Floating

Yesterday, I jumped off a cliff.

Literally.

I guess that, technically, I ran down the side of a mountain until the wind caught our parachute and we started lifting off, but it’s so much more fun to say it my way.

Kristian and I went parapenting/paragliding yesterday, which is something that I’ve wanted to do since I visited him here four years ago and we couldn’t get an appointment. It was something that we both have really wanted to come back here and do, so I’m so glad that we were able to make it happen.

I’m also glad that I didn’t read the wikipedia article until today. The French aren’t so big on waivers. As far as I knew, there was no risk of death or dismemberment.

Kristian and I trekked up the side of the mountain (switchbacks + bad knees = ouchouchouch) and met our new friends at Les Grands Espaces. They were lovely, lovely people and we really enjoyed spending part of the afternoon with them. Kristian and I would be taking tandem flights (basically, we would be dead weight strapped to a flight instructor), but we “flew” along with a group of students. 

(Perhaps the term dead weight should not be utilized in this particular scenario).

We loaded into a mini-bus with them and took off for the top of the mountain. What is it about these adventure-sport types that makes them such crazy drivers? I think that our drive up was probably the most nerves-generating part of the day. This was helped along by the fact that we had one more person than we had seatbelts.

Kristian spent a good portion of the trip grabbing on to me when we went around turns so as to keep me from landing in the lap of the guy sitting next to me. Such a gentleman, my boyfriend is.

We arrived at the top and were informed that I would be flying with the first instructor, the students would then launch themselves (one by one) and that Kristian would be coming down with the last instructor. This would turn out to be a lucky break for Kristian. More on this later. The instructor sat in the primary harness and I was attached right in front of him.

As Kristian put it, “My girlfriend spent a bunch of time sitting in an old french dude’s lap.”

For the bazillionth time, I thanked my lucky stars that my lovely BF is not the jealous type.

I put a helmet on and was strapped into the contraption that would hang like a seat from our glider. I was then buckled onto the instructor’s harness and we got ourselves into position. I was surprised by how quickly things went, we went from the van to launch in something like five minutes.

Obviously, running down the face of a cliff while strapped to a bizarre flying contraption is not the most risk-free of activities, but I was never actually scared. One minute we were running, the next minute we were in the air. I sat back and settled in for the ride. My stomach plunged once or twice, but then I was enjoying the view.

And what a view it was.

My flight was a relatively short one. The wind and the sun weren’t with us, so we floated back and forth for about 15 minutes or so before touching down lightly in a field. I would have liked more time in the air, but what time I did have was unbelievably amazing. It was pretty much as close to flying as I will ever get without spontaneously sprouting wings.

I got to see the lake in its entirety (it doesn’t seem so big when you can’t see around the bend at the next town over… I’m still in shock over how far I biked). I got to hover over the treetops. I got to experience the indescribable feeling of shooting up in the air as the glider catches an air vent.

I even got to steer for a couple of minutes.

We’re both smiling, I can’t have put us into any real danger.

I had so much fun, I spent a good portion of our “flight” laughing out of pure joy.

It’s quite possible that my instructor thought that I was a little bit crazy. But that’s ok, I am a little crazy. See: cliff, jumping off of. Also: jumping, bungee. 

All too soon, we landed and it was time to watch the other students descend. There were a lot of other students. I watched the teacher guide them down, via walkie-talkie. At long last, Kristian took off with his instructor. Of course, the wind and sun decided to choose this moment to (respectively) pick up and come out. Kristian had a longer ride. And he got to experience some acrobatics.

I’m not bitter.

I swear.

Actually, I’m not. To be bitter would be to take away from my own experience. And that’s just not right.

We packed our stuff up, collected our photo disc and they even gave us a discount. Not sure why. Maybe it’s because we fit right into their school day. Maybe it’s because my own ride was on the shorter side. Maybe it’s because they liked us. Either way, I’m not complaining. 

Kristian and I have decided that, when I’m rich and famous, we’ll buy a house in Talloires. We’ll have the time and the money, so we’ll go to the parapenting school and learn how to fly solo. And then we’ll have crazy parties where all of our friends can float down the mountain on tandem flights.

Who wouldn’t want the chance to fly, sitting in the lap of an old french dude?