September 5, 2024
When I woke up it was raining which did not bode well for the day in the mountains that I had planned!! The mountain that is normally visible from our balcony was totally covered in clouds!!
Soon the rain eased so I headed to the activity meeting spot while wandering a bit on the way enjoying a bit more of Interlaken.
The excursion to Jungfraujoch from Interlaken began with a coach journey to the mountain resort of Grindelwald. It was raining really hard on the way!!
We boarded the cable car at the Grindelwald Terminal for a spectacular ride to the Eiger Glacier. Then we changed to a cogwheel train that went though the tunnel which will take us to the peak of Jungfraujoch.
When we arrived to the top the temperature dropped to zero. I walked through the tunnel to get to the Sphinx Observation Tower I started putting on layers. The tower normally provides breathtaking panoramic views of the snow-capped peaks and the neighboring countries but unfortunately it was a total white out….drat!!
The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfraujoch-Aletsch area. As with other glaciers it is rapidly disappearing. My guide reminded us that there will be no glaciers to replace the current one since in order to create a glacier you need pressure that is only created during an ice age.
I headed to the ice castle to explore the tunnels that contain incredible ice sculptures! The piano was my favorite!! Even the floor was ice so there were a lot of people slipping and little kids sliding!!
The weather eased a bit so I took the chance of going out the door that leads to the summit where you can have your picture taken with the Swiss flag. It is a really steep climb on very slippery ice. The sign before you start tells you that the climb is at your own risk stating over 2000 people have fallen over the edge. As I went out the door it was snowing, the wind was blowing and it was bone chilling cold so a sane person would go back inside but I started the accent. I reached about 3/4 of the way up and the guide made us return because the conditions were unsafe. So I slowly went back down holding very tightly on the ropes. I settled for a picture with the flag inside…very sad!!!
We took the Cog train back through the tunnel continuing the descent to a second train that passed the holiday resort Wengen then a quick stop at Lauterbrunnen. While waiting for the second train I heard a cow bell in the distance and discovered that it was a farmer wailing his cows from the lower field home for the night. The cows lined up single file to head home!!
After we got off the train the coach was waiting for our return trip to Interlaken.
Not quite the day I had planned but so happy to experience the beauty of Jungfraujoch.
