Our Arrival
As the sun began to set, dark silhouette creeps from the horizon claiming its reign. The slopes of pines needles joust against the fading light. White shimmering peaks turned into pyres of golden hue. We had a great view from this valley, but we were still very jealous of those paragliders! I hope they had oxygen tanks because it sure is breath-taking up there.
When we came back to our accommodation, we found out that we were the only guests booked in for the night. It was meant for 5 parties of guests. We still had only our own room, but the common shared areas: whole kitchen, living room, and toilets we can have all to ourselves. Unfortunately the big house heater was off because we were the only guests. The cold was really setting in, so we had to turn up every heater we could see in the living area. Then Bel made a homely dinner for us: Indomee with bakwa. Truly an asian treat after a week in the Schengen. Each warm savoury shred of noodle was salivating-ly welcomed. Each bit of bakwa was like a pop of champagne in my mouth.
Adventurous day, homely dinner made by my wife, and a cozy warm home to spend the night, a man need not ask for much more. The warmth tonight was beyond the warmth of the heaters. Thus we spent the night in our own little Swiss home.
The Day Begins
Today we will be venturing to Jongfraujoch, the highest accessible point of Europe. The crown jewel of the Alps itself.
We woke up early to an amazing alpine view; fresh mountain air, crisp skies with little to no clouds, and peaceful homely cottages. The only downside was the creaky wooden floor of the accommodation. I actually had to go to the toilet in the night. With each step like a resounding orchestra, I was sure that Bel would have woken up. Good thing it was only a short intermission.
That morning we had to take a short drive to Grindelwald. We were going to be slightly early, but our car was not working as expected. The windscreen was glazed with a few millimetres of ice and the car HUD was all lit up. We scoured the car for the guide book for what logo was for what error. It was too thick of a book for a beautiful relaxing morning. So I just turn the engine on and off, and thankfully the HUD is back to normal. As for the windscreen, it just needed a bit more time to warm up.
The road we drove on was icy. We could see visible glints of crystal in the asphalt as we drive along under the morning sun. That was when I thought of a joke: How do you drive safely in winter? With eyes on the road!
Grindelwald
We got to Grindelwald after a safe short icy drive that had my eyes on the road the whole time. Then we rode up the cable car bringing us to a mid-point: Eigergletscher.
The view from the cable car was magical. The snowy crags shielding the valley, with wooden cottages scattered across the snowy piney landscape, it’s Christmas wonderland everyday here. If I have a house here, I would not need any paintings, I will just need large open windows.
It was a very enjoyable cable car ride up to Eigersletcher. From here, we would have to take another train: The Jungfrau Railway. It will cut through the Eiger glacier; the famous mountain on North Face logo, to reach up just below Jungfrau, the highest peak of the Bernese Alps, the highest peak of Europe.
Eigersletcher
Before getting onto the train, we looked around Eigergletscher. The blue welcoming skies isn’t something we want to squander indoors. However, being tropical low-lying creatures from the equator we had to take precaution of the cold and altitude. The cold is not anything new to us now and we were more than ready to face it with our layers of fleece and down; but the high altitude, is more difficult to prepare for. When we go higher, air pressure is lower and the air has less oxygen. Such conditions are known to inflict AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) upon people who are accustomed to such heights. Bel had it when she was climbing up to Everest Base Camp. I had it when I was dashing Mount Fuji. The nicest places sometimes just had to be harsher.
Upon exiting the cable car station, it was like a painting coming to live. The white glazed rugged edges outlining the horizons, jutting skywards, sculpts an awe-inspiring sight.
Heres a clip of us having fun at Eigersletcher:
Jungfraujoch
After our fun, we took the Jungfrau Railway up unto Jungfrajoch, which is the highest accessible point of Europe. Note the keyword: accessible point. We were not going up to the highest point because we could not. The highest point is the Jungfrau summit itself, and to climb it will be another whole ball game.
While Eigersletcher is 2168 metres above sea level, Jungfraujoch is at 3454 metres. It was evidently harsher up here. Without the hot morning sun, sightseeing up here would not be bearable amidst the piercing winds and frosty air. The winds blew so hard that I braced my beanie when it gales.
While we were trying to snap a picture with the Sea of Ice in the background, a bird opportunistically photo bombed us. Why are there even birds all the way up here? How did they get here? What do they eat? Later on I saw tourists feeding their snacks to the birds. These birds must have been subsisting on the generosity of tourists.
Ice Palace
Besides the observatory overlooking the Jungfrau summit, there is also an Ice Palace where they easily kept ice sculptures icy. They built this ice museum right into the naturally-formed glacier! They had interesting exhibits, the Ice Age racoon being my favorite. The floor was very slippery.
The Plateau
After the Ice Palace, we went to the Plateau. It was a large flat open field, where historically they held soccer and boxing matches. With this outdoor condition, I think that would have made soccer and boxing into extreme sports. Maybe it’s better in summer.
We did not see any soccer or boxing matches, but we saw a group of people preparing some sort of parachute. They were paragliders. These insane people were preparing to paraglide down from all the way up here. I think it’s exciting to paraglide. Now these extremists really take it to the next level by paragliding from an extremely high place! We overheard that one of the paraglider said that on a good windy day he could reach Austria, paragliding from this plateau. On google maps, I see that it’s at least 200 km from here to the nearest border of Austria. Paraglide away my friend, and all the best.
The AMS Hits
At this point, Bel and I felt the crash. We came to realise how much of a headache we were in. Every breath was a labor, even more so was walking. The AMS has finally caught on. Fortunately we were almost at the end of our sightseeing.
We took a final picture at the Plateau, and headed back to the Jungfrau Railway. We instantly felt much better when we were back in Eigersletcher, but energy level was still waning. With energy low and satisfaction high, we happily make our way back home.
On the way back down to Grindelwald, I managed to capture a decent time-lapse of the view from the cable car:
Closing
It’s an odd feeling of getting to the top of Europe on a whimsical train. There were numerous heroic stories of valiant men who failed at the attempt of conquering these peaks; some paid with their lives. There I was moments prior, lolly gagging with highest snow in Europe within the fatally thin air and deadly winter grasp. Would I still count this as a peak conquered despite paying the cost in dollars than in sweat? Perhaps there is distinction in rewarding challenges, and rewarding experiences. Nevertheless, it was a rewarding excursion that Bel and I both thoroughly enjoyed.
Dashing Heights 