Switzerland – The most beautiful place on earth (part 2)

I’ve always heard people talk about Switzerland as being one of their most favorite places to visit and now I know why. The country is beautiful with the following sites offering an AMAZING experience with views:

Jungfraujoch mountain
The towns of Grindelwald & Interlaken
First mountain

JUNGFRAUJOCH – TOP OF EUROPE

We started in the city of Lucerne and took a tour bus to Lauterbrunnen where we waited to board a train up the mountain. [ As a note this tour is *COLD* so make sure you wear some warm clothing. You’ve been warned. ] Once we were at the top we were cautioned about not exerting ourselves due to the high elevation since it was the highest station in Europe (11,333 feet). I didn’t feel the effects of any altitude sickness but we took things slow just in case.

Ice Palace, Sphinx lookout terrace, Top of Jungfraujoch

The tour takes you through several sections of the mountain, the first being the Ice Palace. You’ll see lots of ice sculptures, ice bricks, and caves that are all absolutely frozen! It was a great start to the tour and everyone that passed by were pretty excited. Its a lengthy part of the tour but definitely one of the most memorable.

The next part is the Sphinx lookout terrace with breathtaking views of the longest glacier in the Alps. Another great spot to take pictures and look in awe at nature. Finally the top of Jungfraujoch is not to be missed. Basically, the whole place is one big building (including the ice caves) and you walk through a door to the snow covered peak. Absolutely no hiking is involved in this tour but bring good shoes as things can be slippery.

Great view from the Sphinx lookout terrace

There’s time for lunch at the cafeteria before heading back down the train and then the bus ride back. Try to stay awake as you’ll see “happy cows” free grazing, classic Swiss wooden houses (Chalets), and overall stunning green landscapes.

Grindelwald & Interlaken

The towns of Grindelwald & Interlaken are quite quaint but have charm in their own right. Pictures have gone missing but I’ll update the post once I find them. Interlaken had their own cable car up a nearby mountain (Harder Kulm) but we unfortunately didn’t have enough time. There’s also paragliding and hand glider tours if that interests you.

First Mountain

We arrived in Grindelwald mid day and after a quick lunch we took a gondola up to the top. If you have time and are adventurous there is zip lining, hiking, and down hill carting / scooters that you can do while here. The main attraction is the First Cliff Walk. Its a metallic walkway along the side of the mountain with INSANE views. This was definitely one of the best parts of our Switzerland trip but also quite scary. I’m usually not afraid of heights as I’ve done zip lining and other high altitude excursions before but something about this walkway freaked me out. So warning to all you that are afraid of heights. If you can stomach it though the experience is WELL worth it.