Gliding

Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride along with my host father in a glider.
Obviously I couldn't pass it up... And naturally, I brought my camera with me.

The glider pictured isn't the exact one I flew in. We actually flew in a larger, two-person glider (see below) rather than that performance glider.

 I sat in the front seat...

It was a bit cramped.

Since gliders don't have engines, they are towed by a regular plane up to a certain height and then "cut loose". They then glide safely around with help from the pilot.

Sometimes newbies get airsick, but I was alright. At one point my host father asked if I was indeed feeling OK, and I replied with "Yeah I feel fine!"
He then did a parabola.

Parabola :(

You basically do a nosedive, climb again, do a nosedive, etc., all in a couple seconds.
I wasn't exactly expecting it, so it was a bit terrifying. ...But it was also cool to see my extra camera lens float up and touch the roof of the canopy...!

Being towed.

That's the plane that brought us up, after we were cut loose.

And a smooth landing.

I realized afterwards that the only reason my flight went so well was because the glider had been blessed by a British spy.