Paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland |
Written by Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta | |
The first time that we stayed at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa in Interlaken, Switzerland, we watched a sky filled with paragliders with sails in a rainbow of colors landing in the park across from the hotel, and thought, "that will be us on our next visit." We returned to the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa in Interlaken in October 2006, and once again, the sky was dotted with paragliders. Hearts racing with excitement, we rushed to Twin Paragliding to book our tandem flights; little did we know at the time that a new addiction would soon take hold. The moment had finally arrived; we would "Discover Why Birds Sing!" according to the Twin Paragliding slogan, although we immediately thought of the song by Steve Miller "Fly like an Eagle." Twin Paragliding offers six different flying adventures: The Classic (500m/1700 ft) Beatenberg - Interlaken, The Sensational (800m/2600) Beatenberg - Interlaken, The Scenic (800m/2600 ft) Müren - Lauterbrunnen, The Romantic (1300 m/4290 ft) Schynige Platte - Interlaken, The Panoramic (1400 m/4260 ft) Niederhorn - Interlaken, and The Great (2000 m/6600 ft) Schilthorn - Stechelberg. We selected The Sensational for our initial foray into paragliding.
Comfortable with their backgrounds and the fact that Nicole was so relaxed that she drank a cup of coffee in the van on the way to Beatenburg, we relaxed and thought about our moment to fly.
We arrived at the top of Beatenberg, and it was showtime as Nicole and Pietschly carried our paragliders in 60-pound backpacks to the grassy slope where we would prepare the paragliders. We of course, were completely unencumbered except for our cameras to record every precious minute of flying. We assisted Nicole and Pietschly set up the paragliders, and could not help but think about Leonardo DaVinci and his flying machine. Imagine what Da Vinci would have thought about people running off a mountain to fly; he probably would have loved it!
Helmets on, paragliders prepared, Nicole and Edward took off first, running down the grassy slope of the mountain until the air caught the sail of the paraglider, pulled them slightly back and up, and then suddenly they were flying!
Debra and Pietschly followed suit, running until the updraft caught the sail and they, too, were airborne! When we realized that we were actually flying, it was an incredible high. We cannot even begin to explain the incredible sensation that we felt having the sheer freedom of flying in a paraglider. Imagine the wind gently caressing your face, and drifting along on the air currents like a bird or a balloon that a child had lost! Having 360° aerial vistas and being able to steer the paraglider to where you want to travel is a wonderfully empowering feeling.
Even without the breathtaking views of the Alpine mountains, Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, paragliding would be a fabulous adventure, but combined with the spectacular mountain views, it was a very memorable and exhilarating experience, as we drifted along on the wind.
For more information on Twin Paragliding, please visit their website www.TwinParagliding.com.
Twin Paragliding Read other articles on Switzerland in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes, Spas, Liquor Cabinet, Wine Cellar, and Adventures sections. For information on Switzerland, please visit: www.MySwitzerland.com. For information on Lucerne: www.Luzern.org. For information on Interlaken: www.InterlakenTourism.ch. For information on Bern: www.BernInfo.com. For information on Zurich: www.Zuerich.com. For information on Swiss International Air Lines: www.swiss.com. For information on Swiss Pass: www.SwissTravelSystem.ch. © December 2006 Luxury Experience www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved. |