April 11, 2005. This is our final day in the Swiss Alps and we planned to make it a memorable one. Up again at 8, finished breakfast by 9:15 and on our way by 10. From Murren we took the train and the cable train back down to Lauterbrunnen and then changed trains for the ride to the village of Wengen. At Wengen we again took the cable car to the top of Mannlichen. The clouds were low again but we broke through into the sunlight just below Mannlichen. Time for our morning break so Nancy had a hot chocolate and I had a cappuccino outside on the big deck of the restaurant with a clear view of the peaks of Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, Eiger, Monch and the Jungfrau. What a magnificent site they were.

From Mannlichen we took a gondola down to Grindelwald in the opposite valley. The gondolas are little cars that hold four people and we had one all to ourselves. The ride down takes almost thirty minutes. Again we were in cloud for the middle part of the trip but we broke through the clouds high about Grindelwald and had a great view of the valley. It was a short walk to the station at Grindelwald – Grund where we enjoyed a fast lunch as our next train was leaving in thirty minutes.

Grindelwald is a glacier village and the only major resort in the Jungfrau Region that is accessible by car. The village is surrounded by little Swiss hamlets, swift streams, and the beauty of the Alps. During lunch we had a great view of the north face of the Eiger. The north face was not successfully climbed until 1938 and people still lose their lives every year attempting this climb.

After our fast lunch it was back on a cog wheel train for the thirty minutes trip to Kleine Scheidegg which is jumping off place for skiers and hikers. From Kleine Scheidegg you can ski down to either Wengen or Grindelwald. More importantly, it is the starting point for the train that takes you to the Jungfraujoch, the highest railroad station in Europe. It is not a cheap trip; even with a 50% discount because we had a region pass, it still cost just over $100 US. However, it was well worth it.

From Kleine Scheidegg the cog wheel train travels just over 6 miles to the top and 4 miles of the trip are in tunnels. You stop at two stations on the way; the Eigerwand at 9,400 feet and the Eismeer at 10,368 feet. At both stations the train stops for five minutes so you can enjoy the fabulous view of the peaks, valleys and snow fields.  Then it’s back on the train for the final leg of the trip which takes you to the Jungfraujoch terminal at 11,333 feet.

After we got off the train we walked up the Sphinx tunnel to an elevator that took us to an outdoor observation deck call the Sphinx Terrace. The terrace overlooks the saddle between the Monch and the Jungfrau peaks. Looking down you see the Aletsch Glacier, a 14 mile river of ice which moves slowly down the long valley and melts into Lake Geneva.

Our next adventure was the Eispalast (Ice Palace). Here we walked inside eternal ice in caverns cut out of the slowest moving section of the glacier. It is cut 65 feet below the glacier’s surface. You’re walking on clear ice so the handrail is essential.

From the Jungfraujoch we took the cog wheel railway back down to Kleine Scheidegg. From there we took another cog wheel train down to Lauterbrunnen where we switched to the cable car and train that brought us home to the Anfi Palace in Murren. Dinner capped a fabulous day in the Alps and certainly one that Nancy and I will always remember.

Stay tuned for Day 9 in my “Around the World in 30 Days” saga.

Alan Salmon
eClub One