On the road with a tandem

Blind vacationer: “Austria is beautiful!”

Paul Possemiers (left) is enjoying his vacation in Burgenland to the full.

(Bild: Reinhard Judt)

He can't see, but he can feel everything: Regular visitor Paul Possemiers (72) is currently enthusiastically demonstrating how the beauty of Austria - from the mighty Alps with the Grossglockner to the Pannonian Plain - can still be experienced in all its glory in Burgenland: "Lake Neusiedl sounds completely different to Lake Ossiach."

The Belgian from the ancient port city of Antwerp has been spending his vacations in Austria since the late 1980s. "I naturally suffer from extremely high pressure on my eyes and have always had very, very poor eyesight, but then the light suddenly went completely out," explains Paul Possemiers, a former wholesaler for the electrical industry and installations.

From the mountains to Seewinkel 
Since it has been dark for him, he has relied entirely on his other four senses. Every winter and summer, the 72-year-old goes on a mountain hiking tour in the Tyrolean Ötztal. He not only knows Mount Everest conqueror Andreas "Andy" Holzer (57) from Lienz personally, but also the entire Alpine region like the back of his hand. In the warmer months of the year, the blind Belgian is also drawn to the free town of Rust. Amidst the romantic idyll, he explores the Seewinkel with his wife Greta.

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Dog at home
"My guide dog was allowed to stay at home, it would be far too hot for him here," Paul Possemiers empathizes with his faithful four-legged companion. Now the Burgenland regular goes on excursions on a tandem bike with retired chief inspector Wolfgang Bachkönig. Most recently, they pedaled hard along the former Iron Curtain. On Wednesday, they cycled almost 60 kilometers to Podersdorf, Neusiedl and back to Rust.

It's not so bad not to see anything. You just have to stay positive.

Paul Possemiers

Noise is like music
How does a blind person experience such a trip through Burgenland? "I can hear and smell everything. Lake Neusiedl alone sounds completely different to Lake Klopein, Lake Ossiach or Lake Millstatt. The rustling of the reeds in the wind is like music to my ears only here," reveals the Austria fan. His key to happiness: "Not being able to see anything isn't so bad. You just have to stay positive at the bottom of your heart."