From Paderborn-Lippstadt to Annemasse
From Friday August 26 until Sunday August 28, 2016, the Texel Fly-in was going to take place. Weather permitting, René intended to go to the Fly-in. However, closer to the weekend, the weather forecast indicated that there could be thunderstorms with strong winds on Saturday, and a cold front to pass on Sunday. Instead we decided to make a trip to French Alps, where perfect weather was forecasted.


Maurits and René drove to Paderborn-Lippstadt on Thursday evening, and the next morning we departed for Annemasse, just east of Geneva. We booked a hotel near the airport, where we checked in, and then took the bus to Geneva to visit the city. With Geneva among Europe's priciest places, we did not fly to Geneva or took a hotel there.

Maurits and René making a plan

Departure from Paderborn-Lippstadt

Entering the Swiss FIR east of Basel

Lake Geneva

Final runway 30 Annemasse airport

Maurits at Annemasse airport
Geneva

Jet d'Eau
Geneva is a global city, a financial center, and worldwide center for diplomacy due to the presence of numerous international organizations, including the headquarters of many of the agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. When we approached Annemasse by plane, the lakeside fountain Jet d'Eau was already clearly visible. The Jet d'Eau shoots up water with incredible force, with 200km/h at 1360 horsepower, to create the sky-high plume rising to 140m. At any one time, 7 tonnes of water is in the air.

St. Pierre Cathedral
The St. Pierre Cathedral belongs to the Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva. It is known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Begun around 1160, it was originally built in Romanesque style and was completed a hundred years later in Gothic style. A Neo-Classical main facade was added in the 18th century. Inside the church is a wooden chair used by Calvin.

Old Arsenal
Geneva's ancient Old Town is a maze of sloping cobblestone streets and alleyways. A former Roman marketplace, the Bourg-de-Four is the oldest public square in Geneva. The 15th century Hotel De Ville located along Rue de l'Hotel-de-Ville still serves as the seat of government in Geneva.
From Annemasse to Chalon-sur-Saône
On Saturday morning we first flew to the Mont Blanc .
From there we flew further to Chalon, with stops at Annecy, Chambery, Amberieu and Macon on the way up.

Run-up checks before departure

En-route to the Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc

Over lake Annecy

Final runway 17 Chalon airport

René in Chalon
Chalon-sur-Saône

Chalon Cathedral
Chalon is in the wine growing area, the Côte Chalonnaise. It is located on the Saône river, and was once a busy port, acting as a distribution point for local wines. The Chalon Cathedral on the Place Saint-Vincent has some elements dating from the 8th century. The neo-gothic facade is from the 19th century. Half-timbered houses overlook the place.

Place St Vincent
Chalon-sur-Saône is the birthplace of Nicéphore Niépce (1765-1833), nowadays credited as the inventor of photography and a pioneer in that field. Niépce developed a technique to create the world's oldest surviving product of a photographic process from 1825. In 1826 or 1827, he used a primitive camera to produce the oldest surviving photograph of a real-world scene.
From Chalon to Paderborn-Lippstadt
On Saturday in Chalon, the weather forecast for Sunday was that a cold front would cross our route back to Paderborn at the end of the morning. We decided to leave early on Sunday morning to arrive at Paderborn-Lippstadt ahead of the cold front. The next morning we arrived early at Chalon airport, and took-off for Paderborn-Lippstadt. The weather was perfect all the way. The cold front passed during the afternoon (see the animated weather chart above), later than initially forecasted, and well after we had landed just before 11:00 in the morning.

Departure from Chalon airport

River Moselle and Nancy

Sauerland

Maurits cleaning the plane