While all of days have started with breakfast, today was interesting. The hotel is host to at least two other groups, both nearly twice the size of ours. Our group wanders in for breakfast , couple by couple, over a two hour window so the staff and food selections are not overwhelmed. These larger groups eat as a unit and if you arrive just after they do, there is very little food or service available until the kitchen can catch up. So, we adjusted our breakfast choices accordingly to what was left.
We walked over to the train station for our morning cog-rail train ride up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 11,333 feet. We changed tracks at a nearby village of Grund. I find it interesting how a railed train can change tracks, but fascinating how a cog-rail train does it, transferring to a different set of cogs.
The ride up was steep and beautiful as we passed fields and hills covered by the deep green grass and wildflowers. The air turned cooler as our altitude increased, and the mountain views grew more wonderful.
Twice we passed through "half-tunnels" - open on the downhill side - where the tracks hugged the edge of the steep hillsides, but don't go through the hill.
We changed trains at Kleine Scheidegg, a very crowded station as many groups were waiting for transfers up or down. We eeked our way through the other groups and reached our loading area. At least by traveling in a group, we had a private car (well, 1/2 a car).
The final leg up was 50 minutes long and most in a long tunnel through the Monch Mountain. Much of the tunnel is only one track wide, but in two spots it widens to two tracks for passing. The uphill track is on the siding, and additional tunnels allow the passengers to disembark, use the toilets within the mountain (an interesting travel claim), or view the snow, ice, and peaks through large panoramic windows.
At the train station beneath the Jungfraujoch visitor complex, we exited to a special dining room for a lunch of bratwurst, rosti, and ice cream for dessert. The views were the real treat where we could see the beginning of the glacier surrounded by the mountain peaks, and five brave souls crossing the ice field.
Our excursion through the complex started with the elevator to the top of the Sphinx, the enclosed glass structure atop the Jungfraujoch. The complex is built in the saddle between the Jungfrau and Monch peaks in the Bernese Alps. Snow & ice are common year round. The outdoor viewing platform encircles the building and there isn't a bad view in any direction.
Next we got to play in one of the outdoor snow areas, at least play with snowballs. 😊. Sadly, we didn't have time to enjoy the snow bobsleds or zip line of other structured activities. But throwing some snowballs at friends (and wife) was sufficient.
Other sights within the center included a panoramic film on the mountain, a tunnel describing the building of the train route and station (including a memorial to those who died in the process), and an ice palace - tunnels made of ice and filled with ice sculptures.
The three hours up there went far too fast, and by 5 pm we were back in Grindelwald. Later that evening, Cindy & I and two friends walked through town and explored the village cemetery. It was well taken care of with flowers on nearly every grave. Many graves marked those who had died by avalanche or lightning strike atop the nearby mountains.
As fun and as beautiful as this part of God's creation is, it was a reminder that humans can enjoy and use the earth, but we cannot control it.
