I have to admit I have a thing for Switzerland. I am partial to their organised systems of transport, to their chocolate, to their proclivity for hygiene and their cows with bells - but most of all I like their mountains.
I came to this part of the world nearly 20 years ago - and the town hasn't changed much - the mountains, of course, not at all. I just loved it when I rocked up on a tour bus at 24 and really wanted the rest of the family to see it too. Although its stunning here, and although the Jung Frau - the highest peak here - is visited by something like 2 million people a year, the little town of Lauterbrunnen remains quiet and pretty small really with only one small supermarket, one good cafe and a couple of places to eat. Perfect! Most of the punters going up the mountain travel from Bern or Interlaken by train and dont even stop in Lauterbrunnen unless they arrive there in a tourist bus to get the train from there.
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| A sweet little swiss house disguised as a field... |
The Jungfrau actually translates to "young maiden or virgin" and is one mountain in a partnership of 3 peaks that form a massive wall towering over the Bernese Oberland. The Maiden is nestled in between the Mönch (Monk) and the Eiger (Ogre) but I really can't say I understand the inspiration for any of those names.
The weather turns on a dime here and you never know what its going to be like at the top of the mountain, so there is always an element of luck. But, and I am gripping a large plank of wood here, so far the Dembos have been smiled upon by the weather gods almost everyplace we've been (Santo-rainy being the only real exception). Using that as our main decision making tool, plus the wee camera that is now placed at the top of the mountain showing live footage of the surrounds on the local tv station, we bit the bullet, paid out about 17 million Swiss francs (approximately 17 million Australian dollars) and jumped on the train to the "Top of Europe" or Jung Frau Joch. Its the highest public viewing point in Europe and, to my way of thinking, worth every franc..... if you get good weather!
The day before was wet-ish and overcast and the days that followed had patchy sun and rain and low cloud (and actually a beautiful snow storm too but I digress) but we, the Dembos, jagged an unexpectedly stunning morning high above the world with impossibly blue skies, white fluffy Simpson clouds and not too many touristos all things considered.
When I went up the Jung Frau years ago there was a really old train - with a cog based system - which staggered and clung to the very steep railway line and made you feel like digging your nails into the seats. The trains have been replaced with much more comfortable self-assured ones with very thick clean glass (go the Swiss) so you can see the stunning countryside as it slowly gets sparser and whiter on your way up the mountain.
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| Obligatory Tourist Shot at the Top - with one family member less interested than the others |
The ride up is about 90 minutes including a 5 minute change of trains at the delightful Kleiner Scheidig (or something like that) where Lorry and I got a stunning view of the valley below and the kids looked longingly at the snow a few metres away on the ground.
After a series of long very dark tunnels (burrowed in the early 1900s by a very dedicated group of blokes who mostly appeared to have Italian surnames) we emerged into the brighter than white world 3471 metres above sea level.
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| Building the incredible train tunnel - took 14 years and many lives.. check out the clothes!!! |
When I visited here years ago I recall mucking around in an ice gallery filled with awesome ice-carvings and had tried to tempt the kids up with stories of the ice-covered corridors you could slide around in - but its so much cooler now! They have established quite the "something for everyone" experience. You are, Swiss style, provided with several very clear guides as to where you are, the various activities you will be able to undertake, the order you should undertake these activities in and which direction you are required to travel in to undertake these activities. These activites are then very clearly numbered as you go so you know how far along you are on your journey. Very kind. If a little dictatorial.
I cant say we followed the guide exactly, but we did make the most of everything available - we saw the groovy multi-media slide show which makes you feel as if you are standing on the top of this huge mountain and.... oh hang on a minute....
We visited the viewing deck and got to see what its really like to stand on the top of a huge mountain and what its like to have a cloud move right over you. We went through the "Swiss Experience" bit which is a little on the kooky side and involves quite a bit of "rough" wood carving and a massive "snow dome" type object wth all kinds of elements of swiss culture included. The most intersting for Lorry and I was the history of the construction of the train tunnel though (because we are bit nerdy) and there is a fantastic collection of photos of the tunnel project as well as examples of the garments they wore and tools used.
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| Drew above the Clouds |
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| Love locks! We see these all over Europe - but a proposal at this height is pretty cool! |
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| I mean seriously - if it looks this amazing on an iPhone camera - imagine it in real life. |
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| weird wood dude hugs the kids |
After that we were all set to experience "snow fun" which turned out to be "no fun" unfortunately as there was a risk of avolanches the day we were up there. Snow fun on a good day includes zip-lining in the snow, a wee skiing experience, snow tubing and even snow golf - you can also attempt to climb a nearby glacier. Kids were bummed.
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| Rats! |
Luckily - there was still, the now much heralded, ice gallery! Yay! lots of little ice caverns filled with depictions of bears, penguins, deer, sleds and lots of lovely icy tunnels.
By the time we finished visiting every activity - twice - we were ravenous and expecting to find the standard pomme frites and hot chocolate at mountainous prices... instead we stumbled into a massive all you can eat Indian buffet. crazy! and delicious! at mountainous prices.
The train down the mountain was so funny. It was only about 2PM but I think every single person in our carriage had a little nap - somehow we were all exhausted. Drew had a nod that turned into a gentle slide onto the fellow beside him - who hardly seemd to notice.
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| As the woman next to me pointed out - "he has a soft pillow" |
By the time we got down to Kleiner Scheidig (or something like that) for our train swap the kids had rallied and decided to have the snow fun they had been so rudely robbed of up the mountain - so we missed our connecting train in favour of a frolic in the deep white stuff (with quite a bit of wet brown stuff underneath it turned out). Think the kids could have played all afternoon but for the wet and freezing pants, gloves, socks, shoes etc and we boarded another valley-bound train for home and a shower.
Magical day. So beautiful.
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