So much for Line Fourteen of the Paris metro system being accessible. John and I are just:making our way home, but before catching our rather late Eurostar train back to London, we thought we would do one last bit of sightseeing in the centre of the city. We could then get the metro up to Gard du Nord, finally giving me a chance to try out the Parisian answer to the tube. I had heard that Line Fourteen was fully wheelchair friendly, and I was kind of curious.

My high hopes, however, were quickly dashed: Leaving aside the half an hour or so we spent trying to find the entrance with a lift, when we eventually get down into the station and found where we needed to head, we weren’t allowed past the barrier and were told that the line wasn’t accessible after all. I’m not sure whether it was some sort of misunderstanding, but we then had no option but to go back to the street and catch a bus. As peculiarly interested in such things as I am, I must admit it was a bit of a let down.

It has been quite a week. Paris is an incredible city: beautiful, stylish, captivating. Getting to explore the city under my own steam in my powerchair for the first time has been a real joy. To that end, the various problems we have come across aside, now that I know I can get around Paris in my powerchair relatively easily, my appetite has been whetted for future trips. Paris intrigues me, but my exploration of this City Of Light has only just begun.