I had really been looking forward to this trip and decided to start early to have plenty of time in Luxembourg — to drive around, get charging sorted, and meet up with a friend.
Even though I went to bed early, the 4 a.m. alarm hit hard — and I definitely didn’t get enough sleep. Adrenaline, dopamine, and energy drinks would have to carry me through for now.
I power up the TWIKE and punch in the PIN to wake up the computer.
I’m pleased to see the open circuit voltage at 419V — better than the 415V I saw during my last capacity test. That lines up with the predicted 443 km range the computer gives me. All good signs.
I’m curious to find out whether the discharge hump is still showing up.
Hard to believe, but I should actually be able to get from home to Luxembourg on a single charge!
Since I packed the evening before, I can just hop in, flip on the lights… and off we go!
I didn’t take any photos for the first hour — it was still too dark to capture anything meaningful anyway.
The first picture is of me — looking a bit less awake than I would’ve liked, but hey, here I am, doing international travel in a 25-year-old vehicle. It’s about making the most of the time we’ve got, right?
The first region I cross is the Black Forest, complete with climbs from 350m to 950m. Beautiful… and also eating into my range and average consumption quite enthusiastically.
Around 9 a.m., a wall of grey and rain appears directly in my path. Not as apocalyptic as the storm in France during TDE2022 (search “apocalyptic” to find it), but still — I was definitely in for some rain.
For about 90 minutes, the clouds unloaded on the TWIKE, and the temperature at 800m ASL dropped to just 8°C. Chilly! Glad I packed that extra jacket.
Things started looking up as I entered France. Still raining, but now with promising blue patches here and there.
Not the best news: the discharge slump is still present. I’ll need to keep a closer eye on that.
Crossing into France was brief — I’d soon be back in Germany near Saarbrücken.
That said, the French leg of the journey was perfect for the TWIKE: quiet country roads and hardly any traffic. Just lovely.
And here’s something new I learned: France is surprisingly driver-friendly and tech-savvy! 😉
By midday — already 8 hours into the day for me — I was feeling hungry and figured I’d combine a charge stop with lunch.
This would also ease the load on tonight’s charge and give me a chance to (re-)test my custom Type 2 charging box.
And everything worked just as it should: plugged in, held the RFID card to the reader, the station went into ready mode, flipped the switches on my box — and voilà, charging underway. Just the way I like it and it so seldomly has been for me in the past.
The final 150 km took me back into Germany, following the Saar River before climbing up to a scenic plateau.
And just like that — I made it! Luxembourg, here we are!
I hit some traffic as I was driving into town—just the usual Friday afternoon congestion. No big deal, but it did slow me down a bit.
Once I reached my place for the night, I quickly dropped off my things and headed back into town with a much lighter TWIKE—perfect for taking a few photos and enjoying the evening.
Feeling a bit nostalgic, I made my way to the part of town where I used to work. My desk was at the LHOFT (Luxembourg House of Financial Technology), a hub that made collaborating with others in the financial world easier—thanks to strong government support. It was a good time in my professional life, and revisiting it brought back fond memories.
Later, it was time to catch up with Barbara, a friend I’ve known for over ten years. She used to live in Switzerland, and—by complete coincidence—we crossed paths again in 2019 at none other than… the LHOFT!
Her daughter was eager to experience the TWIKE, and of course, I was more than happy to let her give it a try!
Barbara and I then took some time to snap a few more photos of me with the TWIKE around Luxembourg. According to her, there just aren’t enough of those on this blog. Fair point!
To wrap up the evening, we went to a local brewery for some Luxembourgish specialities and a proper catch-up. A great way to end the day.
Back at my place now, full and happy. Tomorrow, the road to Calais awaits—looking forward to the next stretch of the journey!
Good night!
