{"id":9385,"date":"2021-09-29T09:34:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T07:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funkygermany.com\/?p=9385"},"modified":"2021-09-28T14:16:11","modified_gmt":"2021-09-28T12:16:11","slug":"balloon-flight-swabian-alb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funkygermany.com\/en\/balloon-flight-swabian-alb\/","title":{"rendered":"The quiet form of happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During a balloon flight above the Swabian Alb, you float as if in slow motion and very quietly over forests, meadows and villages. And by the way you become very calm yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are already floating! The basket lifts off so silently and smoothly from the meadow in the Lauter Valley<\/strong> that you only notice you’re in the air because of the change in perspective. This unspectacular takeoff comes as a surprise to me, because until just now I was fighting with my fear. I don’t like getting into airplanes. Now, I’m supposed to cruise through the sky above the Swabian Alb<\/strong> with four other passengers and a balloon pilot in a small basket? Crazy! With nothing but a lot of hot air for propulsion? Unbelievable. And a captain who is very experienced and who knows the winds and the thermals perfectly \u2013  but who basically can’t steer his vehicle? HELP!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chatting with the pilot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rudi Fuchs<\/strong> is a calm character and fires instead of soothing my fears. And the gas burner hisses at short intervals, spitting fire so that the air in the 180-kilogram balloon gets hotter and we gain altitude. Because right after takeoff, we’re heading a bit in a different direction than previously thought. The treetops on the slope seem precariously at eye level for a moment. “We’ll have to make a quick job of it there,” the 61-year-old says with a laugh, but doesn’t seem worried. It reassures me that I have the deeply relaxed balloon expert in front of me and can chat with him. That’s much more pleasant than in an airplane \u2013 you’re in contact with the pilot and the world around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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