Another great Sighted Holiday was a City Break in Rome. It was only 6 days, but it was enough as it involved a lot of walking everyday. The hotel was in the City Centre, not far from the Spanish Steps, which meant it was possible to walk to see all the places of interest.

As usual, I was sharing a room with a visually impaired person. We had shared before on a holiday to Croatia, so when he knew I was going, he asked for me, as we got on very well.

On our first full day we had a walking tour with a local guide. She gave us all the necessary information, all I had to do was to add on anything else I was asked and keep us safe around the city. We started off at the Trevi Fountain, then onto the Piazza Colonna, with the Column of Marcus Aurelius, almost 100 feet high, which was hollow inside, and 190 steps to the top. Not for us. On to the Pantheon with its Dome held up without any sustaining columns or flying buttresses. The largest Dome ever covered in masonry. Then on to Piazza Navona, laid out as an athletics arena, giving the Piazza its oval shape. Jousting Tournaments took place in the Middle Ages, and in later years Water Pageants took place in the summer, when the Piazza was flooded with water from the fountains.

Our tour ended at Piazza San Pietro, and we were free to do what we liked. My companion wanted to visit St. Peter’s Cathedral, so after some lunch we did that. I did my best to describe the interior, and he was able to touch and feel some things. There were plenty of Information Boards (in English), which I could read to him. By now we were both tired. He saw no point in queueing to visit the Sistine Chapel, and I had already seen it on a previous visit to Rome. We headed back via the Castel Sant’ Angelo, conceived by Hadrian as his family Mausoleum, and crossed the Ponte Sant’ Angelo. Finally we reached the Spanish Steps, which we had to climb to reach the Hotel

The next day was the same. I had been allocated a young man, David, to guide today. He was keen to see all we had missed yesterday. We started at the Coliseum. My heart sank when I saw the queue to get in - 45 minutes. A Security Guard spotted David had a ‘white stick’. I always encouraged people to carry their white sticks, though they didn’t use them when they were being guided. It did help other people identify them as visually impaired. He led us past the queue and through another entrance without queueing, and without paying. Wherever we went that day,, I just went to the front of the queue and we were let through and were never asked for payment.

I did my best, with the help of the Information Boards, to describe and explain the workings of the Coliseum. Our next stop was the Roman and Imperial Forums. A huge site full of temples, statues, and monuments. On to the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, before walking up to Piazzo Campidoglio, at the top of Capitoline Hill, the most sacred of the seven hills of Rome. Our final destination was the Circus Maximus, built for Chariot Racing. It seated 320,000 spectators. On our way back across the city we finally stopped in the flower market for some refreshment.

Not all the people you were guiding were easy to work with. Not all accepted their disability. Some were very bitter and angry with the world. They found it hard to accept their loss of sight. There was an element of ‘why me’. Some were very unco-operative and made your life difficult, and did nothing but complain. Some expected you to be their carers. Some would drink too much in the evenings. On a trip to Bulgaria, a man who had a serious drink problem was sent home on his own. He was sent to the airport in a taxi, and his family met him when he landed in the UK. He was never allowed on a holiday again. I had been his guide that day, and all he wanted to do was to go to bars for a drink. Because I wouldn’t let him, I suffered abuse from him all day. I reported him back at the hotel.

Another man told me he didn’t have any local currency and borrowed money from me all day even though I found him a Cash Machine. At the end of the day I reported him and next day he was taken to a Cash Machine and forced to draw money to pay me back. He never spoke to me again.

I also had a problem with a lady in Rome. The day I was guiding her she didn’t arrive in Reception till 11 o’clock and the rest of the group had set off. She wasn’t interested in going anywhere. We walked the few hundred yards to the Spanish Steps and then she wanted to go to a bar to drink wine. After one drink, I persuaded her to walk a little more to the Villa Borghese (now an Art Gallery) set in a large park. I knew there would be cafes and bars in the grounds. She wasn’t interested in the Art Gallery or any of the other buildings. There was a jazz band playing and she was quite happy sitting there with a glass of wine. She did allow me to leave her for a few minutes at a time, while I had a look round. I had explained the situation to the bar staff. From the Plaza de Poppolo were great views across Rome, all the way to St. Peter’s Square and the Cathedral. We walked back to the Hotel, and I left her in the bar. She didn’t need me till I took her into dinner. The next day I had somebody else to guide

Not all sighted guides were good at their task. Some did the very minimum, mainly doing what they wanted. The visually impaired people soon worked out which were the hard working guides and usually requested them. The tour leaders also knew. But finding guides wasn’t easy and so some people were accepted who were not right for it. But without a guide a visually impaired person might not get a holiday. Another misconception was that people assumed the guides went on holiday for free. Not true, in most cases we paid the same as the impaired person.

I really enjoyed my time as a Sighted Guide, but at the age of 63, I was struggling to keep up with some of the younger ones. My mobility wasn’t great, stairs were difficult, and it was a big responsibility guiding a visually impaired person around an unfamiliar city. But I like to think I made a difference, and helped people to enjoy experiences that we take for granted.