Grindelwald, Switzerland! (Part 3 - Top of Europe)

Probably the highlight of our Switzerland visit was going to Top of Europe! Also known as Jungfraujoch (don't ask me how to pronounce it!), is the highest railway station in all of Europe sitting at an elevation of 11,330ft! It was raining all morning down in Grindelwald, but because weather is completely unpredictable we decided to just go and hope that skies would be clear 10,000ft higher in the mountains!

We took the local train halfway up the mountain, and transferred to another train that leads us through tunnels that go across 2 mountains : Eiger (the most notable mountain in the Bernese Alps) and Monch. These two mountains together with Jungfrau forms the highly recognizable group of mountains visible from far away.

Being that Switzerland is such a mountainous area, the railways have to keep up with the terrain. Below, you can see that the railways have extra "teeth" in the middle of the track. This is called a cog railway system that has toothed rack rails between the running rails. This allows the trains to operate on steep gradients. You wouldn't want the train to roll back when stopped!! Thank goodness for these extra teeth, cuz these trains really do go steep!

After chugging through 2 large mountains, we finally made it to Top of Europe! It was just 34 degrees at 1:30pm, and I guessed that was the warmest it was gonna get! Good thing I wore 3 shirts, a windbreaker, and gloves! (I never wore so much in the middle of the summer...it felt a little weird!) Although, with this heat we're experiencing in California now, I would give anything to go back to Switzerland!

All I could say about this place was "amazing!" We were truly lucky that the rain had passed and the clouds were starting to break apart. There were a few moments when a patch of clouds would engulf us, but it never gloomed our mood! The Sphinx Observation Terrace gives you an amazing 360 degree view and stands about 380 ft above Top of Europe... that was quite a long elevator ride!! (The below picture was taken from a different viewing area, The Plateau, where you can see The Sphinx on the top left and Top of Europe in the middle)

The moment you step out on the Sphinx terrace, you are welcomed by a stunning view of the Monch Mtn! I really don't think any more words are needed to show how grand the view is! All the wire netting around the terrace serves to avert the risk of lightening....I wouldn't wanna be there when that happens!

So, even someone like me who's not afraid of heights got the jitters when looking straight down from the terrace! I realized how far up we were when the people below looked like ants! People below were enjoying the ski & snowboard park, the snow disk run and the sledge dogs. Gosh, it was killing me that I didn't have my snowboard to enjoy the Alps snow *sniff sniff *

We noticed these crows (?) hanging around the area, but I wasn't quite sure what they wanted...haha. The food that people hardly ate outside in the freezing cold? The breath-taking view of the mountains? ...Probably the view!

After about an hour of exploring the area, we were starting to feel light-headed! Going up stairs was a real challenge, and we had to take a few breaks to control our breathing again. At that moment, I understood why I saw so many people sitting/lying on the ground of the meeting area when we first arrived to Top of Europe! We quickened our exploration of the other areas and ended our 4 hour visit with a picture of the Swiss flag that was proudly standing at The Plateau. I felt like I had just finished a long, challenging hike up the Alps and reached my goal! It was a great feeling!

We caught the second to last train out of Top of Europe back to Grindelwald. I wonder what happens when you miss the last train...I wouldn't wanna know! We were completely exhausted and headed straight to the hotel. I emptied my backpack and was surprised to see what had happened to my water bottle (below)! I guess I wasn't the only one who had a tough time with the high elevation, hehe! For those of you who are interested, I've scanned a map of Top of Europe and you can see the vast and amazing structure built inside the mountain.

No doubt, Top of Europe has created a lasting impression. People always talk about the Alps being amazing, and experiencing firsthand, I now know why this place is spoken so highly of. The panoramic picure in the very beginning is just a 180 view of the mountains...if you could imagine being completely surrounded by these vast mountains you'll be another person talking about the amazing Alps! "I heart Switzerland!"

Next Stop : Hiking at First, a popular hiking area in Grindelwald. This time I didn't get lightheaded!

Grindelwald, Switzerland! (Part 2 - Pfingstegg)

On the day we arrived into Grindelwald, we decide to take a mini exploration to a nearby mountain by taking one of their shorter cable car rides. (On a different exploration, we took a 30min long cable car ride!) We go to Pfingstegg, which is about 4500ft elevation, to get a better view of Grindelwald. Please, enjoy the view that we experienced from the cable car!

The snowy mountains in the distance, you could see glaciers! Apparantly, they have glacier hikes! That sounded really cool, but probably not a good idea for a newbie like me to take such a dangerous hike, haha!

...And these are the cows we saw at Pfingstegg. Everywhere in Grindelwald you'll see cows eating away on the endless acres of grass! They don't really fence the cows into an area, they just roam around freely. So, tourists can come very close to them, and they don't seem to be bothered by the constant attention!

We then say goodnight to our first night in Grindelwald and get plenty of sleep to take the amazing trip to Top of Europe where we get pretty light-headed being in 11,300ft high elevation!

Grindelwald, Switzerland! (Part 1 - Getting There)

Now, we begin our journey to Grindelwald as we say goodbye to Luzern. It was a dramatic change going to Grindelwald being surrounded by snow-capped mountains and webs of hiking trails and cable cars taking you to almost every level of all the mountains!

Grindelwald is a quaint village located southwest of Luzern in the Bernese Alps, and is a popular winter tourist destination for skiing and a summer destination for hiking. It's great you can enjoy these amazing mountains all year long!

So! We take the Goldenpass Panoramic railway to Interlaken Ost. Only the first car of the train provides a panoramic view of your trip. The windows wrap up the top of the train, and is like an IMAX experience! I love how Switzerland trains are on time and get you to your destination as scheduled! But, you gotta be careful because they make no announcement or buzz of a horn when your train is about to leave -just make sure you're already in the train!

Riding the Panoramic coach was definitely worth it! The smooth, yet fast, ride alongside an enormous lake and through the mountains, gave you billions of photo opportunities. The view was amazing and the comfortable seats made the experience all the better, haha! With the snow-capped mountains coming into closer view, we knew that we were nearing Grindelwald!

From Interlaken Ost we take a local railway to Grindelwald. (The train station below is not Interlaken Ost, we took a detour before arriving at Grindelwald!) Not to mention we view a group of cyclists about to take on one of the trails -I'm sure they've done this a bunch of times!

At last, we finally make it to Grindelwald! Since we had an afternoon open to do some exploring, we decide to take a short cable car ride up a nearby mountain to get a view of the village from above. That experience will be my next post! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I don't want this post to be a long, tiring read for ya =) (Oh! And we encounter some local moo-moos (cows!) in the mountains!!)

Danke, Luzern!

Before leaving Luzern, here are some random extra photos that I'd like to share!

Can they put enough Swiss flags around town? Apparantly not! We found a flag on the mountain on our way back from Rigi Kulm.

These three restaurants sure did up their buildings...Very nice! Actually, there are many buildings in town that are "dressed up." It really adds the enjoyment of strolling around.

When you think of Switzerland "Swiss Knives" has gotta be one of the things you think about! Every corner you turn, you see knives for sale! I guess I gave into the pressure, but it was all worth it as Danny is lovin' his Soldier Knife and I am enjoying my small 125th Anniversary knife! Another Swiss Made item? -Sigg bottles...and yes, I gave into that pressure as well, haha!

Hmm, the best sushi in town? Too bad I didn't try it to see if it was true lol!

"Guten Tag, Switzerland!" Part 2 (Luzern)

Rigi Kulm - "Queen of the Mountains" was our Day Two excursion in Luzern. Rigi is part of the Swiss Alps and is easily accessible by public transportation. We took about an hour long boat ride from Luzern station over the Luzern Lake to Vitznau. By the way, the lake is huge, and it sure doesn't surprise me that it's the 4th largest lake in the country!

The view from the boat was amazing! It felt really nice and relaxing to be surrounded by so much greenery!...and friendly birds!

Arriving into Vitznau, we immediately ride the railway to take us to the top of Rigi. I've never riden on such steep railway tracks! The occassional jerks whenever we were climbing steeper had everyone who was standing in the train (including me!) constantly moving around to keep balance! Although I was busy keeping myself up, I was also enjoying the amazing view! There were sheeps enoying the fresh greens, and some hikers who opt to walk to the top instead of taking the train!

6,000ft above sea level, we finally make it to the top! The Rigi gives you an awesome panoramic view of central Switzerland! After about an hour of taking in the view, we eat lunch at the cafe and decide to return to Luzern.

Not having the proper hiking gear, of course, we decide to take the railway back down! (Don't wanna take the train? Don't wanna hike down? Then paraglide! Believe me, we saw several people choosing this option! Of course, I'm sure they were professionals!) Steam train, anyone? -Yes! We chugged our way down to Weggis station and rode a cable car to take us further down to the boats. Taking the same boat route back, we wave goodbye to the "Queen" and finally arrive into Luzern!

Next Stop - "Goodbye Luzern, Hello Grindelwald!" Taking the panoramic train to Grindelwald, where we hike through the clouds, walk in the snow while feeling light-headed, and lots more!

"Guten Tag, Switzerland!" Part 1 (Luzern)

The beginning of my amazing European trip started in Luzern, Switzerland. Luzern, the most populous city in central Switzerland, is the 7th largest city in Switzerland and is one of the most popular tourist destination. We had 2 full days to take in the breathtaking mountains surrounding us, and time to stroll in-between the medival-looking structures.

First, we took the express railway from Zurich Airport to Luzern, and in about an hour we arrived at Bahnhof Station. Our hotel was conveniently located nearby the train station and our room had an amazing view of the Luzern Lake! Might I add here, Switzerland has an amazing railway system and makes it extremely easy to travel between cities. Following our stay in Luzern, going to Grindelwald in the Panoramic Train was very nice.

The town's most famous landmark is the Kapellbrucke ("Chapel Bridge"), the oldest wooden bridge in Europe, which stretches 670ft across the Reuss River. The Wasserturm (Water Tower) that adjoins the bridge used to serve as a prison, torture chamber, when the bridge was constructed in 1333 to help protect the city from attacks. All along the ceiling are 17th century paintings which depict events from Luzern's history.

Another noteworthy monument is the Lion Monument, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution. The inscription below the dying lion lists the names of the officers, and the approx number of the soldiers who died and survived. The sculpture is 20ft high and 33ft long.

Here are shots of couple churches we visited along the way. (Jesuitenkirche & Hofkirche)

Next Stop : Rigi -a mountain in central Switzerland and part of the Swiss Alps; also known as the "Queen of the Mountains" Aprrox elevation of 5,900ft we took a ride over steep railway tracks and on cable car lines!

Willkommen!!

Coming back from my 16 day trip to Europe, I have lots to do for my blog! Although, first I will need to sort through 3000+ photos and choose ones to post on my blog. I have lots of fun and interesting photos to share with you, so hopefully you can find the time to watch my blog! Of course, in between my Europe posts, I will post about other stuff we are doing in Cali!

I visited several cities which include Switzerland (Luzern, Grindelwald), Italy (Venice) and Austria (Vienna). To share one quick photo will you, this is from Grindelwald, Switzerland at "Top of Europe" which is said to be the highest railway station in all of Europe -about 11,300ft high! As you can see, there was still snow and was about 32F. The train runs through 2 different mountains and took about 16 years to build the tunnel! I gotta admit, I was gettin' a bit light-headed from lack of oxygen - but I made it!

I will see you back in a bit with highlights from my trip. See ya soon!