Lads Trip
The Lads travel to Barcelona!
Customer blog Tom is a permanent wheelchair user with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is learning to speak Spanish. Barcelona was a perfect choice.
Craig (who he describes himself as a saga lout) persuaded Tom to take a holiday to Barcelona to practice his Spanish and to be a little more outgoing.
His personal needs included an electric bed, air mattress, assistance with washing, dressing and hoisting to his chair. DisabledHolidays.com found a superb holiday for Tom which really met his needs. Tom described his trip as “an absolutely fantastic week”.
Tom & Craig's words:
Day 1
We all met up at mine and after checking a few items on the car, we set off for the Channel Tunnel. We arrived at the terminal and after the old men’s visit to the loo, we were advised that we could go to the boarding point early. In addition, we jumped the queue by going in the disabled traveller lane as I have a WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle). A fantastic start!
Day 2
We arrived at the hotel, which was bright, with friendly & welcoming staff. They only speak limited English so my knowledge came in very useful. A perfect opportunity to practice. The accommodation was an apartment style with a microwave, oven, dishwasher and fridge. Super! After settling in, we headed out for some lovely Pizzas and paella. After a short nap, we headed down to the other end of La Rambla, where we enjoyed tapas and red wine. We were really getting in the swing of Barcelona.
Day 3
Once we awoke, I called for the nurse assistance and Dave put the kettle on for a cup of tea. We then headed down to the bar for a continental breakfast followed by a walk around the marina and had a beer looking at the Gin Palace moored before us; one actually had a helicopter on the upper deck. On the way back, we walked through a park with a fantastic Gaudi water feature.
Day 4
The next day we were off to the Camp Nou stadium, home of FC Barcelona for a tour. The trophy room and the whole stadium is amazing, well worth a visit. After our wine and cheese (Malc's second lunch) we decided to hit La Rambla. We walked the length of the street to Catalunya Square returning via the back streets of the Gothic Quarter, where we stopped for a beer and later for a meal in Placa Reial (Craig and Malcolm had monkfish whilst Tom and Dave had Lobster Paella).
Day 5
The forecast predicted thunder, so we chose to visit the Sagrada Familia (Gaudi's masterpiece Cathedral which was started over 100 years ago and yet still incomplete). Photos were taken at the front, and we managed to get a bargain with a man selling castanets thanks to my Spanish haggling.
Day 6
We visited Vilanova i la Geltru, with its large marina and sandy beaches. The weather was warm and sunny all day, we moved from bars to cafes...ending up at a beach bar. It was here Malcolm and Craig paddled in the sea. Another fantastic Barcelona day.
Day 7
Today the Saga Louts went to Park Guell and enjoyed listening to a band playing live music in the warm Spanish sun. After this we then headed into town to find beer and tapas. The beach was beckoning again - a beach visit followed by a trip to a local bar to sample the Sangria. I cannot say that Sangria is my favourite tipple but when in Barcelona…Another round of drinks, and we headed back to the hotel for a night cap, finished off another bottle of red wine before bedtime.
Day 8
Following the Magic Fountain show, we drove up to the castle via the Olympic stadium and stopped to admire the view over the port and all the way around to Parc Geull. We enjoyed a meal there then we walked up to the main fountain where we saw an excellent water/light show. We all thought it was fantastic!
Returning to the hotel, another nightcap and then to bed with great memories of an absolutely fantastic week week in Barcelona.
Comments (0)