After a gloriously refreshing night of undisturbed sleep thanks to super-fresh air and no noise, I wake super-refreshed even after a boozy night smoking multiple cigars. Seb and I meet downstairs for breakfast with fresh Zopf and home-made jam and honey which we eat enjoying the same incredible view on his balcony. Life could definitely be worse. Enjoying the honey, I was unaware that he had started beekeeping and asked him about his experience and what it took to have a few hives. He offered me to have a look! Very interesting to see the bee colonies and […]
TDE2019 – Day 10: Hello Italy, Hello Switzerland
Given that I slept in a communal space, it was surprising that I woke up refreshed when the rays of the early morning sun filtered into the room. Grabbing my overnight bag I head upstairs to the upper desk passing still-closed bars to get a glimpse of what’s going on around the ferry and find out where we are. Another brilliant and blue-skied day greets me. The last hour of our trip takes us along the northern Italian coast along which TW560 and I drove earlier this year during TDI2019 and before that during TDAF2016. Should I ever have the […]
TDE2019 – Day 9: Barcelona, frustration, ferry
My last day in Spain has come. I have to get to Barcelona early, as I need to get a full charge to be able to get to Seb’s on one charge. Seb is a long-time friend and reader of this blog who lives in lower Valais. There are only a few commercial charging options in Barcelona and I have a selection of charging cards and apps to choose from. Given my experience with commercial charging in a southern European country earlier this year, I’m expecting the worst. At 5 AM I load my stuff into the TWIKE which is […]
TDE2019 – Day 8: Hills, Hills & bye-bye sea
After not having slept well due to excessive noise levels outside of the hotel, I get up early and look out of my room to check if TW560 is still there. Two things to report … Good news: it’s still there. Bad news: something else TW560-related appeared overnight: a huge new oil leak. I really need to tend to this ASAP! After getting into TW560, I see that it must either have rained overnight or the humidity was extremely high – there was a lot of sand on my windscreen. Let’s fix that by driving to the next petrol […]
TDE2019 – Day 7: Are you handicapped, Sir? …& WIND!
We get up at 5 am and pack both car and TWIKE. My family is heading to Sète in southern France as they liked the pictures and description I gave them and wanted to experience the place for themselves. I will drive to Valencia today. Instead of taking the same road back along the coast, I’ve decided to take an inland route via Xixona which will take me across a mountain range and some very hilly stretches of – hopefully – quiet back roads. Without any big fanfare, we set off. The trip back will take me 5 days […]
TDE2019 – Drive-free time, random thoughts & pics
This entry is a compilation of some thoughts, stuff TW560 or I experienced and some pics of my stay in southern Spain this year. First, in Switzerland in 2019 there is already a massive market penetration rate of electric cars, especially Tesla’s, but also many other brands. When driving the 20km to my office, I usually can see at least a dozen, if not more electric cars on the way. In Spain during my 17 days here, I’ve seen a total of 2 electric cars: A Tesla 90D from the Netherlands and one Zoe from a public health sector office. […]
TDE2019 – Day 6: Nearly there – San Juan beckons
After a very relaxing night at our home in Liria, we parents get up early. Today we’re up at 6 am, as we are covering much less distance today. Our kids will sleep late until around 10 am and then have a Spanish breakfast at one of the local Churrerias before leaving towards San Juan on their own. TW560’s battery is still at 30°C – outside temperatures at 6 am are around 21°C. This is the perfect temperature for traveling in a TWIKE! We’re both looking forward to this last leg of the trip – for me it will be […]
TDE2019 – Uh-Oh, Huston do we have a problem?
Returning to check on the charge after our drive-free day in Valencia (a town well worth a visit!) everything was OK regarding the charge… but there was another issue manifesting itself on the floor of the garage I was parking in: A puddle of oil! Hmm. Even if a TWIKE only has around 150 ml oil for its gearbox (a rather simple fixed-ratio affair which, nevertheless, can require servicing), losing said oil is never a good thing! Looking under the TWIKE just before the battery compartment there is a huge amount of gunk – yuk! As it’s quite […]
TDE2019 – Day 5: Barcelona – Valencia
A relaxing drive-free day in Barcelona with my family is just what I needed. As a family, we’ve been to Barcelona many times. Long before flygskam we loved taking the train from Switzerland to our place in southern Spain. Door to door this trip took us a full 24h and was a great way to get into the mood for vacation – including first G&T’s on-board and having a full sleeping compartment reserved just for us. We loved the overnight direct train ‘Pablo Casals‘ from Zurich to Barcelona as it arrived in Barcelona just in time for breakfast. (This train […]
TDE2019 – Day 4: Spain, here I come!
Drinking generous amounts of French Rosé Wine induces deep sleep – this is my learning for yesterday’s fabulous evening with my B&B’s hosts, sharing dinner and them telling me many things about France I didn’t know yet. Today, I’m crossing into Spain and will meet up with my family in Barcelona. Before thinking further about my drive today, my hosts have prepared breakfast for me in the courtyard. Everything is homemade or sourced within 10 km. I just love these people – such attention to detail and sustainability! Back to my trip for today. I’ve chosen to stick […]