The history of ballooning is full of interesting facts. Following the first recorded experimental hot air balloon flight which was demonstrated in 1783 by the brothers Montgolfier in France, a hydrogen filled balloon built by the brothers Robert, also French, took off and stayed aloft for over 45 minutes, landing in a village… where local people, thinking the balloon some kind of a devil, attacked it with scythes and pitchforks… Then two years later, the crash of a balloon in Ireland resulted in a fire that burned down about 100 houses…
Brian Jones from Great Britain, who became famous after his world record-beating non-stop flight around the world in 1999, compared his balloon trip to the challenges of business. If you want to exploit every opportunity, you must invoke all your knowledge, skills, imagination and competences. You must make plans, but you must also be flexible enough to be able to react to unforeseen situations. The conditions for achieving great goals are the same in travel and in business (actually, they are the same everywhere).
In Lithuania, the history of ballooning started in 1806, when a Moldavian balloonist came to Lithuania and demonstrated a flight in his self-made aerostat. However, balloons became popular in Lithuania only after more than 180 years, when in 1988 a huge transparent polythene aircraft piloted by Leonas Simniška took off the ground. It was the first balloon made in Lithuania.
During the next 15 years (1988-2003), there appeared 50 hot air balloons, 104 pilot licences had been issued and several piloting schools had been founded. Lithuanian pilots now take high positions in the world pilot ratings. Currently, about 10 balloonist clubs are known to be working in different regions of Lithuania.
Whatever curious and sometimes sad facts of the ballooning history, for us, relaxed holiday-makers, a hot air balloon ride is a romantic leisure activity. The most attractive aspects of ballooning are certainly the quiet, the smooth movement and the bird’s eye view. Those who have tried hot air balloon rides usually say the the feeling is indescribable. Anyway, for the sake of a more poetic expression, here’s what one girl wrote about her hot air balloon flight over one of the main Lithuanian cities, “We are standing in the basket, the ripstop nylon giant above our heads, the occasional roar of the fire, the horizon running into the distance and a huge panorama opening before our eyes. Then a tingling silence and not a puff of the wind. I think to myself: I must be dreaming. But it’s not a dream; we reach the height of 500 metres and start floating across the air”.
Some of the most popular hot air balloon rides in Lithuania take place over the capital city Vilnius, Kaunas, which is the second largest Lithuanian city, and Trakai, the medieval capital of Lithuania. Each of them offers a quite different sight: Vilnius has its Old Town bristling with architectural masterpieces of diverse styles: from the graceful Gothic and elaborate Baroque to the equable Classical. Kaunas offers a panorama of the confluence of two biggest Lithuanian rivers Neris and Nemunas with the Old Town wedged between them. Meanwhile Trakai amazes the passengers in the air with a stunning view of lakes and forests surrounding the town and a medieval castle on an island as the main and the most beautiful sight. The view from a hot air balloon in winter is no less attractive. You can spot wild animals such as deer or wild boars which can’t be easily seen in the thickets of leafy forests during summertime.
A hot air balloon ride is often the choice of those who look for novelty, romanticism and some adrenaline at the same time. A balloon ride cheque is an ideal gift if you want to really surprise your friends or relatives. Gifting a hot air balloon ride is a creative way to give incentives and motivate staff. It is perfect for group holidays, corporate events or whatever occasion one can imagine and thinks the ride befitting. |
|
