Jungfraujoch
Well, Saturday saw us up at the crack of dawn (really!) and catching two trains to reach Jungfraujoch – apparently the “Top of Europe” (haven’t fact checked that, so don’t start with me … speak to the Swiss). We were glad that we took the advice of the hotel manager because by the time we were coming back down at about 11am, the place was swarming with people. He also told us that they only sell 5,000 tickets a day and in a “usual” peak season, they are all sold out by 10am. We’ve noticed, the more we move into the summer months, the busier places are becoming – still nowhere as busy as it would be under normal circumstances though.
Now I remember from my previous visit to Switzerland that it is bloody expensive and that we never went up any mountain because we nearly died at the prices (being young and poor). Hence why we didn’t go up any mountains in Germany or Lucerne on this trip – were saving our pennies for this one … the mother of all Mountains! Well … 26 years later and it is even more horrendous than I remember. The cost of the train tickets was a mind-blowing CHF213 (A$324/£180/US$226/€199) EACH!!!
So was it worth A$650 for a morning’s entertainment …. in our opinion, not really. Undoubtedly the views going up the mountain, the view from the quick 5 minute stop at Eismeer (sea of ice) and of course the views from the top were nothing short of breathtaking … but not for that sort of money. We’re not disappointed we did it but we wouldn’t do it again either.
We didn’t manage to get any pics of Eismeer but I found a good pic (as well as some history) here and the Jungfrau website very aptly describes it as “Bluish, furrowed ice blocks under a blanket of eternal snow, and in the distance the panorama of four thousand metre peaks: This is how the Eismeer station appears at 3,160 metres above sea level. It seems like a journey through time lasting many thousands of years: During the last ice age, all of Switzerland must have looked like this mountain“.
Quite weird to be in the middle of summer but within hours, it feels like it’s a northern hemisphere winter! We got all rugged up in our thermal leggings and warm jackets, gloves etc but it was actually a very pleasant -1C and lovely and sunny. Very fortunate for us as it had been raining and overcast for the two preceding days.
One of the attractions is the Ice Palace – which has a long ice passage into ice caves – even the floors were ice, which was a bit of a challenge for Jarrah in her Docs but not for me in my cheap Aldi hiking boots! 🙂
You may recognise this little critter frozen in the ice wall.
Even though I keep chanting the mantra “we’ve just got to accept that Switzerland is expensive and we’re going to haemorrhage cash … we’re going to haemorrhage cash … we’re going to h….”, I am still outraged at prices! FFS a basic hamburger for lunch for Jarrah … A$42 (£24/US$30/€26)!! Apparently prices are so high because their taxes are low, the wages high and because they’re not part of the EU … whatever the reason, I’m not happy Jan.
Daily Giggle:
CONFUSED MUCH
Jarrah trying unsuccessfully to lock (with an old fashioned key) what she thought was our hotel room door, only for me to realise she was trying to lock an interleading door within our room
8 Comments
Diane Cooper
Wow! Once again, spectacular photos! However I did cringe at the prices – at least you can now say you’ve been there and you’ll have the memories!
Kamila
Event that it was expensive it was great to do as you would regret it later and wondered about it. You can save later and go on diet of rice and potatoes and cabbage. It apperas that not only you went on top of the Europe but also eaten the most expensive burger in Europe. Did it taste yummy? I was hoping to see few photos of the train to see the gold and diamond seats inside…for that price…
Patricia Forner
Beautiful, – no spectacular views of Jungfrau. Sorry it was so expensive. I’ll shout you for dinner when and if you and Jarrah return to Oz and Sydney. Thank you for such wonders in pics, die alte Frau Forner
Lynda
Jeepers that is very expensive. Nevertheless really beautiful, seems strange to be talking of summer & yet seeing snow!
Pip
“It’s rainin’ money, it’srainin’ money……”. … what you need Sandy is an Andreas or Basil boy with a jungfaujoch wallet right now 😆
I looked in the garage fridge and saw a glacier that was a pretty frosty blue, along with a few stalagmites, and stalactites, probably a few ice caves too – and it didn’t cost me a cent, just gave me a sense of needing ice cream when it’s on special.
Aside from that, I’d be after that Swiss chocolate if I were you – the one made from the yellow n white daisies where the hills are alive with the sounds of music and cow bells. Andreas can lay out the red n white chequered picnic rug, and you can keep Luna towel at the ready should his Swiss watch explode with enthusiasm…. 😂😂 (come on now!!)
Of course all us readers are still suffering with envy after all theses pics of picturesque Germany n Switzerland, especially as this last blog has resurfaced my wonderful days working for Swissair, and their very polite and generous people ( not that Jurgens watch exploded when I bantered with him – praps cos I was very married at the time)
Now, enough with sensational scenery – give us some facts on weight gain, lumpy pillows with the occasional bed bug bite, and you salivating at the thought of a plain ol’ vegemite sanga, and we will stop wiping the drool from our screens. Thank you.
Sandy
LOL! You crack us up Pip!!
You’ll be happy to know … weight gain is def in the double digits and growing daily, the pillows ARE lumpy (and only ever one of them), the rooms are not airconditioned despite the 29C heat, we have to put up with shoddy showers and dodgy dunnies, we have to wear face masks wherever we go, I’ve bleached the liver spots off my hands with all the hand sanitisation, the psycho-bitch GPS messes with us on a daily basis, we’ve not met any men (gorgeous or otherwise) who are prepared to share their Swiss bank accounts, we’ve got callouses and blisters on our feet from walking 10kms a day (on a lazy day), have aching muscles and sore backs … but does ANYONE CARE? 😊 Apparently not! 😊
AND … I look like the wild woman from Borneo – haven’t had a haircut since 1st Feb!!!
PS: NOT missing a vegemite sanga!
pip
Ah uh!! I KNEW lumpy pillows were stashed away in there somewhere, now jealous about the lack of liver spots on the back-hands, and can we please have updated photos on the first blog page – of the now HAIRY YETIS (you two) with your first-hand practice of living in our new Neanderthal world after Covid19. Our heroic leaders, we shall keep refreshed with your updates!!
Christopher Urtz
The guy that built the train line = a mud mask gone horribly wrong. That or they were inspired by Han Solo’s mode of imprisonment in Empires Strikes Back / Return of the Jedi. Either way, I’m guessing if he were alive to see this sculpture, he would probably be less than enthused that he looks constipated and for the rest of time looks like he’s reaching out for another bog roll. 😀