Such Great Heights
Some time ago now (at the end of June), Adam and Julie returned to Geneva for take 2 of paragliding (an item on my "things to do before I die” list). As you might recall, they had come through towards the end of March and we made an unsuccessful attempt thwarted by wind and rain.
This time, however, was much more successful. In short, we had gorgeous weather and great flights. We again headed to Interlaken and it proved a wise choice as the beauty of our surroundings was unsurpassed.
I won’t do much in the way of descriptions because in this case, the pictures are worth much more than anything I could attempt to describe. I will, however, say this: somewhat counter-intuitively, paragliding was one of the least frightening and most fun things I’ve ever done. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I’d be jumping off a cliff, but the truth is you just need to run down a gentle slope and the parachute just lifts you off the ground in a way I can only describe as “magical.” I highly recommend it.
En route to our departure point
Preparing for flight
Julie lifts off
The rest of the group getting into the thermal lift area
My flight instructor Dominick and I over the city
I even got to take the reigns for a few minutes to steer; fun stuff
another aerial view of Interlaken
amazing
After touching down and having another great rösti, we headed back to Geneva to go to a friend’s going away party.
In addition, being back in Geneva allowed us the chance to do some other fun activities on Sunday. One thing that it took me that long to finally get around to was exploring the Salève, a mountain just across the border in France. We didn’t have time to both ascend and descend on foot, so we took the funicular up and hiked down. It was another breath-taking day with some spectacular vistas.
Le Salève from below
Geneva from atop the mountain
Finally, that evening before Adam and Julie returned to London, we had the chance to stop by a music festival sponsored by AMR, the school that puts on the Tuesday jazz jam sessions. It was a nice way to end the weekend, relaxing with beer and friends.
The Porrs
Me and Adam enjoying some tasty Calvinus
This time, however, was much more successful. In short, we had gorgeous weather and great flights. We again headed to Interlaken and it proved a wise choice as the beauty of our surroundings was unsurpassed.
I won’t do much in the way of descriptions because in this case, the pictures are worth much more than anything I could attempt to describe. I will, however, say this: somewhat counter-intuitively, paragliding was one of the least frightening and most fun things I’ve ever done. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I’d be jumping off a cliff, but the truth is you just need to run down a gentle slope and the parachute just lifts you off the ground in a way I can only describe as “magical.” I highly recommend it.
En route to our departure point
Preparing for flight
Julie lifts off
The rest of the group getting into the thermal lift area
My flight instructor Dominick and I over the city
I even got to take the reigns for a few minutes to steer; fun stuff
another aerial view of Interlaken
amazing
After touching down and having another great rösti, we headed back to Geneva to go to a friend’s going away party.
In addition, being back in Geneva allowed us the chance to do some other fun activities on Sunday. One thing that it took me that long to finally get around to was exploring the Salève, a mountain just across the border in France. We didn’t have time to both ascend and descend on foot, so we took the funicular up and hiked down. It was another breath-taking day with some spectacular vistas.
Le Salève from below
Geneva from atop the mountain
Finally, that evening before Adam and Julie returned to London, we had the chance to stop by a music festival sponsored by AMR, the school that puts on the Tuesday jazz jam sessions. It was a nice way to end the weekend, relaxing with beer and friends.
The Porrs
Me and Adam enjoying some tasty Calvinus
Labels: friends, Interlaken, paragliding
posted by Aaron at 1:06 AM
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