My friendlessness

update...

Unfortunately this blog must be postponed because I cannot find Internet access that isn't a lot of money. Also, I cannot find an adapter for my camera to load pictures. Sorry for this...I'm bummed but am loving Europe :) Please check back in a few weeks to see if I have posted. Thanks.

Itinerary

This is the itinerary at the moment...

Thursday, May 15th Leave for Venice!

Friday, May 16th Spend the day/night in Venice

Saturday, May 17th Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Splendor of the Seas

Sunday, May 18th Day at Sea

Monday, May 19th Athens, Greece 12-8pm

Tuesday, May 20th Mykonos, Greece 7am-7pm

Wednesday, May 21st Katakolon, Greece 12pm-7pm

Thursday, May 22nd Corfu, Greece 7am-5pm

Friday, May 23rd Split, Croatia 8am-6pm

Saturday, May 24th Venice during the day and an overnight train to Vienna

Sunday, May 25th Vienna

Tuesday, May 27th Salzburg

Thursday, May 29th Lucerne

Saturday, May 31st Arrive in Strasbourg

Friday, June 13th Paris

Saturday, June 14th Paris

Sunday, June 15th Paris (will arrive in Strasbourg that night)

Saturday, June 28th come home

Planning Where to Stay

The most time consuming aspect of planning a trip abroad is figuring out your hotel arrangements. This is even more tricky (or actually frustrating!) when you need the hotel to be accessible - an elevator/lift is a must for me! This afternoon I started comparing different resources I have found on hotels in Paris.

Paris is one of the places I'm looking forward to visiting the most during my time in Europe. Like other tourists, I am pumped to see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Although I've heard mixed things on the city of light, I'm excited to see it for myself soon.

A really handy book is Rick Steve's Easy Access Europe: A Guide for Travelers with Limited Mobility, Rick includes information and advice on hotels, restaurants, shopping, attractions, and transportation. He even breaks things down into fully accessible, moderately accessible, partly accessible, and not accessible at all. In his book there are full descriptions of what each level means.

There are tons of neighborhoods to choose from in Paris, so I'm attempting to narrow down my options. This is the hardest part because you don't want to be in the ghetto nor do you want to go over your budget to stay in a tiny room that you will spend a very little time in. Rue Cler is the area I'm leaning towards now, because it is supposedly in close proximity to the Eiffel Tower and other famous attractions. I also read that there are wonderful restaurants and shops, which is always a plus! It seems like a quaint area that is truly symbolic of the city's culture.


Obviously, I want a place that is near popular attractions yet not be swamped with tourists. But like one site stated, when is Paris not swamped with tourists? So, therefore, location is my biggest concern. Since it will be only mom and I traveling to Paris, we are trying to stay near the train station we take from Strasbourg so that we won't have to get a taxi. Unless Paris has van taxis that is our only good option. I'll report back once we have reached a definite decision.

American Idol News...

For the latest on Tuesday's American Idol show mishap check out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/arts/television/01idol.htmlex=1367380800&en=938dd7603c6e9ec8&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Are You Willing to Take a Risk?

My decision to study/travel abroad was not made easily. I’ve researched and thought about studying abroad ever since my two older sisters went to Italy in college. When the time came though for me to make the final decision of whether to go abroad it was hard. I knew I really wanted to go, but it seemed unrealistic and too challenging.

I’ve traveled extensively in the U.S., but know little about Europe’s accessibility standards. I contemplated and was overwhelmed by all the details of traveling abroad with a disability. There seemed to be too much to figure out and plan in order for it to be relatively smooth and successful. I’m a planner through and through so all the arrangements made my head spin. I don’t like surprises. There was so much to do that I didn’t know where to begin. Since a lot of my research contradicted each other, I did not know what information on the Internet about accessibility I should believe. Which sites are the most reliable? Were people telling the absolute truth? One thing I know for sure is you cannot rely on everything you read online!

Everything seemed like a huge risk. I had to decide which would be better: to take the risk and go abroad but not know exactly how it would all unfold…or to play it safe and not pursue my dream of traveling to Europe. Since I’m a control freak, not being able to predict how it would work out was terrifying. I have made myself consider though the alternative: If I did not take this risk I would never know how it would have gone. I would have missed out on a wonderful, once in a lifetime opportunity.

Needless to say, I have decided to take the risk. I have decided to travel to countries I have never been to. I am taking a leap of faith and pursuing something I have thought about for years. I’m planning and researching as best as I can, but I’m accepting that there will be some surprises and challenges I have not anticipated.

Some Facts on Strasbourg

I will be studying at Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg, France for a month this summer (May 31-June 28). I’m taking an International Business course and a European Politics course. The classes are taught in English, thankfully since I do not speak French. I’m hoping to pick up some French though while I’m there.

Strasbourg is on the border of France and Germany, and from what I’ve read it has both a German and French culture. However, French is the dominant language. I have found different population stats for the city, but the most common was around 500,000 people. Strasbourg is home to many European Union institutions, so it is suppossedly pretty accessible. I’m hoping it is, but I guess I will have to wait and see for myself!

I found the particular program I am participating in through my university. It is an alternative to the “study tours” most students go on. This year I am the only person going through my college. Most students at my school go on study tours to various places around the world. The “study tours” are approximately three weeks long and the semester before students go a class is required on the history, language, and culture of the location(s). Professors act as tour guides on the trips. Italy, Spain, Vietnam, and South Africa are a few of the options available for students to choose from. I opted to go to Strasbourg because the fast paced tours did not seem like a good option for me.