Without a doubt, visiting Lisbon was the most challenging trip I have ever made in a wheelchair, anywhere in the world. Lithuania to Thailand. This was hard!

There are several things about Lisbon that I liked very much:

The climate was absolutely perfect. Coming from the cold and grey drizzle that we have come to know as the British climate (even during the summer this year!), I took off my jacket on the aeroplane at Gatwick and did not want it back on until I arrived back in Britain 10 days later. During the entire period, in the middle of October, the temperature hovered around 26°C. And the sun graced us with its company for the entire period. I have never had the good fortune to stay in such an agreeable climate -- neither too hot nor too cold. Just a T-shirt (and some trousers, of course, to avoid being arrested).. Perfect!

The quality of the food and wine was excellent. After Argentina , I did not think it possible to exceed the quality of the cuisine which I had experienced there. Fortunately, I did in Portugal. The quality of the meat was so good in one restaurant that I had to go back and have exactly the same the next evening just to make sure that I have not been dreaming and overplaying its brilliance. I was very glad to discover that I had to experience the same thing once again on my second visit.

The architecture of the city is very picturesque. I enjoy visiting places where the population actually live in the centre like Paris and Brussels. In Lisbon, this is very much the case.

But unfortunately, that is where my praise and enjoyment of Lisbon finishes.

My biggest problem as a disabled visitor was that all, and I mean all, the walkways and roads comprise of cobblestones or very uncomfortable stone pavements. It is true that it is clearly highlighted in all the guidebooks. However, I thought that since Portugal has been a member of the European Union since 1986, as has her Iberian neighbour, Spain, a country which has at least made some adjustments to cater for wheelchairs, I felt that Portugal would at least have spent some of the additional European Union revenue on improving road and pavement surfaces. Wrong!!!

I mean, a fundamental goal of the European Union is to improve the quality of life for the citizens of all member states. Portugal has obviously neglected this area when it comes to improving the quality of life by making it more comfortable and accessible for disabled people. I do not expect to be able to access everywhere in a very old city. However, there are numerous areas where the effort could and should have been made. Plenty of other cities have managed it. Kyoto in Japan is very old indeed and yet it has made provisions for people in wheelchairs. The entire underground system is accessible to wheelchairs and prams. Everywhere.

But this brings me on to the point that I really did not find attractive about Lisbon or the Portuguese. The attitude towards people who are physically disadvantaged. I was there just for ten days but during that period I only saw two other people with mobility problems who had ventured onto the streets. The first one was a young girl being pushed around by a woman struggling to get into a narrow doorway of a shop which had no ramp, just a step. Whilst this may not be contravening the European access laws, since the buildings are not new, it is the attitude of the population. Plenty of shops have adjusted their entrance to accommodate a ramp throughout Europe. Not in Lisbon. The other person I saw was speaking to his wife on the telephone complaining that he would love to go and have coffee with her and her friends but the pavements made it impossible for him to get there. And every time I needed help (for example, getting on a train) the assistance was given by non Portuguese.

I made the mistake of thinking that Portugal would be like Spain in many of its cultural aspects. But I was very wrong. People from Lisbon are very materialistic in the dog-eat-dog environment.

As you can see, I was not too enamoured with the place. In summary, great food, great wine, fantastic weather and it looks very quaint. I would recommend it for people to visit for a long weekend (able-bodied I emphasise) just to admire the architecture and the fine cuisine and weather it has to offer. However, like all beautiful things there is a drawback. In this case, it is the Portuguese who live in Lisbon.
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