I saw this plane once in person, no picture will ever do it justice. That something that size can fly at all without being a dirigible is absolutely amazing.
I occasionally visits NL, but I've always missed it. I would be happy to drive out for that.
Too late to edit, I->It
If I'm not mistaken I saw that beast at Boeing Field in Seattle a couple of times during the 90s or early 'Oughts.
At least that thing looks proportional
I saw it a couple of times from the mountains near Toulouse, and this was my impression as well. It is fascinating to watch; it does not look like it should be able to fly, with its oversized belly and (relatively) tiny wings. It really looks more like a zeppelin than an aircraft.
Also, and this is probably an optical illusion, it appears to move so slow.
Yes, I noticed that as well. I assume that this was because it was so big and I was seeing it from quite a long way away (it was in the mountains, and the atmosphere was very clear). Though I have no idea how fast it actually is.
Still, it made the whole thing surreal.
Saw it both in flight and on the ground in Toulouse and it was oddly majestic.
That's the right term.
The A380 on final has that quality too.
I too saw one in Toulouse, very good way to describe it.
Yep! I saw it overhead, and the Beluga smile/eye is just wonderful; it was on it's way to Chester, UK (BAE???) from Hamburg.