janisj

>>Some people get notified in their e-mail when someone posts a reply to an original comment.

DonTopaz

Restaurants in Paris can in fact present a problem. Not because the chairs are too small, but because in many restaurants the tables are packed closer together than you'd ever find in the States. If you will have to maneuver between table to get to your seat, it might be a problem. If you're dining solo, you'll probably want to avoid restaurants where the tables are at banquettes: solo diners are always seated on the banquette side, which means that you'll need to get between tables. You could sit facing the wall/banquette, but that would look awkward.

If you're planning on going to the theatre/opera/ballet, avoid the seats called 'strapontins.' These are seats that typically fold down from the side; they are smaller than regular seats and are not well supported.

If youre flying in economy, try to get an aisle seat that is handicap-accessible. The location of these seats vary from airline to airline and aircraft to aircraft. The advantage of these seats is that you can raise the armrest on the aisle side, which will give you more space.

PalenQ

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/23/bu...ml?ref=us&_r=0

On the airline you may face the biggest squeeze in problem!

WildHoney

No, you are not too fat to travel. I am a bit bigger than you are. I just returned from 15 days in London, Paris, Turin and Florence. You have the airline situation under control. My international flights were solo so i bought two seats and was able to get my second seat refunded when the flights were not sold out. I did run into more rude people than i normally do though. No one at home stares at me. Most notable though was the horrible German woman on my flight home who took one look at me coming down the aisle and let out a very large gasp. It is fun to pay twice what people like that do and get judged too.
Two things that i do suggest; find out where on the plane the handicapped bathroom is. They are wider. In London my shower was very roomy, but the door getting in was so narrow i bruised my tummy getting in! I called ahead to my other hotels and asked for a handicapped accessible room explaining the situation candidly. This worked for me. Florence was the most difficult for me. There are stairs everywhere. The cobblestones are really hard on your joints and you walk everywhere. I took taxis where i could so i saved my stamina for seeing the sites. You wont make it to the top of the Duomo. Find a hotel such as Hotel Cavour where i stayed to go up to the roof for the view. I am still glad i went and did things at my own speed. Dont let anyone ruin it for you. We have the same right to travel as anyone else.

Houseofthevetti

<My sister said she enjoyed many fun/flirty conversations on several occasions with handsome Italian men who loved her curves>

Sorry but I find this hard to believe. Italian men (and I am married to one) don't like large women. I'm sure these guys were flirting because your sister was American and they wanted a tip.

nukesafe

Oooh, that's harsh and judgemental, House! Besides, how do you know that your husband is telling you the truth, and really wishes you gained a few pounds?

Houseofthevetti

'Harsh and judgemental'? Your opinion.
It's a fact - sorry if that offends.
I think I know my husband - ludicrous to suggest he may like me a few pounds larger - heck I'm a size 6 - there is plenty of meat on my bones.
He's not alone - his family feel the same as do other men I know in the workplace and so on. The men - and the women- often comment on the obese tourists they see and express disbelief at how these people get so big in the first place.
Italian women bust their butts to stay slim. It's serious business for them. Try buying 'plus sizes' in Italian clothing chain stores. You can't because they don't exist.
I'm not saying everyone in Italy is a healthy weight but impressions matter - and obese women are not seen as sexy.

fmpden

With all the health risks for being overweight, especially grossly overweight, and all the social implications, I am surprised that overweight people do not do much about resolving the problems.

Houseofthevetti

Agree and all the enablers on here that say obese people wont be looked at or noticed are deluded.
Part of people's experiences are all about 'people watching' - well sorry to say but that includes looking at you - have you heard of passeggiata? It's all about the look.

nytraveler

fmpden -

It it were merely a matter of 'doing someting to resolve the problem" then we wouldn't have any overweight people.

And I don;t see how a size 6 has plenty of meat on her bones unless she is extremely petite. (I'm a size 10 usually and near the bottom of my healthy weight range - although not narrow and skinny like a runway model. No matter how skinny I was my shoulders wouldn't fit in a size 6 jacket - since I was 11 year old and 5'4" and 100 pounds)

fmpden

Don't think anyone is suggestion that size 6 or 100 is overweight. Nor is that the subject of the discussion. But my observation is that most grossly, overweight people eat too much. Granted there are medical conditions that impact weight gain and distribution but that does not account for the 60% or more of the population that is deemed to be overweight and obese.

JAMH

Jebrik: I am not sure how big you are so I am not sure if my experience will resonate with you. By way of background, I am a 6-foot 1 inch tall woman and have been traveling to Europe for the past 30 years, beginning at a size 12 and am now a size 16. There are different ways to be big and I am more of a muscular person. I consider myself a big girl and can unequivocally tell you that I have never had a problem in Europe that was caused by a person's behavior. That is not to say that there are not challenges: shower heads that are too low, lack of leg room, very tiny elevators, feeling more uncomfortable than a petite flower would when getting to a table in a restaurant, etc. but those are minor inconveniences. One problem that I will mention is that if you are very large and decide to climb up to the top of cathedrals,etc. the stairs may get so narrow that they could pose a challenge. Last year, for example, my brother and I climbed to the top of the cathedral in Basel and while it was not a problem for us, it did pose a challenge for others who we saw on the way. Finally, don't believe the hype -- I see fat people in Europe and they are not all Americans or Germans.

stokebailey

So cool to hear about doppio's sister and mom.

eliztravels2

The OP's trip was over months ago. This thread has now deteriorated into judgemental remarks which have nothing to do with travel or the original question. Give it up, people. Let the thread die.

JAMH

Yes, OP's trip is over but a new person asked the question again on December 20th.

TPaxe

In Paris, toilets are sometimes down in the basement and the staircase going down can be very very tight!! Also climbing the stairs of the Notre Dame to the top, they won't allow someone this big. There are also many stairs and steps in museums, metros and in general in Europe!