We get up bright an early, unlike our kids, who will sleep another 2 hours. They will drive to Porto directly whilst we have chosen to stay at a very small village a few kilometres from the Portuguese border tonight. As always, I timed the overnight charge to complete around the time we’re leaving and thus giving us the maximum of energy available. Miranda de Ebro is located around 500m ASL – I assumed that from here we would go back down to the boiling temperatures of lower Spain as I saw yesterday. The distance we are planning to […]
TDP2021: Day4 – San Sebastian – Miranda de Ebro – TWIKE bliss
Yet another night of full sleep and no distractions sees me wake up like a freshly born baby. Ahh! My day starts around 0830 – heading out to the square just a few steps away from my hotel I sit at a small bar and order the usual set everybody else around me is also having. Besides the very buttery croissant that is distinctly different to the ones in France, having a freshly pressed orange juice and a cafe con leche does make the day start very smoothly. Especially if consumed slowly and whilst watching life go by on […]
TDP2021: Day3 – Callen – San Sebastian – Summer & Sea, finally!
Today, I wake up to the faint sound of one of the peacocks somewhere further away … and, unlike the last few days, I feel great! No pain in my joints, no weird feeling – nothing. Back to 100% and ready to take over (and until that happens, to explore) the world. My hosts have made fresh brioche and offer me other home-made treats. The place I’m staying is truly stunning and the ease with which my hosts make me feel at home is impressive. With dogs, chicken, cats and peacocks walking in and out of the house and ‘saying […]
TDP2021: Day2 – Thiers – Callen – things are getting better
My day starts less then ideal: After yesterday’s cold and rainy marathon drive, I only felt marginally better after a long and hot bath and fell asleep quickly – only to wake up 2 hours later to violent shivering fits and intermittent cold sweating until early morning. I always try to see the upsides of less than ideal moments: My joint pains from yesterday are much better today … also, according to a few health professionals I asked, a strong response to the vaccine seems to indicate a strong immune system. Both doses have been pretty harsh on me and […]
TDP2021: Day1 – Geneva – Thiers – Cold & Rain
Hurray! Today is the day! TDP2021 finally can start. I was unable to finish off everything still on my plate the evening before work-wise. I also had my second vaccination late yesterday and had already felt some effects during the night. Getting up at 5 was hard – I felt very weird and had some pain in my joints. That’s what living at the edge feels like – first day on vacation is my 2nd-vac-day +1. At least I’ll be sitting in the TWIKE for a very, very long time today. I’m planning to drive to clermond-ferrand, mid-way through France. […]
3 days to go…Portugal, here I come! (maybe)
Driving across international borders 2021 has its own challenges. I was made aware of some requirements. PCR tests are required in France for hotels – because I will not be able to cross France in 24 hours. Ah. Then, entering Spain, PCR tests are required – also for Portugal – this means that I will have to get a test somewhere in Spain. Ah. Thankfully, a PCR test centre with 5-hour results is very close-by – I’ll be taking the test Tuesday afternoon. This will give me freedom of movement and hotel-occupancy until Friday afternoon. I will be fully vaccinated […]
2021 Entry Catch-Up
I’ve been very busy for what feels like a very long time. As a result, I’ve been doing less TWIKE-related stuff and less traveling. Quite a few people have been reaching out to me lately to thank me for all the information and TWIKE travel inspirations they found whilst reading my blog. I really like blogging – This is why I’ve started to select the pictures and write up the missing entries of 2019 and 2020. Below are the entries that I’m currently working on and am aiming to publish before and during the next major TWIKE adventure this year, […]
2021 TWIKE Adventure
One of the readers of this blog noted that there wasn’t too much going on at emissionless.ch at the moment…which is true. My current job and other things going on right now strongly limit my ability to head-off with my TWIKE on one-day trips / multiple day trips in Switzerland or think about embarking on some repairs or other projects on or in my TWIKE. With this said, I’m very happy to announce this year’s long-distance TWIKE adventure! TDP2021 – Tour du Portugal (July/August 2021) See the trip-page for more details. I’m really looking forward to this trip as it […]
Happy 20th Birthday, TW560!
Two decades, 280,000+km – countless hours of driving bliss and a persistent attribute of my life – Thank you, TW560! Built in Switzerland mid-2000 by the nascent TWIKE AG, it was put into service one month before my eldest daughter was born. My wife and I had just returned from 3+ years of living abroad in Asia and southern Europe in June 2000 and had just begun to restart our life in Switzerland. My TWIKE was the 560th in the line, but due to some administrative miscommunication, more than one TW560 exists – my TWIKE’s twin lives close to Munich. […]