We started the weekend by spending half a day in Spiez, a small town on the lake of Thun. Then we went up to Lauterbrunnen to spend the night at a camping site just below the highest of the (alleged) seventy-something waterfalls in this valley.
The next day we (we meaning the three of us, since we took our little friend Gulliver with us too) set off for (so far) the most astonishing experience in Switzerland, going up to the Jungfraujoch (aprox. 3600m). All the way from the valley, the journey was fabulous with breathtaking views all around. After changing trains at Kleine-Scheidegg, we entered the approx. 10km long tunnel in the Eiger massif that leads up to the Jungfraujoch train station at 3454m altitude.
Along the way the train made 2 stops where the tunnel had windows where we could look outside:
- one of these stations was overlooking the Eiger Nordwand, also called Mordwand, due to the more than 60 alpinists who died while attempting to climb it since the 50s. The view out of the window (situated at about halfway up the almost 2000m Nordwand) was absolutely amazing:
- the second station was called Eismeer, a properly chosen name, since all around there was nothing else than ice. In form of glaciers, ice-crystals or icicles:
Based on these marvelous views we could only anticipate what was waiting us on the peak. Well it was all we have imagined and a whole lot more.
The train station at the peak is a labyrinth of tunnels leading to an
- ice palast,
- the Sphinx,
- to the adventure park (Tyrolean, ski, hiking, etc)
- to an open platform with magnificent views
We visited the above-enlisted areas in turn and enjoyed the marvelous views each offerred. It was the first time (except from an Airplane) that we "look down to the alps" and it was something truly special.
In the late afternoon unfortunately we had to take the train back, but we left with great memories and beautiful pictures:
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| Jungfraujo |
