Oof. Being out of town does make things a lot more difficult. Even in town, though, the public transportation system is pretty weak.
For about three years, I lived in southern Spain and, even in the small villages, the public transportation is very usable. I'm hoiping to find a way back there permanently. My eyesight has more or less stabilized, but I'm worried it will start to degrade again.
Sorry about your guy. Cancer's a beast of an illness. A friend of mine, only 31 years old, found out she has an aggressive breast cancer about a month ago. Everyone here's doing all we can to help her.
I've spent time in Portugal, a lot of time in France, but only a few days in Northern Spain. I hope your eyesight does not continue to get any worse and that you do get back there. Even when I was still walking and using a cane, Europe became simply too difficult for me. All the cobblestones and steps and ancient buildings just are not handicap accessible. And I really hated to give that up because I love being in Europe so much.