Living History

MENTION Zeppelins to most Brits, and they will either think of bombing raids in World War One, or the Hindenburg disaster of 1937.
More than 500 people, overwhelmingly civilians, were killed by the former, and 36 died when the Hindenburg caught fire as it landed in New Jersey.
But what few people realise is that Zeppelins are still flying, from their original home in Friedrichshafen, on the shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) in the southwest German state of Baden-Württemberg.
Last month, while visiting nearby Bregenz, also on the shore of Lake Constance, but this time in Austria, I took the chance to fly in a Zeppelin.

Monument to Ferdinand von Zeppelin

Zeppelin coming in to land

Touchdown

The flight before mine, taking off

Co-pilot addresses the passengers on my flight

We were traveling at 35 knots (about 40mph or 65kph) at a height of 1,000ft (305 metres).
It was a sunny day, with little or no breeze, which made for ideal viewing of the ground - and water - below.
Soon after take-off, passengers were allowed to leave their seats and spend the rest of the 45-minute flight moving around and taking photos, the co-pilot having opened two windows in the side of the airship's gondola for this purpose.

Farmland

The cockpit

Lindau Island

Marina

Lake Constance

Insight into how a river delta is formed

The airship's shadow stands out starkly