Intro 0:00 - 0:16 = 0:16

It was +32 in Germany this Saturday, so I decided to go somewhere colder and wetter. My cat was fine at home, so I left him there, sleeping the in the shadows.

Garage 0:17 - 0:39 = 0:22

Living in southern Germany with a car is really cool, especially if you have a parking place for it. Just an hour or two of driving and you could be in Austria, Switzerland or France and couple more hours could get you to Chechia, Belgium or Italy.

Autobahn 0:39 - 1:29 = 0:50

As everyone knows, most autobahns in Germany have no speed limit - people drive as fast as they want. This is part of the reason why you can get to many places if you live in Germany. Safety is not an issue as the autobahns are wide, flat and curve nicely in the corners. Most drive between 140 and 180 kilometers per hour due to other traffic and also due to fuel consumption easily doubling soon after that point. I got lucky with traffic here - you can see that the opposite direction is much more congested.

Austria 1:29 - 1:50 = 0:20

As I don't have an Austrian vignette, I had to go by second grade roads along the coast of the amazing Bodensee lake and there were some nasty traffic jams for half an hour either way. Next time I am getting a vignette for sure.

Swiss roads 1:50 - 2:06 = 0:16

Swiss roads are almost as nice as German ones, except for speed limits (bad) and mountains (good). I did get a Swiss vignette because there is just one for the whole year, so that is good.

First swim 2:06 - 4:00 = 1:54

An alternative to going by car is going by rail - both German and Swiss rail systems are very well developed and there are stops anywhere you might want to go (except for high mountain passes, but there are special trains and elevators that go where cars can't). So here I am arriving at a local swimming place on lake Walen. It is a nice mountain lake roughly two by 15 kilometers with 2+km mountain ranges on both sides at some points with vertical cliffs going down into the lake. Lake is fed by melt water from mountains as high as 3.4km, so melt water is still flowing into it even in august. It was really cold, the top layers were warmed up to some 18 degrees, but deeper water was colder. The local beach was a combination grass and pebble artificial beach and a pier for boats that shuttle people around the lake every couple hours. After a bit of swimming and sunbathing, it was time to move on. Only after that I noticed that my camera was still in Manual mode since a couple weeks ago when I was experimenting with photographing stars. Big fail.

Cows 4:00 - 6:35 = 2:35

Some way further in the mountain valleys cows started showing up more. The clang from many cows eating grass is really loud, but the views were amazing. This is all filmed on a wide angle 10-18mm lens, so basically I had to raise my head 45 degrees to look at things on the top of the frame and look down to see what you see on the bottom. Mountains still impress me a lot coming from a flat country like Latvia. Just these mountains here were many times higher than Latvia's highest mountain.

Up and away 6:35 - 8:52 = 2:18

After a quick lunch of sausage salad (there is a lot of chopped sausage in the middle there) it was time to start seriously climbing towards the highest point today - Klausen pass on route 17. I love these twisty, climbing roads with amazing views to the sides and not too much traffic. You can get nice acceleration both in speed and sideways while still being perfectly safe on the road. The tightness and the drop-offs on one side add to the excitement.

Waterfall 8:52 - 9:22 = 0:30

And when you are approaching the top there are more and more sights like this - a majestic cliff with snow capped mountains on top and a waterfall of melt water cascading down with a nice place below for a picnic or just a break. Just beware of the buses as you drive there. Yes, there is a bus route going trough this pass.

Klausen pass 9:22 - 10:55 = 1:18

The view from the top of Klausen pass is amazing. But if you are not satisfied with that, you can do what I did - climb a few hundred meters higher on the mountain sides on either side of the pass, then you can see something like this. The view goes on from a long, long way in a clear day and you can see tiny cars on far roads and distant peaks. And then you can also look down on the parking place at the top of the pass and the other side of the mountain.

Pasture 10:55 - 12:51 = 1:56

The climb is rather easy, because you are not the first going there. There are regulars who go here a lot - cows. Every accessible grassy hillside, even if it is angled at 60 degrees is a cow pasture and you can see that by how cows have created a bumpy landscape by stepping into the ruts for stability. Even rocks are worn away in the same way in some places. So you can just walk the same way. And after a bit of a walk, you cross over to the other side. The view is breathtaking (and not just because it is more than 2 kilometers up). Up there you can be and feel alone. See and feel the majesty of forces of nature that created this amazing landscape. Or just smile and wave.

Other side 12:59 - 14:10 = 1:10

The other approach to the Klausen pass is also very nice - there is this grey hotel building at the top of the mountain and you drive towards it, climbing all the way along a road that is cut directly into the side of a mountain at great elevation above the valley floor below. You can see the brown line of the road on the right, just under the green shelf in the middle of the shot. Don't get too distracted here or the buses will get you.

Second swim 14:10 - 15:24 = 1:14

As the sun was coming down I arrived at my second lake today - Lake Lucerne. It is a huge lake with many branches and many cities along its coast. I took a dip at one of the beaches of Brunnen. Technically it was a paid beach, but it was so late that they stopped taking money and were basically cleaning, closing up and serving last drinks to people at the bar when I arrived. The water was warm and very clear. Swimming in a lake surrounded by huge mountains with a sunset blooming - it was an amazing sight. It was totally worth the trip.

Back - 15:24 = 0:23

After that all that was left was getting back home - across half the Switzerland, trough a bit of Austria and a couple hundred kilometers of autobahns. All in all it was an amazing day of a lot of driving, a bunch of swimming and some mountain walking that cost me 35€ in fuel and 20€ in food.

Instrukcija lidošanai tiem, kas sen to nav darījuši :) Derēs gan Ryanair, gan AirBaltic (es pieminēšu, kur ir starpības). Instrukcija tika rakstīta pāris radiniekiem, kas sen vai nekad nav ceļojuši un pārpublicēta šeit - ja nu kādam noderēs :)

Pirmais solis ir biļešu iegāde. To vislabāk uzticēt pieredzējušam cilvēkam, jo nianšu tajā ir daudz. Mazliet pamanipulējot ari izlidošanas datumiem, sākuma un gala lidostām un izmēģinot dažādus maršrutus un lidsabiedrības, kā arī dažādas mājaslapas ir iespējams pamatīgi ietaupīt lidojuma izmaksās. Es parasti izmantoju 3 informācijas avotus: Google Maps, lai atrastu visas lielās pilsētas mērķa apkārtnē, lidot.lv lai atrastu maršrutus, lidojmu numurus un cenas un tad attiecīgo lidsabiedrību mājaslapas, lai pārbaudītu vai nav iespējams atrast labāku cenu tiem pašiem lidojumiem. Dažreiz viens un tas pats lidojums ir lētāks lidot.lv, citreiz airBaltic lapā. Galvenais šī processa rezultāts ir reģistrācijas numurs un lidojuma laiks.

Otrais solis būs kādu nedēļu pirms lidojuma - online checkin. Tad jāieiet attiecīgās kompānijas mājaslapā, Ryanair gadījumā jāiet uz Check In, izvēlās "Email", ievada reģistrācijas numuru un epastu, izskrollē cauri reklāmai par visādiem papildus pakalpojumiem un iečekojas. Airbaltic gadījumā lapa ir latviski un atbilstošais punkts ir "reģistrēties lidojumam" kur prasa reģistrācijas numuru un uzvārdu. Rezultātā tiks iegūta biļete, ko vajadzētu uzreiz arī izdrukāt.

Vēl pirms lidojuma derētu pārbaudīt vai telefoniem ir atļauts roaming un aizliegts roaming data. Pirmais ir lai ārkārtes gadījumā varētu sazināties ar zvaniem un īsziņām, otrais lai telefons ārzemēs nenotērē nežēlīgi dārgos ārzemju datu megabaitus.

SIlti iesaku lidot tikai ar rokas bagāžu - tas ir daudz vieglāk un arī lētāk. Bagāžas soma var sākt būt nodetīga, ja ceļojuma laiks ir virs vienas nedēļas, bet arī tad ir iespējams izlīdzeties mazgājot drēbes uz vietas. Katram pasažierim ir atļauta rokas bagāža - 1 soma ar izmēriem ne vairāk kā 55x40x20 cm un viena maza rokassomiņa 30x40x10 cm ar kopējo svaru zem 10kg uz cilvēku. Kārtīgi plānojot ar to vajadzētu pilnīgi pietikt nedēļai. Smago un lielo apgērbu šādos gadījumos vienkārši velk virsū un somā liek tikai vieglāko. Rezerves apavus ņemt nevajag - jāvelk tādi apavi kuros var visu nedēļu nostaigāt. Nedrīkst ņemt līdzi nekādus šķidrumus, ģēlus vai pastas. Ja ļoti vajag, tad var ņemt līdzi līdz 5 gab 100ml pudelītes tās turot caurspīdīgā plastmasas maciņā, bet tas ir papildus čakars, jo tas maciņš drošības pārbaudē jāvelk no somas laukā atsevišķai pārbaudei. Cietas uzkodas gan var ņemt droši (ja vien iepakojums nav metālisks vai stikla).

Lidostā būtu ieteicams būt apmēram 2 stundas pirms izlidošanas laika. Drošības pārbaude var aizņemt ap pusstundu (ja ir rinda) un durvis uz lidmašīnu tiek taisītas ciet pusstundu pirms izlidošanas. Tas ir lidostai Rīga - ārzemju lidostās drošības pārbaude var aizņemt ilgāk.

Tā kā online checkin in iziets, biļete izdrukāta un ir tikai rokas bagāža, tad lidostā nav nekādas vajadzības iet pie lidkompānijas lodziņa - var uzreiz iet lidmašīnas virzienā. Uz tablo atrodam vajadzīgo lidmašīnu (pēc reisa numura uz biļetes) un noskaidrojam "geita" jeb izejas numuru. Tas būs līdzīgs "B4" vai "C12". Burts norāda kurā lidostas zonā šī izeja ir. Atkarībā no burta ir jāiet vai nu uz labo vai uz kreiso drošības pārbaudes zonu, sekojot norādēm lidostā. Visticamāk būs jāiet uz kreiso pusi. Ja nav skaidrs, tad var drošības personālam parādīt biļeti un paprasīt uz kurieni jāiet.

Pirms drošības pārbaudes paprasīs parādīt biļeti. Pavadošie tālāk iet nedrīkst, tikai tie, kas lido. Pasi parasti neprasa, bet būtu labi to turēt pie rokas. Tad tālāk ir drošības pārbaude. Gaidot rindā var uzreiz pārlikt visas metāliskās lietas ārjakas kabatā - atslēgas, maku, rotaslietas, pulksteni, bikšu siksnu. Pienākot rindai paņem divus plastikāta traukus un noliek uz konvejera - vienā ieliek somu (ja ir maciņš ar šķidrumiem, tad tas ir jāizņem un jānoliek blakus somai), otrā ieliek virsdrēbes un jebko metālisku (ja viss metāliskais jau ir virsdrēbju kabatā, tad ir vieglāk). Drošībnieki var palūgt novilkt vēl papildus apģērbu vai arī novilkt kurpes. Šiem lūgumiem ir jāklausa bez ierunām - jebkāds konflikts šeit var ātri nozīmēt noņemšanu no reisa. Kad visas mantas ir uz konvejera, tad jānostājas pirms metāla detektora un jāpagaida kamēr drošībnieks pamāj ar roku aicinot tam iziet cauri. Ja ir palicis kas metālisks vai ir gadījies tikt nejaušajā apskatē, tad drošībnieks pateiks ko darīt. Visticamāk, palūgs apstāties turpat malā un pārbaudīs ar rokas metāldetektrou kā arī aptaustīs vai nav kas aizdomīgs noslēpts uz ķermeņa. Drošībnieku pavēlēm jāklausa. Viņi var arī palūgt atvērt somu un parādīt tās saturu. Man tas bieži gadās, jo somā ir pārāk daudz visādu vadu caur kuriem renģens slikti redz. Kad drošībnieki saka vai rāda, ka viss ir kārtībā, tad var ņemt savas mantas un somas no konvejera un doties tālāk. Tur pat ir arī krēsliņi, kur var apsēsties, lai uzvilktu atpakaļ kurpes. Virsdrēbes vilkt atpakaļ nav jēgas, labāk tās nest rokā.

Tad atliek vien iziet cauri lidostai līdz pareizajam iekāpšanas sektoram (izejai) kas bija norādīta uz tablo. Ik pēc pārdesmit metriem ir tādi paši tablo, kas rāda pašreizējo laiku un visus lidojumus. Vispirms pēc zīmēm atrodam pareizo burtu un tad arī pareizo izeju. Visticamāk izeja vēl būs slēgta un tur pat var būt uzrakstīts cits reiss, ja jūs tur esat pārāk agri. Izeja parasti tiek atvērta vienu stundu pirms lidojuma. Par to tiek arī skaļi paziņots lidostas skaļruņos nosaucot aviokompāniju, mērķa pilsētu un iekāpšanas sektoru. Pie katras izejas ir daudz sēdvietu, kur gaidīt. Tur pat blakus ir arī toletes, ko ir ieteicams izmantot pirms izlidošanas. Lidostā pēc drošības pārbaudes nopirkto ūdeni drīkst ņemt līdzi lidmašīnā, tas ir dārgs, bet lētāks nekā lidmašīnā.

Kad izeja ir atvērta, tad var doties uz to kopā ar pārējo pasažieru baru. Stjuarte pie izejas pārbaudīs biļeti un pasi. Ieteicams pasi dot vai rādīt atvērtā veidā, lai iet ātrāk.

Ryanair nav rezervētas sēdvietas, vienkārši jāizvēlas brīva vieta (kur nav norādīts, ka šī ir vieta par papildus maksu). Sava soma un virsdrēbes jāievieto bagāžas nodalījumā virs galvas, vēlams blakus savai sēdvietai. Ja ir paredzēts kaut kas izklaidei lidmašīnā (grāmata vai kindle) tad to labāk izņemt ārā gaidot iekāpšanu un lidmašīnā ienest jau rokās, lai nav jāmeklē pa somu, kamēr pārējie pasažieri apkārt stumdās. Šis ir arī pēdējais brīdis telefonus un citu ieslēgto elektroniku pārslēgt lidmašīnas režīmā vai izslēgt. Iesēžamies krēslā, piesprādzējamies, košļājam košļeni. Es ieteiktu iekārtoties ērti un visu lidojuma laiku vienkārši sēdēt un neatsprādzēties. Lidojuma laikā piedāvās nopirkt ēdienu un suvenīrus. Dārgi, nav tā vērts.

Pēc piezemēšanās nav nekur jāsteidzas. Paliekam sēdus ar piesprādzētām jostām līdz jostu zīme ir izslēgta un pat ilgāk - lai tie, kam jāskrien, lai viņi skrien. Kad lielie bari ir prom, tad var nesteidzīgāk dabūt savu somu un virsdrēbes no bagāžas virs galvas, pārbaudīt sēdekli un tā kabatu vai nekas nav aizmirsts un iet ārā no lidmašīnas. Lidostā vienkārši jāseko zīmēm uz izeju - "Exit" 

Sagaidītājiem vislabāk ir gaidīt pie izejas no drošās zonas uz publisko zonu. Tā ir tā vieta uz kurieni "Exit" zīmes ved no lidmašīnas un tur visticamāk būs daudz sagaidītāju. Ja kaut kādā veidā izdodas tikt ārpusē un sagaidītāju neatrast, tad zvaniet uz telefonu! Pec telefona ieslēgšanas no lidmašīnas režīma vai ieslēgšanas var paiet vairākas minūtes pirms tas atradīs ārzemju signālu.

Veiksmi ceļojot!

Ievērtējam šo video:

So a couple weeks ago I was on a 1900 km trip from Latvia to southern Germany. On the second day I was still in Poland when my tank was running low. I stopped at a Shell station and looked at the pumps. I know that I needed diesel fuel and there was a choice - a black pump with Diesel followed by red pump with Shell VX Power Diesel and then a bunch of green pumps with gas. So I too the red pump and fuled up. The engine ran great, I was soon in Germany and going down autobahn with very nice speed. After a few hours the gas tank was rnning low again and again a Shell station was the first I found. I stopped there and saw the exact same pumps as in Poland - a black Diesel followed by red Shell VX Power Racing and a bunch of green pumps. I picked up the red pump again, filled my tank and drove on. After some distance I noticed that I was getting some interruptions of power and maybe slower acceleration, but it was not severe enough to make me to stop. So I drove on. All 300 kilometers to home. While sometimes speeding up to 180km/h. Only when I got to home and slowed down to city speeds did I notice that the power interruptions were more serious and also that the check engine light was on. So on Monday morning I got up early, got in the car, started it (without any problems) and drove to the nearby Mercedes dealership.

Only then with the help of the technitian I realised that Shell VX Power Racing is not the same as Shell VX Power Diesel despide being in the pumps of the same color and location. The car had to stay in the service overnight. They removed all the injectors from the engine, cleaned and inspected it fully. The only part that actually needed replacing was the fuel filter. Just to be sure after reassembling the engine they also ran it for 75 km on the test stand at all kinds of speeds and power curves. And they refuled it back to full and also washed the car before returning it to me. Shuttle service from the service to my workplace and back was also included.

In the end this mistake cost me 635.50 EUR, but it could have also been many times more than that. Apparently the VX Power Racing fuel also contains a bit of lubricants, just like many diesel fuels, so that might have saved me. Or the good quality engineering that goes into the Mercedes engines. Or both. Still, this is one of those life lessons that you do not forget that easily.