16 Days Europe Tour – White Christmas Day 8 Interlaken (free day) - Top of Europe!
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| Walking towards Interlaken Ost Station in the snow... |
Today is our free day during our Europe vacation package. However, upon the recommendation from Ricky, our tour manager from Chan Brothers, we were going to the top of Europe, i.e. Jungfraujoch. Thus we were going to travel from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch, top of Europe. Our optional tour, including lunch, cost us CHF180 (USD209) per adult.
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| On the way up to the top of Europe |
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| Views from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch |
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| Scenery along the way |
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| Beautiful |
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| More scenery |
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| Getting higher |
A UNESCO World Heritage of the Swiss Alps, Jungfraujoch stands at 3,454 metres (11,333 feet) above sea level. We rode the cogwheel train from Gindelwald via Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station and were treated to a wonderful view of the magnificent Alpine region, considered as one of the most scenic route in the whole of Switzerland.
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| At Kleine Scheidegg to catch another train |
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| Parking... |
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| Rescue dog, St Bernard, on patrol |
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| Tepee on Kleine Scheidegg |
This unique round trip by modern cogwheel railway takes you first to Kleine Scheidegg, altitude 2061 metres, at the foot of the notorious Eiger North Wall. From here the Jungfrau Railway climbs to the station at Eigergletscher, well known for its mountain restaurant and polar dog kennels. The trip continues through the Eiger tunnel to the stations at Eigerwand and Eismeer, with a five minute halt at each.
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| Station stop |
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| Eigerwand station |
Kleine Scheidegg is the spectacular pass linking the famous valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Gindelwald in Switzerland. A hive of activity starts here where it is a abuzz with activities for the winter-sport fans and the starting point for some of the stunning hikes in the region.
Enjoy spectacular sightseeing through large observation windows hewn from solid Alpine rock. And then the arrival on the Jungfraujoch, in the heart of a glorious glacier world on the very roof of Europe! Superb views extend as far as the summits of the Vosges Mountains in France an the Black Forest in Germany. The Great Aletsch Glacier, at 22 km the longest ice-stream in the Alps, begins on the Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe.
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| Finally... Top of Europe |
Jungfraujoch is one of Switzerland's most attractive excursion destinations and vantage points. Be prepared for clean fresh air with little pollution.
With the in-depth knowledge of our tour manager, we had a great time visiting the Sphinx Observation Terrace at 3,571 metres and were amazed at the breathtaking views. We had lots of fun snapping pictures in the minus 20 degrees Centigrade temperature.
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| Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe at 3,571 m (11,782 ft) |
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| Feeling on top of the world with the Sphinx Observation Tower in the background |
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| The temperature at that point of time |
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| Brrrr.r....... |
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| A closer look at the rock |
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Adolf Guyer-Zeller, a colourful and charismatic figure in the history of Swiss transport,
the man behind the Jungfrau Railway project |
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| Holding up the Sphinx observatory with neutron motor |
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| Sphinx Observatory |
Lunch was served in the restaurant at the top of Europe where we had soup, roast chicken and ice cream.
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| Ice-cream with the depiction of the Swiss flag |
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| Restaurant on Jungfraujoch |
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| Eagerly waiting for lunch |
Walk slowly when at high altitude as the air is very thin and some people may tend to feel groggy and dizzy. If you do feel that way, drink some coca cola to get your sugar level up.
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| Some souvenirs |
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| Jungfraujoch souvenir |
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| Feeling the lack of oxygen? Fear not... Buy a can! :) |
After lunch, we had some time to shop for souvenirs before taking the train down to Kleine Scheidegg where we had about an hour and a half of free time. Again we took as many pictures as we could of the wonderful scenery and the kids and the young at heart had a fun time playing on the sled which could be rented for Chf10 for an hour. This is really worth the amount for the fun and wonderful memories that they had.
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| Whole group having fun |
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| Riding the sled |
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| At Kleine Scheidegg |
Kleine Scheidegg remains one of the top holiday destinations in Europe.
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| Kleine Scheidegg at 2061 metres (6762 ft) |
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| Counting down to 1st Aug 2012, 100 years celebration of Jungfraubahn |
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| Going down Jungfraujoch |
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| Part of our scenery |
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| Cozy feeling |
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| Stunning views |
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| Snow covered |
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| Simply breathtaking |
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| Our tour manager curling up in the luggage compartment |
Next was the trip back down to Interlaken where we proceeded to Bucherer to collect a free souvenir teaspoon once again.
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| Look out for this Bucherer's City Map |
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| Back of the envelope |
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| The voucher for your free souvenir spoon is inside |
Whilst in Interlaken/Grindelwald, look out for Bucherer’s city map which comes with a voucher for a free souvenir as well as a Rolex catalogue. There is no need to purchase anything and we did not face any hard selling when we went to redeem the voucher.
As the adults in our group of six were feeling tired, we went ahead to the supermarket, Coop to purchase some items before heading back to the
Lindner Grand Hotel Beau Rivage for an early night’s rest. The kids continued playing with whatever snow they could find and went with the rest of the tour group for a pizza dinner.
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| Shoping at Coop |
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| Who's the next target? :) |
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| Having fun |
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| Isn't he cute? |
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Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa Interlaken
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This legendary hotel,
Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa Interlaken, was built in 1864 and is instrumental in making Interlaken one of the world's most attractive destinations for those seeking rest and repose. Majestic looking, we passed this on the way back to our hotel just a few minutes' away.
We had a most memorable time today making our way from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch, top of Europe. This is definitely one day of our Europe vacation package that we will always remember, especially the fun time at Kleine Scheidegg and, of course, not forgetting our stay in
Interlaken Lindner Grand Hotel Beau Rivage.
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