Jungfrau and Interlaken: Keepers of some of Switzerland’s best secrets
Some of the best-known secrets of Switzerland can be found in the regions of Jungfrau and Interlaken. Jungfrau, which means “the virgin,” keeps the record for having the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 meters above sea level. On the other hand, Interlaken, which literally means “in between lakes,” is dubbed by many as the “adventure sports capital of Switzerland.”
The climax of every visit to Jungfrau is an unforgettable day excursion to Europe’s highest altitude railway station in the high Alpine wonderland of the UNESCO World Heritage of the Swiss Alps. Once on the Jungfraujoch, visitors discover a wonderful world of ice and snow, which begins with the mesmerizing views of the Aletsch glacier, the longest ice stream in the Alps at 24 kilometers. Many say that on a clear winter day, the views from the Jungfrau extend to the Vosges in France and the Black Forest in Germany.
On the day my best friend Bum Tenorio and I visited Jungfrau, upon the invitation of the Switzerland Tourism, the Alpine region registered a biting -8 degrees Celsius. From a vantage platform, we went out to a viewing deck, which was easily reached with the fastest lift in Switzerland, to marvel at the Sphinx rock. Like precocious children dressed for the freezing weather, we played in the snow.
Quite simply, the Jungfrau region in Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places on earth — and a Jungfrau train tour is the vacation of a lifetime. According to our guide Brigitte Gosteli, a gracious septuagenarian Swiss lady who is very fit and can still climb the Alps, when the Jungfrau railway opened in 1912, after a construction period of 16 years, it was regarded as an engineering feat. To this day, it is a technical wonder. The train ride is an experience of a lifetime. The first leg of the trip travels over Alpine pastures from Kleine Scheidegg to the intermediate station at Eigergletscher. Then the trip continues through a seven-kilometer tunnel that arches through the rock of Eiger and Monch to the terminus on the Jungfraujoch, dubbed as the “top of Europe.”
For many tourists — Jungfrau and Interlaken by the way are famous for Asian tourists like Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Thais, Indians and people from the Middle East — the journey to the “top of Europe” is the ultimate highlight of their European tour. The tourism tab of Jungfrau hit more than one million tourists for 2015 alone.
The region is a glistening mountain landscape with colliding glaciers, lush alpine meadows, moist forest trails and hundreds of dazzling waterfalls. Most people who visit this region spend a day or two and only scratch the surface.
Aside from ogling at the endless snow on the plateau, other attractions at Jungfrau include the Sphinx vantage terrace at 3,571 meters above sea level, the Snow Fun Top of Europe, the Alpine Sensation experience subway and the Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven. It is also interesting to note that the building complex on the Jungfraujoch is also a home to a high-Alpine international research station, shops and restaurants (the steak and coffee at the Restaurant crystal are to die for) as well as Europe’s highest altitude post office.
Because no one — not even the employees in the workstations and outlets at Jungfraujoch — sleeps or stays overnight at Jungfrau, everyone leaves the Alps area by 5 p.m. to catch the last train that goes down. (Brigitte said there used to be a hotel in the high-altitude Jungfrau but it was destroyed by the weather a few years ago.)
Bum and I came down from Jungfrau to Interlaken by taking the 2:30 p.m. train. Except this time, to give us a better view and perspective of the regions that connect Jungfrau to Interlaken, Briggite arranged for us to be seated in front of the train, right beside the driver. From our vantage point, we saw hikers coming up and down the surrounding plateau. We drove past a ski camp. And we enjoyed the ride as snow hawks seemed to time their flight with us.
At 3:20 p.m. we stopped at Kleine Scheidegg to change trains for Grindelwald at 3:33 p.m. After a few days in Switzerland — we started our trip from Zurich to St. Gallen then Appenzell before our close brush with the Swiss Alps — we had become accustomed to Swiss precision. So, at the exact time of 3:33 p.m., the train door opened and at 4:12 p.m., we reached our destination for another train change to Interlaken Ost at 4:19 p.m.
By 4:54 p.m., as it was written on our tickets, we arrived at Interlaken. To the restaurant called Little Thai, Bum and I walked for about 30 minutes to have an early dinner. It was a leisurely walk that served as our window to what awaited us in Interlaken the following day.
Interlaken, an alluvial plain in the Bernese Oberland, is sandwiched by Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. People once believed Interlaken is a blessed place because it is guarded by the three mighty mountains of Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.
And to get the best views of the lakes and the mountains, one needs to go up the rooftop floor of Metropolis Hotel. We were brought by the gracious Interlaken marketing manager Martina Fuhrer to the rooftop of Metropolis Hotel where we had the view of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. And yes, we saw Jungfrau again from afar, together with Mount Eiger and Mount Monch. From time to time, our lunch of steak and goose liver was interrupted by the ringing of cowbells. From the veranda of the restaurant, the highest point anyone could be in at Interlaken, we would crane our necks to find a parade of cows down the narrow streets. Martina informed us that before wintertime, dairy farmers bring home their cows after grazing in the mountains. The cattle are best kept in the farmhouse to protect them from the harsh weather.
We discovered that adventure sports are unlimited in Interlaken. Tourists allow themselves to be swept aloft by the sweet wind as they gently glide over and above Interlaken as they do paragliding. It’s always a tandem flight between the tourist and the experienced tour glider.
Mind-boggling as it is, the city is also famous for skydiving. It was exhilarating to witness skydivers jumping out of a helicopter and after approximately 40 seconds of speeding free fall, the parachute finally opens.
The breathtaking scenery of mountains and lakes of Interlaken can also be discovered via hang gliding.
Interlaken also offers the first jetboat tours in the whole of Switzerland. If you don’t like the adrenaline rush of jetboats, try kayaking on the lakes that surround Interlaken and enjoy the Swiss peace. Also for adventure seekers, a canyoning tour is a must. Imagine going down the slippery rocks, across the raging torrent and on to the booming waterfalls.
There are also other activities like river rafting, rope swinging, bungee jumping, canyon jumping, climbing/trekking, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and of course e-biking.
For the faint-hearted, Interlaken offers many other diversions. There are traditional woodcarvers in the heart of the old town of Interlaken. The artisans are more than willing to answer your queries about Swiss handicraft.
We visited a 400-year-old farmhouse that served us the freshest milk and cheeses. We even fed grass to the Swiss brown cows. It was in Interlaken that we unlocked the secret to Swiss people’s hospitality. They may appear appropriately distant in the beginning because they observe propriety of space. But they also warm up easily and become very welcoming. They are some of the friendliest people on earth, and they are family-oriented, too.
In Interlaken, Bum and I became “Swiss chocolatiers” for a day after we joined a chocolate-making class at the Funky Chocolate House. Under the friendly guidance of a Swiss chocolatier, we created our own masterpieces. We received aprons, chef hats and all the ingredients and we were taught the techniques, tips and tricks of tempering, melting, pouring chocolates. The best part was — we brought home what we made!
To experience the Jungfraujoch and Interlaken regions in Switzerland is to discover nature’s scintillating creations and man’s ingenuity. They keep some of the hidden treasures and best-kept secrets of Switzerland. Take the time to visit these sights now, not a minute early or late.
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E-mail the author at miladay.star@gmail.com.
