One of the must-see, must-do things in Switzerland is surely a trip to Jungfraujoch -- at 3,454 m asl it is Europe's highest railway station and spectacular even on a bad day. In summer it is best to go up by the very first train, not something for night owls! (see P.S. for a good link.)
On the way up by train you may be able to see the Moench, the Sphinx observatory and the Jungfrau:
En route, the train stops twice in its tunnel and passengers can go to huge windows in the mountain side to look out onto -- this, for example: the Eismeer glacier at 3,160 m asl
Once up on the Joch, looking north on a clear day you can see right across the whole country. This time, we were a little less lucky, but it was still impressive enough:
But what we came for, of course, was this: a good look at 'Konkordiaplatz' ('Place de la Concorde'), where three arms of the Aletsch-Glacier meet, which is some 22 km long (but shrinking, as are all glaciers in the Alps):
There are quite a few viewing points up on Jungfraujoch -- it is Europe's highest playground, restaurant, scientific station, post-office, shop... -- the gleaming dome is the Sphinx Observatory. I'd love to be able to spend a night there watching the stars!
Most visitors will make time to step out onto the glacier, even if it's only for a few paces (some of the people in this picture are the loveliest Scots I've ever come across -- no offense to all the others intended):
On a bad day, the slippery Ice Palace makes up for the lack of views -- we had no problem on the stunning July morning in 2006 but still decided to pay a visit. The ice carving displays change from one year to the next so it's fun even for those who have been before. And slipping around on ice in tunnels about eight meters below the surface of the glacier is a gas:
And seeing the record of past years right there in front of you makes you realise how insignificant we humans really are:
P.S. For more info on the Jungfraujoch, visit http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-8/183_read-808/ -- the official website, for whose contents I am not responsible, but which has lots of useful information and links.
2 comments:
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog, particularly the more recent photos which are really super. Well done!
Clare
Fantastic photos, cetainly makes me want to be there. R.
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