Jungfrau

Dan doesn't normally get involved in trip planning, he's always willing to go on vacation and has a great time when we are there but he leaves the planning up to me. Sometime last Spring, Dan sent me a text message at work asking me if we were going to go to the Jungfrau. I thought it was very odd and asked him how he even knew about the Jungfrau. He told me that he was watching the Today Show and they had a segment about it. I told him we certainly could go to the Jungfrau especially since he wanted to. Later when I got home we found the segment online and showed it to the kids, they thought it looked awesome.

The Jungfrau is the highest point you can get to in Europe via train. In 1893 Adolf Guyer-Zeller came up with the idea of blasting a tunnel through the Eiger and Monch mountains to construct a railway to the Jungfrau. After many years of construction his dream was realized in 1912. The trip to the Jungfrau is not cheap, our tickets were 118 Francs per adult with Swiss Pass, the children were free with the Swiss Family Card. I can tell you without a doubt, the 236 Francs was definitely worth it!

We'd been watching the weather closely and tried to choose the best day for the trip, you definitely want clear weather for the trip. We left Frutigen on the 7:03 train, we switched trains several times. In Kleine Scheidegg we boarded the train for the hour journey to the Jungfrau. We saw some of the resident goats while we were waiting for our train to leave, these goats are very tame and fearless. I saw one stick his nose into a ladies bag looking for food! The train was crowded but we all got seats. Much of the journey is dark as you are traveling in the tunnels through the mountain, the train stops several times on the way up and there are viewing spots. At the second viewing spot my mom and dad got out quick and some guy took my mom's seat. I thought that was kind of rude. If you get out of the train at one of the stops I suggest you leave your bag our backpack on your seat. I ended up putting Ali on my lap so that everyone had a seat.

Goats on the tracks in Kleine Scheidegg

Once we reached the top the area where you get off the train was very busy with tour groups. We quickly tried to distance ourselves from the big groups. Our first stop was the Sphinx Observatory. The research station opened in 1931. We took a crowded elevator up to the observatory. The view from the terrace was amazing! We also realized that on this bright sunny day it was warmer outside than inside. In the underground tunnels where you arrive it was very cold but out in the open it was a lovely day! It was crystal clear with not a cloud in the sky. We looked down over the Aletsch Glacier and we enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains. When we went inside we found an empty bench and sat down for our picnic lunch, our view for lunch was pretty awesome!

Sphinx Observatory

View of the glacier

Family picture

Happy kids

Our view at lunch

After lunch we went back down on the elevator and went through a section that tells the history of the Jungfrau railway. We all enjoyed this and it was nice and quiet.

Look who the kids found!

Cool carving

Wall with names of the men who died building the rail line

Then we went to the Ice Palace which was created in the 1930's but needs to be recut constantly. They have to cool this section because of the heat generated by all the visitors. The ice sculptures were amazing!

Walking into the ice palace

Polar bear sculpture

Seals

My kids spotted this guy from Ice Age

Ali and Grandma all bundled up

We headed out to the Glacier Plateau to walk around. There were great views of the glacier and the top of the Jungfrau. The kids had fun throwing a few snowballs!

Dan and I in front of the Jungfrau

Finally, we went to the Snow Fun section. We walked out into the snow and saw people sledding, skiing, and zip lining. We checked out the prices for zip lining, it was 20 Francs for adults and 15 Francs for children. The kids really wanted to do it, so we bought tickets for Dan and the two kids to go. I really thought Ali would chicken out but she didn't! Connor went first, then Ali, and finally Dan! They all loved it! I decided I didn't want to be left out of the fun so when we walked back up I paid to go. It was so much fun! We are hoping to go to Costa Rica next summer and now I know that neither of the kids will be scared to go zip lining there! It was gorgeous out on the snow, I was comfortable in short sleeves. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Ali was determined not to chicken out

My turn!

Woohoo, I'm flying!!

We went back inside and checked out the gift shop before we headed to the train, the trains leave the Jungfrau every 30 minutes. Apparently there is one gate for groups and one gates for people not with a tour group, we didn't know that and ended up at the wrong place. Luckily though, after we walked to the other one we still were able to make the train and get seats.

Silly kids waiting for the train

We stopped in Kleine Scheidegg on the way down. We had decided to eat there as we knew everyone would be exhausted by the time we got home. We ate at the restaurant by the train station, the portions were good and the prices were fair. We went to a few of the shops in town before taking the train down to Lauterbrunnen.

It was a long ride back to Frutigen and everyone was tired by the time we got home. It had been an amazing day though. If you visit Switzerland I definitely recommend a trip up the Jungfrau, it is awesome and unforgettable!

 

Posted with Blogsy