Richard's blog

Category: Switzerland

  • The Phone Box library Walk

    The Phone Box library Walk

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    by

    richard
    in ,

    Reading Time: 2 minutesIf you’re looking for a reason to walk from one village to another the practise of using old phone boxes as free libraries are common in Switzerland. This means that if you’re shopping around for books in Switzerland you can either go to the shops and buy them with the car or…

  • A forest walk by Chavannes Centre

    A forest walk by Chavannes Centre

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    by

    richard
    in ,

    Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen I cycle towards Geneva i often pass by a forest near Chavannes centre. Usually I only skirt the exterior of the forest but I have twice passed through it on a bike on my way back from Geneva. Yesterday I drove the scooter to Chavannes centre and parked it where scooters…

  • Climbing to La Barillette

    Climbing to La Barillette

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    by

    richard
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    Reading Time: 4 minutesThe first time I climbed up to La Barillette on a bike it took me two and a half hours. This time it took one hour and sixteen minutes. I was going so slowly that I had to work to keep the bike upright. Since then I have gone from a mountain…

  • La Via Ferrata Farinet

    La Via Ferrata Farinet

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    by

    richard
    in ,

    Reading Time: 2 minutesFor a week or two in April the weather was nice but since then the weather has been bad. We had new snow, high winds and rain. Yesterday rain was announced yet again for parts of Switzerland but luckily only clouds were announced for Saillon where the Via Farinetta is. I expected…

  • A Sea-like Lake

    A Sea-like Lake

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    by

    richard
    in

    Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the middle of summer you may go sailing on the lake and find that there is no, or very little wind. On such days you may spend long periods of time hoping for the wind to pick up and get from point A to point B. On other days the lake…

  • Spring and summer are playing with us

    Spring and summer are playing with us

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    by

    richard
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    Reading Time: 2 minutesSpring and Summer are playing with us. A few weeks ago it was warm and sunny. It felt as if summer was finally here and that we could start planning outdoor activities that don’t require enormous amounts of fossil fuels, like skiing and snowboarding do. 😉 We had the rain and the…

  • Summer without a car has taught me to live locally

    Summer without a car has taught me to live locally

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    by

    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesThis summer I was thinking of buying a car until I found out that my contract break was for six months rather than three. As a result of this my ability to buy my own car vanished. I used the scooter, my feet and eventually the bike to travel thousands of kilometres. …

  • Cycling into the wind

    Cycling into the wind

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    by

    richard
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    Reading Time: 3 minutesYesterday I cycled my first 100km ride. It started as a simple ride towards Geneva and back but by the time I got back to Nyon I felt that I had enough energy to go further so I set the goal of getting to Rolle and after Rolle I set the goal…

  • Walking from Nyon to St Cergue

    Walking from Nyon to St Cergue

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    by

    richard
    in ,

    Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen I neared the top of the Jura I walked through part of the forest where the smell of pines was strong. I usually associate that smell with hikes further afield and at higher altitudes. It was nice to find it so close to home. To do this walk you can set…

  • The Ice finally came

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    by

    richard
    in ,

    Reading Time: 3 minutesA few days ago I went towards the lake to take pictures. The wind was strong and cold. The temperature was close to -9°c. The last time we had such cold weather the lake side became beautiful as the porcelain ice formed around boats, trees, over grass and cars. As this only…