Paul's Chateau d'Oex Journal
The 1998 Swiss Alpine Hot Air Balloon Festival
Alf's Corkscrew Balloon II prepares to take off for its eventful Thursday flight at the 20th Annual Alpine Hot Air Balloon Festival at Chateau d'Oex Switzerland. Left to right: Shamane, another crew member, Cindy, Elisabeth, Hermann, Alf, Susan, Annie, Michael.
The Daily Journal:
Thurday, January 15: The trip from Seattle to the middle of the ocean.
Friday, January 16:
On to Geneva and Chateau d'Oex, and our first tastes of the excellent Swiss cuisine.
Saturday, January 17: First flight ... and raclette!
Sunday, January 18: A quiet and flightless day around Chateau d'Oex
Monday, January 19: Curling in Gstaad, and late for dinner
Tuesday, January 20: A tour of Bern and its ever-lovin' bears
Wednesday, January 21: Pizza at Les Moulins; the fantastic castle at Gruyere
Thursday, January 22: The flight above the clouds
Friday, January 23: Food fight in the air; The Glow; after Glow
Saturday, January 24: Formal dinner at Chalet Chesery in Gstaad
Sunday, January 25: One last day to experience everything!
Monday, January 26: Long day's journey into Seattle
Selected Photo Pages:
Hundreds of photographs were shot at the Chateau d'Oex festival. Here are just a few pages with some selections. More will be coming soon!
- Pre-flight Passengers and Crew
- Corkscrew Balloon I in Ascent
- Around the Town in Chateau d'Oex
- Postcards from Switzerland
- Paul's Panoramic Balloon Photos
- Alf's Panoramic Balloon Photos
- Curling Photos
- Breitling Orbiter Photos
The Cast of Characters:
Meet the people who went to Chateau d'Oex for the big festival, January 15-26, 1998.
Each participant has a page of photos. Click on the names here to visit their pages; each image on those pages can be expanded with a click.
PLUS:
Chef SHAMANE, Crew Veteran TIM
The REST OF THE CREW