C’est La Vie!

By Lynn Atkinson

I love Paris in the springtime! Especially when the hotel costs only $50 to $75 per person including half-board (breakfast and one meal)... and it’s wheelchair accessible! Plus there’s an accessible train station around the corner that will take you into the Ile de la Cite, the centre of Paris, in 15 minutes.

I discovered all this and much more on my recent trip to France this spring. Sponsorship by Canadian Airlines, one of the better air carriers in recognizing the needs of travellers with disabilities, allowed me and an attendant to research the possibilities of bringing a group to France in 1996.

Is it possible? Yes, provided you don’t mind putting up with high prices for just about everything. Read: $20 CDN for two coffees and two sandwiches, $60 CDN to fill your gas tank, and astronomical tolls on the autoroutes. We only had to put up with it for a few weeks. Europeans live there full-time!

We found plenty to see and do, however, which was wheelchair accessible, and when it wasn’t accessible, we coped. Persistence and a sense of humour are a necessity when you’re stranded on a train platform and the only way down is by using an escalator barely wide enough to take a wheelchair, and then hundreds of stairs.

On this trip we rented a car for maximum flexibility. It allowed us to explore parts of France we never would have seen, as buses going to the small villages are not accessible. An add-on power kit for my manual wheelchair also gave us the convenience of power without most of the added weight. Loading and unloading my wheelchair from our rental car was a cinch.

Since I was last in France 10 years ago, the government has made an effort to promote accessibility awareness. I saw the universal symbol for accessibility all over -- on the streets, in hotel accommodation guides, and in tourist brochures. But unfortunately, they don’t seem to have followed through with any implementation of the program. Hotels have been ordered to make their establishments accessible, but, as one hotel manager told us, "If we had to abide by the regulations, then most of the hotels in France would have to shut down." Many are so old that renovations are too costly. So the most you can hope for is an elevator, and maybe only one or two stairs at the entrance, if you’re lucky.

And remember, European elevators are very small. Even my 24-inch chair, with footrests removed, was a tight fit. And once you’re in the hotel room, you may not be able to get into the bathroom. For some reason, bathroom doorways are usually narrower than other doorways. However, most bathroom doors are attached with a pin-type hinge and can be easily removed.

We found that many of the rooms designated accessible in the brochures were full when we phoned, which I thought strange, until I realized that they were not full of people with disabilities. Parking spots marked by the wheelchair symbol were also taken up by drivers without disabilities. The drivers in France park anywhere they can -- in designated wheelchair spots, on islands in the middle of main thoroughfares, but mostly on sidewalks. Not too inconvenient for walkers, but cramped quarters for a person using a chair.

While in Paris, I decided to investigate whether or not it was possible for a person using a wheelchair to use public transportation, i.e. the extensive underground rail system. It is possible, but only with help. There are three types of trains, and they all connect: the metro, the RER (trains with fewer stops than the metro), and the SNCF (long-distance trains covering all of France). The metro is basically inaccessible, involving dozens and sometimes hundreds of steps. The entrance and exit barriers can also be a problem, although if you can find a station attendant, there is usually a bypass. Finally, just to make life more difficult, some of the escalators are too narrow to take a chair. The wheelchair user who has intrepid friends and a desire for excitement can use the system, but it requires a lot of effort.

However, some of the RER trains are accessible. With the help of an excellent "Access in Paris" guide written for wheelchair users by a British team, I was able to negotiate the RER, but not, however, without some painful and frustrating first-hand experiences. Explanations in the book about the system, which is complicated to understand at first, only made sense after some trial runs that ended in disaster.

Once, after spending a wonderful day gawking at the sumptuous impressionist paintings in the Musee d’Orsay (which is accessible), we spotted a train station next to the museum. Our copy of the 1993 booklet "Handicaps et Deplacements en Region Ile-de-France" lists train stations with elevators. It said the d’Orsay station had an elevator. But it didn’t take us long to find out that this glossy "PR" publication was of limited use in providing practical accessibility information. Even though the guide claims all RER stations are accessible, this was not our experience. Rather, I am inclined to believe the "Access in Paris" guide which states that lines A and R are accessible in part, while lines C and D are not. (The Musee d’Orsay train was on line C.)

However, the RER can save you a number of taxi fares. Also, according to the RER publication, they will provide you with escorts, although I did not investigate this. The train extends into neighbouring regions outside the periphery, travelling to within a two-kilometre bus ride of Charles de Gaulle airport, to St. Germain, to Vincennes and to Euro-Disney. It is fast and efficient because it has fewer stops than the metro. The trains are spacious and there is only one small step, normally about 20 cm, up to the carriage, which has sliding doors.

I would add a cautionary note of warning: Elevators do break down from time to time, so be prepared to ask for help in exiting via the stairs or escalator. The "Access in Paris" guide also notes that station staff occasionally may not be aware of the existence of elevators, so it pays to be persistent in pointing out that they exist. Also, don’t arrive on a holiday weekend as we inadvertently did. Station attendants with elevator keys may be hard to find.

The main terminals for the SNCF long-distance trains are listed in "Access in Paris," and some of these have portable hydraulic lifts to get you onto the train itself. But train steps are quite steep and, as the guide states, "the fact that you can get on the train unaided doesn’t necessarily mean you can get off."

For the chateau-gazing part of our holiday in the Loire valley, we drove south to Orleans, where we were met by Dominique Dupuis, who runs an accessible tour service. We were treated to a stay at the Holiday Inn, a wonderful lunch in a 17th-century hotel and restaurant, and sightseeing at some of the grand castles of the Loire. My favourite, Chateau Guy-Pean, situated in an isolated, quiet, wooded valley and built in the 16th century in the style of a feudal castle, was the home of two former French kings. It is now inhabited by descendants of the Marquis Guy Pean. Monsieur de Keguelin, his wife and his three children showed us the countless historic souvenirs around the castle, including the piano played by Chopin when he came with George Sand to visit the present owner’s aunt. This turreted castle with dry moat, bridge and quiet inner courtyard was the perfect antidote to busy Paris. Wine-tasting at the home of a local vintner, where we sampled champagne under the trees, completed a wonderful day.

The next morning we drove towards Provence. Miles and miles of vineyards and wine tastings ("degustations") in every small village along the route guaranteed that I, if not my friend (who was driving), saw and felt the warm glow of the countryside which van Gogh made famous. A car is virtually a necessity if you want to see the many villages in Provence. You can also take the high-speed SNCF train to Nice and rent a car while you’re there. The train leaves from the Gare de Lyon (accessible), in Paris.

We drove through Aix-en-Provence, a bigger city than I had imagined, with a supposedly accessible hostel, although I was not able to check it out because of the daily "lock-out" until 5 p.m.

After a few nights in beautiful Arles, we headed to Port Grimaud, the "little Venice" of France on the shores of the Mediterranean, where the yachts of the rich and famous are anchored at front-door apartments. At Prairies-de-la-Mer, an enormous trailer park, we stayed in an adapted caravan. Several are owned by a Dutch organization and let at very reasonable rates to travellers who use wheelchairs. We stayed in a three-bed unit fully equipped with kitchen facilities and an adapted toilet, next door to a block of wheel-in showers.

France was a memorable experience, and this trip convinced me to start arrangements for an accessible group tour of Paris and the Loire Valley. The trip will take place in May, 1996 (extact date to be announced). Interested travellers should contact me as soon as possible.

For more information about taking part in the group tour to France in May of 1996, or to subscribe to the quarterly newsletter "We’re Accessible -- News for Disabled and Elderly Travellers," contact Lynn Atkinson at 32-1675 Cypress St., Vancouver, BC V6J 3L4 (phone/fax: (604) 731-2197).


FRANCE: RESOURCES AND TIPS

POWER KIT ADD-ON
Mac’s Mobility and Care Supplies, Geoffrey Druker,
tel.: (604) 685-5862 or 1-800-665-2005.

ACCESS IN PARIS
Access in Paris: A Guide for Those Who Have Problems Getting Around, by Gordon Couch and Ben Roberts. Available for $15.95 from Lynn Atkinson.

ACCESSIBLE WASHROOMS IN GAS STATIONS
Most Total gas stations on the main autoroutes, not the highways, have wheelchair-accessible washrooms. (Although the autoroutes get you from A to B fast, they have steep highway tolls and less interesting scenery.)

ACCESSIBLE CAMPGROUND AT THE MEDITERRANEAN
Contact IHD France, BP 62, 83480 Puget-sur-Argens, France, tel.: 94-81-61-51, fax: 94-81-61-43. IHD also provides a support service that includes nursing staff, adapted mini-buses, and living aids such as shower chairs and hoists. These are available in France, Spain and the Netherlands.

ACCESSIBLE GITES AND CHAMBRES D’HOTES
"Gites" are self-catering apartments or houses in the country; chambres d’h“tes are bed-and-breakfasts. For "Gites accessibles aux personnes handicapees," 1995, write to: 35 rue Godot-de-Mauroy, 75009, Paris, Cedex 09, tel.: 49-70-75-75, fax: 49-70-75-76.

ACCESS TOURISME SERVICE
Dominique Dupuis, 8 rue St. Loup, 45130, Meung sur Loire, Charsonville, France, tel.: 38-74-28-40, fax: 38-74-28-50.