Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau

One of the last frontiers in the Alps was the Eiger Nordwand (Eiger North Face) which was first ascended in 1938. We didn't want to climb it, but just see and experience the sheer size of it and take a train through the Eiger up to the Jungfraujoch. Sounds crazy, doesn't it and yes it is, but about that later.

But first, we hopped in a rental and drove to the medieval town of Gruyère at the language border of  German and French in Switzerland. 

The castle's chapel is home to a Tibetan museum, which is very impressive.

Assuming that the movie Alien is well known, it is somewhat of a surprise that the creator of the alien itself has a museum in old village as well as a bar. It is like the movie, somewhat disturbing.

Our next stop was Lake Geneva, where we stayed the Hotel Rivage in Lutry, very quaint and right at the harbor. The entire region is called Lavaux and besides being a World Heritage site it's also known for its wonderful white wine.

The slope on the Swiss side faces South and that is ideal for growing grapes. The villages are embedded in the vineyards and each village is very proud of their wine, e.g. Saint-Saphorin, Epesses etc.

We were at this magical location at the right time and those grapes look so delicious, but they are destined to become wine.

We bought a bottle of white wine and enjoyed it on the pier, as it is legal to open alcohol in public. It did feel a little strange to not having to hide the bottle.

Over the Col Du Pillion, we drove to Wengen, which can only be reached by train. The car is safely parked in Lauterbrunnen. From our room we could watch the Jungfrau changing colors while the sun was setting. It was a magical moment.

Next morning we took a train from Wengen up to the Kleine Scheidegg and then further up through the Eiger Nordwand to the Jungfraujoch, the top of Europe (3454m or 11332 feet). The tunnel is 9km long and on the way there, the train stopped in the middle of the Nordwand where passengers had a short time to look out the windows in a very protected environment. However, since late 2016, trains no longer stop here, which is a real shame. On the South side, there is another 5 minute stop at the Eismeer (Ice Sea).

From here it goes to the Jungfraujoch, from where you can hike on the glacier to the Mönchsjochhütte. In an emergency, it serves mountaineers as a shelter.

The view down the glacier to the Konkordia place, where other glaciers meet, is just breathtaking and it seems to never end.

From the Kleine Scheidegg, we decided to walk down to Wengen, along the world famous downhill race track (Lauberhorn). It is very steep and longest world cup race in the world. The track even features a tunnel underneath the railway that racers have to navigate at high speed.

I'm so glad we made it on foot.