Written by
Jadon
Between
our two rainy days in Zurich, we took a daylong bus tour to Jungfraujoch, and
as I said in the last blog, this was the highlight of our trip to Switzerland.
Because of the weather the day before and the forecast for the day after, we
were very worried that our time in the Alps would be plagued by bad weather.
But the closer we got to Jungfrau, the better the weather got! Our tour guide
told us that this often happens because of the east/west alignment of the Alps
and the wind movement in the area (primarily moving down from the north or up
from the south). So it turned out that we had a perfect day in the mountains.
But what
is Jungfrau, and what is Jungfraujoch?
Jungfrau is
one of the tallest mountains in Europe. It is 4158 meters (13642 ft.) tall, and
for comparison, Pikes Peak in Colorado—not the tallest mountain in America, but
one of the best known—is 5530 ft. tall.
Jungfraujoch
sits in a shallow valley between Jungfrau and its neighboring peak Mönch. It is the highest
tourist accessible point in the Alps, and because of this, it is often called
the Top of Europe. The Sphinx Observatory (Jungfraujoch’s highest point) has an
elevation of 3454 meters or 11,333 ft. Of course, since Jungfraujoch is also a
tourist location, there are stores, restaurants, a post office, outdoor
walkways, and a Lindt chocolatier—it is Switzerland after all.
But
anyway…Despite being stuck on a bus for a large portion of the day, the tour
was fantastic. As mentioned before, the weather slowly got better and better as
the day went on. What started as a gloomy, drizzly day slowly dried up, and
then slowly got brighter and clearer. Each time our skilled bus driver
navigated us around another bend in the mountain roads, the sun was shining
just a little brighter. And each time we would get a new breathtaking vista to
stare in awe at.
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| The map of our train journey up the mountain. |
Just
before we headed up into the first real mountain pass that our bus would drive
through, we stopped at a viewpoint, overlooking the “moderate” hills and
valleys we had just driven through. At this point the sun was just beginning to
push the clouds away. Beneath us there was a long lake that stretched back
around the green topped mountains and out of site. It was so beautiful.
We headed
up into the pass and into the trees, and we only got glimpses through the
branches of the view we had just had. And then without warning we broke through
the other side, and the earth seemingly fell away, and across the narrow flat valley
a wall of tree-covered slopes stretched up into the sunlight. The view before
had been beautiful, but this was a redefinition of what height and depth and
green could really mean. The forest still clung to our peripheral vision, but
before us was the open sky, below us the lush valley, and, as though just
beyond reach across the height, the verdant arms of another mountain stretched
to enfold our entire view. And then it was gone. The road turned, and the bus
took us back into the trees and down to the valley below. And I want to say it was
the most _______ view I have ever seen, but I don’t know what word to use, and
it wouldn’t sound good enough anyway. But maybe the word is resonant—that one
perfect chord or sound or vibration that continues to echo and call to you. I
could have sat for years drinking in that view, and perhaps it is good that
that possibility was taken away.
Not long after
our bus left the pass, we arrived in Interlaken. Interlaken is situated between
two lakes—hence the name—and it sits in a flat expanse right at the foot of the
mountains that our tour was taking us to. We had some time to get out and
explore the city, but we wish we could have had more time to just sit and soak
up the view. Near our bus stop, there was a huge meadow with benches on one
side, and the feet of the frozen peaks on the other. It was one of our favorite
spots on the trip, but we had to get back on the bus soon after arriving, and
didn’t have much extra time to soak up the view.
Our bus
then traveled on to Grindelwald, and up into the mountains proper. As much as
Interlaken was at the foot of the mountains, Grindelwald was already climbing
up the side. By the time we had gotten there our ears had popped two or three
times, and the tips of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau were looming increasingly
close above our heads. I think this is where we also realized what we were
actually about to do. I know I said something like “Um. So we are going up
there…” Here we also left the bus and boarded the first of two trains, and soon
after leaving our train took us up into the snow.
We
switched trains at Kleine Scheidegg—which is basically at the top of a mountain
itself, but only a 2061 meter one (Ha. Only.)—and the second train took us
through a 45-50 minute tunnel that cuts through the core of the Monch and
finally up to the Top of Europe.
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| View of the mountain range from Grindelwald |
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| View of the Sphinx Observatory from where we switched trains |
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| Close-up of the Sphinx Observatory |
Of course
the best part of Jungfraujoch is the observation deck, where you can actually
walk outside and look back down. Or up. There is still a sizable chunk of
mountain above you. And it is a magnificent view, although rather white due to
the amount of snow and ice. Only after standing out on the observation deck in
just above freezing temperatures, did we realize that the industrial steel web
of flooring could be looked through. For the most part it is only a foot or two
above solid rock. For the most part…
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| View from The "Top of Europe" |
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| With Emily at the "Top of Europe" |
Jungfraujoch
was the destination and climax of the day, but there were so many breathtaking
views on our drive/train ride in and around the mountains, that the actual
destination was just one of many outstanding moments. From the ice blue and
white glaciers at the top, to the hundreds of waterfalls cascading their way
down the mountains from the melting snow at the top, Jungfraujoch was a trip we
won’t forget.
To see more pictures from our trip in the Swiss Alps, click here!
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