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My name is Stephan Spieker (30) and I always try to travel several times a year. Like a city trip to Barcelona or 2 weeks to Côte d´Azur, France. My last trip was to Madrid at the end of February. I think it is important that everyone can travel, even with a disability, so I have written a blog about my time in Madrid.
“Despite my limitations, I try to get the most out of life.” – Stephan Spieker
After arriving at Schiphol, Amsterdam we had found out that our original flight was canceled due to technical issues. Fortunately, the staff of KLM helped us find a suitable solution to take the next available flight to Madrid. They also managed to move the booked assistance to the next flight.
The assistance will help you to get on the plane, and ensure that your wheelchair comes into the hold. When we arrived in Madrid, I got assistance again only then it was more difficult to explain how they could lift me best. But with some Spanish translations of the pilot, we managed to communicate just fine. Fortunately, everything has remained intact.
Our wheelchair accessible taxi was ready at the entrance of the airport. He took us to our hotel, called RIU Plaza España.
This luxurious and new hotel has pretty spacious and clean rooms and is even equipped with a roll-in shower. Thanks to Accessible Spain Travel, I was able to hire a portable hoist and book airport transfer.
The first morning in Madrid started off on the beautiful roof terrace of the hotel. Then we wandered through the idyllic streets of Madrid. We discovered the Mercado de San Miguel food-market which turned out to be pretty accessible too. Surprisingly enough there were plenty of accessible public toilets spread all over the city. We ended the day with a nice meal in the Maria Opera restaurant.
For the next day we booked a tour with the Madrid City Hopper to discover the historical and modern part of the city. All of these busses are equipped with an electrical ramp for wheelchair users. A big advantage of a bus tour is that you can see a big part of the city in such a short time, without draining your wheelchair battery. It is also a great way to discover a city when it’s cold or raining outside. We also saw the famous Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, but we couldn’t enter because there was an game between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. At the end of the day we went to a tapas restaurant called Tappa Tappa.
I would really advise you to visit Madrid at least once in your life. The streets and public spaces are very accessible and so was the hotel. In my recent years I have already made several trips in and outside Europe. If everything goes well, Valencia will be my next destination. I will write another blog for Roll on Adventures by that time. You can follow me on the gram for more about my life!
This post was written by a guest. Do you also love to write about your (accessible) adventures? And do you want to share them with the world? You can send me a message on the Contact page for more information.
I’m looking forward to seeing all of your adventures!
