欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

Just a mobile phone holder... Yes, just

I have been looking for a way to fix my mobile phone in my Mazda MX-5 (ND). Yes, it is only a cell phone but...

I got to know this phone holder sold by IL Motorsport (Germany) a long time ago (more than a year?). At that time I thought it was too expensive and thought other equally functionally equivalent holders would come into the market soon.

It turned out after more than a year of patient waiting that it was a very reasonably priced functional mobile phone holder after all.

I ordered it just a moment ago. It will arrive soon in a week or so.





These images are clipped from the seller's site. I don't think they mind my pasting the images from their site without any written permission as after all I am a customer and I am in a way promoting their sales by doing so.

As you can expect, there are two types of them; one for the right-hand side driver's seat and the other left-hand side driver's seat. My MX-5 is an European continental model meaning that the driver's seat is on the left side of the car. I chose the right model.

There are other models from other brands but they are either more expensive or less subtle.

For example there are a couple of models from Cravenspeed. They look fine and may work fine but they are visually too loud for my taste. On top of it, they are too expensive for me.

A sunny and occasionally rainy day in the forest

Today I wanted to take my beloved Hannah out in the forest. She loves outdoors activities.

The weather was mostly sunny with occasional showers. I took her out and stayed outside in the woods for about 2 hours and half before coming home. It began to rain rather hard as soon as I came home. I guess I chose the right time.

Yearly maintenance for my Mazda MX-5

This coming Thursday I have an appointment. It is time to change the engine oil and check the car.

The EU (a huge bureaucratic body of Eurasia Big Brother) has set many rules so that they can say that the EU countries are doing their best to be carbon neutral or environmentally earth-friendly or whatever it is called. One of the rules that they came up is the engine oil change span should be around 15,000 km or a year. I think the engine oil deteriorates sooner than 15,000 km but the car dealership mechanics refuse to change the engine oil sooner.

I can go to other places to get it changed but I don't know where to go.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [IL Motorsport (Germany) and its mobile phone holder]の続きを読む

テーマ:車関係なんでも - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2021/07/26(月) 22:03:21|
2. Mazda MX-5
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There was a flash flooding in Luxembourg near my residence

It happened about two weeks ago. I live close to Luxembourg city boundary. There is a small river or stream called-Alzette flowing from somewhere in France and then the French-Luxembourg border city of Esch-sur-Alzette (meaning Esch on the Alzette) through Luxembourg City and then somewhere to the North part of Luxembourg.

My humble residence (a studio apartment) is located around 250 meters above the sea level and the Alzette's normal level is around 10 meters down my humble residence.

On sunny weekend days, I take my Hannah the cat to the nearby forest and let her play on her own. The one of the entry points of the forest is down my residence where the Alzette flows.

There is a paved cycling, jogging, walking and other activities winding road along the stream. The forest is somewhat called Howald Forest (if I translate the name in English), I think.

There is a bridge near the heart of commune (municipality) of Hesperange. There is a monument near the bridge commemorating fallen American soldiers in the park. These soldiers were operating a tank after the liberation of Luxembourg and happened to be crossing the then wooden bridge there when it collapsed.

At this point the roads and houses are very low and close to the water.

When it rained a lot two weeks ago, the water level rose around 2 meters at this point and flooded the area. Not too much of area was affected but the several houses standing close to the stream were damaged and i saw an SUV in the muddy water. I guess the owners of the vehicle and the house nearby happened to be absent, maybe on a holiday trip?

The flooding was over in a matter of day or so. The area is rural and the overflowing water had place to go and that's was why the water level went up only 2 or 3 meters at this point. there was no artificial banks there.

The Alzette reaches Luxembourg City after a few kilometer where houses and commercial properties are after this point.

In the city, there are banks on the side of this narrow stream. There, once the water rises, it had no escape so the water level goes up straight up. I heard that at some points the water level went up around 4 meters. There were a lot of houses and business properties damaged severely.

I am aware of no causalities reported in Luxembourg.

In Japaene: 日本語でどうぞ

[Flooding in Luxembourg a while ago]の続きを読む

テーマ:ヨーロッパ - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2021/07/25(日) 23:53:45|
2. Diary
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Baloise Lady's Tour

Baloise reads "Bah-Lo-Words" and it is a name of an insurance company based, I believe, in Belgium. It also operates in Luxembourg (as a Luxembourgish company?) and it is currently my car insurance (and apartment insurance company).

This morning I left for Zulte, Belgium around 07:00 (O-seven-hundred) in the morning. I got there by 10: 30. I parked in front of a police station (seemingly the central office) as it stands next to a biggish church, which in my imagination, seemed to be at the center of the city.

I took a walk (around 500 meters) to the finish area and decided to drive to a village called Wortegem-Petegem, around 11 kilometers from the finish city of Zulte.

Why? Because, according to the course profile (altitide), there's a short climb which seemed to be the biggest climb of the day there. And also because I thought it would be much easier to paint something on the road there (rural area of Wortegem-Petegem) than in the amidst of Zulte (the final circuit course).

As you can see, it is not completely legal to paint something on the road. In other words, it should be illegal. I have never been given a penalty or anything at all. I have once been asked to show my ID by a police officer when I got caught red-handed. I never got any legal citation for that. I think it was too much work for that police officer to write some kind of official report to make the case (for any legal system to intervene).

So I painted there. "Rossella Ratto" was my theme.

Zulte, Belgium (Flanders)

Zulte reads "Zulu-Teh". I had never been there before I was there Today.

MX-5 Yearly Maintenance

I have an appointment on July 29. It is the fourth maintenance for my MX-5. I bought this car in 2017 and I decided to pay the whole price on a 4 year installation. Yes, I took a 4 year loan. The very last payment comes close and I will be done with the payment. I am so happy.

After the last payment, this car is officially mine. I don't owe anything to anybody anymore.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Baloise Lady's Tour, Zulte and MX-5 yearly maintenance]の続きを読む

テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ

1. 2021/07/12(月) 22:46:00|
2. Bike Races
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No Scandinavian tour?

One has to have a certificate to prove that you are vaccinated for or once infected and successfully recovered (In other word, you did not die) from Covid-19 to enter Norway or Sweden. I did not read the detailed conditions for entering Denmark but I guess Denmark imposes similar conditions.

I am thinking of giving up the entire plan.

Maybe I should drive down to some hilly areas (Alsace?) of France or up to some hilly areas of Belgium and enjoy riding my bike. I will take Hannah with me of course and stay at some local camping grounds. It won't cost me too much.


In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [ Change of destination?]の続きを読む

テーマ:旅行、旅、ドライブ - ジャンル:旅行

1. 2021/07/07(水) 23:54:03|
2. Diary
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What is wrong with Sweden?

URL 1: (https://www.krisinformation.se/en/hazards-and-risks/disasters-and-incidents/2020/official-information-on-the-new-coronavirus/travel-restrictions)

URL 2: (https://visitsweden.com/about-sweden/information-for-travellers-corona-virus/)

I have regularly visited sites like visitdenmark.com, visitnorway.com and visitsweden.com for information on traveling restrictions during this Summer for I have been planning to make a car trip to these Scandinavian countries.

Denmark and Norway have lowered the bars for me (someone like me who is a resident in EU countries) for visiting them for leisure purposes.

Sweden, on the other hand, has been stubbornly refused to welcome tourists. The URLs above show what Swedish government has very stubborn rules effective until the end of August.

I (non-Sweden national or non-resident) have to have some kind of certificate to show that I have been tested negative within 72 hours, vaccinated or recovered to enter Sweden.

Maybe I should skip Sweden at all.

Now I am scrambling to find the way to skip Sweden. Of course it is possible to do so when I use ferrys between Denmark and Norway.

I have been not vaccinated and I believe it takes a couple of weeks (or shorter?) to take the vaccination to take effect. If I am not vaccinated now, it is not possible for me to travel to Sweden in a practical way.

I am thinking of scrapping the plans that I have been brooding on for some time.

I am working on a new plan to boycott Sweden.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [What is up with Sweden?]の続きを読む

テーマ:北欧 - ジャンル:海外情報

1. 2021/07/04(日) 23:56:23|
2. Diary
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