Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Those magnificent men in their flying machines

After our Sunday lunch at the Val Joli we checked into our B & B in Vouvray (more about that later). After unpacking our bags and getting reacquainted with the landlord and –lady (we had already stayed there in 2008), we decided to have a swim. The weather had been very hot and sticky all day and a dip in a cool pool was more than welcome. The water turned out to be very cool indeed (only 21°C). I stayed on the side, putting my feet in, while my friend plunged in … although it took him some time to do so!

All of a sudden we heard the roar of airplanes moving in from the West. Then I remembered reading about an air show in the nearby town of Tours. A few moments later we saw the ‘Patrouille de France’ roaring over Vouvray. Being as high up as we were, it was if we were sitting in front row seats!






The show was spectacular and I managed to take some pictures. Although our little hobby camera didn’t catch all the details, it gives you an idea of the acrobatics we witnessed.




On the eight o’clock news the next morning we heard that a Belgian pilot had crashed during the show. He got out badly injured but in no immediate danger of life. We never found confirmation of the accident in the local papers, so we hope that he got out alright.

Living near the Belgian national airport of Brussels, and being the daughter of a former Sabena flight engineer, I’ve always been fascinated by airplanes. After 9/11, however, my love for flying has cooled down considerably.

Do you (still) like flying?


2 comments:

Jean said...

I do hope the pilot recovers fully. It puts the damper on things when a dreadful accident happens. I saw loads of air displays when I was little as my dad was in the Fleet Air Arm. I love going on aeroplanes but all the hanging about for security checks since 9/11 is a pain. A sad reflection on the world we live in.

ladybird said...

Jean: So apart from our passion for the Loire Valley, we have another thing in common: A 'flying ancestor' :))! Great!