Today I woke up quite late in the day, I could not feel the hot Italian sunshine on my shoulders, but I could smell the clean, frosty mountain air all around us. I decided to check the weather to dress appropriately.
After unlatching the frosty window a gust of frrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeezing air hit me right in the face and smacked me back, two things came to me - in this order
1. Look at that!!!
2. c-c-c Cold!
By breakfast, 30 minutes, later I hadn't warmed up and was still shivering. Luckily the hotel gave us snow jackets to borrow, big bulky things. mine was green and white and very warm.
A bit like a massive teddy bear.
The mountain cloud was very clear today so we decided to do the thing we came to Switzerland for - the Jungfrau or Young maiden mountain,
The mountain itself is called the Jungfrau but the train that goes up is called the Jungfraubahn/joch and the place we were going - the reserch station and viewing point is known as the Top of Europe.
I was so excited, Drew and I just couldnt stop laughing. We bounced around till all the doors around our room had put up the dont disturb sign.
oops!!!
We had to catch 3 trains to get to the top of the Jungfrau
- Laterbrunen to Wëngen
- Wëngen to Kleine Scheidig (or something like that)
- the Jungfrau bahn
All of these train took roughly 20 - 30 minutes
The Jungfrau Joch has been going 101 years. it was built in a time that only skilled mountaineers could make a perilous journey to the top of this amazing place. One of these mountaineers (Adolf Guyer - Zeller) decided that the summit should be seen be everyone, and so, he designed the Jungfrau railway, the very 1st mountain train, allowing old and young to see the world from a higher perspective.
Since then (1912) things have been added to just a view such as an outdoor terrace and "snow fun". This was going to be the best thing EVER!
It is now the seconded best thing ever as snow fun was closed due to avalanches. (killjoys!!!)
This was very upseting to me as I'd wated all day to go outside, suck an icicle and play in the snow for hours... skiing, tubing, tobogganing, huskies even snow golf!
The rest of the Jungfrau was very fun and kid friendly however. the makers had made a massive snow-dome full of moving parts showing the daily life in the Swiss mountains and moving wooden models! The best thing about it was the amazing creativity. the lights would create patterns to represent snow and the room was round to capture sound.
They also had a sculpture gallery where the walls, floors and art was all made in ice! that was amazing but, personally, I thought it was veryyyy cold plastic with a thin layer of water frozen on. Apparently they have to actually cool the gallery because so many tourists come there that their body temperature melts the sculptures.
Here are some pictures...
 |
| Ice age |
After a lot of ooos and aaaaahs we left the station and departed to catch the train from Jungfrau to Kleine shnideg. The train ride wasn't so long, and we had a little sleep, but on the way down it started to do something very special
It started to snow
We leapt off the train and flung ourselves out into the blanket of white.
Snow is about 100x colder than rain. the feel of the stuff is amazing. an incredible mix of ice and petals. it can look like foam or like a corn flake but when it falls it always looks like one thing.
Snow
There is no other way to really explain it
After frolicking in the snow for a whole 45 minutes we decided that being chilled to the bone wasn't so fun and decided to head back to sunny little Lauterbrunnen where we are staying.
After looking back on it I reflected on two thoughts
- When fun is set for you its not nearly as fun as fun you make yourself.
- Things you do, don't always seem special at the time, sometimes its only afterwards the real experience comes.
loving-here-but-missing-you
Zo-on-the-go
Me o happy me
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