Action for Blind People Blog

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 25

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 06-10-2008

We got up early and I still feel unwell and cannot seem to shake off whatever is bothering me.

For now we have to focus on fixing the bike and so off we went to see the hotel staff to explain the problem and sure enough a solution came leaping at us. It seems that the hotel know a 'fixer' of things and so off Bernard went with the hotel receptionist as translator to locate some bits and pieces. Bernard was a little miffed when he came back (but very, very happy). He was miffed as the previous day - being so tired - he hadn't noticed the dismantled engines everywhere at the rear of the hotel which would have supplied the bits he needed with a bit of persuasion and a big hammer! The mechanic (or fixer) came out with a big box of bits and pieces which Bernard gratefully rummaged through it until he found some heavy duty thick washers with which to reinforce the mounting of the shock absorber. From that point onwards the problem became known as The Croatian Washer problem! All back together and packed up with a sigh of relief we moved on towards Dubrovnic.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 24

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 03-10-2008

I am feeling a little better this morning and wanted to explore the ship after breakfast. As always, Bernard, camera firmly attached to head, took multiple pictures as we entered the Port of Split. When we went down to the car deck and everything was secured back into the panniers and onto the bike a deckhand magically appeared to guide me to the bike. This morning there were no arguments about pillions walking off the ship! He was so gentle and considerate in the way he guided me to the bike. We pulled off into a blazing hot sun and trundled towards the police check point - the formalities took seconds and then we were waved through into Croatia! The next couple of hours we spent walking around Split looking for the elusive pin badges to no avail and eventually we had to give up and move on. If anybody out there has two Croatian Pin Badges then please feel free to email us!

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 23

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 02-10-2008

The sound of the ship and the hum of turbines fills my ears in the cabin as the crossing to the Port of Split in Croatia lies in front of us. The fittings in the cabin rattle and shake to the movement of the ship as it crosses the Adriatic sea through the 12 hour night sailing.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 22

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 02-10-2008

Today we tried to visit the Italian Federation of the Blind and found nobody at home! We rang every bell on the door several times and no response at all - even Bernard's size ten boots made no impact! It wasn't during the traditional two hour Italian lunch either we hasten to add and so it was our first strike-out! We pondered about going to the Retinitis Pigmentosa Society but it would have meant a cross-city ride on the bike and Bernard point blank refused to enter the mayhem of the slippery roads and I completely agreed with him.
So went shopping instead.
Well what can I say, a girl in Rome and no shopping? It cannot be allowed! So it was that I am now the proud owner of two little Italian numbers (one in white and one in black). After all his moaning and complaining about the amount of clothes I had with me he took me shopping - and it felt really, really good!

Thank you to our supporters

Posted by Stephen Remington, published on 02-10-2008

Apart from a wonderful holiday trekking in the spectacular Picos de Europa mountains of Northern Spain it’s been an extremely busy summer!

Our organisation never really rests and I must thank every single employee and volunteer for their continuing commitment and dedication to our cause as we try to achieve more through our work with visually impaired people and to do so with ever tighter budgets.

Now we, like everyone else, are faced with the uncertain fallout of the global economic situation. Our donors are continuing to give to our cause and my thanks go to every one of them on behalf of all the visually impaired people that we are able to support each year.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 21

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 29-09-2008

Ah what can I say about the Hotel Cecil? My abiding memory is of The Mortar Bomb Toaster.

Bernard, as you may have guessed is prone to a bit of exaggeration. Actually, he is prone to a lot of exaggeration. As we entered the breakfast area he went off to discover what was available and when he came back he described in great lengths the builders helmets hung on the wall. He did have me going for a while. It was his description of the hanging Lacrosse gloves and hockey sticks which gave it away he was off on one of his fabricated stories. I could hear a mechanically clunk every now and then and he admitted that the sound was the toaster which he had already taken note of.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 20

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 25-09-2008

Today we should arrive at our destination in Rome and we are heading for a convent where the nuns do a little side number in bed and breakfast! The heat is oppressive and heavy. Your mouth dries up as soon as you breathe in and all you can do is take little sips of water to keep it moist. As soon as you start to sweat it dries on you and you feel clammy all day and you look forward to the inevitable shower which will occur in some room, somewhere, at some time later on. Bernard is very quiet today as we ride and I talk to him and he admits the heat and the straight white lines are somnambulic and there is little to keep him interested on this long straight road into a furnace. His feet, he tells me, feel like they are in two boil-in-the-bags which he cannot do anything about.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 19

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 24-09-2008

I woke up to hear Bernard still scratching away and moaning about his mosquito bites. I must admit his head did feel somewhat lumpy and when I told him this he didn't seem that impressed with my distinct lack of compassion to his extreme discomfort. Men!
We discussed the problem of getting the bike up the ski-like ramp and Bernard was mightily impressed with my suggestion of unloading the bike to some degree in order to lighten it for the ramp climbing event - which he promptly did and the happiness in his voice when he sailed up the ramp was apparent.

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles – Day 18

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 23-09-2008

Driving through the border we headed for the Mont Blanc tunnel which is about 7 miles long deep underneath the border. We had planned to video the drive but after stopping and starting numerous times to try to get the camera to behave we gave up - although really, a tunnel is a tunnel is a tunnel as it turned out to be!

Mont blanc itself was full of back pack carrying people and every second shop seemed to consist of outdoor clothes (a bit like Ambleside in the Lake District really but with better sun!)

A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 Miles - Day 17

Posted by Cathy Birchall, published on 22-09-2008

The part-time hotel became even more part-time this morning as it is Sunday and there is no breakfast. Talk about casual approach! Needless to say it did not take us long to get moving as me without breakfast is like a car without wheels!

The road back to the Swiss border was busy and queues started to form by the time we arrived. Trundling very slowly up to the border we were waved to one side and the guard asked if we had our motorway pass? Sounds of complete puzzlement came through the intercom as Bernard asked about this pass which we had not needed on our visit to Guide Dogs. It turned out that the cost to drive on the Swiss motorways was 30 Euros and for this princely sum we ended up with a genuine Swiss sticker on the windshield right in Bernard's line of vision - not too good really and we had to move it later on as a wagon could have been approaching and he would not have even seen it through the sticker!

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