06/23/2001

06/23/2001

Today was eventful. After getting up and showering we had an
authentic European breakfast and headed to the train station
to ride up to the Jungfraujoch. The ride up stopped in Wengen
to pick up more people and then went onto Kleine Scheidegg were we
got off and transferred to a train that went directly into the moutain
to come out only at the top which was where Jungfraujoch was.
After getting of the train we headed up to the observation deck
and walked around for a while marveling at the gorgeous view from
way up here. After looking around for a while from the deck we headed
out to an area on the glacier where they had a zip-line, some snow disc
sledding and Husky dogs. We walked around for a while out here
and even rode the sleds down the hill a few times. That was a blast.
After heading back inside we walked to the Ice Palace which was
really cool. After walking thru a revolving door you suddenly
realize it's cold and then you walk down some steps and then
suddenly you are walking on ice, with the walls and ceiling being
of ice as well. After walking down a hallway we came to a room
where there were some sculptures, made of (you guessed it!) ICE.
A small igloo, some penguins, a pair of eagles and an angel were
on display. After walking (or sliding) thru the Ice Palace we
grabbed a quick bite to eat for dinner, bought some souvenirs
and took the train back down to Klein Scheidegg where we got off
and decided to hike down to Wengen. The hike started out very
nice and even, maybe a little uphill and had a nice wide trail.
When we got to Mannlichen suddenly the trail turned left and
narrowed and went down. If it weren't for the switchbacks it
would have been straight down. Although this hike had some really
beautiful views, it was definitely not one for people that
are out of shape. Switchback after switchback, thru some
forest, some meadow, past some bubbling brooks and about three
hours later, we made it to Wengen. After resting our weary
feet for a few minutes we headed to a restaurant to get some dinner
and rest some more. After a really good dinner, and some struggling
to get out of our chairs, we headed to the train station in Wengen
to catch the train down to Lauterbrunnen. The trail kept going,
but we certainly didn't. Once we were in Lauterbrunnen we got
off the train, walked to our hotel and relaxed a little bit more
thinking about what to do tomorrow and fell asleep.