Over a few months I have seen that tweeting about the Romans is growing in frequency. The accounts that I see are tweeting about Roman Britain. They share images of mosaics, digs and new discoveries. It is a way to follow archeology and Ancient history in a modern context.
By following tweets about the Romans in Britain it is a way of being reminded on a daily basis about new discoveries, new experiences, and new places to visit. It is a way of seeing how extensive Roman Britain was. People walk along the roads, show remnants of ruins and more. They also share the opening times of museums and areas of interest as well as events that may be taking place.
When I was writing about the Romans I had to write articles and posts. I had to do research and I had to make sure that the information I was providing was accurate, and correct. Now, with a tweet you can share information about the Romans without hours of research.
It is important to keep history alive, and it is important that such accounts exist because they are a way of making history life. Rather than read a few lines of text in a book we can see images, video and more. We also see that these are things we can experience, if we are at the right place at the right time.
England has a wealth of archeological sites that date back to the Romans so to follow tweets about the Romans in England, is a way of seeing that you do not need to travel to Europe to learn about Roman history. You can learn about it locally, if you know where to look. Accounts like Roman Britain News make this a simple task.
If you’re still reading despite the mention of clouds then you will see that this is an enjoyable place to visit. It is located in Gruyère, known for its cheeses and the Giger Museum. I don’t think I have visited either of the two latter options. Climbing is more fun.
Today was different. I took the blue easy route and I wore climbing shoes rather than normal shoes because I wanted to see whether the experience was pleasant. At first it was worthless to have these shoes on because of the mud and humidity. They did become more fun as we climbed. The person in front of me was a novice at Via Ferrata so she was fighting for the courage to move onwards and upwards. This gave me plenty of time to get as much contact with the rock as possible. I focused on using the natural rock as foot holds as much as possible and I even tried to use the rock as hand holds. My reservation about safety meant that I did not want to fall with via ferrata gear.
The rock on this via ferrata is perfectly adapted to rock climbing shoes when it is drier. The rock is friable and this provides justification for climbing shoes. Rather than two or three foot holds that you can use with hiking boots (which I usually use) I used slivers and cracks of rocks. I tried not to “felix the cat” too often. That is a term a climbing instructor used South of the Alps when I took climbing lessons and as I like the term I share it.
I have been practicing via ferrata for five years now and I have explored almost all via ferrata within a two hour drive multiple times. As a result I know that I can do them and I know what to expect. This means that I can be generous and climb last. I can help novices and beginners experience the sport for the first time and through experiments such as climbing shoes on a via ferrata I keep myself entertained. Leukerbad and other such via ferrata would be interesting with climbing shoes because of the rock type. They are not essential and I did this out of good humour. I was perfectly happy using hiking boots for the first five years.
In Austria, there’s a pollen warning. Apparently the lack of frost has encouraged the trees and other plants to begin releasing pollen. That’s quite amusing. We have the same temperatures in central Europe as you’d expect to have down in the south
Israel has seen snow but the resorts can’t open because of the lack.
Where is winter? Is it hiding in the south? Should people go on skiing holidays with their bikes and hiking boots rather than snowboards and skies?
On the Porte du Soleil ski pass you’ll see that they advertise their summer time activities like downhill mountain biking.
The Tour De France is a 3600 kilometre race over 3 weeks with one independent race each day. They start in an international city and then make their way to France within two or three days. The programmes are built around three specific shows. There is the pre-show Village programme followed by the first part of the race before the depart until well after it. The last segment is moved to France 2 for peak viewing and audience.
During the first of these programmes you learn about the city the tour de France is leaving. You get artist interviews, food preparation and other small animations. During the second programme, the first part of the race you see the cyclists and the landmarks and places worthy of note. You get landscape shots of the countryside, aerial shots of castles and learn about where they are cycling for future tourist visits should you be in one part of France or the other. You also get to see the cycling.
There are a lot of sports on television but very few of them have the intensity and landscape of cycling. Tennis is in a court, Football is in a stadium, golf is in a park. Only Cycling provides television audiences with a journey, a voyage. I love this voyage and love the “French Landscape programme” as I like to call it, for this very reason.
Duolingo and Babbel log days in a row, rather than the progress made in a day. The Kindle App counts days and weeks in a row. Kobo and Apple Books both log reading time. I want to dump Duolingo but I don’t want to lose my days in a row streak.
Language Learning Streaks
Plenty of apps like to log streaks. For them it is a way of addicting us to their app, to force us to use their app every day, whether we feel like it or not. It is a way for them to hold on to us as users, way after we have lost a passion for the app. I hate Duolingo but I keep using it only to keep my streak. I don’t use it to learn German now. Babbel is better. It allows you to move on, and choose whether to repeat a mistake. It also provides you with an in-depth explanation of what the grammatical rules are. Understanding the logic makes learning much easier.
Book Reading Streaks
I have read every single day for a year, so to count days in a row is silly. When apps count how many days in a row I do things I want to beat my current record for days in a row. With books this is silly, because books are across Kobo, Kindle, Apple Books, physical books in the real world and more. This means that I would need an app to count how many days in a row, I read, rather than a bookseller’s app.
I like Goodreads’ ability to tell you how many pages you have read in a year. I find that this is a great way of judging whether you have been an avid reader, or not. I tend to read a lot, but not to finish books. I can start a book and finish it a few years later.
Consistent Good Habits
Developing consistent daily good habits, like blogging, or like reading, or daily walks are all good. To get into habits that you can do every day, automatically is useful. These habits give structure to our day, but they also keep us moving forward. I find that with certain apps, their desire for streaks, has a negative impact on habits. I hate Duolingo for forcing me (so to speak) to use their app to learn every day. Without the streaks I’d be happier.
Pedometer++, a walk tracking app counts how many days in a row, you can maintain a streak, but it allows you to miss a day or two, if you’re cycling or taking a rest day from walking. This is healthy. Another fun app is Pacer. It allows you to take on walking challenges. The challenge I am currently on is to walk the Camino De Santiago in 180 days. I am 259 kilometres in, out of 819, and ahead of the time limit they set. I am currently walking from Marismas de Santoña to Santander.
Blogging As a Daily Habit
What I have written over the last 103 days may not have much value, but it provides me with writing practice. Writing daily, means repetition. Repetition makes it boring to read. I will try to improve my writing habit.
Originally I wanted to write about following route 50 from one village to Romainmôtier. I changed my mind as I created the title for this post.
Yesterday I cycled with two people on electric bikes on my normal bike. I didn’t feel that I was making that great an effort, especially since I was cycling at a relatively slow speed compared to usual. I actually felt that I was taking it easy.
Calories Burned
It’s when I looked at calories burned that I realised that what felt like an easy ride to me, was actually a huge effort. It didn’t feel that way to me, because it is normal for me to make such an effort, and I usually push myself when I ride alone.
Three Times More Calories
By riding with people with electric bikes I felt that I was having a relatively easy day. I burned three times more calories than them. It shows to what extent being fit affects how we perceive effort, but also how much energy electric bikes save.
Perfectly Within My Comfort Zone
I was surprised by the huge difference in calories burned because I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel that I was struggling to keep pace with the bikes, or struggling on hills whilst they glided with ease. That’s the beauty of cycling a lot. Effort becomes ordinary, and fitness makes electric bikes harder to justify. Why get an electric bike when you can cycle with people with electric bikes and keep up?
Cyclists and Non Cyclists Riding Together
There are two types of people. Those that invests hundreds of hours over several years to boost their cycling fitness, and those that use electric bikes, to keep up with those with experience. I would argue that the strength of the electric bike is two-fold. The first is that it encourages non cyclists to cycle and experience the pleasure of getting from A to B under their own steam, but the second is that electric bikes allow non cyclists to ride with cyclists, and get a taste of what we enjoy.
Visiting Romainmôtier by bike
Romainmôtier is a nice destination to cycle to. The road takes you through a nice quiet road in the forest. The woods are the Bois De Ferreyres. The route that I took was undulating, with some climbing and some descending, but these ondulations are not extreme like cycling up to La Dôle or up to La Rippe, so manageable.
Cycling Destination
Quite a few people cycled to Romainmôtier and I noticed that a few went into the grounds of the Abbaye and rested their bikes against the wall, before having a drink. By taking the bike parking is simplified, but as well as parking being simplified, you get to experience the landscape first hand. You’re faster than a hiker, but still get to experience the winding roads, the ups, the downs, and the freedom to stop with the bike, more conveniently than with a car.
Recommendation
If you are not a confident cyclist, and don’t want to spend hundreds of hours getting fit, then electric bikes are a fantastic short cut because they give you the freedom to explore, without the dread of having to get back, despite being knackered. Electric bikes are more forgiving than cycling without a motor. With an electric bike you just ask for more assistance and you’re comfortable.
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