First name: Shiralee
Name: Colin
Country: United Kingdom
Job: Hot Air Balloon passenger rides company and Kitchen and bedroom designer
I have been a hot air balloon pilot for 30 years and have flown more than 600 hours. I have flown in a lot of countries : England, Ireland, France, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, USA, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain & many more
I know Grand Est Mondial Air Ballons for a very long time. 1991 was my first year and I have taken part ever since! I come back every edition because of the lovely flying area, wonderful people, friendly farmers, the way the local villages and schools get involved, the atmosphere, a chance to meet up again with everybody, the weather and of course the team who spend so much time making it all happen every 2 years.
Among all the flights, the line-up is my favorite for the chance to exceed the world record 🙂 For the not so experienced pilots, GEMAB is a chance to hone their skills and gain confidence in a spectacular setting. For those who are more experienced it offers everything, the excitement of so many balloons flying together in a safe and friendly environment, usually lovely weather, an amazing welcome and for those who like to be involved in competitions they can do that as well.
A lovely story about this event and me: In 1995, a very nice French family came up to the balloon and asked me if they could help and maybe even crew for us, we said “yes, thank you very much” and handed the keys to the car over to them. It was a late retrieve and after refuelling we were very hungry. Our new friends said “come back with us for a drink and a little food” so we followed them to a very beautiful small Chateau and our friend woke up his mother who was 80 + years old and she came and prepared a meal for all of us (about 12 of us) at almost midnight. This family have now been our friends for 27 years, we have watched and shared their family growing up, their children have spent summers at our home in England and have children of their own now. We are so happy that we think of them as extended family and when we come to Chambley we always stay with them – it is like coming home. Merci Ă la famille Peltre
We also visited the territory on several occasions. There are many areas that we like to visit for many different reasons, Metz for the shopping and architecture, Nancy for the wonderful square in the center, “Des Flammes à La Lumiere” at Verdun and then more locally going to exhibitions that may be on like Baccarat famous for its handblown glass, Longwy famous for its beautiful ceramic ware, visiting the pretty village of Hattonchâtel or just spending a day relaxing at Lac Madine or Lac Lachaussee at Sunset. We are still discovering new areas after all this time!