Mission Accomplished

We traveled to Friedrichshafen in the hope of better luck with Zeppelin this time round.  Last time we were here we had a cruise around Lake Constance booked and it was cancelled because of bad weather.  Number one item on Matt's bucket list for ever has been a ride in an airship - and topping that was getting to fly one.  So he booked into the Pilot Experience about a year ago.  It's run infrequently for a maximum of six participants, all pilots.  While he went off to the first day of the course I decided to take myself off to Switzerland!

It's only a 40 minute ferry ride from Friedrichshafen to Romanshorn but I was still disappointed not to get a stamp in my passport!  Most people were on the ferry to continue on, by car or train.  I had a delightful walk around the foreshore gardens but as there really wasn't anything open (even the old church was locked up tight) I returned earlier than I had planned.

A great use for an old dinghy!

And a jolly good thing I did because I returned to find this note under the door of our room!

It was 15:15 when I got back - and I'd been on the bus which only runs hourly on weekends!  Before I knew it I was joining Matt (and some others) and taking off in the lighter than air Zeppelin NT.  I'm sorry I could only get the back of his head, but that really is him taking off/flying/landing in the video below.

Possibly the happiest day of his life?  Going on his expression after he landed I'd say so!

Is the other aircraft undertaking or are we overtaking?

lining up on the Dornier Museum...

Keine Ansicht!

We had a lovely dinner in the steak restaurant at the Zeppelin Hanger with the lecturers/captains and other course participants (and their hangers on) after the days work concluded.  Matt has returned to Zeppelin for the second day of the course and the lovely host at our hotel has told me I can use the room as long as I like even though we've officially checked out.  So terribly kind of her - I thought I might have been sitting outside in the rain!  She also gave us a bottle of wine, thank goodness we've still got the room as I had to repack my baggage so it could fly to Frankfurt with us this evening!