Christy Stilphen, left, and Carly Stilphen enjoy their time in Paris with Rebecca Angeli-Just. (Courtesy photograph)

Paris on wheels

Local resident shares adventures in Paris through the eyes of the disabled

I have wanted to visit Paris since 1974 when I fell in love with a novel, "The Pursuit of Love," written by Nancy Mitford. In the book, the heroine falls in love with a Frenchman she meets in the Gare De Nord, the train station, shortly before the German invasion of France in 1940. The book is based on the hysterical antics of Ms. Mitford's family. Much has been written about the family and can checked out by searching the Internet for the entry on Wikipedia.org.

I was diagnosed with MS in 1986, and as my mobility has decreased significantly, I thought maybe I had waited too long to make a visit to France a success. Late last summer while having dinner with my friend Carolynne and her daughters, I asked if they would be interested in going to Paris in 2008. They said yes, even after I explained that traveling with a disabled person isn't always easy.

To my delight, a search on Google (what did we do before Google?) proved you can find almost anything on the Internet. I typed in "Paris, disabled travel" and located Derek Guzman's "Paris on Wheels" Tour Service. Guzman, an ex-pat American from New Jersey, facilitates tours of the sights of Paris and surrounding areas for those of us using wheelchairs. Guzman even pushes the chair.

I e-mailed his Web site and he responded with the information I needed. For a reasonable fee, he would meet us at our hotel and accompany us to the sights of our choice such as Versailles, Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. He also was able to recommend hotels with handicap-accessible rooms, restaurants, etc.

Here is my first word of caution about handicap travel. I was expecting a roll-in shower, because that is what I get in the U.S. What I got instead was a bathtub with a couple of rails. While I made do with the rails — there were no other rooms with any handicap amenities in our hotel and I wasn't interested in moving to another hotel — I wished I had been more specific with my inquiries to begin with. That was a lesson I learned.

The three Cs (Carolynne, Carly and Christy) and I confirmed the dates of our departure. I made the flight and hotel reservations, and soon we were on our way to SFO.

Here is my second word of caution for handicap travel. Economy Class seating is very confining for longdistance flights. Had I realized how limited the seating was, I would have booked myself into first class, even with the added expense, as I struggled to get in and out of my seat to make it to the restroom. I made sure that I had aisle seats near bathrooms on all of our flights but that was not enough to ensure my comfort. If United has roomier accommodations at no charge for the handicapped, I could not find any information about them when I asked.

We arrived at Charles De Gaulle International airport at 1 p.m. CDG is a massive airport, but we were whisked away and guided through its endless maze of escalators by efficient airport staff. We reached baggage claim shortly, where I had arranged through Guzman to be met by a Ramp-Van Taxi that could accommodate my scooter, wheelchair and all our luggage.

Once in our hotel — we had two separate rooms, one for the girls and one for Carolynne and me — we all decided on sleeping for a few hours. Carolynne and I got up around 8 p.m. and went out in search of dinner. As our accommodations were located in central Paris, we were near dozens of restaurants plus easy walking distance to the Louvre, Notre Dame and close to many kinds of shopping.

We had our first meal in Paris at a comfy Italian restaurant where the menus were also in English and several other European languages. As a whole, we found that English is spoken by a great deal of Parisians, especially those working in the tourist areas. While most restaurants went to great trouble — including getting two or three able-bodied men to lift my wheelchair — to be accommodating, they are not truly handicap-assessable. Don't try to go to the bathroom.

Guzman met us the next morning at 10:30 a.m. and we set off across the streets of Paris; Guzman pushing my wheelchair and the rest walking. We ran into our first roadblock when the key to the handicap elevator couldn't be located at the Metro station. It had been misplaced and it took a better part of an hour to hunt it down and get me to the level — the Metro is Paris' underground public transportation — needed to continue our journey. The key found, we made it to the train station and were soon on our way to the Palace of Versailles.

So far, Derek had managed to get all five of us on all public transportation without paying a euro. When we arrived at Versailles, Derek was able to talk us into the handicap accessible entrance again without buying or waiting in the horrendous line for tickets. We spent the next few hours transfixed by the art and grandeur of the palace. No wonder poor Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake." In her defense, she was so far removed from everyday 18th-century French life, what did she know?

After another night of wonderful food and wine, Derek met us the next morning and this time we went shopping and across town to the Eiffel Tower. On this excursion I thought I could use my electric scooter — I was wrong. By the time we had completed shopping and had traveled across Paris, my battery was just about dead. We took pictures of this amazing structure and then loaded my scooter and the rest of us into taxis and back to the hotel, where we shared our late afternoon snack of wine, cheese, sausage and bread with Derek. The bread in Paris is wonderful, the best I have ever had. He said that this repast was very "French."

The next day we were on our own as we were so close to the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Seine. etc. We felt we could maneuver the streets of Paris ourselves. When we entered the Louvre, we were again able to get in the museum without paying a fee or buying a ticket. My wheelchair made it possible for myself and my pusher to get in; and since both girls were under 18, they also got in free. Once in the Louvre, I realized a long-held goal of mine: to see the Mona Lisa and have my picture taken in front of it. You can spend days in this museum; there is just so much to see. We only had Sunday, but spent the entire day seeing all that we could.

Eventually, we made our way back to the airport and home with great pictures, memories and the plans for other trips in the future.