Traveling is one of the benefits of a modern society. No longer does it take months on the perilous seas to cross continents and experience the ancient wonders of the world. However, for persons with disabilities, we can face numerous unknown barriers while enjoying this modern pastime of continent hopping.
For some time, Erika (the wife) and I had envisioned a Mediterranean cruise to see all of the monuments of the great civilizations of the past. After careful planning, we chose to fly into Rome, spend a day and a half with the Renaissance, board a cruise ship at the local port (Civitavecchia, Italy), island hop for the next 7 days on a Mediterranean cruise, and then finish our journey with 2 days in Athens.
As a quadriplegic, my challenges during the trip were numerous and my opportunities for site seeing of the historical monuments were somewhat limited. It’s not that the Italians, the Greeks, or the cruise industries lack accessible elements, but it’s just not realistic to have unfettered access within the ancient cities, islands, cruise ship, or airplanes!