Views of the Mediterranean
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Views of the Mediterranean

Byrichard

With global warming the idea that we would get white Christmas, with snow, freezing weather and more is outdated. In the 21st century the opposite is true. We will probably get grey and rainy weather instead. If we stay in Switzerland. I used to love the idea of snowy Christmas, snowboarding and skiing but I don’t like the modern global warming version, of a boring cold, with no snow.


That’s why it makes sense to migrate south, for a week or two and see the sun. It’s not that I miss the sun, after all I see it all the time in Switzerland due to the drought that has now lasted several years. I like rain. I would prefer to be in rainy Switzerland than in the sun. Pandemic solitude has made me long for bad weather and rain, because good weather, when you’re walking around in circles doesn’t matter.


Purple mediterranean flower
Purple Mediterranean flower


I thought that today would be the day when I reached the 300,000 steps in a month for the last time this year landmark but I didn’t because I forgot my Garmin Instinct watch in my pocket, in a coat that I forgot at home. I missed the target by 1450 steps. In theory I can get that step count this afternoon by walking around in circles but I don’t want to.


According to the casio The Casio GBD-200-1I took 17,000 steps so I reached over the daily goal and the monthly goal, but on the wrong database, so it doesn’t count towards the right “medal”/”reward”.


A kayak on a flat sea
A kayak on a flat sea


It would be nice to kayak on the sea. This one was going as fast as I walk. I had to increase my pace to keep up with it. This kayaker must regularly kayak.

The French Landscape Program – The Tour de France
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The French Landscape Program – The Tour de France

Byrichard

I like to speak of the Tour de France as the French landscape program. I watch the cycling, not because I care about the cycling but because I like to see the landscapes, the castles, the panoramas, and more. It’s a way of getting travel ideas. Of course I do sometimes like watching the cycling. I liked watching Alaphilipe two years ago as he went towards winning, but not quite the tour de France. I like to watch the echapées that can last for 100 or more kilometres. I like to watch as they go through beautiful landscapes, as they climb on steep gradients as if they were nothing. I also like to be inspired for my own bike rides and progression.


I usually wach the Tour De France by starting On France 3 and then moving on to France 2. They like for part of the race to be on France 3, the regional French TV channel, before going to France 2, the national channel. In so doing you can watch most of the races. You don’t always get the start of the race but you can spend several hours a day watching the Tour.


Today the weather is rainy, and the camera lenses are sometimes covered in rain. The helicopter’s camera is covered in rain. In another shot, you could see rain being lifted by the motorbike’s rear tyre as they ride up the Alps today. On other days you see them cycling in high temperatures with fields of sunflowers or others around them.


Aside from the landscapes and the cycling you also get some historical context for the locations. They speak about why the region is significant at different points in time. I learn about architectural terms and interesting monuments.


I saw that Le Monde, a french newspaper they have a guide to when to have a siesta without missing the interesting moments. It’s easy to fall asleep as you watch the Tour De France, as it is three or four hours of viewing several days a week for weeks. You can’t help but fall asleep.


You have some beautiful climbs followed by fast descents. You would never descend like them because we have to deal with traffic, and we don’t have a motorbike in front of us to scare animals out of the way.

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Flying over Oeschinensee with an FPV Drone

Byrichard

Flying over Oeschinensee with an FPV drone looks nice. I went there as a child and the lake is distinct with its lake, green slopes, hills and that wall of rock on the other side. It’s above Kandersteg and there are a number of walks to be enjoyed in the area.





Flying a drone in such a place is great because it gives you a way of exploring the landscape either before you’ve been on a hike or afterwards. It also allows you to find new locations from which to take pictures or even to find a new climbing route. I haven’t looked at what climbs there are around there.


I know that there is a Via Ferrata that I have been tempted to do in summer. With a drone, it would be fun to get some shots from a different perspective than usual.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOaxV9N108g


Instead of people on a boat, he could have found people exploring the Via Ferrata. There are some nice shots going down waterfalls, through the valley, along the river bed, through the forest and more. It’s a great location for flying a drone.


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Gimel’s Ingress Mission

Byrichard

Screen Shot 2015-01-04 at 16.25.58

The views as I drove up to this ingress mission were beautiful. I could clearly see the Jet D’eau in Geneva and the streets of Lausanne on the other side. I could see how light was playing with clouds to provide enjoyable views. Gimel is a village/town in the Jura surrounded by forest and fields. The mission is a six kilometre run or walk. At this time of year wear snow shoes as other shoes will get wet. You start from the village centre and head north to the first check point. You follow field paths until the next checkpoint 1.2 kilometres away across mud paths. Once you get to the second check point the path is road without pavement so be careful of oncoming traffic.

The first and last checkpoints of this mission require that you upgrade the portals so make sure that you are able to. It would be a shame to go on a 6.2 kilometre walk only to find that the mission cannot be completed due to the portals being fully upgraded.