slow leveling? is it just me?

[Toyen]

I´m playing on the second hardest dif. and I left White Orchard at lvl 4, did all the side quests and visited all the points of interests.
Spent around 7-8 hours in White Orchard!

 

[randyrhoads]

Can't see going above 40 at this rate. 60 is the cap right?

 

[Lachdannen]

Yeah I havent completed everything on Velen at all, but I shot up from 8 to 10 with like two witcher contracts. Wheeeee xD

 

[phreatophile]

I played until quite late before I realized that random mobs give next to no XP.
Just got so lost in the landscape, I collected a lot of ingredients and was completely awestruck by the sunset a few times.

I guess questing and kill contracts are the only ways to go.