Question about the wear and tear of walking

[newbie2468]

We are going to the Med next June (4 of us).. Rome ---Rome.. with Greece in between. My question is this... My brother in law who is going with us, had Polio and wears a full leg brace.. will walking be incredibly difficult and painful for him? He is a trooper, but I wonder if there is anyway for him to "keep up with us" without too much trouble..Are there scooters or something to provide for those who are "walking challenged"...Again, he will more than likely keep up with all of it, but probably at the expense of blisters and aches and pains.. I just didn't want to make him miserable...

 

Thanks for any input...

 

PS.. he is not one to sit and wait for us, either, he will come at all expense (and pain)

[NautiqueBelle]

We are going to the Med next June (4 of us).. Rome ---Rome.. with Greece in between. My question is this... My brother in law who is going with us, had Polio and wears a full leg brace.. will walking be incredibly difficult and painful for him? He is a trooper, but I wonder if there is anyway for him to "keep up with us" without too much trouble..Are there scooters or something to provide for those who are "walking challenged"...Again, he will more than likely keep up with all of it, but probably at the expense of blisters and aches and pains.. I just didn't want to make him miserable...

 

Thanks for any input...

 

PS.. he is not one to sit and wait for us, either, he will come at all expense (and pain)

 

There is a lot of walking to do in Rome, BUT you can go from one spot to another using a Taxi. That's what we do. Taxis are not expensive in Rome. Last year, most of the prices were around 5 euros along our route. We had a plan to walk from one sight to the next and then when we got tired out, we took the taxi. It was very easy.

Good luck.

[ab0si]

I had polio, so I know a bit about this. <grin>

 

Some places are harder than others, of course. There is an open-air elevator at the Acropolis which takes you more than half way up the slope. Taxis can drive up very close to it -- altho you will probably have to insist. Bonus Athens tip: If he finds uphill harder than downhill and you will be visiting both the Ancient Agora (highly recommended) and the Acropolis, do the Agora first. turns an uphill into a downhill (still have to go up the Acropolis, of course, but the approach becomes tilled downward).

 

Scooters are not going to work in many places, I'm afraid. If you are worried about him, suggest frequent short rests .. that's how I get around.

 

Paul

[newbie2468]

:D Thanks Paul,

 

As you well know it can be a killer if walking alot.. He is a trooper, though..and I don't want his first visit to Europe and 2nd cruise a bummer because of blisters, etc. He has a titanium brace, but it still weighs a bit, not to speak of the rubbing,etc. (you must know that) We are going to Rome, Dubronik, Corfu,Olympia,Athens,Epehsus, Santorini and Sicily.. Any tour suggestions? I think we are going to book our tours through IC Bellegio in Rome (for our 3 days pre-cruise stay).. but I need to get with them about the walking issue.. don't want to wear him out before we even get to the other places :D We are all in our late 50's and I would like to say "fit", but that would be a small lie :eek: so walking could be a chore for us, too..just not as quickly... Just don't want to miss anything good..

 

Thanks again, Paul

 

Tory

[texancruzer]

:D Thanks Paul,

 

As you well know it can be a killer if walking alot.. He is a trooper, though..and I don't want his first visit to Europe and 2nd cruise a bummer because of blisters, etc. He has a titanium brace, but it still weighs a bit, not to speak of the rubbing,etc. (you must know that) We are going to Rome, Dubronik, Corfu,Olympia,Athens,Epehsus, Santorini and Sicily.. Any tour suggestions? I think we are going to book our tours through IC Bellegio in Rome (for our 3 days pre-cruise stay).. but I need to get with them about the walking issue.. don't want to wear him out before we even get to the other places :D We are all in our late 50's and I would like to say "fit", but that would be a small lie :eek: so walking could be a chore for us, too..just not as quickly... Just don't want to miss anything good..

 

Thanks again, Paul

 

 

 

I am going to jump in here :) as we were just in Rome, Corfu and Dubrovnik.

 

Getting from one place to another in Rome when you have a walking issue is best done by car or taxi. But even once at a site there is alot of walking. The Vatican museums go on forever to the Sistine Chapel, then back around to St. Peters and it is huge too. But mostly fairly walkable.

 

But the Forum/Palantine Hill/Coliseum is rugged in those terms. Make sure to use the small elevator at the Coliseum (yes there is one) our guide took us straight to it to the top and we worked our way down. The Forum is one place he may want to wait on a bench if others want to explore fully.

 

Dubrovnik old town is flat in a large area....with millions of steps going off small side "streets" in all directions. But plenty to see in the flat area. He will probably not " do the wall " as steps up to that are steep and small etc.

 

Corfu - we did a wonderful ship tour of half the island. Gorgeous views, not alot of walking but some. Great lunch included at a seaside restaurant.

 

so many places a large bus cannot get to with the roads being so small over there in places. Taxis can usually get into areas others cannot whether to space restrictions or places where it is pedestrian only. They can usually get you the closest.

[cruisinlivin]

There is a lot of walking to do in Rome, BUT you can go from one spot to another using a Taxi. That's what we do. Taxis are not expensive in Rome. Last year, most of the prices were around 5 euros along our route. We had a plan to walk from one sight to the next and then when we got tired out, we took the taxi. It was very easy.

Good luck.

 

There are also metros with escalators up and down in some places which are more reasonable. Check out a map when you get there. I know there is a large one in the park near the Spanish Steps. Unless that was just a walk across, memory is not quite what is was.

 

Rome metro map: http://www.rome.info/metro/

[pvmkmyer]

I'm going to jump in as well. My wife and I have been to Rome a half dozen times, and she uses a scooter for arthritis. In my opinion, this is the way to go, along with using taxis. I don't think you'll be able to rent one in Rome, but if he either buys one here or rents one here he can take it with. My wife uses a collapsible scooter by "No Boundaries" which folds up like a baby stroller and is made for travel. She took it everywhere in Rome and it was a life-saver for her. If he doesn't want to use a scooter I would suggest getting a wheelchair at certain big sites. The Vatican has them for use by visitors. Be aware that Europe is not equipped for the handicapped like in the USA. There will often be no cut-outs or, if there is one, a car is often parked in front of it. My wife actualy drove on the sides of the streets in many places, but the Roman drivers managed to miss each other (and her) even though they drive like maniacs. (There actually is a law which requires them to miss pedestrians by 1 meter.)

 

I second the motion on taking taxis and/or a hired driver/tour guide. They are allowed in to areas private vehicles and busses are not allowed, making it much easier for access to the sites. There's an elevator at the Colosseum. My wife was able to go all around on the inside. The personnel at the Vatican are extremely helpful to anyone in a wheelchair or scooter, and no matter what you decide to do, be sure to get a chair at the Vatican. You have no idea how enormous it is and he could get worn out just walking from one end to the other. You will also be walking on marble floors -- they are particularly unforgiving on the feet because there's no "give" like in wood floors.