Jun 24

Written by: rhertzler
Sunday, June 24, 2007 7:41 PM 

After a pleasant sleep, we awoke to bright crystal blue skies. Nic and I headed to the train station to purchase the passes for travel on all the regional railways and cable cars. This lets us pop on and off at will as we hike around and explore this area of Switzerland. The ticket person was also kind enough to check the weather forecast for us and recommended we go to the Jungfraujoch today because of the beautiful weather. The Jungfraujoch is a station at nearly 4000 meters up in the Alps.

So we headed off on the train - takes nearly 2.5 hours to get there because you go from around 500 meters to 4000 meters. Some places the angle was pretty steep, but the train just kept grinding away.

The boys had a chance for a sled dog ride and even got to 'drive'. Also went sledding and hiked to a restaurant / hut way up behind the Monch. ZThat was a bit difficult, but we all made it. You can really tell the altitude because you get winded quickly - especially walking in soft snow. By the time mid afternoon rolled around, both Ian and Nic were feeling the affects of the altitude and could barely muster the energy to continue.

Now I am sitting outside at a restaurant (no food pictures!) and paid 5 Swiss Franks for internet access - so getting on the net is not nearly as easy here - yet. And, it just started dripping, maybe it will end by morning.

Here is the day in photos:

The view down to Lauterbrunnen from our train trip up.

The crystal blue sky on the way up the mountain.

Nic makes friends with one of the sled dogs. But when they sense it is time to pull the sled, they don't seem so friendly anymore because they bark and pull like mad.

Ian guides the sled and dogs around the corner at the end of his "trip".

This was the view from the window of the restaurant / hut where we had lunch.

And behind Kathy and Nic is the Restaurant perched on the side of the mountain.

Lookin down toward Lauterbrunnen and Wengen from the top. The view was absolutely incredible.

Looking the other way towards Italy is one of the longest glaciers in Europe.

And now on the way back down. Both boys slept most of the way - a tiring day.

This is the front of the house where we are staying. Our apartment is actually in the back.