*The Adventure Continues*
July 2nd 2012
DAY TWENTY FIVE!!
Today we were to take the world’s highest cog rail up Jungfrau Mountain to see some brilliant views of the Swiss Alps that engulfed the small town of Lauterbrunnun. The cog rail was pretty cool and it’s carriages were bright yellow. It was to take about an hour to get to the top and we would have several stops so people could take photos. There were a few sore heads on the train from drinking the night before. I was only tired from having a very shit sleep and was certain I, along with others, had been bitten by bed bugs. They were nasty little creatures that enjoy biting you, just to you are reminded of their presence by scratching all the time.
On the way up the mountain, the weather was overcast but it make more a more eerie feeling when photographing the ginormous cliff faces and alps. As we got higher and higher in altitude, the weather turned sour. A massive blizzard was cooking up a storm on the top of Jungfrau and it wasn’t about to stop jusst because we came to visit. I might add in here that it costs approx. $135 CHF to travel up the mountain, which is equivalent to approx $150 AUD today. Unfortunately, because of this blizzard, all outdoor activities were cancelled and some viewing platforms were closed. Looking out the windows was like looking at a blank sheet of paper, blank and boring. The fog and clouds were so thick that no matter how hard you tried, it wasn’t at all possible to see through them.
There was one section of the complex that allowed you to venture outside and see snow. I know a few people on our tour had never seen snow before so this was an awesome experience or them, but for me? It was cold, wet and blowing a gail, so I didn’t stay out there long. I stayed long enough to look like I was shovelling snow and make a tiny snowball and take a selfie. I didn’t fancy being soaked to the bone and making my cold worse.
The only thing that was remotely good about the experince was the ice palace which had heaps of ice sculptures carved out and placed in what seemed like a huge igloo. Swissman (aka Jayden) and I went exploring and shuffled our way through the tunnels. Obviously it was cold, but the ice sculptures were pretty amazing and had so much detail.
All in all, our experience on Jungfrau was not a great one and it definitely wasn’t worth the $135 CHF I paid, basically to just visit a gift shop. If someone could guarantee me that the weather would be clear and sunny, I may consider another visit, but other than that, it’s just a tick off the list of things to do; been there, done that.
Coming back into town, I had remembered I needed to relook at the Haggis tour. There were still vacancies so I decided to book even thought I hadn’t yet heard back from my parents. I had a feeling they would much rather me travel with another tour group than travel on my own. Done and paid, I made my way back to camp to do some washing. It was a rare thing for you to have good washing facilites so you had to take advantage of them when available. While waiting for my clothes, I ventured into the Bomb Shelter and the bar tender poured me a drink. A few others came in and we chilled while the bar tender was handing out tiny bottles of Red Bull Liqueur. I still have mine, unbroken and sealed. I don’t like the taste of Red Bull so I decided to keep it was a momento.
By that time it was ready to head up for dinner and for me to clear away dishes again. The other dishies were just as helpful as the night before but I didn’t complain. It wasn’t going to do anyone any good.
That night was a red and white party in the bomb shelter. I wasn’t really interested in partying it up as I still had a bit of a head cold and the freezing weather hadn’t helped my system. I crashed early that night, knowing that we had an interesting day tomorrow.
Germany was back and that meant more beer. 😉
C. x
*To Be Continued*
P.s. Here are some photos of the town as we walked back to camp from the cog rail.
CANDICE ASHLEY 