Nov 27
2008

Here in Brussels the Cyclocity scheme is relatively new. It has been around in some cities since 2002. It allows the easy hire of bicycles in cities as you simply collect a cycle at one location and drop it off at another within the city centre. Cyclocity bicyclesThe stations are often no more than 300 metres apart and there are 23 of them within the Brussels Pentagone (Inner Ring Road). This gets around the biggest obstacle to bike hire in that your journey does not have to be a round trip returning to the hire shop. They are also available 24 hours per day, every day of the year not just when hire shops are open. The bicycles are all very clean and well maintained.
Prices are very competitive with a year card costing 10€ then each first half hour is 0.5€ and further hours at 0.5€. If you are visitor to the city then a week card is priced at 1.50€ with the first half hour at 0.5€ and each successive hour at 1€. Payment is made via debit / credit cards at payment meters. On the weekly card, the system adds up the total usage and debits one payment at the end of the week. On the yearly card payment is by direct debit on a regular basis.
The scheme is available at the following cities in Europe and I hope it soon spreads further.
Austria - Vienna
Belgium - Brussels
France - Aix en Provence, Amiens, Besançon, Lyon, Marseille, Mulhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Spain - Cordoba, Gijon, Seville
There are similar schemes at Toulouse and Nancy in France.
More details of the Cyclocity can be found here.
What experiences have you had with this type of self service bike hire? If you have not used it would you be tempted?

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Nov 20
2008

Both myself and my sons are passionate snowboarders. Unfortunately I have spent most of my life in a country with very little snow. There have been one or two ‘powder days’ in North Wales but if I want to shred some real snow then I would have to travel a long way to the Alps or even further. In the UK a network of dry ski slopes was established. However they are not a good substitute for real snow as the friction is too great, and most are not very forgiving to fall over on.
That is why there is a demand for the indoor ski slopes that have been constructed all over the world. Here in Belgium, there are three in operation, with more over the border in the Netherlands and Northern Germany. To keep these indoor slopes cold, make artificial snow and to light the pistes uses a considerable amount of electricity. I would be very interested to know how much electricity per customer / 10 metres of slope. If anyone has the answer please let me know. I’m sure there is plenty of scope for using the extracted heat in an industrial process or even district heating - although this would probably be of little use in the Summer. How about using it for heating a swimming pool or water park?
Today I visited Snow Valley at Peer, here in Belgium. I couldn’t help noticing that they were proudly displaying a certificate on the wall by the booking desk that explained that all of the power used at Snow Valley is purchased from renewable sources such as wind power. How many more energy intensive recreational facilities use only renewable energy?

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Nov 18
2008

Here in Belgium it is not a huge problem disposing of single use batteries for cameras, torches etc.
Many stores have collection points. There is even the added incentive of a free prize draw to win a Toyota Prius hybrid car if you place at least 6 batteries in the envelope and fill in your contact details.

When travelling it can be difficult to difficult to know where to dispose of flat batteries. I do try to use rechargeable batteries but sometimes I end up with the single use variety. I am concerned as they contain all manner of metals that can pollute the environment if not disposed of correctly.
While browsing the Aardvark Travel Bulletin Board tonight I came across this post on disposal points in Spain. I wonder how many countries have similar arrangements?

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Nov 17
2008

At this moment in time I am living in Brussels. Last weekend I drove over to Cologne. The main station is a hub on the European fast rail system with ICE (Inter City Express) and Thalys High speed trains throughout Germany and to Brussels and Paris. Book in advance for really low fares i.e. Brussels - Cologne from €15 one way and Paris - Cologne from €25 one way.

Germany has many measures in place minimise waste and energy wastage. Litter bins in the station are segregated into paper, tins / metal, glass e.t.c. The Brauhaus where I sampled some local beers and food had the Dyson Airblade hand dryers. These use considerably less electricity than normal hand dryers and are very effective. My hands were dry 10 seconds after placing them in the dryer.

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Nov 14
2008

‘Credit Crunch’ and ‘Energy Crunch’ are terms many of us will have come across at one time or another. To be able to travel we all need to be able to finance our trips and the current credit crunch will affect many travel plans. Of course the credit crunch will come to an end someday but that may not be the end of the challenges facing anyone wanting to travel the world. The energy crunch or at least Peak Oil is waiting in the wings as oil will not last forever and many experts believe that there is not enough oil left in the world to increase production beyond the levels reached in Summer 2008.

Treading lightly as we travel this beautiful world will ensure that our successors can enjoy it as much as we do. I do not endorse luxury travel as it consumes a lot more resources than budget travel. For example a business class traveller can take up the space of up to six passengers on a budget airline. This means that passenger will probably use at least four times as much aviation fuel per passenger mile and emit at least four times as much CO2 as a passenger on budget airline. Of course train and bus passengers will consume even less.

This blog has been started to discuss these issues and share experiences and tips for travellers who are want keep the cost of their travel to themselves and the environment to a minimum.

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Nov 13
2008

Hi,
This is my first post. I am learning Wordpress as I start bogging. So expect changes in the look, layout and navigation of this site as my competency increases. Feel free to offer tips if you can see ways of improving the browsing experience of the visitors to this blog.
John



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