Searching for the flavours of London

The M&Ms factory, London, England, Accessibility rating for wheelchair users

Searching for the flavours of London was a full-time mission, which made my trip to London absolutely entertaining. In all honesty, I wasn’t bored there even for a second. I was there for a week, but I am absolutely convinced a month there wouldn’t be enough to taste everything the city has to offer. I’ve been to London a few times in my life, and it always greeted me with a sunny weather. I don’t know whether I was extremely lucky, or London just likes me… either way, I got to explore the sunny side of this English metropolis more than once. Every day, I would spend 10 – at least! – hours sightseeing and making the best out of my stay, and my body – especially my shoulder –  didn’t approve it. See, navigating a regular wheelchair strained my shoulder, and it needed days to recover. Had I had my Blumil, things would have been easier, but… it was still a trip to remember!

Continue reading “Searching for the flavours of London”

Discovering Europe: Keukenhof, Scheveningen and Oostende

Discovering Europe has always been a great adventure,  and visiting Keukenhof, Scheveningen and Oostende was no exception.  Somewhere between tulip fields and lovely shorelines, one thought struck me: Europe’s full of surprises. Since I was born and raised here, it was always familiar and eventually lost the vibe of adventure floating in the air.  My weekend getaway trips helped me to rediscover Europe, taste it, befriend it and have a wonderful time.
Since I was living in Luxembourg for some time, travelling on weekends was relatively easy. After all, Luxembourg’s in the heart of Europe, and both Holland and Belgium are just a stone’s throw away. Letting opportunities slip away has never been my style, so I packed and there I was… getting the best of Europe. What did I see in Keukenhof, Scheveningen and Oostende? Do these places deserve to be called “wheelchair accessible”? I am going to spill the beans below, so please… bear with me!

Continue reading “Discovering Europe: Keukenhof, Scheveningen and Oostende”

Sunshine and fun in Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands

“Sunshine” and “fun” are probably two words that sum up my stay in Fuerteventura perfectly. Only five hours away from Warsaw where I was living, the Spanish island seemed to be everything I needed for wonderful summer vacations. The Canary Islands are definitely very close to the idea of paradise: sunny beaches, perfectly blue waters and high temperature. What else could you possibly ask for?

Continue reading “Sunshine and fun in Fuerteventura, The Canary Islands”

A Tale of Two Cities: Macau and Shanghai

A Tale of Two Cities is full of surprises and awe, and it includes two interesting places: Macau and Shanghai. I visited both of them during my trip to Asia, along with Hong Kong and Taipei, and it was truly one of the most interesting experiences in my life. Shanghai and Macau are both Chinese cities, but they are like fire and water. Each has its own distinctive flavour, completely different from one another. Shanghai is racing up towards the future like there’s no tomorrow, and in Macau, the past and the present blend together like watercolours.

Continue reading “A Tale of Two Cities: Macau and Shanghai”

Breathing the history in and out in Berlin

Breathing the history in and out in Berlin, Germany, Milo's accessibility rating, Blumil wheelchair

Breathing the history in and out is inevitable when you visit Berlin. At first sight, the city seems to be a chronicle of the tragic and the ugly, the divided and the hurt, but that’s just one face of Berlin. It is a place full of variety, pulsing with life, and it showcases a thousand years of German coming into fusion with modernity. Clean streets and great accessibility should make it one of my favourite destinations, but Berlin has never made it to my top 5 list. Everything about it screams “Top notch quality!” but the city doesn’t have “the spark” for me. I can appreciate its flavour, but I would never choose it over cities like Barcelona, Hong Kong or Rio de Janeiro. It still makes a nice travel story to tell, so bear with me. What to do in Berlin? Is it accessible?  The answers are waiting below!

Continue reading “Breathing the history in and out in Berlin”

FALLING IN LOVE WITH BARCELONA: PART II

Falling in love with Barcelona felt natural, as I entered the city for the first time… in 1992. Barcelona was preparing for the Olympics, which were soon to transform a fairly unknown place (outside Spain!)  into a popular tourist destination. I looked at the skies above the city and the sea, painted in all shades of blue, and I knew there was no turning back. Parts of my heart stayed in Barcelona, never to come back. Since 1992, I’ve visited the city numerous times, and I never get bored of it. White Christmas is exactly the opposite of what I came for to Barcelona, and I got what I wanted. The weather was absolutely wonderful – it was sunny and warm as if it was the middle of September, not December. If you want to finish your year with a big bang, Barcelona is a way to go. What to do there? What to skip there? What to know? More about it below!

Continue reading “FALLING IN LOVE WITH BARCELONA: PART II”

Diving into the future in Brussels

Diving into the future in Brussels was the best moment of my entire stay in Brussels. The monument I had in front of my eyes – the famous Atomium – seemed to scream “future”  like no other building I’d ever seen before, and I couldn’t turn my eyes away for a minute or two. When I finally did and started to explore the city, everything else felt uneventful. It, to my surprise, turned to be nice and pleasing to the eye, yet completely not exciting.

Continue reading “Diving into the future in Brussels”

BETWEEN BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND SKYSCRAPERS IN TAIPEI

Navigating between Buddhist temples and skyscrapers felt unreal.  Don’t get me wrong – I knew Asia was becoming synonymous with a modern architecture. Still, to know something and to experience it firsthand: these are two different things. There I was in Taipei, watching two seemingly different worlds collide. I didn’t see it coming. While I didn’t take the wrong plane and magically appear in Taiwan, my trip was spontaneous.  Since me and my friends decided to take a 10-days trip around Asia,  we thought visiting Taipei could be a good idea. If I had to make a list of all travel decisions I regret, Taipei wouldn’t have made the list. It wasn’t the nicest place I’ve ever visited, true. Still, just as if skyscrapers and old temples weren’t a bizarre combination,  there was something balanced about the city. Something promising that I will try to put into words

Continue reading “BETWEEN BUDDHIST TEMPLES AND SKYSCRAPERS IN TAIPEI”

STROLLING AROUND PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Strolling around Prague, Czech Republic is probably one of the best ways to explore the city. With its lovely, old streets full of nostalgic vibes, Prague was made for long strolls. It may not be the biggest or hottest European destination, but it’s definitely one of the highlights of Eastern Europe. I visited it back in 2006, and it was, overall, a nice trip. Not the most accessible city I’ve ever visited, but absolutely charming. More about Prague – what to do there, and how accessible it actually is  – below!

Continue reading “STROLLING AROUND PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC”