Les Zeppelins

Every man loves a zeppelin.

They belong to the age of wonder and astonishments, conjuring all the imperialism of the kaiser, the romance of Strauss waltzes and the derring-do of Indiana “Junior” Jones (“No ticket!”).

And every woman loves Paris. Because, well, Paris.

And now you can have them both at once, via Airship Paris.

Just launched, AP boasts the first zeppelin tours of the City of Light in, well, forever.

The company’s flagship NT (German: “neue technologie”) is an impressive beast: it’s the length of an Airbus A380, as wide as a four-lane highway and five stories tall. Cruises along at 60-75 mph on three directional 200-horsepower engines.

Note: this isn’t the Hindenburg. This ship hovers via non-combustible helium, not hydrogen.

It’s so safe, you can even open the windows.

Not that you need to. Inside the ship: 12 biz-class style airplane lounge chairs. All window seating and panoramic views.

Once you’re airborne, you’ll float along one of four routes of the French countryside, engine humming whisper-quietly at 1,000 vertical feet. Look down at the multitude of medieval castles, the loops of the Seine, the Palace of Versailles.

Hey: sometimes a little distance can you give better perspective.