The other weekend I went on a short break to Madrid. I flew from Gatwick, and this holiday has been the start point of my next chapter as far as HSP goes.
The main feature is the use of assistance at Gatwick. On the way out, the person that I was travelling with had booked some for me, being very aware that I've a tendency to be stubborn. We had gotten about the terminal successfully and were walking towards the gate (which happens to be one of the furthest away ones), and one of the kind assistance people offered us a lift. They were on their way to pick up someone on an incoming flight, and it tells me that my gait is getting very noticeable. They happened to be picking up at the same gate we were being dropped from, so that was quite convenient. This was an early evening flight, and the ride was welcome.
The flight back was a late night flight, arriving after 10pm. It had been a very busy weekend, so I was silently pleased to sit in the wheelchair waiting at the door to the plane. We were whisked through passport control, customs and dropped in the arrivals terminal. Given that we'd also arrived at the furthest gate it was welcome, and give me a chance to rest before driving home from the car park.
My main reflection on this is that I dont have to walk everywhere, and the assistance is there to help. I have in my mind that my needs are smaller than many other people's, but I suppose they are also bigger than your everyday traveller. Also, having the assistance in the evening felt better than it would have if flights had been at the start of the day when I have more energy.
At Madrid airport, the terminal our flight was from was the furthest from the metro station, so we made good use of the travellators along the spine of the airport.
In between the two flights was a great weekend in Madrid. The hotel we were staying in was a couple of minutes walk from one of the metro stations, and in a lively part of town. This worked very well, and we got to know how to use the Madrid metro quite easily. We also used a few buses as well, having bought a 10-journey integrated public transport ticket at the airport. Whilst we were there there was also a fair bit of walking around that we chose to do, at HSP speed of course! The slower speed means that you get to see a lot more of the details of the city, and the Spanish culture of tapas means that if you're feeling a bit tired then stopping in a bar or restaurant for a beer and some tapas is very easy to do.
I found Madrid to be a very welcoming place, and I didnt have any issues getting about. I suspect that if I were a wheelchair user then it may not be quite so easy as many of the places we visited had steps in/out, and there didnt seem to be much width in the older parts of the city.
