I started the day really early to catch the early morning train to Jungfraujoch. The train departed at 7:20 am from Interlaken Ost which was slightly further from my hostel; so I had to wake up at 6:15 am to ensure I had enough time to get there. Anyway, I purchased the Good Morning ticket which cost 152.60 CHF, allowing me to save about 20 CHF compared to the later trains. The downside to this was that I could not stop in the intermediate villages which I thought were really awesome.
The 2.5 hour train ride to the "Top of Europe" (not because it is the highest mountain, but because it houses the highest train station in Europe) was nothing less than marvellous. The views along the way were magical; I just could not stop staring out of the windows and admiring the scenery. The snow in Swiss had fallen even more fiercely than that in Grenoble and that explained why the landscape was nearly all white - that of the purity of snow. The view was like that in fairy tale; with traditional Swiss houses of which the roofs were covered with snow and long lines of firn trees which have turned Christmasy-white.
L-R: first view in the train (damn the window reflection); this Korean man who wanted to take photo with "shake hand" pose
Top-Bottom: More views (dunno why the pictures are so blue); stopover at Grindelwald
Going up..up..and up to the Top of Europe
When I reached Jungfraujoch, I was greeted by a breathtaking view of the vast glaciers with the snow-covered mountains all around. Guess what the weather outside was? -15.8 deg celsius! No surprise, considering that it was near winter and the altitude is abt 11,500 feet. Surprisingly, I did not get any altitude sickness and was feeling fine most of the time, apart from when I was walking around, I could feel that I was actually gasping for oxygen. But I did not suffer from any headache or whatsoever.
Anyway, I headed next to the ice palace...a few interesting ice sculptures. Then I went to the Sphinx observation tower where I actually stood outdoor in the vicinity of the glaciers and where I started to feel the coldness biting me. Despite the fact that I was fully equipped with warm clothings, my gloves were simply not good enough. I had to take them off to take photos and my fingers became numb before long. I had to keep going back into the building every 5-10 minutes to warm myself. When I touched my nose, it felt so weird..as if I could poke a hole into it at any moment...lol. Nonetheless, the view was awesome..nothing like I have ever seen before. I seriously have no idea if my photos can do justice to the real majesty of the surroundings.
L-R: Now I can boast that I was there; to prove to those who refused to believe it was -15
Inside the Ice Palace
L-R: the Sphinx observation point; the vast glacier
L-R: on Sphinx; with the Jungfrau mountain on the background
Then I proceeded to the plateau which basically refers to a flat portion of the mountain. This is the only part of Jungfraujoch on which we could actually step on the snow/glacier. The feeling was shiok being out there. Then back indoor for a quick lunch. Unfortunately, the prices up at Jungfrau were a total rip-off. I seriously almost had no budget for lunch, so I settled for a cup of Korean instant noodles...which cost me 7 CHF. Please kill me! Haha.
the plateau
L-R: view from the plateau; classic photo of me jumping
L-R: more view; goofing around
L-R: new friends from Hongkong; 7 CHF cup noodles
I caught the 12:45 pm train (the scenery still did not fail to amaze me) and reached Interlaken at 15:10. This was the point where I struggled to find things to do. I would love to take a boat tour around one of the two lakes wedging Interlaken (ie. Lake Thun and Lake Brienz), but the boats had stopped their operations now that it was already winter. So I walked towards to tourist office to ask if there was anything I could do. The answer was needless to mention. I was told that I came at the wrong season cos there are actually lots more things to do in summer. So I decided to just take a leisurely walk towards the lake. It took me close to 45 minutes to reach Lake Brienz. The promenade was as beautiful as I had wished it to be.
views on the way down. aren't they awesome?
L-R: back at Interlaken; the autumn beauty
the promenade to Lake Brienz
L-R: a bridge (reminds me of beams in my ME course); view from up there
Lake Brienz
I headed back to my hostel as I really had nothing to do and I regretted not bringing my laptop along. Fortunately, I had roommates from the US that day. The 4 of them are currently doing their exchange programs in Grenada, Spain. So they asked me down to the bar to have a drink with them. I went down and had a good chat with them until...5 more of them joined us. Then they started to play drinking games.. a silly "connection game". Basically, if the person before me and I have the same suit, we have to drink and toast. I had to order another glass of beer and I started feeling a little uncomfortable. So I excused myself to have dinner on another table. I headed to bed soon after..but my US roommates came back and the girls were like talking so loudly that I could not bring myself to sleep. Exhausting, yet eventful day.
L-R: 10 of us altogether playing drinking game; my most expensive meal in Swiss at 16.50 CHF
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