Metz. Hot Air Balloon Festival: A Unique Take-Off Area in the City Center

Will it fly or not? That's the eternal question. But taking off in a balloon is something you have to earn, as Charles Gourmet, director of flights for the Metz Montgolfiades, points out. Twenty-seven balloons are on the banks of the lake until Sunday evening, possibly a little longer. A spectacle not to be missed, if the skies agree.

First inflation on the banks of the Moselle this Friday evening. Thursday evening, the sky was too capricious. Photo Thierry Hauuy

"To fly a balloon, you have to hurry and wait. And then, when you're ready, you learn that it falls through!" Belgian Charles Gourmet distils little phrases that are his secret, but which ring so true. And don't tell him about his accent, the flight director of the Metz Montgolfiades assures us: "There is no Belgian accent, it's the French who have accents!" This experienced balloonist has just delivered the health bulletin of the skies, this Thursday, September 11...

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