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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 26 January 2018
Visually impaired Prashant Verma and Blind Veena on their travel to Europe

Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum, Disneyland, Glacier 3000…Prashant Verma and his wife, Veena, both visually impaired, got an adrenalin thrill visiting these popular tourist destinations in Western Europe. Read their exciting travel diary.

When we decided to go on our long awaited Europe tour, a colleague in Veena’s office whispered to another in the ear, “What will this blind girl gain by going on this expensive tour when she is blind?”

It is true, most people wonder why we, a visually impaired couple, travel so much and how do we enjoy the numerous countries we have visited.

The answer lies in the statement of one of the most famous personalities of the 20th Century, Helen Keller.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart” - Helen Keller.

We cannot see but definitely we can observe, we can hear, we can smell, we can taste and most importantly we can feel. We could feel the fresh air, pure water and free traffic.

We love meeting new people, knowing more about new cultures and tasting new food. I also keenly observe the difference in the transport infrastructure, services for tourists and try to read about the history, climate and economy of the countries we visit.

One of the most memorable moments of this trip was the visit to the Glacier 3000 (an excursion paradise) in Switzerland. We really enjoyed the Chair lift and the snow bus on the glacier. We felt the snow under our feet and, yet, because of the sunshine, we did not feel that cold. We went on the roller coaster as well, although not many thought we would dare to do it. I actually got back the thrill of driving a car, something I used to do before my visual impairment. I really enjoyed running our sledge on the track at full speed and controlling the breaks at the turns.

Going close to the Roman Coliseum, touching and going up on the Eiffel Tower, boating in Venice brought back memories of our childhood when we had first read about these famous monuments. Now, being at those places gives a sense of achievement, a sense of satisfaction, a confirmation that all is well.

We were also pleased to see the accessibility provisions on the European streets for people with disabilities like broad walkways, tactile paths, talking traffic signals etc. The civic sense among the drivers there is something we need to bring home, cars stop to give way to pedestrians. We heard vehicle horn only once in 15 days, such a change from the maddening Delhi traffic.

Veena in particular liked her visit to the perfume shops in Paris. She is fond of perfumes, and relished the opportunity to smell so many of the world famous fragrances. She also got the rare opportunity to meet Micky Mouse in Disneyland in Paris. The Mickey Mouse made her touch and feel his eyes, nose, the big ears!

We also got to do more activities, something we enjoy a lot. The boating on river Rhine and waterfalls of the Rhine, cruise in Amsterdam and train rides in Jungfrau in particular will remain etched in memory.

Another curious and pleasant discovery was the presence of India and Indians everywhere in Europe. Even small villages now have Indian restaurants and during the summers, they say Indian tourists out number tourists from the rest of the world.

We are close to end of our 15 days Western Europe tour. The arrangements made by Enable Travel of Cox & Kings have been excellent. Mr. Cyrus has been assisting us in hotel check-ins, breakfast, lunch, dinner and also escorting us to all the points of interests. He is doing his best and remains available round the clock for us.

Most of the hotels were disabled friendly and we were given larger rooms with disabled friendly features. The food has not been an issue since we have been getting good Indian dishes all throughout. We also got to taste a bit of the local food in Italy and have got lot of assistance in our shopping.

With all the logistics and comforts taken care off, we have been able to enjoy the dozens of places we have visited already. Looks like it will become one of our most memorable tours.

(Prashant lost 75% of his vision at age 20 due to fungal infection, whereas Veena is totally blind by birth. He works as a Consultant - Training & Technical Support for The DAISY Consortium and she works as a HR Manager with NTPC Ltd. the power generation Public Sector Company. Both have received many honours in their area of work, including the National Awards for ‘Best Employee’ and ‘Best Role Model’ category. Prashant has also won the Gold & Silver medals in Abilympics, which is an international competition in occupational skills for persons with disabilities. Their travel arrangement was organized by Enable Travel, the accessible holiday initiative of Cox & Kings.)