Day 15 – Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, and Lauterbrunnen

We started today with an early train ride through the mountains from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. We took the first possible train to avoid the massive crowds that tend to gather later in the day. Then another train from there to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway stop in Europe (11,332 ft), and a tourist destination on the saddle between the mountain peaks surrounding it. There was a quick 5-minute stop on the second train ride to admire the mountains from a viewing station.

Once at the Jungfraujoch, there is a visitor’s center with many touristy components, but it is still enjoyable. There is a free audio guide you can download onto your smartphone that is activated by each section of the discovery tour. It was neat to learn about the first ascent of the Jungfrau, and then the folks who worked hard to create a train system to reach the Jungfraujoch. There were some cheesy sections of the tour that appealed to the younger kids, but even our older kiddos loved the ice caves.

We finally made it out to the Sphinx Observation deck, admiring the Jungfrau-Aletsch, the longest glacier in the Alps. We also got to step out onto the snow-capped Jungfraujoch, with incredible views of the peaks around us. We had excellent weather – sunny, blue skies, and just about freezing temperatures.

Everyone wanted to stop at the highest Lindt chocolate store in the world, so we did. The visit was worth the free chocolate, and naturally, we all picked something out to snack on later in the day. After we finished shopping, we headed back to the train, this time opting to take one to Eiger, so we could take the Eiger Express cable car down to Grindelwald.

Once we arrived at the Grindelwald train station, we stopped at the Coop (a grocery chain here) and grabbed lunch. A quick bus ride took us to Grindelwald proper, where we enjoyed a picnic near the train station, taking in the beautiful views.

From this point, we split up. Addison really wanted to head to Grindelwald-First to try the glider, so she and Kendra took the train a bit further and ended up in a 2.5-hour line waiting for their turn to fly across the mountain landscape. Fortunately, the loved the experience, because it took another two hours for them to get back home to us in Lauterbrunnen, where I had dinner and a clean flat waiting for them.

Meanwhile, the twins (who are adverse to things that are fast or high) and I went back to Lauterbrunnen and made great use of the public pool. It was a perfect way to relax and enjoy the afternoon, surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks. Once we finished, we stopped again at the Coop, and headed home to make dinner.

The kiddos are all in bed, and Kendra and I will soon follow, so we are rested up for tomorrow’s adventure!