For many years, the Belgian Balloon Club has been participating in the largest balloon gathering in Europe. This meeting takes place every two years in Lorraine, and brings together nearly a thousand drivers over a period of 10 days.
The World Air Balloons
In this year 2019, the Lorraine Mondial Air Ballon has become the Grand-Est Mondial Air Ballons. It will take place from Friday 26 July to Sunday 4 August. For this new edition, taking advantage of the appeal of our prestigious balloons that are the replica and Tolfy. We will land in France with seven balloons! More than the other meetings, our stay in Lorraine has become a « club » activity of the BBC.
The organization
All participating members are staying in private homes. At lunchtime, we all meet at the Auberge du Vieux Moulin for a convivial meal. After the evening flight, it is the foyer of the village of Xonville that opens its doors to us for a buffet prepared by the wives. You must be wondering what men are doing in all this? The pilots complete their flight log and sip a well-deserved aperitif and then take charge of the … dishes after the meal! The term conviviality is not an empty word because each participant also makes sure to bring a speciality from his region.
During the stay, the organizing team makes sure to make everyone fly, including our accommodation providers. To get to know each other even better and for the sake of conviviality, we invite them to participate in one of our evening meals. Even if holding out for ten days is a feat, all the time saved (meal preparation, dishes, shorter gas line, etc.) gives us the opportunity to take a nap in the afternoon or to participate in the game of pétanque in Hadonville…
The nostalgic minute
Indeed, our organization improves every year because the time is long gone when we stayed in tents, we heated our meals (sous vide) at lunchtime at Jean and Sylviane and bivouacked on the base under the stars and in all weathers! Those who took part in the first editions also remember the hours of waiting at the gas and the queues to leave the base among the many visitors who returned home.
