First day in Budapest and we were left in the dark. Quite literally. Something that caught my attention when researching places to visit was The Invisible Museum. The venue describes its offering as a ‘unique interactive journey to an invisible world, where in total darkness you find your way only by touch, sounds and scent’. This is a museum like no other. It provides visitors with an experience of what it is like to be totally blind, and is led by guides who are blind or partially sighted. We thought this was something not to be missed.
Even before we entered the museum we became aware of just a few of the difficulties. We saw a blind woman with white stick tapping her way along the path. What would be a convenient waste bin to us, proved an obstacle for her as it was in her line of direction and she hit it with a painful bump. Then there were the steps into the venue, one abnormally high, others of metal more familiar to a construction site, and all within an obscure passageway.
Once inside we were welcomed by our guide Tomaz, who spent time telling us how Braille worked, before teaching us how to type our names in Braille on a small typewriter which only had six keys, but required us to press three at a time to make one character. Just as well we were not called Englebert Humperdinck or we would have been there all day! We also found out that it takes four pages of Braille to produce just one page of text.
The Braille alphabet
Then, not knowing what to expect, we followed our guide through a door and he promptly left us. That was a little uncomfortable as it was impossible to get our bearings in unfamiliar surroundings and total darkness. However, Tomaz soon returned, and with some Mongolian ladies who were joining our party. We realised how difficult it was to acknowledge the newcomers without any of the visual clues we were used to.
Tomaz then described how we were in an apartment. Initially in the hall, and that we were to keep our hand on the left. He also told us of the size of the rooms we would be visiting. This information would have been superfluous in the sighted world, but as we got into our journey we realised how valuable the information was. We inched ahead cautiously feeling with our hands. Was that a telephone I could feel on the wall, ah and a door handle? Our guide said yes go through that door. I felt as if I as intruding in someone else’s property. Then it became apparent about the size of that room. It was quite small and we started bumping into each other. Grappling on we stumbled against an object. Touch revealed it as a sofa, then higher up we felt a picture frame, but could not tell if it was a mirror or a Monet (behind glass). Then we all moved into the bathroom, finding the sink, toilet and shower cubicle. I felt as if I was getting used to this new experience. These objects were just what I expected. But on to the next room and that was not so. It was a larger room with sculptures everywhere. I felt a bald-headed statue, not realising it was a Buddha until someone else pointed it out. Then I head-butted a sculpture of David. Much more unsettling was our simulated outdoors experience, walking down kerb edges and bobbled pavements, and across roads, all with heavy traffic noises surrounding us. That was not easy on one’s own, let alone in a group of six. Crowded streets would bring their own problems.
Then we hit the fruit and veg market. Identifying pineapples by hand was not too difficult, but was that a lemon or a lime I was smelling? Tomaz explained how he would often frequent the same retailers as they were familiar with his requirements, but that it was also important for him to adventure further afield so that he would not restrict his own life experiences. It was this that encourage him to prepare his own meals. He felt that retailers were always fair in their financial dealings with him, but life for the blind had not been made easy with all bank notes until recently being the same size, without touch indicators to differentiate the values.
Finally, we were quite relieved to be taken into a ‘bar’ where we enjoyed a snack and drink. But here we had to focus on what our guide was saying while background music was playing. This was something we would not have noticed before. Pouring the drink was also an experience as we were unsure just how full the glass was getting. Touch and weight were the telltale signs.
Tomaz was blind from birth, having been born prematurely and he told us how one can tell if someone had sight and lost it, or never had sight at all. Those that initially had sight showed similar facial characteristics to sighted people learned through visual interaction, but those who had not had none of these references.
This was a brilliant and unusual experience for the sighted. We found there was a need to be patient, take things slowly, and be attentive. It put life into perspective.
