Wednesday, September 12, 2018

50 Things To Do Before I'm 50 - Balloon Ride [Ballon de Generali - Paris, France]

When I first set the goal to ride in a hot air balloon (#22 on my list of 50 Things To Do Before I'm 50), I didn't realize there were different kinds of balloons - some use hot air to control the lift while others use gas (helium or hydrogen). The Ballon de Paris Generali is a helium powered tethered balloon located in Paris, France, and I went up in it during our recent trip.


According to the website, this is the largest tethered balloon in the world. It is 115 feet tall and has a 74-foot diameter.


The basket is large and can hold up to 30 passengers, although there were only about 15 on board when I went up on an overcast day.


The balloon is set up in Andre Citroen Park in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.


The Ballon de Generali is authorized to fly up to 984 feet and has equipment on board to study air quality in the area.


It was a little bumpy on take off and landing, but otherwise it was a smooth ride and almost felt like riding in an elevator … with just a netting for the upper walls!



The view was amazing - seeing Paris spread out in all directions and the Eiffel Tower in the distance. It seemed like we went straight up, but when I looked down the tether was at an angle, so there was obviously a little wind. 






So excited to have this item checked off my list! Have you ridden in a helium or hot air balloon? Please share your experience in the comments.

6 comments:

  1. I went up in South Dakota. It was not tethered and we drifted for about an hour. Landing was definitely bumpy, and we had a traditional snack of a mimosa and cheese and crackers upon landing. I think there were 8 on board, and a van came to pick us up. Fantastic opportunity!!!

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  2. Glad you were able to get this ticked off your list. Very brave of you & you did indeed get some amazing photos of Paris (France).

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  3. Given my fear of heights, a balloon ride is definitely NOT on my bucket list. What a fabulous place to check it off your list, however. Your photographs are wonderful!

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  4. I did the tethered Zoo Balloon at the Philadelphia Zoo years ago, but I want to do the real thing and float through the sky! How nice for you to have the experience in such an exciting place - great photos!

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  5. Wow, how exciting and what great views!

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  6. Wow, what super photos! The security of the netting and the fact that it's tethered might just persuade me to try :). Well done on ticking off yet another thing on your list.

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Thanks so much for your comment - it's like a ray of sunshine in my day!