The electric car follies. <\/strong>Charlie and I had QUITE an adventure with our electric car rental in Italy! We had only rented an electric vehicle for one UK trip so short that we didn\u2019t even need to charge it. And let me say that WE WERE NOT PREPARED.<\/p>\nWe landed at Milan Malpensa, and by the time we got to the city of Alessandria, 75 minutes away, our battery was already two-thirds depleted.<\/p>\n
Turns out different electric vehicles handle highway driving differently \u2014 and on our Peugeot, it chewed up the battery FAST. So we decided to avoid the autostrada for the rest of the trip (sad for me, I love the Italian tradition of insulting the autostrada machine after it says \u201carrivederci\u201d).<\/p>\n
Now, this was probably naive on my part, but I assumed you could find a charging station, swipe your card, plug yourself in, and charge. It was NOT that easy. Most of the chargers require you to have an established account on their own app, and apps vary.<\/p>\n
Additionally, it\u2019s tough to find charging stations in Italy via Google Maps, as the information is often incorrect. So we signed up for the Plentitude app, which has a good amount of charging stations in Piemonte.<\/p>\n
However, in a classic example of Italian disorganization, Plentitude currently can\u2019t create new accounts with non-Italian phone numbers, and it takes about three business days to create a new account. (Amazingly, we could call in and speak to a human who told us this.)<\/p>\n
You know how much I love Italy, but this is the kind of stuff that happens all the time and IT DRIVES ME CRAZY. Just a complete lack of efficiency.<\/p>\n
So we were able to create a guest account that would tide us over through the weekend, but because Apple Pay was \u201ccoming soon,\u201d (come on, Italy, is it REALLY that hard to implement Apple Pay?!), we had to manually fill out tons of personal and payment information in the app before each charge.<\/p>\n
None of the chargers charged at a rate they advertised \u2014 if it were \u201cup to 12 kh,\u201d it would stop at around 6-8. That may have been an issue with our specific vehicle model. Additionally, to our consternation, our vehicle did not have a cord that could accommodate the super-fast chargers.<\/p>\n
We survived \u2014 and we also had a very nice weekend! Let\u2019s not forget that! But I\u2019ve learned a lot of things going forward that I want to share with you.<\/p>\n
1. If you\u2019re renting an electric car, have a way to charge it overnight. Whether that\u2019s accommodation that has a charger (if you can reserve it, even better!), or staying in a big city with lots of chargers, it will make your life far easier if you can charge overnight. Our first two nights were in a small town with no chargers, which meant we had to charge by day.<\/p>\n
2. Heading somewhere busy? Say, Alba for the white truffle fair? You\u2019re not getting a charger. They will ALL be taken. Don\u2019t bank on being able to charge near a popular event.<\/p>\n
3. Do your research on electric vehicles and choose one that is suited for your kind of driving, especially if you plan on doing lots of highway driving. Then again \u2014 the car rental people will give you what they give you, so sometimes you can\u2019t plan for that.<\/p>\n
Let me be clear that I am so grateful that electric cars have become popular, and they are much better than gas vehicles in the long run. We hope to get a plug-in hybrid when Charlie is ready for his next car.<\/p>\n
But at this point in time, the infrastructure is not quite where it needs to be in some areas. It will be someday. It isn\u2019t yet. Definitely not in rural Italy.<\/p>\nBeautiful fall colors in my neighborhood in Prague.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nPushing it too hard with fitness. <\/strong>My biggest personal mistake of the month was jumping back into my usual strength routine, no modifications, after nearly a month away.<\/p>\nIt felt good in the moment. Then I was in INCREDIBLE PAIN for about five days. Let this be a lesson to you \u2014 if you\u2019ve taken a break from strength training, lift lighter than usual on your first day back and see how your body takes it!<\/p>\n
I also had to deal with a cold for about a week of the month. Fun times.<\/p>\nI missed my cats so much when I was in Africa!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBlog Posts of the Month<\/h2>\nThe Truth About Visiting Paris in Winter (Good and Bad)<\/strong> \u2014 Paris is one of my favorite cities to visit in the winter \u2014 and now, more than ever, considering that it\u2019s the only time you can have a peaceful environment at the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay.<\/p>\n26+ Fun Things to Do in San Sebasti\u00e1n, Spain<\/strong> \u2014 This little city in the Basque Country is one of the best food and drink destinations I\u2019ve ever visited \u2014 but even if that isn\u2019t your thing, there\u2019s plenty for you to enjoy!<\/p>\n19+ Cool Things to Do in Bilbao, Spain<\/strong> \u2014 I was shocked at how much I loved Bilbao, and how livable I found it as a city. Here are some great ways to spend your time here.<\/p>\nMost Popular Reel on Instagram<\/h2>\nI went to Mauritius for a three-day taster trip \u2014 and I\u2019m perfectly fine if I never return.<\/strong> Is that a sign of a bad trip? Not at all \u2014 I think my trip was a big success.<\/p>\nYou can see this video on Instagram or on TikTok about what happens when you realize a certain destination is NOT for you.<\/p>\nFashion Moment of the Month<\/h2>\nI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve shared my beloved raincoat here before \u2014 and I\u2019m wearing it a lot lately because, well, Prague in October.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis raincoat is from Rainsisters, a small company run by three sisters in Latvia. They make the most beautiful raincoats you\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n
I won\u2019t lie to you, they\u2019re pricey. But wearing this amazing, purple flower-covered coat brightens my days SO much, and I\u2019ve had it for more than a year and the cost per wear is down to $7.24, and I know it has at least a few more years of wear ahead of it!<\/p>\n
A few of my friends have asked if they should get one, and I\u2019ve told them all the same thing: get one in a cool pattern<\/em>. Don\u2019t get a plain black coat that goes with everything. The cool patterns are what make these coats head-turners.<\/p>\nAnd as a Latvian American, I\u2019m happy to support a small business in Latvia!<\/p>\n\n
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