Posts Tagged ‘Frankfurt’
Football Women’s World Cup Part II
星期四, 七月 14th, 2011Eigude Shame XVII
星期三, 七月 13th, 2011My suspicion is that construction engineers compress their planning to the most confined space not because building sites are so expensive, but only for that reason because they would otherwise need to print another piece of paper!
Everybody knows it, when you are writing a letter on the PC and the text doesn’t fit onto one page, you also try with smaller line spacing and font to squeeze everything onto one page.
In a building in the neighbourhood a new emergency stair case with new entrance area was built in the record-breaking time of two years.
They have taken much effort that the residents of the neighbouring houses will still remember the reconstructions years later.
I was positively surprised that on the side of the entrance a small
Outside lift for wheelchairs
was built. Great thing because in this building there are living also many old and frail people who may need a wheelchair in a couple of years.
We generously overlook the stair on the left with which the waste disposal is made a little difficult for us “travelling people”.
I am actually not concerned any more, but how can you construct such an extremely
Steep Stairway.
The stairs are very high and consist even out of polished granite. The lady on the picture had greatest difficulties to climb the entrance with her walking stick. There would have been more than enough space to front for the stairway construction, but as mentioned probably the paper was too small. The guy who is responsible for the construction of this stairway should be accused for attempted injury.
After the next winter the fresh wheelers due to a downfall from the stairs will probably queue in front of the outside lift!!
Translator BL
Football Women’s World Cup Part I
星期二, 七月 12th, 2011Addendum to the fairy tale from June 29th
星期一, 七月 11th, 2011Where are the 70.000 workers at Frankfurt Airport???
星期四, 六月 30th, 2011Long “fairytale”, but worth reading!!!
On Saturday I landed exceedingly on time on 22:30 from Chania (Crete) in Frankfurt.
I will never understand why some people are applauding after the landing. Nobody was ever applauding for me when I did my job well. Anyway…
The aircraft was parking on a remote stand, I had as usual a nice window seat and watched very relaxed the totally stressed pedestrians leaving the plane.
As wheelchair user you have the privilege of the last passenger after the landing.
The flight captain stated that he had requested the special lifting bus and adequate members of the ground staff already several times, so that I could leave the plane as well.
But nobody came!!!
Parts of the crew and the pilot provided some company to me with which they apparently had some fun. The unwritten law that the captain is the last to leave the ship is still of great importance at Condor.
Eventually someone from ground staff came and seriously asked me if I could walk. He accurately observed that he could not help me on his own. Insight of the day…
While waiting for the lifting bus the luggage was unloaded, so I asked a crew member to check if my wheelchair and wheelchair tractive Minitrac are waiting on the airfield and hopefully are not loaded on the luggage carts.
He said that this would be the case, the things would be standing there. Uff…
The lifting bus finally arrived around 23:10, I left the aircraft with the help of two strong guys and my beloved plane transit wheelchair.
Afterwards they helped me into my own wheelchair which unlike my Minitrac was fortunately still there.
Anyway, so we had to get my Minitrac at the bulky luggage claim.
With the bus we were not brought as usual to the FraCare Service (Service for handicapped at Frankfurt airport), because this area was already closed at this time, but to a different entrance.
There a friendly employee from FraCare was waiting for me.
She said that our luggage would be in the reconstructed building C, and we would have to see how we get there at this time because some of the elevators were switched off.
She used her phone virtually as GPS and lead us confidently like a bushman in the desert through the corridors of the building.
When we finally arrived at the luggage belt we didn’t have to search our luggage for a long time, our 3 bags were rotating around and around.
The whole baggage claim area was almost deserted, there was not even a luggage thief.
My Minitrac
stood with its 65 kg a little disjointed in a plastic box on the bulky luggage belt!
My wife reassembled the Minitrac to begin with.
It is unbelievable, but at 23:44 nobody responsible was there nor could be reached by telephone, who could lift my little box from the luggage belt.
In the meantime even the last passengers were gone who we could have asked for help.
At last my wife has magically lifted my Minitrac from the luggage belt together with two men whom I just call Mister X and Y here. At this point I would like to thank them and the employee of FraCare again!
I left the terminal at 23:55!!!
My pre-ordered wheelchair taxi was kindly waiting in front of the terminal.
I have sent this “fairy tale” in a slightly modified version to Fraport (operating company of Frankfurt Airport) requesting their comments. I will keep you informed.
To my shame I have to admit that I used to work 9 years at the Frankfurt airport before my accident.
Translator BL
Alternative Therapy
星期一, 五月 30th, 2011There are various therapies for muscle relaxation.
Mud packs, acupuncture, massages of all kind, stimulation current therapy, etc. etc. etc…
There is a shockingly expensive machine called Galileo which is basically just a vibrating plate on which you can regulate different frequencies.
On Saturday night we went to the group vibration therapy, similar to Galileo, to the “Festhalle” in Frankfurt (big event hall).
The English therapists are known since 1975 under the name
Iron Maiden
and achieve with their years of experience and permanent frequency changes best possible therapy successes by full body vibration.
Muscle build-up by clapping and CPAP lung exercise by singing along!
By slight shock-values generated by the stage design additionally the circulation is stimulated.
Several thousand patients were treated at the same time.
An additional positive effect is that you can still hear slightly the sound of the ocean days later which causes a holiday feeling.
Incomprehensibly the health insurance does not cover the costs of this since 36 years proven and tested alternative therapy.
Read my older blogpost Football ticket on prescription.
Translator Teo
The eigth Plague of Mankind
星期一, 五月 16th, 2011
Yesterday it was raining cotton wool
Translator BL
Eigude Shame Part XVI
星期日, 三月 27th, 2011Today, like every couple of years, I wanted to follow my civic duty and go/drive to the polls.
Local, federal state or Bundestag elections are a must for me as almost professional complainer.
True to the motto: who doesn’t vote doesn’t have the right to complain either!
When I finally arrived at the Riedhof school in Frankfurt after an exhausting journey (approx. 92 meters), I stood already for the third time in front of this steep, dangerous
auxiliary ramp – slide
The perspective is misleading, this thing is steep!
At the first two elections I had already complained at the electoral assistants.
Probably this
climbing frame
was used as a pattern for the ramp.
At this local election the
ballot paper
is a little larger. You are allowed to make 96 crosses at max, which with my finger function can block the polling booth for 1,5 hours.
The unfolded ballot papers hardly fit on to the small primary school tables.
The ballot papers are very popular with the homeless as blanket.
Translator BL
Heißt Fukushima übersetzt Biblis?
星期四, 三月 17th, 2011对不起，此内容只适用于Deutsch。
I will only travel by bus soon!
星期二, 三月 15th, 2011It is time again for my favourite subject:
The disabled parking place and its consequences for my blood pressure.
I have sufficiently explained in older blogposts that I need to open the driver’s door completely to get in and out of the car.
When I am parking, I leave on the driver’s side as much space as possible, even on big disabled parking places. You never know what may come to some people’s mind.
Additionally I have a big
”Please keep distance” label
next to my driver’s door.
Today I was ambulant in hospital and was happy that even two disabled parking places, even next to each other, were still free.
I decided to take the right one and leave in old manner enough space on the left side to get out. The blue car on the left applied the same method on the passenger’s side. Have a look what I had to experience when I wanted to go home.
Irrespective of the impertinence to park between two disabled parking places, this matchbox car has a disabled parking permit on the windscreen and a label on the driver’s door:
“Please keep door width distance”
The driver can only hope that he or she will never meet me in person. This person will be really disabled then, namely deaf.
How I came back into my car is kept my secret. Even as pedestrian you don’t manage to come into the car with half-opened driver’s door due to my foldaway slide board. To slide over from the passenger’s seat on to the driver’s seat is not possible either due to the hand throttle system! Additionally I have a metal plate in front of my pedals.
I don’t know if the wheeler has ever made it into the blue car.
Translator BL
Nothing but the truth…
星期四, 一月 27th, 2011As you can see from the tags (frontpage right site) the subject of handicap parking almost protrudes my blog meanwhile.
But I absolutely have to tell this story, I have witnesses:
On Monday I exceptionally took my own car to go to the hospital, I wanted to go to physiotherapy in their therapy pool. Usually I take the handicap taxi service for this.
Great thing with this taxi service, thanks to the city of Frankfurt from this side.
In half a year 96 taxi rides respectively 36 taxi rides when a car is owned are for us handicapped Frankfurt citizens within the town and surroundings free of charge. The city bears the costs.
This should be introduced in the whole of Germany.
Then it was time again for having some fun with parking at the hospital.
On one of the 6 disabled parking places a minivan taxi was standing, great…
When I arrived another wheelchair user just parked his car on the left side in the restricted parking (we are allowed to), but left enough space for not blocking the SUV which stood on one of the disabled parking places.
I parked my car into this space because the wheelchair driving SUV driver is a friend of mine with whom I am in the water together anyway.
When I looked around from my car out of the open door which kind fellow citizen might help me getting out of the car I could hardly believe my own eyes.
There was actually sitting a (female) driver in the minivan taxi!!!
I didn’t see her before, the blood pressure rises if you want or not.
I don’t mind if pedestrians are parking on a disabled parking place if they remain sitting in the car and drive their vehicle away when one of us would like to park there.
In this moment another wheelchair user arrived with his car and parked on the other side in the restricted parking.
Is the lady really that ignorant?
Just wait until I am out of the car!
I had the impression that she was watching me.
Hmmm, why not actually get out of the car with her help?
Then the lady gets at least out of her warm car in the fresh (cold) air, is doing something good, and an adequate comment will be placed by me at the end for free as well.
I beckoned to her, and to my surprise she actually approached me from her car.
My look was probably not the friendliest one.
Even before I could say anything she said meekly to me:
I know, I know… my car is not starting, I am waiting for the breakdown service!
Can I help?
Translator BL
Simply Great Part IV
星期四, 一月 27th, 2011What you need as wheelchair user is the patience of others, everything is “going” a little slower, and much space, always and everywhere.
Everybody who already stood in a changing room of a department store knows how “big” these rooms are.
Such a changing room in general is wheelchair friendly.
You can access it without barriers and it doesn’t have doors either.
Ok, you can’t turn around either, the coat hooks are mounted a little too high, stool or bench are standing in your way, but apart from that it’s quite cozy inside.
Although it is hardly possible to try on clothes inside, it is perfectly suitable for a little nap.
Actually somebody from a large green department store chain has given some thoughts and has built a
Wheelchair Changing Room
in Frankfurt. I don’t know if it is the only one.
The description
extra large
is not overstated.
Great thing!!!
The space in this room is so gigantic that you almost need a GPS to find the exit again.
Translator BL
Water, water, water…
星期日, 一月 16th, 2011Eigude Shame XIII
星期四, 一月 6th, 2011Some fellow patients who were lying with me in the same hospital room for months permanently stated that I had to go to the sleep laboratory.
My wife has the same opinion, and I agree with her because I wake up every now and then from my own
“slight rattling”.
The Guinness book of records lists snoring of 93 decibel what is corresponding to the noise level of a busy highway (source Wikipedia).
Because I didn’t want to break this record I had to do something.
I got a case from my doctor, a mobile sleep laboratory, that means that you fix a black box around your belly at home in bed at night and wire yourself up. Good night.
Based on these results I was admitted to the hospital.
I had the suspicion that it could be a well-disguised compulsory hospitalization. There might be plenty of reasons!
Sleep laboratory at night, normal ward during the day.
Yesterday I went to the hospital to express various special wheelchair requests. Rest periods, menu sequence…
The hospital already left a permanent impression before I was even inside. At the main entrance there is a great
wheelchair ramp,
but no lowered curb.
Although the gateway on the right side of the main entrance is usable as wheelchair driver it might be dangerous as it is quite uneven and not on grate.
If you get overrun by a car or do a backflip after curb jumping at least the way to the hospital is not very far.
Translator BL
Disabled Parking Place Occupier
星期二, 十二月 21st, 2010All parking facilities for exceptionally disabled people, also known as disabled parking permit, are known to have the colour blue.
For us lame footers sitting in the car it is hardly possible to determine whether a permit is lying in the car which is parking e.g. on a disabled parking place in front of a bakery or not.
(Older blogpost: Please keep our disabled parking places free!).
Should I coincidentally see that no parking permit is displayed of course I would wait for a couple of hours on the street until the assumed
Disabled Parking Place Occupier
is coming out of the bakery with his/her groceries. Maybe I would have got a bread roll from him/her.
To avoid such unnecessary waiting time in the future, and to have disabled parking place occupiers easily identified by the regulatory authorities, allegedly all vehicles from disabled people with parking permit have to be painted blue from now on.
Here in front of a hospital one of the first
blue types.
Of course now without unnecessary parking permit!
One could almost think it would be a vehicle from a German TV station if nobody would have retouched the picture!
Translator BL
retuschiert hätte!
