Seeing France From a Wheelchair

Travel in my electric wheelchair on a medieval path through northern France, with its bumpy cobblestones, tall cathedrals, narrow streets and ancient churches was surprisingly possible.

All that is needed is a passion for the architecture and life of the Middle Ages, planning a rented van, two lightweight, collapsible ramps and a few friends who think nothing of bumping the chair up a curb. A little patience also comes in handy when confronting the remaining barriers for tourists in wheelchairs.

The rest is already there: restaurants and hotels with ready access, walled cities, Gothic cathedrals, Romanesque churches, incipient programs to install curb ramps (called bateaux in French) in many cities, and unbeatable cheese, bread and fruit for picnics in the shade of abbey ruins.

Two collapsible ramps were invaluable. Not only did I use them for getting in and out of the van but also to span two or three steps of a building.

They are six inches wide, 80 inches at full length and weigh 12 pounds. Dividing into four 20-inch sections that fit into each other, they are packaged in a vinyl case made to hang from the back handles of a wheelchair. One section can be used on both sides of a medieval “step-over” door sill.

The ramps are available for $375 at Mobility Systems, 2849 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, Calif. 94702, phone (415) 540-0295.

For Architecture Lovers

Enthusiasts of 11th-Century Romanesque architecture can visit some of the best examples of the genre in Normandy, even if using a wheelchair. We started our exploration of Romanesque Normandy in Bayeux in the land of medieval monks, Norsemen and William the Conqueror.

The famous Bayeux Tapestry sets the stage. The 231-foot work depicts the conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy. Along its borders are scenes of 11th-Century life complete with thick-set farmers and flirtatious couples.

First we viewed the explanation of the tapestry and a slide show projected on the “sails” of William’s ships, accompanied by Viking-inspired music. The tapestry is housed in a former bishopric, recently remodeled and entirely wheelchair-accessible.

Nearby, the family-oriented Hotel le Bayeux with 23 rooms on a quiet street is a good base for side trips. One particularly spacious room with an electric bed and a gigantic bathroom was designed for a disabled relative of the original owner.

The resident managers advertise this room with pride and were most gracious to us, eagerly answering our request for coffee when we arrived at 10:30 p.m. and even more enthusiastically showing me the room. Service is excellent and the price reasonable ($35 double; 9 Rue Tardif, 14400 Bayeux, France).

A 10-mile side trip through the Cerisy Forest of oak and birch ends with a perfect lesson in medieval architecture, the abbey church at Cerisy-la-Foret. Its thick walls, small windows and groined vaults typify the Norman Romanesque style. The church has a six-inch, step-over door sill, easily managed with a 20-inch section of ramp on either side.

An hour east is Caen, William the Conqueror’s favorite city. Bombed almost to the ground in 1944 and now rebuilt, Caen treasures its miraculously spared Romanesque masterpieces, Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames.

Tall masculine towers above a sheer facade distinguish the men’s abbey, built by William. His tomb lies before the main altar. Entrance to the church is level.

William’s wife Matilde, said to have spurned his first proposal with, “I’d rather take the veil than marry a bastard,” commissioned the abbey for women across town and is buried there. The church has three steps, easily spanned by the portable ramps.

Other Area Specialties

The drive east toward two more abbeys on the Seine River offers opportunities for savoring other kinds of regional specialties: Chicken in velvety sauce Normande made from local cream; Calvados, a cider spirit made from the apples grown along the highway, and true Normandy Camembert, Livarot and Pont l’Eveque cheeses.

On the way we paused at Honfleur, the fishing port made famous by Impressionist painters.

The Seine, crossed at the Tancarville Bridge (named for William’s chamberlain) winds south past white cliffs of granite and leads to two major Benedictine monasteries of 7th-Century origin, Saint Wandrille and Jumieges. Saint Wandrille Abbey, whose 9th-Century abbot Eginhard was Charlemagne’s secretary, is still a working monastery. A kindly monk leads tours and affectionately calls attention to “Jean-Jacques,” the bell that tolls for vespers.

The abbey has no stairs to enter the grounds, the chapel or the gift shop, but loose stone paths are hard to manage in a wheelchair for a full tour, even though the kindly monk urged all hands to give a push. The 14th-Century cloister can be glimpsed through a doorway even if one chooses not to descend the two steps.

The great ruins of the 10th-Century abbey at Jumieges was our favorite monument of the Romanesque Age. The site is accessible with the portable ramps over the three-step entrance. From there it’s easy to traverse the old cloister to the roofless nave and grassy apse of this large chapel dedicated in the presence of William the Conqueror.

Picnicking is prohibited among the ruins, but baguettes, Neufchatel cheese and our always-present Vittel mineral water on the lawn near the parking lot were a medieval buff’s dream.

Flamboyant Cathedral

Much of the architecture of Rouen, not far from Jumieges, predates even Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake there in 1431. Rouen’s cathedral, the flamboyant Gothic painted by Claude Monet, has a level entrance. The plaza in front of the cathedral is cobblestone, not ideal but certainly passable.

Half-timbered houses line the neighborhood. The Rue du Gros Harloge is a mall of modern shops in Renaissance buildings, including the arch of the Horloge (clock). We bought washclothes (made in Yugoslavia) there, something the French do not use.

South of Rouen, Richard the Lion-Hearted’s old Chateau Gaillard commands a panorama of the countryside along the Seine. The approach to the fortress, now in ruins, is steep, bumpy and inaccessible to people using wheelchairs. The view from the parking lot, however, is excellent, and demonstrates the importance of the Seine both as a route for medieval invaders and as a key to control of Paris.

A more approachable fortress is just east at Gisors, held in the 12th Century by Richard’s rival, Philip Augustus, King of France. The entrance through the 10-foot-thick wall is level. Arrow slits pierce the wall and we could see down to the rooftops of the medieval houses. The stony path is moderately difficult but passable.

Ten of the 12 major Gothic cathedrals in northern France have two or fewer steps and are easily managed with the portable ramps. Their ambulatories are usually accessible and it is easy to view exterior sculpture closely. Parking is available near most cathedrals except in Paris. Cathedrals are always cool; sweaters are advisable even on warm days.

Use Paris as a Base

Paris is a good base for exploring the cathedrals of Chartres, Senlis, Beauvais and Amiens. I discovered that the best entrance to the calm and majestic Notre Dame of Paris is the exit door, which has a two-inch step. The plaza is cobblestone; the towers have no elevators.

The Basilica of Saint-Denis, formerly an abbey, at the northern edge of Paris does not have easy access. The entrance has four steps and the multilevel interior is not passable in a wheelchair. However, the west facade of this 12th-Century prototype of Gothic cathedrals can be viewed easily from across a small street.

An excellent wheelchair guide to hotels and public buildings in Paris, entitled “Access to Paris,” is $5 at Pauline Hephaistos Survey Projects, 39 Bradley Gardens, London W13, England. Author Gordon Couch lists accessibility features such as number of steps and restroom facilities for many medieval (and later) buildings.

Hostellerie du Chateau, a castle hotel at Fere-en-Tardenois, 18 miles west of Reims, is a convenient and elegant base for visiting the cathedrals in Noyon, Soissons, Reims and Laon. In the best of French tradition, guests’ needs are anticipated and taken care of by discreet, almost invisible service. The one accessible room opens onto a garden with a two-inch step down.

It is spacious, immaculate and stocked with towels, fruit and beverages. Owners Monsieur and Madame Gerard Blot are remodeling three more ground-floor rooms, one with a particularly large bathroom and a roll-in shower. The restaurant, recommended by Gault-Millau, has one step to enter.

We ordered the Menu Degustation, a sampling of many dishes, including desserts. ($100 double; Hostellerie du Chateau, 02130 Fere-en-Tardenois, France.)

Five Steps or Less

Notre Dame of Reims, the cathedral where French monarchs were crowned, has five steps. The cathedrals at Soissons and Noyon each have one step. The one in Laon, famed for the beloved oxen on its towers, has a level entrance.

Like the United States, France has made strides in accessible hotel accommodations in the last 15 years. Three widespread hotel chains--Mercure, Ibis and Novotel--publish books in English listing the number of handicapped rooms in each of their hotels throughout France.

Wheelchair accommodations differ. But at the least you can expect a level entrance, adequate elevator and spacious bathroom, usually with 25-inch minimum knee clearance under a washbowl. What varies is the height of the toilet and bathtub. Booklets and reservations for all three hotel chains can be obtained from Resinter, 509 Madison Ave., New York 10022, (800) 221-4542.

Many cities in France have a few curb ramps in the center of town. More frequently, street travel in a wheelchair requires assistance with curbs. Many of the new curb ramps are not level and have an inexplicable two-inch step at the bottom. In small towns we sometimes traveled on the side of the road and avoided curbs entirely.