After some trial and error I finally managed to get an electric car to charge at public charging points. The first success was at an evpass charging station where I was able to charge 13.1kW/h in an hour and 14 minutes using the app on my phone and a credit card for 8.48 CHF. The second time was with the TCS eCharge RFID tag that I ordered from the Touring Club Suisse for free.
Yesterday I finally tested Publibike after years of considering these bikes. There is a paradox. I think nothing of spending three francs, for a coke, rivella, hot chocolate or coffee but the idea of paying 3 CHF to use a bike for a six minute ride is disturbing. I didn’t pay for six minutes, because that was my first ride. I paid 3 CHF for 11 minutes.
In Line With the Price of Coffee When you compare it to the price of a coffee or a coke, or a can of redbull from a vending machine the price is reasonable.
Yesterday I woke up feeling tired so I questioned whether I should cancel the Gruyère hike but chose not to. I felt more tired than usual and I couldn’t understand why until I checked my activities. I ran five kilometres on Friday, then again on Saturday, and then Sunday I went for a relatively short walk.
Originally my plan had been to rest oon Saturday but for some reason I didn’t listen to that desire.
Yesterday 60 people went to Morges to cycle the Tour De Romandie Morges stage ahead of the race today. There were two loops, a 90+ kilometre loop for an average speed of 29km/h on the flat and another loop for an average speed of 25 km/h on the flat and a distance of 57 kilometres.
When I got the GPX for the 90 kilometre loop I considered doing that loop, until I considered that with an average of 30 km/H I would be tired, especially since I rarely cycle 90km loops at the moment.
Yesterday I went for a hike from Neuchâtel to Valangin. This is a 14 kilometre loop that begins with a relatively steep climb out of the city before heading into the woods. You hear the sounds of the road every so often as you crisscross paths with it. The castle was used from the 12th to the 16th centuries by the Valangin lords.
The Way Up As I mentioned in the intro the start of the climb is quite steep, through the woods.
Normally I like to do things in the morning because I wake naturally between 0600-0800. Today was no exception. I could easily have got ready to do the hike, and then do the via ferrata but the thing that really blocked me is the one hour twenty drive from Le Pont to Moléson-Sur-Gruyère and the one hour drive home late at night. I could have been fine with doing both things but I want to be a hundred percent for this evening.
Hiking from Vallorbe to Orbe is possible by following the foot path that goes along the River Orbe. If the river looks a little slow, and stagnant compared to what you would expect there is a simple reason. There is a hydroelectric dam that is slowing the flow of water. When I walked along it I noticed that there were logs and other debris floating. With the recent storms and rains they will need to remove debris from the water.
On Sunday, after Saturday’s via ferrata I went for a walk along the Areuse river. The hike started in Noiraigue and went along the Areuse river and two gorges. In reality it’s one gorge but there are two parts to the gorge seperated by a long flat bit that is more friendly to people who are slightly, or quite afraid of heights.
This experience wa organised via GoSocial rather than Meetup.
It’s good to browse Komoot because sometimes you find nice hikes to enjoy. Today I drove towards Vallorbe and specifically Juraparc. Juraparc is a park with bisons, wolves, alpacas, goats and bears. I saw the goats, the alpacas, the bison and deer. I didn’t look for the bears and wolves.
The hike itself is quite short but it starts with an “alpine” section that almost a scramble. It may feel dangerous to proceed beyond this point but in reality the more challenging part is quite short.
It is possible to walk from La Sarraz to Romainmotier and back with barely any time spent on roads. You can get there by train b taking a train to Renens, and then switching to a train from Renens to La Sarraz. You can also drive to La Sarraz via the motorway and park at the P&R parking for five francs per day, via the app. It costs 1 CHF per hour but the walk took five and a half hours so I amortised the parking by staying more than five hours.