I had a couple of vacation days left and no business trips to attach them to, so I decided to do two things that had been on my "things to do" list for some time, but never got to anything more than that.
Earlier this year, I had crossed "flying in an open biplane" from that virtual list (see here and here) and now it was time to fly in a Zeppelin. (And drive around in a fun car, but more about that later.)
I had always assumed that I would go on a sightseeing flight in a Zeppelin in Berlin. There is an international air show in Berlin every second year at Schönefeld airport and a Zeppelin used to visit Tempelhof airport around the same time of the year and offered short sightseeing flights over Berlin.
So I was sure I was going on one of those 'some day'.
But now they have closed Tempelhof airport, so it became clear that there wouldn't be any sightseeing flights starting there (though, actually, I am not sure whether there is a legal requirement for a Zeppelin to start from an airport or whether they could have just flown from Tempelhof by using it as some generic field). And they tend to do fewer 'tours' with the Zeppelin anyway, keeping it mainly close to their home base at Friedrichshafen.
So, without having Berlin as an likely option, the best bet seemed to go to Friedrichshafen, where they offer regular sightseeing flights, and have the flight there.
As far as weather went, it was a bit risky, since I had to book in advance and the weather for September was hard to predict (someone on board later told me about going on a flight two years earlier, which was cancelled three times, once even after boarding, before being able to take off), but I just assumed it would be similar to the biplane flights - the weather probably sort of drab, but ok for the flight itself. Which turned out to be essentially correct...
But first, I had a couple of days for sightseeing.
And the obvious first stop was a visit to the Zeppelin museum, which was mostly about the old, really big, ocean-going Zeppelins. (As a comparison, something like the "Graf Zeppelin" was 275 meters long and capable of carrying up to 72 passengers, while the Zeppelin NT can only carry 12 passengers for short flights and is only 75 meters long - but then, it's still longer than, for example an Airbus 380 or a Jumbo Jet, and lots bulkier, so its size is still quite impressive).
The main attraction of the museum is a replica of some of the passenger areas, so there's the lounge area, two passenger cabins and a bit of the observation deck.
There's an interesting cut view, which shows how the passenger cabins and the common rooms are actually inside the Zeppelin. The well known 'gondola' part is mainly the 'bridge' and wasn't intended for passengers.
Time for some more sightseeing and walking around in Friedrichshafen. The weather was surprisingly nice, warm and sunny, but something that could not be seen was a Zeppelin in the clear, blue skies.
It was too windy, so all of the flights had been cancelled. (Luckily, I hadn't booked mine for that day.)
Well, at least some Zeppelins could be seen in Friedrichshafen...
Next stop was the Dornier Museum in Friedrichshafen, which was opened earlier this year. The museum was nicely built, but felt rather strangely. It gave more an impression of an investors brochure come to life than an interesting exhibition.0
Somehow the tendency to show every single area that Dornier had been active in seemed to overwhelm any attempt to make it interesting to visitors. ("Bet you didn't know that Dornier made weaving equipment - well, here's one. And ultrasonic medical devices. Here's one of those." )
Admittedly, it's a company museum and not a 'history of planes' or something like that. So it's probably ok for them to show all the things that the company did. But it still gives the impression of a random mess...
Two days later I took the catamaran ferry to Konstanz.
Nothing exciting there, except for wondering about town planners. And water spewing rabbits.
Konstanz, at the Rhine, has very nice old buildings at the short, but behind that, there's an ugly concrete, water stained building (well, really two, but one that stands out) and it immediately raises the question: Why was that ever built?
There must be some story attached to that. Even in the 60's, town planers wouldn't have screwed up a skyline like that without some sort of scandal...
Something else that does have a (minor) story attached are the water spewing rabbits.
In Friedrichshafen, I noticed a fountain that had a water-spewing rabbit, which seemed unusual. But then, there are lots of unusual things on fountains, so I didn't wonder too much.
But then I noticed that a fountain in Konstanz had water spewing rabbits as well.
So this seemed a bit too unlikely to be coincidental. It turns out that the 'Seehase' (sea rabbit) is a semi-mystical animal in that area, a sort of rodent version of mermaids (that's why the rabbits in Konstanz have a fish tail) and it's also a bit of a nickname for locals, so they were incorporated into the fountains.
And there was also one encouraging sight in Konstanz. Even though the weather was still kind of murky, the Zepplin was flying. So I had cause of optimism that my flight (on the next day) would happen.
And the weather turned out to be reasonably nice on the next day. I was at the airport early, so I could take a couple of pictures of the Zeppelin land and take off on an earlier sightseeing flight.
Then it was time for check-in.
The age demographics were somewhat surprising to me. I was the youngest passenger by probably a decade or so. While it didn't surprise me that this was a popular trip for pensioners, I had assumed that it would be popular with other people as well. But it seems that the kind of people interested in Zeppelins are roughly the same ones that are interested in steam trains. Which makes sense considering the history of both, but I still had expected that other people would find it interesting as well.
Admittedly, it was around noon on a normal working day outside school holidays, but still...
After check-in, there was a short safety briefing, which felt kind of silly. Since the Zeppelin was taking off from a regular airport, we were subject to the usual rules of not taking pocket knifes, walking sticks or even umbrellas on board, since they could be used as weapons.
Now, basically, assuming that you could smuggle some kind of weapon on board and take control of the Zeppelin, what the hell are you supposed to do with it?
Crashing the Zeppelin into a building will most likely burst a couple of windows and severely inconvenience a couple of roof tiles. But beyond that?
(Yes, I am aware that there is a high probability that all the passengers would be killed. But then, this would also happen if you take a bus and run it off a cliff, but there are no security checks for that.)
But then, I also have to admit that they performed the security check with the efficiency it deserves - basically by asking passengers to give them any knifes or nail clippers they might carry for safekeeping.
Some more instructions about entering the Zeppelin, which is done, quite literally, on the fly, with two people entering for each two people leaving, to avoid having a significant change in the weight of the Zeppelin, it was time to go out onto the airfield.
To avoid giving a "...and then we went there and then we flew over ... and after that we..." running commentary, I'll mostly just stick with the pictures and short descriptions of the scenery.
|
|
|
|
| Zeppelin hangar at Friedrichshafen | Ponds on field | Exhibition hall, Friedrichshafen | Friedrichshafen |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Shoreline at Manzell | Hersberg Castle | Harbour near Kreuzlingen | Harbour near Kreuzlingen |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Lake Constance, southern shore | Konstanzer Hörnle | Konstanz Harbour | Konstanz Harbour |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Ferry Konstanz - Friedrichshafen | Konstanz with Mainau in background | Konstanz (birthhouse of Graf Zeppelin) | Swiss/German border at Konstanz |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Small boat on Rhine, near Triboltingen | Well kept garden near Stad | Anchored boats near Ermatingen | Anchored boats near Ermatingen |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Unusual building | Shoreline near Salenstein | Boat on Rhine | Boat on Rhine |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| View through panorama rear window | View through panorama rear window | Probably good advice | Small boat on lake |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Radolfzeller Ach | Track/road crossing | Zeppelin propeller | Solar powered buildings |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Powerline | Highway 33 | Grazing cows | Small plane taking off near Radolfzell |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Small plane taking off near Radolfzell | Small plane taking off near Radolfzell | Small plane taking off near Radolfzell | Small plane taking off near Radolfzell |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Zeppelin shadow over field with horses |
Zeppelin shadow on trees near Bodman |
House on the field | Climbers at Altbodman ruin |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Shore near Bodman | Kloster Frauenberg | Bodman-Ludwigshafen | Shore near Bodman-Ludwigshafen |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | |
|
|
|
|
| Rower near the shor | Zeppelin shadow over forest | Zeppelin shadow near Burg Hohenfels ruin |
Water purification plant, Sipplingen |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Schloss Spetzgart | Schloss Spetzgart | Salem International College, Campus Härlen |
Helicopter at hospital in Überlingen |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Gallerturm in Überlingen | Ship pier in Überlingen | Überlinger Münster | Boating club |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Ship on Lake Constance | Shore near Untermaurach | Klosterkirche Birnau | Shallow waters near Obermaurach |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen | Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen | Pfahlbau Museum Unteruhldingen | Mainau |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Mainau Castle | Ship at Mainau | Mainau flower gardens | Broadcast measuring station Allmanshöhe |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Bridge to Mainau | Mainau parking lot | Mainau | Mainau flower gardens |
|
|
|
|
| Mainau flower gardens | Mainau flower gardens | Mainau | Ship leaving Mainau |
|
|
|
|
| Meersburg | Meersburg castle | Meersburg | Meersburg wine growing area |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Memorial site near Stetten | Boat near shore | Sailing boat near shore | Anchored boats near Hagnau |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Hagnau | Zeppelin shadow on fields | Apple harvest | House, presumably quite expensive |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Horse on field | Small peninsula near Immenstaad | Food industry, Raderach | Well maintained roundabout |
| View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps | View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Cyclist near fork in road | Heading down towards the landing site | Landing site in sight | Tire tracks from forklift trucks |
| View in Google Maps |
|
|
|
|
| Refuelling mast getting ready | Zeppelin shadow on landing | Comfortable chairs | Happy customer |
And that was the end of the flight. Here are some more interior pictures of the Zeppelin.
|
|
|
|
| Instrument panel | Instrument panel (left) | Instrument panel (center) | Instrument panel (right) |
|
|
|
|
| Panorama window at rear | Panorama window and me | Panorama window and me | Pilot's view |
Since it was a long sightseeing flight (90 minutes), the Zeppelin was due for refuelling, so instead of just anchoring it by the ropes and exchanging passengers two-by-two, everyone disembarked and the Zeppelin was attached to the mobile 'holding mast'.
To compensate for absence of passengers, some water is added as ballast. After a new group of passengers had entered the Zeppelin, the Zeppelin was 'taking a leak' and dropping ballast.
And then it was time for it to lift off with the next group of sightseers.
The flight itself had been very smooth. I expected being blown around by the wind a bit, but there was only some slight rolling of the cabin, much less than a ship going over the lake below (which is rather calm anyway), more like the minor movements of some restaurant ship moored at the bank of a river somewhere, when another ship passes by.
On the other hand, the angle of descent was surprisingly steep. (I'd guess almost 45°.)
This was the flight path we had taken:
If you want to see it in Google Earth, the flight path is here.
The whole trip was about 106 km long and took roughly 90 minutes.
That was the last day that the Zeppelin flew with that particular 'design' (well, just the word 'Zeppelin') on the hull. In the evening, it was supposed to go to the hangar and get repainted. Although the change turned out to be fairly trivial this time, the Zeppelin just got a wide black line under the writing, just to accentuate the shape of the Zeppelin.
All that was left was to take some pictures of another small Zeppelin sculpture before heading on. (Even though it represented a different Zeppelin, the "Friedrichshafen", which was damaged in 2007 and dismantled. I had been on the "Baden-Württemberg".)
I had to head on anyway, since there was something else that I wanted to do during that short vacation.
Usually I'm pretty agnostic about cars. Yes, they are convenient and good for travel, but I can't get excited about specific brands or models. Mostly, I regard cars with the same enthusiasm I have for washing machines and refrigerators. Yes, they are useful, fulfil a specific purpose and some are better than others, but I don't get emotional about them.
Well, mostly.
But there is one exception, a car that is just the "essential car", sort of the epitome of "car-ness". (Which also means that it is almost completely useless for doing anything but driving around with it. It is not comfortable. It has no storage space. And no convenience features like electrically operated rear view mirrors or windows or power windows (it doesn't even have side windows).
Even the blinkers don't automatically turn off after going round a corner. You have to switch them in and off with a toggle switch. (Luckily, at least the blinking happens automatically, so you don't have to turn them on-off-on-off-on-off by hand...)
But it's really fun to drive.
Especially if you go for some streets in the Alps, with lots of serpentines, curves and corners.
But the Caterham Seven is not widely available in Germany (it's not a practical car...) and there are very few places where you can rent one. So I used the fact that I was in southern Germany anyway and drove to Kempten to get one for a day.
As far as weather was concerned, I wasn't quite as lucky as during the Zeppelin flight, but at least it stayed dried for most of the day, with just a bit of a drizzle later during the day.
But the weather was good enough that I could drive around all day without putting the roof or the doors on (yes, the doors, basically just leather flaps, are optional), so it was ok.
Driving a Seven is distinctly odd.
First of all, the seat is extremely low, so you are sitting very close to the ground. You can just reach out beside you and touch the street (though it would probably not be a good idea to do that during driving).
You also sit very close to the rear of the car. I was quite surprised when during a stop at a traffic light in the evening, a big light suddenly appeared almost right behind my head. There are only about 60 centimeters between the back of the seat and the back of the car, so if a big truck stops right behind you, it feels very close.
But the main noticeable thing is the acceleration. A Seven is light, usually very light, so even though it doesn't have a powerful engine (or at least the rental one didn't - it's difficult to state something definitive about a Seven, since they are essentially 'kit' cars and a large amount of variations exist), it does accelerate like crazy. And then some. (Though I sometimes had the impression that it doesn't really accelerate, but just switch speeds. You leave a village at 50 km/h, press down the gas pedal and suddenly are at 100 km/h. I'm not entirely convinced that it does any speeds between. Probably it's working with inertial dampers and some sort of space/time-continuum rift internally...)
So the Seven is a car that makes following speed restrictions fun. Going at any specific speed gets boring after a while, but changing speeds is serious fun. Really, really fun.
Although it isn't really good for overtaking other cars. The basic problem here is that you are sitting so low that your head is mostly at the level of the door knob of other cars.
So there is no chance to look through the window of the car in front of you and get a glimpse of the street ahead. And while cars tend to get slightly narrower towards the top, your head position is pretty much were the body of other car still is widest. And while you are usually sitting partly behind your front wheel, in a Seven you are sitting more to the center of the car, so you can't really look along the side of the car in front of you without being a bit into the opposite lane.
I already mentioned that it's not really a practical car.
But what it is good for is going around curves. Lots of them.
So I looked at the map and found the "Deutsche Alpenstraße". While the more mountainous area is further to the east (and I didn't have time to drive there) a segment of it is in the Allgäu and it is a neat sightseeing road with a couple of curvy passages, so I drove there (and also a bit in the Buchental area, closer to Kempten).
(Note: The three major roads visible in the fourth picture are all the same road...)
Unlike with the Zeppelin sightseeing flight, which was mostly passive, so there are lots of pictures, I didn't take many photographs during the day, spending most of the time just driving around.
But then came the time where I had to return the car. Luckily (?) it also started to rain again, so returning the car wasn't as hard as it would have been on a sunny day...
So it was time to re-attach the 'doors'.
And to button the roof back on.
(Yes, the roof is not folded out, it's clipped to the car with snap fasteners.)
And then I had to give the Seven (reluctantly) back. A car that is basically a list of inconveniences (and, by the way, the mirrors are nearly useless, especially the one attached to the front window, since it vibrates so much - and, while it has shock absorbers on the wheels, you feel every bump, every manhole cover, every patch of tar and any change in the structure of the road, it's like the driving equivalent of going barefoot), but, just to state it one more time: It is fun to drive!
And one more thing the Seven does to you - it really messes up your hair. Good thing if you don't have any hairstyle anyway...
