We were going up 3454 meters into the Swiss Alps.  We were headed to Jungfraujoch – the Top of Europe.  We were going to see, or go through, three peaks:  Eiger, Monch and Jungfraujoch.  

Our first segment from Zurich to Interlaken was by bus. We stopped for Swiss Hot Chocolate! Unfortunately our hot chocolate was served at a Hooters instead of a quaint village cafe.   In hindsight, that fits perfectly with our tour guide.  He was very into himself and his performance as our guide. We were just accessories.  He had a schtick and I became weary of him very quickly.  Randy took a bit longer but neither of us were fans,

We saw a mountain waterfall enroute.

After a second bus ride, we boarded the first of two cogwheel rail trains.

We changed trains at Grindelwald, and then headed to Europe’s highest railway station.

The Jungfraujoch Railway has been taking passengers to the Top of Europe since 1912. Swiss industrialist Adolf Guyer-Zelle had the idea to blast a tunnel through the sheer rock of Eiger and Monch.  Building a railway to the summit of Jongfrau was thought to be beneficial for local tourism. Jungfraujoch is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can view the largest glacier in the Alps.

The railway construction began in 1896.  Despite employee deaths and strikes, workers broke through on February 21, 1912, sixteen years after it was begun.  The tunnel is 9.3 kilometers long. The tunnel through Eiger and Monch cost twice as much as anticipated.

We visited the ice palace, originally created in 1930.

Thousands of visitors walk through the ice tunnels to view various ice sculptures. That requires cooling the labyrinth and for the art to be refined as melting threatens.

The Sphinx Dome is used for astronomical studies. 

The terrace at the Sphinx opened for viewing in 1996.

Aletsch Glacier is the longest in the Alps at 20 kilometers.

One of the memorable events of the day was watching this young lady pose for this picture.  As she approached the flag she quickly discarded her heavy coat for her glamour shot.  The entire process took seconds.  She is lovely and the photo is stunning.

We saw the glamour shot Instagram mentality repeatedly on our trip and not just by beautiful young women.  It was quite the thing to observe.

Here is our less glamorous photo at the top of Europe!

We left the mountain on the Eiger Express cableway.

We went through the clouds and then the scenery was amazing all the way down.  

The Eiger face was long thought to be unscalable.

What a place to camp!

Our tour to the spectacular Swiss Alps used a bus, three trains and a gondola!  

We went to the Top of Europe on September 14, 2023

Next up: A brief stop in Rome