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Hülya Marquardt is a vibrant 41-year-old mother, wife and business owner living a fulfilling life in southern Germany. Born with a physical difference in her hands, Hülya’s life took an extraordinary turn at 18 when she underwent the life-changing experience of losing her legs above the knees due to sepsis. Rather than seeing these moments as setbacks, Hülya has embraced her journey, building a beautiful life full of love, purpose, and success.
What do you love most about exploring the outdoors?
I simply love the outdoors. Whether it’s hiking in the forests or exploring old towns and their history. We enjoy this as a family.
Accessibility can vary widely. What has been your experience?
Wheelchair accessibility is a real issue in the countryside. Most old towns with their beautiful timber framed houses, old cafes and their cobblestone streets are not accessible. It is not an issue in the bigger cities though.
What’s your process for planning a trip? Are there any specific items you must have that help make your journeys more comfortable?
My husband plans all our trips and since having a child, we look out for wheelchair accessibility in hotels, but before, we didn’t really. There are also places which just aren’t accessible but I still visit them like Kenya for example or my parents birth country, Turkey, which we visit once a year. In general, we do like the Mediterranean but places like Turkey, Greece or southern Italy just aren’t very accessible. If you visit these beautiful places, you will need help if you want to see all of it.
I take a lot of gadgets to make me as independent as possible like a wheelchair, stubbies (protectors for my stumps so I can walk directly on them), a skateboard and push up bars which I use for crawling. I simply use what’s the most practical. I don’t care about what it looks like. Having only short, withered stumps left, I am quite good and comfortable walking on my hands, as I call it. I do so at the beach, to climb stairs or simply when the terrain is uneven like on a forest hike for example.
Which destinations have you found to be the most accessible, and what made it exceptional?
Mostly the big cities. I have found New York very accessible and the people to be very friendly and helpful. The same goes for places like Berlin or London. However, people often make up for it when accessibility isn’t perfect. In Kenya for example people were helpful and kind wherever we went.
What’s one destination you’ve been to that you think everyone should visit at least once in their life?
I don’t look at places from a disabled perspective but from an intrigued travellers perspective only. There are so many beautiful places on this wonderful planet of ours. My husband has lived in New Zealand for seven years and travelled the world. Since we have been together for the past 10 years, we have continued to do so and had the most wonderful experiences in Africa, Asia and America but we have always held Europe dearly in our hearts. It is simply a melting pot of different cultures and languages you won’t find anywhere else on this planet. From our house you can drive within two to three hours to four different countries and within six to eight hours, to 10 different countries.
Do you prefer exploring bustling cities, unwinding by the beach, or immersing yourself in nature when you travel?
A holiday always needs to be a mix of all of them.
Can you share any amusing stories from your travels?
In southern Italy they advertised a hotel as wheelchair accessible. We booked. However, once we arrived there, we discovered that the lift started only on the first floor. So, there was a whole flight of stairs you had to climb to get to the lift. The stairs actually started in the middle of the hotel restaurant. The hotel owners were incredibly apologetic and quickly arranged for a strong man to assist me whenever I needed to navigate the stairs, ensuring I could be carried down safely each time. I know some would hate the attention but it was all very cute in this Italian family-run hotel and I found it hilarious to be carried down into the restaurant in my evening dress every evening. Kind of fairytale style.
What role does travel and being outdoors play in your overall happiness and sense of freedom?
It is simply a big and important part of our lives and we are rediscovering travelling at the moment with a very lively 4-year-old at our side. 🙂
How do you turn a simple day trip or weekend getaway into a memorable adventure?
Always explore something new and it will become an adventure. My husband takes all our videos and pictures. He is creative and can capture the essence of a location.
If someone had just one weekend to visit your region, what would you suggest they do to make the most of their time?
It depends on the time of the year. In winter visit a Christmas Market, in September/October visit one of the big beer festivals and in spring and summer hang around the city of Stuttgart on the Schlossplatz and enjoy some of the concerts, visit one of the museums of the great companies here like the Mercedes Benz Museum or the Porsche Museum, have a day drip to the Black Forest, role a dice in the Baden Baden Casino, visit one of the many old castles or churches and fairy tale little half-timbered house villages or go hiking on the Swabian alp.
As a boutique owner, how do you balance fashion and practicality when packing for a trip?
I simply always take too much and then promise myself I will take less next time but I just repeat the whole thing all over again 🙂 I take too many nice clothes and evening dresses but as a mum without legs who crawls on the floor most of the time on holiday, I only end up wearing practical clothes like shorts and T shirts.
Where are some of your favorite hidden gems?
Places in the Mediterranean like Olympos in Turkey, Alaçatı in Turkey, Polignano a Mare in Italy are very special but there are also beautiful places in Germany like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Heidelberg or Schwäbisch Hall.
