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Montréal has the nickname of the City of Saints because of the numerous churches around the city. We certainly saw a few. Our accommodation in this interesting city was in an aparthotel near Central Station and right in the middle of the city. We had an accessible apartment, though the only difference to the other rooms was a few grab rails in the bathroom. We had a large main room with sofa, easy chair, writing desk, a double bed and open plan kitchen area, the second room was a double bedroom with a super king size bed. It had everything we needed for our three night stay. On the whole, we didn’t find Montréal very accessible (more about accessibility in another blog), but we did enjoy exploring the city and had some wonderful experiences. Day one we walked to the waterfront, then made our way through old Montréal to Chinatown. We discovered some very steep hills! There were some beautiful buildings in the old part of the city, but almost always seen with a backdrop of modern skyscrapers. The Marché Bonsecours is a particularly impressive building with its silver dome, but no longer a trading centre for goods brought by sea, it is now a small shopping mall selling expensive clothing and overpriced souvenirs. In the Palais des Congrès, there was an immersive light exhibition taking place. The building itself was colourful and the exhibition was incredible. There were three rooms, the first projecting films of wildlife and the natural world on to the walls. The second room, Racheal’s favourite, had patterns and different light effects, and the third was a short ‘documentary’ on the environment, climate and our impact on the world. Montréal is also the city of potholes! I encountered a large one and tripped, landing heavily on my knee, on the way back to the hotel. Fortunately no serious damage done, just a graze and bruise. The second day, Summer went to an art gallery in the morning, while Racheal caught up with some sleep and I prepared some meals for her. After lunch, we set off for a vintage clothing shop, Eva B, Summer had read about. When we arrived we found a large step preventing Racheal from entering, so she and I sat in the sunshine while Summer browsed the rails inside. As well as the city above ground, Montréal has an underground city which consists of 20 miles of walkways leading to shops, hotels, offices and entertainment venues. Unfortunately it proved very difficult to access, even the subway station only had a lift in one of the four entrances. We eventually found a way in, but after a few minutes found it changed levels and were again faced with only stairs or escalators. We soon gave up on the underground city and went in search of a cafe where we could give Racheal her tea. It was to be an afternoon of quirky eateries. Both the cafe where Racheal had her tea and the restaurant where we had a meal later we full of character as well as good coffee and nice food. We would definitely recommend Le Petit Depanneur near the Basilique Notre Dame and 5 Senses Restaurant on Rue St Catherine, though the former was a little tight for space. Our evening entertainment again involved lights. Summer had found another immersive light experience, this time in the Basilique Notre Dame. While I joined the queue, Summer and Racheal spent some time listening to a violinist playing in the square. We were taken into the darkened cathedral first as we had to use a different entrance, and spent 10 minutes or so exploring it, along with another wheelchair user and her companion, before finding a pew near the back when the rest of the audience began to file in. ‘AURA’ was divided into three ‘acts’ - The birth of light, The obstacles and The eternity of light. A variety of lighting and sound effects were used to create the story of creation, mankind’s separation from God and attempt to control light, and finally Christ’s return and the glorious light of eternity in heaven. It was a deeply moving experience. No photos or videos were allowed, so the pictures below are only of the pre-show lighting. The morning of our third and final day was spent packing our luggage in such a way that at least the large suitcase and my backpack could go in the ‘checked luggage’ on the train to Halifax. Once we had got everything sorted out, which took awhile, we were able to leave our luggage at the hotel and go off to explore another part of the city. We made a short detour to Central Station so that we could find out where we needed to go in the evening when we caught the train. Lunch was a picnic in the park next to another cathedral. It was a hot day and we decided to walk to the old port area, passing through the financial district on the way. Again the architecture was very interesting particularly the way that many banks had incorporated the old buildings into their modern skyscrapers. At the old port we saw the Montréal clocktower and wondered along pathways and over bridges enjoying the sunshine, and warm wind, along the side of the river. After a stop in a small supermarket to stock up on snacks for our journey, we returned to collect our luggage and made our way to the railway station to check in our luggage and wait to board the train to Halifax. Although it was only a 10 minute walk, it’s not all that easy when we’re both carrying a big backpack on our backs a small one on our front, one of us is managed ng two suitcases and the other pushing Racheal’s wheelchair while wheeling the third suitcase at the same time. We allowed plenty of time so we didn’t need to rush.

Our first experience of travelling by train in Canada was not without its challenges but it had a lot of plus points too. First, we were later getting to the station than planned because the person who should have met us at the subway for us to return the car was delayed. Then the station was frustratingly short of signage. Once we found the queue for boarding the train we were able to speak to a member of staff who took us to wait by the lift to the platform, but there was another issue! The seats we had been allocated were ordinary seats, not in the wheelchair accessible area as requested. Although the wheelchair space was available, the seats around it were not. We could either wait for a later train or transfer Racheal to an ordinary seat. The later train wasn’t really an option as it would mean arriving in Montreal at 10pm, an hour and a half later than our intended arrival time. We opted to transfer her to a seat on the basis that she can manage on an aircraft seat so a train for 5 hours should be ok. Catching a Via Rail train in Canada is quite an experience. Boarding is similar to flying. Passengers queue at a ’gate’ in the station and are only allowed on to the platform when boarding commences. Passengers with disabilities and small children board first. As you walk along the platform every carriage has member of staff holding a placard or the appropriate number of fingers to indicate the carriage number. We were in carriage 3, almost the furthest from the lift. The train was much higher than the platform so Racheal had to go on a portable lift up to the doorway while I climbed up into the next carriage and made my way to meet her. Summer followed with all the luggage assisted by more staff. Once we had transferred Racheal to her seat, the wheelchair was stowed in the wheelchair space in the next carriage and we settled down to enjoy the journey. We were in ‘economy’ class but our carriage was better than first class in the UK. Added to this, every carriage had an attendant for the duration of the journey. The train manager walked the length of the train making sure everyone was comfortable and being attended to, and there was a regular trolley service for drinks and snacks. Racheal was quite happy on her seat and in many ways it was better than the wheelchair space because Summer could sit right next to her making feeding and activities easier. One downside was the nice leather seats were slippery, but with the help of rolled up jumpers and coats we managed to keep her in a reasonable position. When we arrived at Montreal the platform was level with the train door, only needing a small ramp to bridge the gap between train and platform. However there was a platform stair lift to get up to the station lobby which was a bit tricky due to the length of Racheal’s chair. A porter kindly brought our luggage up on a large sack barrow and showed us the way to a lift which took us up to street level. It was dark, and difficult to find our bearings in a strange city, so the 5 minute walk to our hotel took nearly 20 minutes. We went 3 sides of a square instead of straight there! It’s also a little difficult to manage 3 suitcases, 2 large backpacks, 2 small backpacks, assorted other small bags and a wheelchair between two of us. On smooth surfaces it’s not too bad, but Montréal’s roads and pavements have a lot of potholes! We were very pleased to get to the hotel!!

On Saturday we were invited to share in Thanksgiving celebrations with a dear Guiding friend and her family. Having never been to a Thanksgiving meal before, we didn’t really know what to expect. The house was full of people and I can’t remember the names of everyone, but we were made very welcome. Margaret’s husband, Terry, had made a ramp to give Racheal easy access to their beautiful heritage home. First, there were pumpkins to carve. Summer and Racheal made a good attempt at our gap year logo, joining in the fun with the other young adults in the family. When it started to rain, and get chilly outside, folks gathered in the sitting room to chat by a roaring fire until we were called through for a delicious meal. There was chicken, ham and a lovely selection of vegetables, followed by various puddings including pumpkin pie of course! Lots of things for Racheal to try. And today (second Monday in October) is Thanksgiving in Canada so … HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! And thank you Margaret, Terry and family for a wonderful afternoon and evening.

Although Orangeville had been our home for 9 days we didn’t really explore it until the last couple of days. The town centre ran along one Main Street, ‘Broadway’, where we found a mixture of independent shops, thrift shops and cafes. On the edge of town, the Island Lake Conservation Area provided a pleasant place to walk, though we did have to dodge runners taking part in a school cross country competition. We were glad of Racheal’s Treki chair to cope with my uneven paths and the occasional tree root! (There’s a chipmunk to be found in the bottom right photo if you zoom in.) Our final experience of Orangeville was breakfast in Angels Diner before taking Ann to Margaret’s to be looked after until her flight home. Summer, Racheal and I then headed to Toronto to catch our train to Montreal.

Our trip to Toronto involved various forms of transport, all of which Racheal thoroughly enjoyed. First a ride in our wheelchair accessible hire car to Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto. From there we caught the subway into Union Station, in the centre of the city. All very accessible and with plenty of staff on hand to help. Very impressed that every carriage had two wheelchair spaces, one at each end. After checking where we need to go when we leave Ontario by train in a few days time, we set off to find a sightseeing tour bus. This was accessed by a rather rickety looking ramp for Racheal. It was a hop-on-hop-off, so we decided to get off at the Distillery Heritage District to find somewhere for lunch. There were lots of independent cafes and shops. Not all were wheelchair accessible due to the age of the buildings but it was a warm day and pleasant to wander around. When we caught the next bus the ramp was jammed so we had to lift Racheal, in her wheelchair, onto the bus. She thought it was hilarious, I wasn’t so impressed! The rest of the tour was mediocre at best and our guide spoke far too fast. We stayed on the bus until we had completed a circuit and got off outside the CN Tower which is 553m tall and for a long time was the tallest free standing structure in the world. After negotiating security and ticket sales, we were directed to a glass lift which shot us up 346m to the main observation deck in 60 seconds. Racheal wasn’t that bothered about having her tea at such an altitude, but the lift ride down again she found even more exciting than the ride up! For the rest of us, the views were incredible and we could even look directly down on a Blue Jays baseball game, though it was far too small to see what was going on! By the time we came out it was dark and the tower was lit with red and blue chasing lights. We were much later back than intended, by the time we had walked to the subway, travelled 50 minutes to the car park and then another 50 minutes drive to our accommodation, but it was a good day out. .

There’s nothing quite like Guiding friendships, they stretch across the years and miles. Ann and I met a group of eight Canadian Guide leaders in 2008 when we went to Our Cabana, the Girlguiding World Centre in Mexico. We’ve been friends ever since. We’ve met up with some of them on three occasions in the UK, but this was our first visit to see them on their home turf. Sadly, they lost Ruby a few years ago, but the other seven are still as full of fun as they were 17 years ago. After a ‘bring and share’ meal at June’s home, accompanied by much reminiscence and frivolity, we joined them for pumpkin crafts at their Trefoil Guild meeting. Summer and Racheal were welcomed with open arms, and much interest in their gap year adventures. We were pleased with our creations, but there wasn’t space to pack them in our luggage, so our Airbnb gained some additional Thanksgiving decorations.

Elliot Tree Farm is one of the many maple syrup producers in the area. They also have a small museum about maple syrup production, and you can go on a tour of the farm. We had checked that the tour was wheelchair accessible and booked. It was quite nice to find another family on the tour who also had a wheelchair user as part of their group. While we waited to set off, we chatted about other adventures we had each had. I was particularly interested to hear that they had been to Japan, as this is somewhere I would like to go in the future. Our tour guide, Brayden, was a high school student who walked fast and talked fast! It was interesting to hear about the different trees and how the sap is tapped from just beneath the bark in the late winter/early spring. Each tree produces around 75 litres of sap which makes less than 40 litres of maple syrup. As the season only lasts about six weeks the rest of the year is dedicated to growing Christmas trees and general farm maintenance. It was interesting to learn that when the trees are planted, winter rye is also planted at the same time to protect the seedling trees from wind and cold until they are strong enough to cope alone. After walking around the farm, we were treated to a taste of three different strengths of maple syrup with waffle and ice cream in the small museum. Racheal enjoyed tasting the maple syrup too! From here we went onto Elora a small town with lots of older buildings. We had a pleasant lunch sitting outside in the sunshine before exploring the town. There were many independent shops and self service market stores selling local produce and crafts.

We had an early start to get from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2 for 9am. It doesn’t sound far, but with all our luggage a 15 minute walk from the hotel, a lift to the underground station, waiting for the train, the short ride followed by more lifts and a 20 minute walk from the next underground station into the terminal, we felt we had done 50,000 steps by the time we got to check in! Checking in was straightforward. Racheal had been given allowance for an extra suitcase in the hold which was filled with continence pads but well under the 23kg weight limit. Her other suitcase just scraped in at 22.9kg! We didn’t feel we needed to have an assistant help us through the airport, so we agreed to meet someone at the gate prior to boarding. Security is always a slightly anxious point when flying with Racheal due to the amount of equipment and all the bottles of liquid we have to carry. This time it was so easy! Terminal 2 at Heathrow has a new system. Electrical items and liquids no longer have to be removed from bags which made things easier. They did want to look at a few bottles of medicine, but that only took a few minutes and the staff were so jolly and friendly, it didn’t feel at all stressful. They even located the spare axles for Racheal’s wheelchair, which I had spent the previous evening searching for. X-ray machines are handy for finding metal objects! Despite arriving at the airport 3 hours before the flight there is never time to browse in shops or even get a drink when travelling with Racheal. Her personal care and preparing for the flight takes up any spare time there might be. We had just finished preparing all Racheal’s medicines when we were called. At the aircraft door, I folded the handles and foot plate of her Treki chair ready for it to go in the hold. Unfortunately, the assistance people weren’t allowed to use her lifting sling to transfer her to the aisle chair which is used to move her through the plane to her seat, they had to use their own which was really too big for her. They then lifted her again from the aisle chair to her seat, and left us to get settled. A bonus if travelling with Racheal is that we get in first, so there is plenty of space in the overhead lockers for all her extra carry on luggage. In fact we took up less space than a lot of other people because most of our bags fitted neatly under the seat. The flight was 8 hours long, but the inflight entertainment passed the time reasonably well. Summer and I sat either side of Racheal who enjoyed a Disney film and listening to music through her headphones. We were able to attend to Racheal’s personal care by lying her across our seats and covering her with a towel for privacy. This we did three times and no one around us even seemed to notice. I had a carefully worked out plan for Racheal’s meals and medicines to take account of the time difference. We don’t use the pump for her fluids on the plane because it makes her uncomfortable so she had smaller amounts of water, more often. She also had smaller meals, and an extra one after we arrived so there wasn’t such a long gap between tea on English time and breakfast on Canadian time the next day. When we arrived in Toronto we were greeted by friendly assistance man who used Racheal’s sling to lift her onto the aisle chair and then transfer her to her wheelchair which was unscathed by the aircraft door. Always a big sigh of relief to see a present and undamaged wheelchair on arrival! Usually assistance agents come through the airport with us to help with retrieval of luggage, but these two disappeared. I imagine they thought we would be ok as there were three of us with Racheal, and we were. We had dutifully filled in our arrival information on the app on our phones for fast track into Canada, only to find there was a technical problem so a short form had to be completed before we could get on our way. Luggage collected and toilets used, we messaged the ‘car man’, Fahim, to bring our wheelchair adapted hire car to meet us. It took a while to get sorted out with the car, because the first time he came a security guard moved him on for stopping in the wrong place so he had to join a queue to round the pick up area again. By the time he got back to us it had started to rain. The set up with this car is very different to what we are used to as the ramp is on the side instead of the back, it’s automatic and the steering wheel is on the wrong side!!. Getting Racheal’s wheelchair in went smoothly and she was soon secure and the luggage stowed in the large boot. Driving in Canada for the first time in 30 years was a challenge to say the least! They drive on the opposite side of the road which I don’t find too much of a problem, but many of their road signs are very different, lanes on highways disappear or appear without warning, and some rules of the road take a bit of getting used to. Like turning right on red lights and oncoming vehicles turning at the same time as you into a road. Also speed limits seem to be for decoration only and vehicles regularly pass on either side on freeways. All this combined with the fact we had no sat nav except my phone which wasn’t speaking to me made for a hair raising, white knuckle journey. Ann held the phone and tried to give me directions, but it wasn’t easy. Due to the volume of traffic and a couple of unintended detours, the trip took twice as long as expected. We finally arrived to a lovely welcome from 3 of our Canadian friends, Margaret, Mary and Carmel, and the owner of the bungalow which would be home for the next 9 nights. Our friends had brought shopping, home made cookies and muffins, and the medical supplies which had been delivered ahead. By this time it would have been gone midnight at home but was still early evening in Canada. By the time Racheal had had her last feed at 10pm (3am UK time), we were relieved to climb into bed and get some sleep.

Thirty years ago Ann and I visited Niagara Falls in the pouring rain. In fact it was raining so hard you couldn’t see where the rain stopped and the falls started! This time we were determined to see it on a dry day. We had arranged to meet Mama Althea, Racheal’s first foster carer, and her friend Chan for lunch en route from our Airbnb. Racheal had responded really positively when she heard Althea’s voice on the phone the night before but the restaurant was very noisy and not Racheal’s favourite environment. She was very serious all through lunch, but happy again when we got outside into the sunshine. We hadn’t seen Althea for six years, so it was lovely to catch up with her. According to the sat nav it should have been a 90 minute drive to Niagara Falls from our lunch rendezvous. It took double that, so it was 5.30 when we finally pulled into the very expensive car park. However the sun was shining and it was dry, which was the main thing. After Racheal had had her tea, we set off to listen to the incredible sound of 6 million cubic feet of water per minute falling 188ft from top to bottom of Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian section of the falls. You can get very close to the top of the waterfall on an accessible walkway, but to get even closer we chose to do the ‘Journey Behind the Falls’. A lift took us down to tunnels where where you can look out through the wall of water and then onto a viewing platform just to the side of the base of the falls. Waterproof ponchos are provided, but they are not sufficient to keep anyone dry. Racheal sensibly wore her own! By this time it had gone dark and the water was reflecting the changing coloured lights shining on it from above. Back up in the open we went for a final look before retreating to the restaurant for a hot drink. And then the drive home, which was much easier with less traffic on the roads.

The first day was spent recovering from the journey, sorting out nebuliser issues with the help of friends (more about things to consider when travelling abroad in another post) and a local walk for Summer and Racheal. Day two we were ready to explore, so after a stop at Kitchener station to book our tickets to Montreal for the next leg of this adventure, we struck out into Mennonite country. Our first stop was the St Jacobs market which is situated a few miles from the village. A busy place with lots of fresh produce and local crafts, most notably quilts. Many of the stall holders were wearing traditional Mennonite dress and carried their wares by horse and wagon. Alongside the market was a small museum, The Mennonite Story, which held a mock up of a chapel and information about their history and culture. There were also lots of Thanksgiving decorations as Canada has Thanksgiving the second Monday of October, earlier than neighbouring USA. From the market, we moved on to explore the village. It was a quaint little place with many old buildings, but not particularly accessible!

An apt choice for her bedtime story the night before our next adventure! We set off this morning to catch the train to Heathrow, chauffeured to the station by our neighbour. First a local train, then the intercity changing to the, fully accessible, Elizabeth Line for the final leg of the journey. We had booked passenger assistance, but this didn’t work particularly well. We were met off the first train by someone pushing a wheelchair, which we didn’t need. He did show us to the next train, but after that there was no one for the other connections. We discovered later that this was because the first person hadn’t marked the assistance complete on the computer, so subsequent stops were not expecting us. As Ann was with us this time, we were able to manage by just asking staff for directions to lifts and accessible routes. We were each carrying two rucksacks, had three suitcases and a bag to coordinate, as well as Racheal’s chair to push. Quite a feat! Racheal enjoyed the train journey. It’s my favourite way to travel too. From Heathrow we were able to use a covered walkway, after making use of the Changing Places Toilet, to our hotel for the night. We usually stay at Premier Inns because they provide a free carer’s room. It’s a bonus when the rooms have an interconnecting door as our rooms here do. We also have a view of the runway which is quite fun. Reasonably early night ready for the next part of our journey tomorrow.

We left Saddell heading for our final Scottish destination of our six week tour, Oban, following the A83 up the west coast of Kintyre to Tarbert and then on up the east coast to Lochgilphead. Here we found a pleasant café for lunch and stretched our legs wandering round the small town, before continuing our journey. We looked for somewhere to change Racheal but they didn’t appear to be anywhere suitable nearby. However, as we drove out of the town, we noticed a leisure centre and pulled over. To our delight, there was a fully equipped changing places toilet with hoist and changing table, everything we needed. So with everybody fed and comfortable, we continued our journey. As we had plenty of time, I decided to follow the Crinan Canal for a few miles before turning northwards again, crossing a small, rather rickety looking bridge. The land became uncharacteristically flat and the road very straight, which was certainly a change. Eventually, we rejoined the main road and arrived at the youth hostel in Oban just in time for check-in. Oban youth hostel had an accessible room with wet room, which Racheal and I shared. Summer slept in the original hostel in a dormitory room. The kitchen in the main hostel left a lot to be desired, but the accessible room was in the modern block which had a better kitchen albeit a little smaller. Our room and the common room in the main hostel had fantastic views out over the bay from which we could see beautiful sunsets. We only had one day to explore Oban, and as this would be followed by two long days of driving, we decided just to walk into the town which was not very far. Next door but one to the hostel was the Roman Catholic Cathedral so this was the first place we explored. The rest of the time we really spent looking at the shops and sitting watching the CalMac ferries going backwards and forwards to the small islands. So it was time to head home. We had a fantastic time in Scotland, not only enjoying the stunning views, the sensory experiences for Racheal, the culture, the peace and tranquility, but also cementing friendships particularly for Racheal and Summer. We’ve learnt to work together, to live together, to overcome differences and difficulties, we’ve laughed and joked together and built the foundation for future trips. Which is just as well as we will only be home for two weeks before we set off for Canada. The next leg of our Wheely Amazing Gap Year! Oban at night, taken by Summer.