The village of Château-d'Oex is located in the Pays-d'Enhaut (Highlands) district. It is a spectacular location for this festival, and an international meeting place for this event since 1979, with some 20 countries participating. It is perhaps fitting that the first hot-air balloon to circumnavigate the globe without stopping, the Breitling Orbiter co-steered by Bertrand Piccard, was launched from here in 1999.
HWMBO and I attended this event several times during our years in Switzerland and enjoyed it each time. The little village literally bursts at the seams with visitors. To get the full effect, one must arrive early enough to see the airless balloons being readied for their infusion of hot air.
Then, they begin to rise one after another,
some in fanciful shapes and kaleidoscopic designs.
This is perhaps one of the most fantastic I've seen.
Seeing them rise and soar into the sky against a background of medieval stuctures is simply wonderful, if not altogether breathtaking.
They certainly help to lift one's spirits during what can often be a gloomy winter by the lakeside further below.
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