Movin' on Up

Tuesday, 25 December 2007

Christmas morning found us waking up early enough to partake in the continental breakfast before beginning our journey to the Jungfraujoch and the Top of Europe around 8:00 or so. We had originally intended to leave from the Interlaken West train station around 7:30, but Ursula and Chris assured us that the sun would really be up for a good bulk of the journey, so we were better off waiting and catching a later train so as to better enjoy the trip to the Top of Europe. After eating breakfast our walk to the Interlaken West train station confirmed the wisdom of this decision since day was still breaking over the Bernese Oberland. Before I go any further, however, it is worth mentioning that my Mom (in a classic my Mom moment) had given the younger generation (i.e., Alex, Beth, Kevin, me, Ryan, and Will) Christmas gifts to enjoy. She had of course carried them all the way from Chattanooga as she could not bear the thought of Christmas morning coming and her kids not having any gifts to open, but she wanted the other children to have gifts as well, so hopefully the others were pleased with their key chain flashlights. I know Ryan and Will were as they had often looked on with envy at the blinding ability of my key chain flashlight, which comes in handy in dark binds.

From Interlaken West we would take a 4 minute train ride to Interlaken Ost (East) from where we would really begin our trip to the Jungfraujoch in earnest. From Interlaken Ost, it would take about 2 and a half hours to get to the Top of Europe, with changeovers at Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg before finally reaching the Jungfraujoch and the highest rail station in Europe. It is for this reason that the Jungfraujoch is called the Top of Europe. The Jungfrau is not actually the highest mountain in Europe, though it rises to an impressive 13,642 feet. That distinction belongs to Mount Albrus in the Caucasus mountains of Russia, standing at 18,442 feet. For good measure, the distinction of highest mountain in Western Europe belongs to Mont Blanc along the French-Italian border, rising 15, 404 feet high.

With this is mind, we boarded the train at Interlaken West for the short ride to Interlaken Ost, where we had a brief layover before boarding a train headed towards Grindelwald, giving us our first chance on this Christmas morning to catch our breath and enjoy the first leg of our journey through the Bernese Oberland and its wondrous paradise for outdoors enthusiasts. The look on many of our faces made it clear that while we were enjoying the journey through the serene Swiss countryside, we were also coming to grips with our early wake-up call for Christmas morning.

We began to perk up a little when not too long after leaving Interlaken we began to travel through areas that had a light dusting of snow. By no means was it the most impressive blanket of snow, but it served as a harbinger of things to come as we rose higher and higher into the Swiss Alps, and for once in our lives, the dream of a White Christmas would be realized. By the time we reached our first changeover of the trip at the Alpine town of Grindelwald, the snow became ever more ubiquitous as Crosby's lyrics filled our heads. As we stepped off the train, we immediately marveled at either the Wetterhorn or Eiger peak (I'm not sure which) that dominated the small town. Cameras were soon swinging from our hip pockets as we rushed to capture the postcard setting, knowing full well that this setting would in all probability soon be topped, but as of yet unable to imagine so. We shuffled about the rail station at Grindelwald, turning our heads here and there to take in the Wetterhorn/Eiger and the valley that opened up before it. It was with great regret that after our brief layover, we stepped on a train heading for Kleine Scheidegg, our final stop before ascending the Jungfrau. I think we all would have loved to have more time at Grindelwald than our short layover allowed for, but the brevity of our time there probably only adds to the grandeur of our memories of the place. As we would discover before the day ended, the whole of the Bernese Oberland really demands much more than just a few days visit such is its appeal. Despite the pinge of regret we felt to leave behind a place of such spectacular beauty, everyone was feeling exhilarated by the sights, which was a good thing. Our early wake-up call inevitably left many of us in a nocturnal state for the first part of the train ride, but after the layover at Grindelwald, everyone was feeling wide awake now and ready to climb the great high mountain. In the meantime, we marveled at the winter wonderland that began to fully reveal itself with each passing moment as we climbed towards Kleine Scheidegg with radiant sunlight bearing down on the snow. Approaching Kleine Scheidegg, it became clear that we were approaching a major hub of skiing in the Bernese Oberland. The vistas really open up at Kleine Scheidegg and let you see for miles into the surrounding mountainous landscape. From its precipice, you can see various mountain peaks of the Bernese Alps, including the Wetterhorn, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, and Gspaltenhorn. All through the valley, from Kleine Scheidegg to the surrounding mountainsides, one can easily see that there is skiing in great abundance here. As we approached Kleine Scheidegg and stepped of the train, we spotted off in the distance, as well as nearby, many skiiers traversing slopes of varying levels of difficulty. Looking out at this sight, Ryan, Will, and I all agreed that nearly ten years since our last skiing adventure, we longed to do so once again, now more than ever.

Another time perhaps, because now we were preparing for the final leg of our journey to the Jungfraujoch: the Jungfraubahn which consisted of a ride up the mountain in a cogwheel railway that seemingly dated from the nineteenth century. This fact only adds to the romanticism of the journey, though it is also an effective way of traversing the steep ride up the mountain that climbs from 6,700 feet in Kleine Scheidegg to 11,400 feet at the Jungfraujoch, in a distance of about 5.5 miles. The railway runs almost entirely within a tunnel built into the Eiger and Mönch mountains and contains two stations in the middle of the tunnel, where passengers can disembark to observe the neighboring mountains through windows built into the mountainside.

After a while, we crammed into the Jungfraubahn at Kleine Scheidegg to begin the final leg of our journey to the Jungfraujoch. The cars of the train were quite full, but we all managed to squeeze into a seat while others around us had to stand. Riding the cogwheel railway was a treat, and as previously intimated, it felt like taking a trip in time; or to appease the less historically initiated of us, a comparison with Thunder Mountain at Disney World would probably suffice to exhibit what the ride was like.

We enjoyed more mountainous scenery along the way, but before long we were winding our way through a tunnel en route to the Jungfraujoch, and spent a majority of this final leg submerged into the mountainside as we traveled through the rock of the Eiger and Mönch. A couple of quick stops at observatories with panoramic views more than made up for the subterranean nature of our journey, however. We first stopped at the Eigerwand Observatory and all of the young folks from our group rushed to the observatory window to look out onto a breathtaking scene laid out before us. We were not yet to the Jungfraujoch, but already it felt as if we were on top of the world. We lingered for only a few minutes before heading back to the train to continue our journey to the Top of Europe, though before long we came to another stop, this one called Eismeer. It was here that we got our first look at the one of the glaciers, and to my knowledge, one of the first that most, if not all of us, had ever seen. Who knows, they might not be there in fifty years, depending on your political preference I suppose, but it was still pretty cool to sort of the see the snow-covered ice sort of swallowing the mountain whole.

Again, after just a few minutes, we were back on the train heading towards the Jungfraujoch, knowing that this had been our last stop and it would not be long before we finally arrived. Indeed, we soon pulled into the station at the Jungfraujoch and shuffled off the train, following a mass of people whom we hoped were all heading towards an elevator, and thus the Top of Europe. We were looking to head towards what is called the Sphinx, which is the top deck of the station and the main observatory platform, offering 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding mountainous setting. Before going on any further about our time at the Jungfraujoch, it would probably useful to describe exactly what it is in more detail. Quite simply it is a saddle between the Mönch and Jungfrau peaks in these, the Bernese Alps. The complex of the Jungfraujoch itself, however, is not reduced to just the Sphinx observatory area. It is actually quite a bit larger than that. When one first exits the train, there are a number of activities that they can partake in. You can head to the Sphinx viewing area; or you can head to the Ice Palace that takes you underneath the glacier; nearby the Ice Palace you can actually walk out onto the plateau of the glacier for some more panoramic views of the area, not to mention a great opportunity to have your picture taken beside a Swiss flag; this is vintage Switzerland after all. During certain parts of the year, there are other options for outdoor enthusiasts, including skiing down the glacier or even mushing with a husky-drawn sled. At the Jungfraujoch, there are also requisite gift shops as well as various eateries, ranging from a sort of cafeteria to the more upscale "Top of Europe" glacier restaurant.

We arrived at the Jungfraujoch somewhere between 11 and 12 with the idea of spending a few hours at the complex. Immediately we headed towards the Sphinx viewing area to take in the 360 degree view. So we scrambled towards the top and came out around the south side of the Sphinx. We had expected and prepared for it to be quite cold; we were close to 12,000 feet up after all, but with clear skies and bountiful sunshine, it actually did not feel all that bad as we peered southward down the Jungfraujoch's famous Aletsch Glacier that winds around southern Switzerland for about 45 square miles. One of my initial thoughts when looking down this glacier was that it would be fantastic to ski down the glacier and enjoy the scenery while traveling over such a distance at a leisurely pace. Maybe in the future.

When we took our eyes off the glacier, we were able to first look west and the see the peak of the Jungfrau, which rises 13, 642 feet high. Then we looked east towards the peak of the Mönch, which rises 13, 474 feet high. After just a little while, we headed towards the north side of the Sphinx where the weather was a little less forgiving, despite the fact each side of the deck is separated by mere feet. It was probably below freezing on the south side of the deck, but with glorious sunshine and our winter clothing fitting snugly, it really felt rather nice. But as we moved towards the north side of the deck, a biting, chilling wind greeted us, yet we were obliged to brave it on account of the amazing, sweeping view of the Bernese Alps that opened up before us as we looked down towards Interlaken, which was actually visible through a crevice in the mountains below.

It was hard to believe our day had begun there in Interlaken; Interlaken, which lies about 1,900 feet above sea level; and now we stood atop a precipice over 11,000 feet high. The glacier is amazing to look at, but it is the northern view from the Sphinx that really makes one feel as though they are at the top of Europe, indeed the top of the world. It was fantastic to look out at the low-lying clouds in the distance knowing we were well above them. It is reputed that on a clear day (though this was by no means overcast) you can see the Black Forest region of Germany. Looking out in the distance far beyond the numerous snow-capped peaks in the foreground, this was not difficult to imagine as the world just seemed to roll out before us as if we were at its starting point. What must Everest be like?

It was only natural that, given the setting, our time atop the Sphinx became the perfect photo op for everyone. All the respective families took the time to have individual family photos taken of themselves. Naturally, the McCoy family came equipped with Santa hats befitting the festive holiday. I say naturally, because, well, anyone who knows my Mom knows why. She is prepared for every holiday, especially Christmas, and it was no different thousands of miles away from home high in the Swiss Alps. Inevitably, the Santa hats made their way through each family to mark the occasion in their separate photos. Eventually, after we had taken a photo of a British couple, we got them to return the favor and take a photo of the whole group together in that majestic setting, one of the few, if not the only photos with the whole group. There was also a nice moment when Ryan, Will, and I dawned the red caps for a photo of the 3 of us. This whole trip had sort of been our brainchild - Ryan, almost unwittingly, thought it up; me and Will enthusiastically embraced the idea; and Will more or less executed it - and with Will back with us after a few days apart, it kind of came full circle for us on this day. Christmas Day in the Bernese Oberland was what all 3 of us were really looking forward to just about most for the trip, especially since this was the first new locale that the 3 of us had visited thus far. From the time we woke up to the time we went to sleep, the day did not disappoint.

Once the aforementioned biting wind had taken its toll on us atop the Sphinx, and we had taken enough photos to content ourselves with, we headed back indoors for the warmth of the inside. We then labored a bit before settling on having lunch in the cafeteria area of the Jungfraujoch. We comadiered some tables to sit at and then got in line. or at least everyone one did but me, Ryan, and Will. We stayed behind to save the tabels while the rest got their sustenance. In the meantime, the 3 of us talked amongst ourselves as men do when an eavesdropper from the next table chimed in, recognizing our accents no doubt, and informed us she lived in Virginia, originally from Roanoake I believe (which sparked mentions of Chris from our hotel), though she lived elsewhere now...small world.

Shortly thereafter, it became clear that we had gotten to the cafeteria just in time as the line began to grow exponentially longer, causing Ryan and Will to meet up with their families to make sure they got food without having to wait forever. I decided that I was not really all that hungry and stayed behind, figuring that I would just eat some snacks instead. In actuality, what happened is that I ate some leftover ravioli from my family and sampled the various other dishes that everyone had gotten. A bit of a beggar's meal, I suppose, but no less satisfyiing.

Hard to believe, but we had already been at the Jungfraujoch for a while by the time we finished lunch. The only thing left for us to do was to head to the gift shop, then the Ice Palace with a quick detour to the plateau of the glacier. We actually spent a bit of time in the gift shop area as everyone searched for the perfect gift. Plus, at the Jungfraujoch you can mail postcards with a special Jungfraujoch stamp right on the spot. So a number of people from our group took advantag of this and wrote out some postcards, gathered addresses for the people they wanted to send them to, had them stamped, and sent them off. Meanwhile, the Crabtree's, wanting to spend an extended amount of time on the glacier plateau as well as the Ice Palace, pressed on ahead while the rest stayed back to work on postcards and pick out souvenirs, all the while still enjoying the view of the Aletsch Glacier.

Our personal tasks completed, the rest of the group began to move towards the elevator that would take us to the Ice Palace. Upon exiting the elevator, Ryan, Will, and I were only briefly put off by a display advertizing for Euro 2008, an international soccer tournament to be played during June, 2008, in both Austria and Switzerland, a tournament sure to capture the imagination of many, not least us 3 soccer fanatics who only lamented the fact we would not be here during the finals, but thankfully, HDTV cures many ails.

It might have been fun attempting to kick soccer balls through small holes in the display, but our American roots would have no doubt been laid bare, and the Ice Palace beckoned anyway, so we went on our merry way towards the marvelous ice structure that is carved into and under the Aletsch Glacier. We soon reached a long, ice-covered tunnel that led into the heart of the Ice Palace. As we stepped onto the icy footing, the younger generation amongst our group immediately regressed about 15 years back into their childhood. A few of us began to slide on the ice rather than walk on it while Will, perhaps unwittingly, found time to pay homage to separate iconic moments of pop culture, first letting loose with moves straight out of Michael Jackson's repetoire before pretending to stick his tongue on the icy wall as inspired by A Christmas Story, or Henry Dunne I suppose.

A few of us probably had as much fun in the tunnel leading into the Ice Palace as we did in the Ice Palace itself. This is not meant as a slight towards the Ice Palace, it is just that some of us are easily invogorated by a nostalgic youth. The Ice Palace itself did look amazing though as we slid from sculpture to sculpture. For this native Chattanoogan, the displays conjured up memories of Rock City and its gnome displays towards the end of that tour, not so much in the similarity of the displays themselves as in the spirit of them. Here you are in this majestic mountain setting (yes, I realize the Jungfrau stretches quite a few thousand feet higher than Lookout Mountain, but still) and then you have this fantastical sort of display that is there as a sort of afterthought to the rest of the place.

After sort of breezing through the Ice Palace (it is not really that big after all) we headed above ground once again to meet up with the Crabtree's around the glacier plateau before catching the train back down the mountain. Ryan and I briefly set foot on the glaicer, though the little traction afforded my birkenstocks meant I did not make it far out on to the icy plain, especially since I was still smarting from a fall in the Ice Palace when I got a little too clever with my footwork on the ice. After traveling about ten yards out on top of the glacier, I did not wish to repeat my mistake, though I still ventured out far enough to cause my arms to flail about as I searched for my equilibrium. Ryan, I am happy to report, made it much further out than I did, perhaps even as far as the Swiss flag that dominated the crest of the ridge before us.

This was only a quick detour, however, before we headed back towards the Jungfraubahn to begin our descent down the mountain. After a brief wait in line, we were soon aboard the train and everyone seemed glad to take a seat and merely catch their breath after a long Christmas day despite the fact it was only about 15:00 or so. Indeed, a good portion of our crew spent the ride down from the Jungfraujoch to Kleine Scheidegg napping. Not as much time was spent in the tunnel for the ride down, but beautiful scenery or not, everyone was feeling quite pensive. Ryan was only fully awaken from his brief slumber when I gave him a song on my iPod to listen to. Leaving my volume on full blast, it must have sounded like a sonic boom judging by the look on his face after having given him my headphones and pressing play. He was awake now, and before long anyhow, we were disembarking at Kleine Scheidegg for a brief layover before heading to Lauterbrunnen, as we would be heading back down the mountain a different way than we came up.

Our layover at Kleine Scheidegg gave us a bit of time to wander around the rail station's environs. This did not amount to much more than me, Danny, Ryan, and Will walking to the far end of the tracks, allowing for a nice photo as we paroused the base of the nearest mountain rise. It was a nice part of the day. The sunlight was definitely beginning to fade a little bit as our shadows grew long, but it was resonably comfortable up at Kleine Scheidegg as we awaited our next train. When I was not looking towards the mountains, I was seranading my parents (via my iPod of course) with that most perfect of Christmas songs, Nat King Cole's aptly named "The Christmas Song". It was not long after before our train to Lauterbrunnen appeared.

Our trip down the mountain afforded ample more opportunities to take in the Alpine scenery. It also proved to further feel me with pinges of desire to hit the slopes because the trip down the mountain seemed to take us right into the heart of the top skiing in the Bernese Oberland. One cannot be sure, but it seemed as if one could find a way to ski from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen if they so wished. As our train rolled down the mountain, those skiers glided side by side at times, wooshing through the beautiful powder. The highlight came as we passed through the town of Wengen. It was a beautiful resort town in its own right, worthy of a postcard image and much more as we approached, but it was when we got close that it really began to grab our imagination. Looking past the lodges into what appeared to be a main avenue of Wengen, we began to see skiers zipping through here and there and it soon became clear that people were skiing right through the heart of town. What a way to get around.

As we approached the stop at the end of Wengen, unsurprisingly, it became quite clear that this was a very popular ski destination as the number of people getting on and off was quite large. My Dad briefly struck up a conversation with a Japanese father and son who got on the train. They were learning how to ski here, and judging by their enthusiastic expressions, they were having a fine time doing so, and I envied them greatly. Shortly after leaving Wengen, we were winding down the mountain and around one corner we were presented with beautiful view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley (note: the picture included is obviously not from our winter trip). This locale had first captured my fancy while watching an episode of Rick Steve's Europe in which he visited the town of the same name. I marveled at the scenes of the town's waterfall and high cliffsides on either side of town, and the feeling was no different when seeing it for the first time in person. I gasped as I looked down on the valley as we approached, realizing that I was actually looking at Lauterbrunnen, the only difference being the snow and the fact that its waterfall was frozen into the side of the mountain. Perhaps all one needs to know about the town is that it reputedly was the inspiration behind Tolkien's Rivendell, such is the fantastical imagery it conjures.

We were soon in Lauterbrunnen itself for our final layover before heading back to Interlaken. I had intended to have one of my classic loner moments to further explore Lauterbrunnen, but the fading sunlight meant that my brief excursion was not really worth it, except that my brother Eddie called (from Georgia, obviously) while I was walking about and I was able to direct him towards a photo on the internet of Lauterbrunnen so that he could see the amazing setting we were visiting at this exact moment, which also led to me bragging about our White Christmas. Otherwise, I made it back to the station before my party boarded, and we all ended up making the trip back to Interlaken together. This portion of the trip was rather uneventful with the sun setting fast, but I think we welcomed the respite as we pulled into Interlaken Ost. It had been a long day and we were all looking forward to a reserved evening's dinner. From Interlaken Ost, we made the quick trip to Interlaken West and walked back to our hotel. We then took a quick sort of breather before congregating back down in the lobby around 19:00 or so to head back up to Interlaken West to catch a bus for our 19:30 reservation at a restaurant called the Hirschen. We were a little weary about catching the bus as its schedule seemed to be a bit archaic, but we were soon seated, with me, Ryan, and Will separate from the rest of the group where me and Ryan shared with Will our concerns about our parents' lack of adaptability to the European restaurant system. But there would be no such issue this night. Our only issue with dinner came when we missed the closest bus stop to the Hirschen; it was a bit trial and error after all, but one stop past did not provide too much of a walk for us, and soon we were seated in the warm and friendly confines of the Hirschen.

Our Christmas dinner here would prove to be a real treat. The food was great and the atmosphere delightful. It had a sort of stereotypical Swiss Alpine feel to it and we would not have been surprised to hear some yodeling at some stage. There was even a dog sleeping at the door next to the restrooms to round things off. The older lady who waited on us did not speak perfect English by any means, but communication would not be an issue at all for us. I cannot quite remember what everyone had, but various forms of schnitzel was quite popular amongst our group. All of us were quite pleased with the meal, and I especially seem to remember Ryan being quite enthused about his dinner, seemingly laughing like a bowlfull of jelly at the thought of the fine meal he had just helped himself to. It really was a glorious meal that we had enjoyed and I do not believe there were any complaints from anyone. We really made a sort of European meal of it. We ordered, we waited for our food, we had friendly banter here and there. My Dad and Danny no doubt sampled the local brew. I'm quite sure that collectively, this was the best dinner experience throughout the whole trip for everyone. It struck just the right note for a Christmas dinner. It had been a long day, and with dinner over, it was time to head home and retire for the night. Christine, Kevin, my Mom, and the Grant's would all catch taxis back to the hotel, but the rest of us looked at a map and thought that the distance from the restaurant to the hotel was not too great to walk, so why waste the Euros on a taxi, and with some deft power walking, so it proved. We definitely moved at a brisk pace through residential Interlaken, and the darkness made navigating tricky, but it was a nice way to work off a glorious meal, and it also allowed for further commisseration between those walking. But we soon found our way back to the hotel, and happily headed to our rooms to let our heads hit our pillows, and finally drawing this long day to a close. Another long travel day to Munich awaited us tomorrow, and we needed the rest.