I Summited My First Mountain!

Diego - quit reading. You'll be horrified.

Clearly Theresa and I should have done a little more research before embarking on our hiking today. We decided that since it was a spectacularly beautiful day with clear blue skies, we would first head up to Jungfraujoch - "The Top of Europe" to see the great views, and then do some hiking in the afternoon.

We knew that our Swiss Rail Pass would get us about half way up the mountain, but that at some point we'd have to purchase a train ticket to take us to the top. No big deal I thought - how much could that cost, $15-20? And how long could it take, 1/2 hr.?

Well about 2 and a 1/2 hours and 100 CH (roughly $100) later each, we reached the summit at 11,333 ft. -- along with about 11,000 or so of our closest friends. When the train ticket enforcer woman told me it would be 100 CH I thought, well, it better be a good view! Little did we know, that this was basically disneyland on top of the mountain. While there was a viewing platform with spectacular views, there was also an "ice palace" and "husky sledging" and skiing (yes, even in July) - all presumably for additional fees. There were at least 3 restaurants, including "Bollywood," an Indian restaurant -- at the top of the highest peak in Europe. Who'd have thought. Couldn't find one in all of Lugano - but on Jungfraujoch, no problem. The place was so mobbed with tourists that about 20 min was all either of us could stand and we caught the next train back down the mountain.

(These picutures cost 200 CH.)

We took the train 1/2 way down to a town called Kleine Scheidegg and then decided to hike the rest of the way to Grindelwald. It was about a 3 hr. hike - all downhill. Theresa and I would have given anything for some flat or uphill - the descents just kill the legs! We even confronted a few more stairs. Ugh. Arriving in Grindelwald was rather anticlimactic, there were exactly 2 bars/restaurants in town. We had a drink and enjoyed the view for about a 1/2 hour or so and then caught the next train back to Interlaken.

(We tried walking backwards down the hill to give our calf muscles a break.)

(And we wonder why I have trouble with navigation.)

We have one more day left in Switzerland and at this point are undecided on what we will do. Having just been swindled out of $200 between us, we're not feeling like spending the money on paragliding or river rafting, so we may just do another hike (if we can find a flat one). Or maybe find a boat with more speed than the last one.