. We just had to work out how to get around the car that had been inconsiderately parked at the top of the steps down to the landing stage, down those narrow steps, and then onto the boat. The car was the biggest obstacle, as it didn’t leave us a lot of room to squeeze past, and one of the more nervous guests was sure I was going to end up in the canal at one point.
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Oct
28
2008
The second day in Amsterdam was the day of Jonathan and Stan’s wedding reception. The heavy rain of Friday had given way to a beautiful cool but sunny Saturday, and the weather held for the whole day. The company was great, the beer, wine and food were excellent, and everyone had a great time. Traveling with a wheelchair, especially to a city like Amsterdam, takes planning and effort, and if I ever had any doubts whether it was worthwhile, days like this would dispell them. Being able to be there and be part of such an important event for two dear friends meant so much, and letting the wheelchair stand in the way of that would just be wrong. With effort and the help of the good people who were at the event, I made it to all the parts of the reception, and no barrier stood in the way of us having a first-class time.
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Oct
16
2008
Sometimes the wheelchair berths are the best seats in the house, and sometimes the worst. I remember calling up to find out if there were still wheelchair berth tickets available for the stage version of Sweeney Todd in San Francisco, and I could hear the hesitation in the ticket agent’s voice. She admitted that I’d be better off not bothering, because the area reserved for wheelchairs at the ticket price I could afford was right behind some columns, meaning I wouldn’t see very much. In cinemas, the area for wheelchairs can be painfully close to the screen: nothing kills enjoyment of a movie like a crick in the neck. So, it was with some trepidation that I set off for the Mercatorhalle in Duisburg this evening for a philharmonic concert. A friend is part of the orchestra, but would I even be able to see him?
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Sep
13
2008
I went out for a couple of beers with my good friend Alan tonight, and I thought I’d do a little counting to illustrate what going out for an evening in Europe can mean with a wheelchair in tow. I even brought a tape measure. Alan and I are both living and working as ESL teachers in Dusseldorf, the state capital of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, and we chose to go out in his neighborhood, Bilk, to a bar called Piranha. I went by public transport, unaccompanied, in my Ti Lite TX, an ultra-light manual chair.
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