There’s this train, a special cog wheel, electric tram that literally climbs through the inside of Eiger to reach the station at Jungfraujoch. The first leg brings you up from the valley station at Lauterbrunnen about three quarters of the way, basically to the line of the snow pack, you hop off and board the second leg, the special tram, that makes its way through a tunnel blasted through Eiger. About the halfway point, you stop on a side rail briefly to allow a descending train to pass, allowing a glimpse of one edge of the Eiger glacier as it slowly makes its way down through the range, carving new valleys and ridges along its path.
After about 30-45 minutes more, you come upon this.
Jungfrau. Eiger. Mönch. Three of the most impressive peaks one can find whatever your interest. Fascinating, majestic and entirely characteristic. They are the highest cluster of peaks in Europe with Jungfrau (the Maiden) as their ultimate. From the observatory at Jungfraujoch, you have a spectacular view hundreds of feet above the closest competitors.
So what to do? Soak it in. Walk through the ice tunnels, trudge out onto the Eiger glacier, take photos, make some snowballs, or do like I did and have an in depth conversation about global warming with a fellow tourist from India while holding our coats around us on the outdoor railing of the balcony observatory. Ya know, the usual. We couldn’t solve the problem, but the wind certainly had some good points.
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