Western Europe: Switzerland - Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe

I was indecisive between going up to Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn. As I was staying in Gimmelwald, it would make more sense to go up Schilthorn given the geographical logic as well as monetary reason.

It will take me less than 30 minutes on a single cable car ride to get there from Gimmelwald whereas getting to Jungfraujoch takes about 2 hours.

Getting to Jungfraujoch from Gimmelwald involves the commute of
Gimmelwald - Stechelberg (cable car)
Stechelberg - Lauterbrunnen (bus)
Lauterbrunnen - Kleine Scheidegg (train)
Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch (train)

As for the cost, I would get a 50% discount to get to Schilthorn (ooh, just googled and it looks like it could be free from 2018 with a Swiss Travel Pass, i.e. included in the Swiss Travel Pass price) but smaller discount to get to Jungfraujoch. I have no doubt Schilthorn would be amazing but the brain, or rather my brain isn't that logical all the time. Despite all that I chose to Jungfraujoch with a single reason that it would be a long time till I set my foot to Switzerland again (it is still too expensive!) so if I can only choose one, I'll close both eyes and pay for Jungfraujoch. I even paid extra to return via Grindelwald.

I set out in the morning and in my rush to not miss the cable car even though it was literally just outside the door from the hostel, I left my camera. I took out my camera to stuff in a scarf and a beanie thinking it could be cold and ended up leaving the camera out. I realised when I wanted to take some shots from the cable car (yes, even when I take the same route every day from Gimmelwald down to Stechelberg) and no camera in the bag. I could of course remain in the cable car and head back to retrieve it but it meant I would probably end up an hour later. I had my phone with me and the camera on my phone wasn't bad especially during day time so I decided not to go back for it. If I was still using my ancient iPhone4, it would probably be a different story. So all photos were taken using my s7 on that day.

View from both side of the windows were amazing but some said it is slightly better on the right side when you travel from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg via Lauterbrunnen. Of course in my case, the train ride was  just from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. Trains towards Jungfraujoch was probably the most crowded compared to the other rides I took, I guess it is unavoidable as it is probably one of the most visited destination in Switzerland.

The train stopped briefly at Kleine Scheidegg and for about 5 minutes at Eismeer. Eismeer station sits at 3,160 metres above sea level. I didn't go down thinking that I would do that on my way down but the train didn't stop at this station on the way down, so do remember to get off the train to have a look.

Jungfrau region is presided over by glacier-encrusted monoliths Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The other biggest reason why anyone goes up to Schilthorn was because of the spectacuar panorama of Swiss Skyline - Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Well, if you are up on Jungfrau, then you can't see Jungfrau on the skyline, right? ;)

Jungfraujoch is sitting at 3,454 metres and is the highest station in Europe. At Jungfraujoch station, there are "tour" signboards to lead you from one checkpoint to another. At the station hall, there is also a place where you can stamp your "Jungfrau Railways Passport" which was given together with the train ticket.

At the fourth "checkpoint", which is the Sphinx View Point one can see the overall view with signs indicating which peak you are looking at.

The next stop was my favourite, stop #5 - Aletsch Glacier (Snow Fun - Top of Europe). At this stop you can go out and walk to Mönchsjoch Hut instead of standing at a viewpoint.

There was flying fox thingy activity here if it is of any interest but I ended up taking a lot of photos from here. Don't forget to pack sunglasses and slapped sun block on yourself. It was glaringly bright. It wasn't hot and I didn't need my beanie or scarf that I packed which caused me to missed my camera. Pfft. I also forgot my sunblock but thank goodness for my boots and sunglasses! I didn't walk the whole way but maybe just 1/3 of it. It took a while to walk on the snow. In fact after the walk I felt much warmer compared to before.

One could also see the longest and most voluminous glacier in the European Alps, Aletschgletscher (Aletsch Glacier). It runs 23 km long and stretches from Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland to a plateau above the Rhône.

At the last stop, there were some shops and one of them is Lindt Swiss Chocolate Heaven, which essentially is chocolate shop. Look at the chocolate sauce in the bowls, (especially the milk chocolate sauce), they looked so real but they are not! I didn't buy any chocolates here but the train conductor gave a free chocolate piece after checking the ticket on train.

I took the train to Grindelwald and got off at Grindelwald. The plan was to spend some time there but I didn't end up walking too far away. Then I had some unfortunate encounters with trains. Haha. Swiss train are generally efficient and on time but for some reason the train on scheduled to depart from Grindelwald was postponed due to technical error. No big deal as it wasn't too long of a delay... and Grindelwald is pretty as a picture.

All was well and I got on a train out of Grindelwald. I bumped into Mia who I met earlier on Jungfraujoch where she asked if I could help her take some photos. We chatted and she was heading back to Lauterbrunnen so we got off at Zweilütschinen for a change of train. The next train we got on was exceptionally warm but it was summer after all. Then came unfortunate train event #2, the train stopped. An announcement came up mentioned of some technical issue. A Swiss girl sitting across from us started talking to us. She has been taking the train since young as her grandmother lives in Grindelwald and that she is on her way to visit her. She said that she has never had any issues with the train.

Ahem. That was unfortunate train event #3. She was on the way to visit her grandmother who lives in Grindelwald and we were supposed to head to Lauterbrunnen away from Grindelwald. After sitting in the hot train for about 30 minutes with a lot of people running back and forth the train, the train started moving and brought us back to Grindelwald. Hahaha.

Mia and I got off the train in Grindelwald and got on another one. This one brought us to Zweilütschinen and this round we confirmed and reconfirmed the change of train did bring us to Lauterbrunnen. We parted ways and I continued onwards to Gimmelwald. I probably ended up spending an additional 2 hours to get back to Gimmelwald. I was going to go for a walk but it started raining soon after I got back. At least I wasn't caught in rain. Little win. :)


Side note: Do you know that the name Jungfrau comes from the former convent in Interlaken and its alp beneath the Jungfrau mountain?

Western Europe: Switzerland - From Luzern to Gimmelwald

I am the cheapskate who only connects to the internet via free wi-fi when I travel. The Germans and the Swiss made very good train apps and I used them a lot but of course, they require internet connection. So my phone had heaps of screenshots of the train connections, etc. Getting to Gimmelwald from Luzern involved a train ride with a change at Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen. From Lauterbrunnen I took a bus to Stechelberg and changed to cable car and got off at Gimmelwald (Schilthornbahn). So you see why I want to reach at a decent time but at least when it is still bright. The whole trip wasn't too long actually, about 3 hours and I have a soft spot for train rides.

From a conversation with a local Swiss lady, trains from Luzern to Interlaken are usually packed and busy but I guess travelling during weekday working hours got me on a fairly empty train. I was initially seated on the left side of the train but after awhile I noticed view on the right side are prettier so I swapped, there were plenty of empty seats all around. There were less than 10 passengers on the same carriage as me.

I also like it that there is a map of the area on the train's little table.

Here's one from the cable car on my way up to Gimmelwald for the first time. It is the only way to get to Gimmelwald other than by foot, so I was on the cable car pretty often! Haha.

Side note: Only 3 more days to the last quarter of the year, where has the time gone?

Western Europe: Switzerland - Classic Rigi Round Trip

The first day of my Swiss Travel Pass and i travelled on a bus, boat, cogwheel railway, aerial cable cars and trains. Haha. The plan for the day was to visit Mount Rigi then pressed on to Gimmelwald. Yes, a long travelling day but it that would give me two days options to go up to the mountains, in case of bad weather on one of the day. Despite an extra cost of Fr. 7 (the larger locker), I decided to deposit my backpack in a locker at Luzern train station instead of going back to the hostel to retrieve it after Mount Rigi.

While waiting for the boat to start

I did the Classic Rigi Round Trip route which was:

Luzern - Vitznau (boat)
Vitznau - Rigi Kulm (cogwheel railway)
Rigi Kulm - Rigi Kaltbad (cogwheel railway)
Rigi Kaltbad - Weggis (aerial cable car)
Weggis - Luzern (boat)

After dropping my backpack in the train station, I walked across to Pier 1 to catch the scheduled boat. The boat was actually quite full, I found a seat but later on left it to walk to the other side as it got too hot as it wasn't under shade. I saw one of the girls from the dorm I checked out earlier, Jade and we walked together in Rigi. Jade is a Korean student who did her foreign exchange in Germany. When I saw her in Luzern, she was in her last couple of weeks in Germany so she was doing some travelling around Europe before heading back to Korea. She was the one who told me that Switzerland is one of the top destination for Koreans.

First class only, I was outside... haha

It was a short walk to the cogwheel railway after getting off the boat at Vitznau.

 Initially I thought I would enthusiastic to do a small trek but my motivation were all drained out under the hot sun. Haha... hot weather travel and I don't go along very well but I seem to end up doing those lately. Um.

Here are how it was up Mount Rigi. It was a little foggy but still pretty good! I didn't take too much of a photo especially from the aerial cable car as I was not unfortunate enough to be standing next to the window, but there were reflections anyway, especially on a sunny day.

I have appalling stamina but mountains make me happy. ^^

We got back to Luzern at a good time which means I didn't have to rush to reach Gimmelwald at a decent time. It is worth noting that there is a bit of walk from the aerial cable car station to the pier, though majority if not everybody on the cable car are going to head there anyway, so just walk with the rest of the crowd. I'm sure at least someone will know where they are going and err, safety in numbers. Haha.

Pier at Weggis

Ok, last one... just because.

Side note: Ok, I think I have satisfy my craving of CKT.. haha

Western Europe: Switzerland - Luzern in a day

I paid for my room in Colmar, picked up a bottle of Riesling and walked to the nearest bus stop (Vauban) to catch a bus to Gare (€1.30). The bottle of Riesling resided in my backpack for the remaining days and followed me throughout Switzerland. There was a change of train in Basel but surprisingly no passport check. All I did was get off the train, followed the sign to the Swiss side station, get on another train and I was on my way to Luzern.

By the time I reached Luzern, it was mid morning. I walked from Luzern train station to the Backpackers Lucerne where I stayed for a night, no breakfast. It was said to be a 15-20 minutes walk, I probably took longer with my fat backpack on my bag, walking under the noon sun.

Where the hostel is located

Switzerland is beautiful but also awfully expensive. I had 5 nights in Swiss but 4 of them I stayed in a dorm. I treated myself for a single room for the last night of the holiday before flying out from Zurich, and the room wasn't in Zurich city center. Meals were food from Coop or Migros except for my last dinner in Zurich. I had the 4 persons dorm in Backpackers Lucerne and 2 of them were Korean. I notice there were many tourists from Korea and India.

My bed was ready and after deposit my backpack, I retraced my steps back to the train station for supermarket and to get my Swiss Travel Pass. It is not always cheaper to get a pass (whether the Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card) and they are expensive, so it is worth to spend some time to calculate your usage before getting one. As I would be doing a whole lot of train rides, it was cheaper to get one so I got a 4 day pass. I would only start using it the next day, so I was walking everywhere on day one.

I also picked up the Luzern official city guide book and did the self-guided walking tour, starting from the Wasserturm (Water Tower) and Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), continuing counter clockwise from there.

Both are Luzern's trademark attraction and probably one of the most photographed monument. Wasserturm is an octagonal tower built around 1300 as part of the city's fortifications. The Kapellbrücke next to it was first constructed in the first half of the 14th century. I didn't realised until crossing it that there were painted panels portraying scenes of Swiss and local history. These were added in the 17th century.

Hofkirche (Hof Church) was next along the self guided circuit. Today it is Luzern's parish church.

Continuing on is the famous lion, Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument). I overheard a little girl asked her father, "Why is the lion sleeping?" Well, it could be. It could be but it wasn't. The "Dying Lion of Luzerne" is one probably one of the most famous monument in Luzern. Carved out of rock, it commemorates the heroes in 1792 of Swiss soldiers who died attempting to protect King Louis XVI during the French Revolution. It was described by Mark Twain as the "saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world".

Then it is time to head uphill to the Museggmauer (Musegg Wall). There are nine towers in total forming part of Luzern's historic fortifications. The clock on Zyt Tower dates from 1535 and is the town's oldest clock. It has the privilege of chiming the hours one minute before all the other clocks in the town. Four of the towers are open to the public from April to November.

I started from the one nearest to the lion (Schirmerturm), and almost skipped going up the last one (Männliturm) because I was getting really dried out from the heat. My sheer stubbornness and hint of obsessive streak made me climbed up the steps. I was glad I didn't miss it as it was the only tower with view that wasn't blocked. The ones before either had plastic or wired barrier covering the window opening.

After Museggmauer (Musegg Wall), I crossed back to the other side of the city via Spreuerbrücke (Spreuer Bridge).

Spreuerbrücke is the oldest timber bridge in Switzerland and was completed in 1408 as aprt of the city's fortification. This bridge also features paintings and was the only place that chaff from cereals (spreu) and foliage could be dumped into the river, hence the name.

Standing on the bridge, it gives a good view of Nadelwehr (Needle Dam). This dam was installed in 1859-1860 and controls the water level of Lake Luzern by removing or inserting its timber "needles". After walking passed two churches, Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church) and Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church), I was back to Kapellbrücke.

Franziskanerkirche

Jesuitenkirche

Side note: What do you do to feed your grey cells?

Western Europe: France - Strasbourg on a Sunday

From Strasbourg with love

I arrived in Colmar on a Friday and stayed for 3 nights. Friday was spent in Colmar. On Saturday I did a day trip to the Route des Vins d'Alsace. Strasbourg is the biggest city amongst all of the stops I made so I reserved it for a Sunday.

After having a breakfast in my room on Maison Martin Jund, I made my way to Gare de Colmar.

I felt like a good stroll so I made my way to the Old Town by foot.

Check out the colourful road

Top sight in Strasbourg was the Cathedrale Notre-Dame. Sunday was proved a busy day in Strasbourg. I definitely didn't have to worry about shops or restaurant being closed.

Standing next to the grand cathedral is an equally amazing Maison Kammerzell. It was one of the most well preserved medieval building, built in the 15th century. It now houses a restaurant.

I didn't dine here but not far behind the cathedral. I decided to give myself a treat and hunt down La Table du Gayot recommended by Paul. It was an early lunch so there were plenty of seats.

I skipped entree and got myself magret de canard aux fruits de saison, €19 (duck breast with seasonal fruits) for main. I was asked if I want the ducks to be cooked through or pink. I went with the latter, it was sensational.

After having a very, very, very good mains I was tempted for a dessert to finish. The friendly waiter highly recommended profiteroles au chocolat (€7). I was a bit apprehensive as I was told that the profiteroles were big. My glutton brain decided that my tummy space would be enough even though I just polished off everything on my plate. Well, they were big and there was a scoop of vanilla ice-cream in the middle of each profiteroles and drizzled with chocolate sauce. I finished all of them.

My lunch at La Table du Gayot was the best meal I had the whole trip. I was so contented that I was ready to travel back to Colmar! If I was staying in Strasbourg, I would've just go back to my hotel room and take a nap. As I wasn't, so it was time for to get a glimpse into Alsatian life.

Musée alsacien is a simple museum with explanation in different languages printed on A4 papers and held together with comb binding. Pick the one with a language of your choice and bring it along when you see the exhibits. I love it that it is housed across three typical houses from the 1500s to 1600s.

There is a Petite Venise in Colmar and there is a Petite France in Strasbourg.

Petite France is criss-crossed by narrow lanes, canals and locks and is where artisans traded in the Middle Ages. I get why the one in Colmar was known as Petite Venise but am a little confused as to why this area is known as Petite France though.

Strasbourg was my last stop in France before I took a train out to Luzern the next morning.

Apparently this is a symbol of welcome and renewal as well as to ward of evil spirits

Side note: Ha! We shall see if my French will have any improvement the next round I visit France again :P