Switzerland from a hot-air balloon

Drifting in silence, broken only by the occasional hiss of the propane jets, we fluttered in the cold, cold morning. My ears were numb, my hands icy. But when the sun appeared in the east, we were first to soak up its warmth. Such are the joys of hot-air ballooning.

Appenzell, a mountainous canton in Switzerland’s northeast bordering Austria and Liechtenstein, is one of the most rural landscapes in this beautiful country. High rolling alpine meadows specked with wildflowers, cows champing serenely at the lush grass, cheese-making chalets, the tantalizing aromas of rösti and bratwurst, washed down with tankards of fresh apple cider… that’s a smidgen of Appenzell. All of this is miniaturized into a toy town, a Legoland of sorts, when you take to the air in a hot-air balloon, viewing the breathtaking landscape in a rapturous silence.

Whew, all that hot air!

Read the related blog post:
Up in the air over Appenzell, Switzerland

Travel editor BIJOY VENUGOPAL shares these photos from his unforgettable balloon ride over Appenzell. For more photos, follow him on Flickr and Instagram (@bijoyv)