Jungfrau

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Our Swiss Air flight from Berlin took off on time at 8:25AM and arrived a few minutes early in Zurich. And so begins one of the weeks in our journey that I am most looking forward to – hiking in the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps. Back in March, we had invited friends of ours, Karen Quint and Chris Griffin, to join us for this week. They got back to us the same day with an enthusiastic yes and then, later that same day, sent us their United itinerary from San Francisco to Zurich. Wow! I think they are nearly as excited as I am! This is going to be epic!

My first trip to the Jungfrau was in 2011. My wife, Wendy, had passed away in March of that year after an 18-month struggle with cancer. I was a bit lost without her having spent the better part of 35 years together. To clear my head and to sort out my feelings, I moved to London for three months that summer. My company, Bentley Systems, would be opening a large office in the center of London to consolidate several smaller offices scattered around town and nearby suburbs. As a senior officer of the company, I thought my presence could help to solidify our local colleague’s support for the new office, but mostly, I thought the separation would help me adjust to my new life.

In August, I became aware of a bank holiday coming up in London which gave me the opportunity to go explore. When my twin sons, Gareth and Travis, graduated from college and my daughter, Kristin, graduated from high school in 2001, they gathered up some friends and spent a month or two traveling in Europe. I remember Gareth writing us an email while they were in the Swiss Alps in a village called Gimmelwald saying it was the most spectacular place he had ever been and encouraging us to come there some day. This bank holiday provided the perfect opportunity.

Two days later, I was on a plane from London to Zurich and then a train to Grindelwald – a slightly larger and more accessible village that is also in the Jungfrau region. For three long days, I hiked from sunrise to sunset. It was exhausting and glorious. On the morning of the third day, I sent an email to all five of my children inviting them to join me with their families for a week in Jungfrau the following summer. In less than 24 hours, each had responded with an enthusiastic yes and we had fixed a date, Sep 1, 2012. The following year, my kids, their spouses and a collection of seven grandchildren, including three under one year old, enjoyed an epic trip to the Jungfrau.

When Chris and Karen responded so quickly and so enthusiastically to our invitation, I knew we were in for an equally epic and spectacular journey. They had arrived in Zurich the day before and were waiting for us at the airport upon our arrival. We collected our bags and quickly found them as we exited baggage claim. Hugs all around and then off to find Avis and our rental car.

The drive to Grindelwald from Zurich is roughly two hours and becomes increasingly beautiful as you pass through Lucerne, then Interlaken, arrive in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and complete the final ten miles climbing the hills into Grindelwald.

The four of us had been tracking the weather forecast for the past month in Jungfrau. It didn’t look good. Cold and raining every day. This pattern held true right to the day before our arrival and yet, here we are arriving on a partly cloudy day with glorious views of the mountains.

We found our AirBnB which was situated a little more than a mile from Grindelwald’s center. It is a large two-bedroom condo on two floors with outstanding views of the Eiger. Absolutely stunning! I felt like a little kid on Christmas Day and encouraged everyone to quickly unpack, put their hiking clothes on because we had several hours of sunlight left to get in a good hike.

Within a short period, we were out the door and walked the 15 minutes to the train station. The Jungfrau region is served by a remarkable system of mountain trains, gondolas, chair lifts and buses – all available for a system-wide daily or weekly pass. And this combined system operates, naturally, with the precision of a Swiss watch with each connection perfectly timed to the next mode of transportation whisking you away to whatever your destination happens to be. We purchased our weekly passes and then caught the next train up to Kleine Sheidegg. At almost 6,800 feet in elevation, Kleine Scheidegg provides outstanding views of the big three mountains that dominate the Bernese Alps – the Eiger (13,026 ft), Monch (13,475 ft) and the Jungfrau (13,642 ft).

Malcolm, Chris, Karen and Liz at Kleine Scheidegg

From here, we take a short one-hour hike down to Alpiglen where we catch a train back into Grindelwald. While it was only a brief hike, we all got our first taste of hiking in the Jungfrau. Breathtaking panoramic views, along with clear, fresh mountain air. I describe Jungfrau as my “happy place”. It invigorates me like no other place on Earth that I have been. This trip marks my seventh trip to the region (and Liz’s second) having only missed two summers since that first visit back in 2011.

We walk around town for a bit, then back to the condo for dinner on the deck accompanied by uninterrupted views of the Eiger. Yep, this is my happy place and it appears to fast becoming the same for everyone else too.

The Sunset on Schreckhorn from our balcony 

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The sunrises on the Eiger, again from our balcony

We wake up to glorious sunshine and determine to make the most of it by taking the mountain train to the Top of Europe – also known as Jungfraujoch, a saddle high up in the Alps (11,400 ft) that connects the Monch and the Jungfrau mountain peaks. The train is a marvel of engineering with much of the 36-minute ride occurring inside a tunnel from within the Eiger including a brief stop where the tunnel breaks the vertical surface of the Eiger offering spectacular views of the valley below.

The Aletsch Glacier at the Top of Europe

We spend the next 1½ hours at the building up top which includes the Ice Palace (ice sculptures), shops, a cafeteria, multiple observation decks, and a couple of places where you can exit the building and walk on the glacier. It is absolutely amazing and the views are spectacular.

The Top of Europe

Karen is suffering from a deadly combination of jet-lag, altitude and dehydration. Miraculously, she powers through this and we manage to re-board the train and begin our descent. Liz did not join us on the trip to the Top of Europe as we had done this the year before. Instead, she will be meeting us at Eigergletscher, the first stop on our ride down from the Top of Europe.

Having now reconnected with Liz, we begin another epic hike – the Northface of the Eiger. This 4-mile hike is one of the prettiest in the entire region providing spectacular views of the Eiger’s north face, which is on your right, while looking across the valley towards Grindelwald and mountain range behind it. As you hike, there are several streams and waterfalls – the result of the melting snows – providing the perfect background music for a mountain hike. About halfway down, we stop on a hilltop, enjoy a picnic lunch, breathe in the fresh mountain air, gaze at the surrounding landscape and are filled with gratitude for this experience together.

The Northface of the Eiger

The Eiger Trail

Our hike ends at Alpiglen where we catch the train into Grindelwald as we did the day before. We do a bit of grocery shopping before returning to our condo and enjoy another healthy dinner while soaking in the views.

The sun begins to set on the Eiger (from our balcony)

Monday, August 26, 2019

We awake to another gorgeous day and another great opportunity for hiking. Today, we drive the car down to Lauterbrunnen where we park and catch the mountain train to Wengen. Wengen is a pedestrian-only town (no cars allowed) accessible only by train or hiking. Wengen is also the town that our family used as home base when we traveled here in 2012. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to visit the Jungfrau region. It is a cute town and has good access to most of the great hiking opportunities.

The view from the top of Mannlichen

We catch the Mannlichen gondola from Wengen to the top of the surrounding mountains and, from here, begin our walk of 3½ miles to Kleine Scheidegg, a mostly flat to down hike offering spectacular views with every turn and every step. This is an easy hike that almost anyone can do and it will absolutely give you the feeling that you have become part of the von Trapp family in the Sound of Music. In no time, you will be skipping through the Alps singing “Do-Re-Mi”.

The trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg

Kleine Scheidegg

From Kleine Scheidegg, we continue our hike back down to Wengen. This is a more strenuous hike of 4½  miles, but as you turn west and follow the ridge back down, you get unbelievable views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the hillside towns on the other side of the valley and the mountains that rise up behind these towns. Breathtaking and inspiring awe the entire way.

The ladies get confused - must be the clear mountain air

Looking west over the Lauterbrunnen Valley to Murren

Looking back at the Eiger (left) and Monch (center)

About halfway down this part of the hike, as we get into the forest, I reach for my glasses as the sunglasses are no longer needed. Unfortunately, my glasses are nowhere to be found – not in my pockets, not in my backpack, not hanging from the collar of my shirt – they are lost. I mention this discovery to the others at which point Chris mentions that near the top of the Mannlichen gondola, he had found a pair of glasses on the ground which he picked up and placed prominently of a fence so that the owner might spot them when they came looking. He then described the glasses and provided a perfect description of my glasses. So, great news – my glasses were found. Apparently, they fell off of my long sleeve shirt when I stripped down to only a t-shirt. Thank goodness, Chris had later spotted them, but would they still be there when we return as it will be late in the afternoon before we can get back to Mannlichen?

Almost back to Wengen - you have to love the Swiss

We continued our hike into Wengen picking the pace up slightly. Then Chris and I walked over to the gondola and rode it to the top while the ladies settled in for a drink at the local hotel. And when we got to the top, Chris makes a beeline for the fence post where he retrieves the glasses and we are back on the gondola in a matter of minutes to join Liz and Karen on the deck of the hotel bar. We raise a glass to Chris, the latest in a long line of personal saviors for me.

My hero, Chris, who has found my glasses

I have lost a lot of things on this trip – my luggage, a hearing aid, my iPhone and now my glasses, which I would be hopeless without. Miraculously, I have recovered everything except the luggage which, arguably, is the least important and most easily replaced item. This is good news and bad news. Good because I have recovered almost everything. Bad because I am beginning to have expectations that all that is lost will then be found promoting behaviors that are perhaps careless. Not sure what to do about this, except for now, I remain absolutely grateful to the universe and all of those amazing folks who are looking out for me.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

We awake to yet another beautiful day and the mountains are calling us. During my first trip to the Jungfrau in 2011, someone mentioned a hike that is an absolute must-do – Schynige Platte to First. This is a challenging 10-mile hike with 2,300 ft of elevation gain that takes the better part of a day to complete. I didn’t have the time during that first trip, so I didn’t attempt it, but on three other occasions, I have done this hike. In each case, the weather was poor, including on one where it actually rained and then snowed most of the time. If you Google this hike, you will find several glowing reviews, many of which will describe this hike as their absolute favorite in the area, but each warn you to only go on a clear day because the payoff is in the views.

Well, today was a great day with clear skies. We took the train from Grindelwald to Wilderswil where you catch the mountain train to Schynige Platte. This train takes a long time and goes almost straight up hill – another incredible engineering feat.

Looking south from Schynige Platte - Monch and Jungfrau in the distance

Here is one bloggers description of the hike-

“This must rank as one of the most spectacular and scenic hikes in the Jungfrau area, and offers jaw-dropping views in all directions. It's simply stunning - look down on the turquoise Brienzersee (one of the two Interlaken lakes), look far along the Thunersee (the other Interlaken lake) with the Niesen and the Niederhorn, admire the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys, the impossibly majestic towering range of the Wetterhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, beautiful small lakes, wild scree-covered slopes, it has it all.

But all this doesn't come without a price, however - this hike is tough. It's high, it's exposed, and it's long, with not many opportunities for shortening it. And there's a sizeable climb involved in reaching the peak of the Faulhorn, which adds up to a requirement for a certain amount of fitness. It's a tiring day, but all the effort will, of course, be amply rewarded by the incomparable views.”

The Schynige Platte Trail

Looking to the north with Lake Biernzersee at the bottom

Looking to the north over rugged terrain

We stopped halfway at the Männdlenen mountain lodge and have lunch (yep, they built a mountain lodge way the heck out here). Our group handles this hike exceptionally well although both Liz and Karen suffer from a bit of acrophobia (fear of heights) and there are plenty of opportunities for those fears to be awakened. But they press on bravely and, ultimately, we reach our final destination, First, a mountain lodge high in the mountains above Grindelwald.

Our first sight of Bachalpsee Lake near First

Lake Bachalpsee

Our first sight of First

From here, we take a gondola down, although, I get off at Bort and ride a trott-bike (a stand-up scooter) 3 miles into Grindelwald. This is a hoot and I highly recommend it.

That night we enjoy a dinner out at the Glacier Hotel. The food was great and the views exceptional.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

OK, we awake to another great day. Today, we take the car back into Lauterbrunnen and park it. From here we take the gondola up to the other side of the valley from Wengen where you catch a train for a short ride into Murren. Murren is a lovely, small village hanging on the cliff’s edge overlooking Lauterbrunnen Valley. From here, we walk along the cliff’s edge for 1½ miles where we then reach Gimmelwald, that same village that my children had so highly praised back in 2001, 18 years ago, which was the genesis for our trip today and all of the trips in between.

The trail from Murren to Gimmelwald

Liz and I had done this same hike the year before and recall having a great cup of coffee and lunch at a restaurant in town, the Pension Gimmelwald. When we arrive, the place appears to be closed, although we are met by a gentleman who turns out to be the owner, David Waterhouse, a Brit who now spends six to nine months in Gimmelwald running this restaurant. He’s roughly our age and is playing a wonderful selection of ‘60’s and ‘70’s music that makes us feel totally at home. He also agrees to serve us coffee even though he is technically not open yet. And so we enjoy a delicious cup of coffee while listening to Simon & Garfunkel, the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and looking east over the Lauterbrunnen Valley towards the opposite valley edge and Kleine Scheidegg. Can it get better than this, we ask ourselves? Not much and not likely.

The Weisse Lütschine river in Lauterbrunnen Valley

After our coffee and a trip back on memory lane, we head to the gondola that takes us back down to the valley floor and the town of Stechelberg. From here we walk the 3½ miles back on the valley floor to Lauterbrunnen. This is a spectacular hike with towering valley walls rising 3,000 ft up on both sides creating a narrow canyon whose floor is carpeted with beautiful green grass, the river Weisse Lütschine running down its center and a constant stream of paragliders and base jumpers descending from the cliffs above carving graceful circles before landing perfectly on the valley floor. This is one of the great walks anywhere and, again, anyone can do it.

The east wall of Lauterbrunnen Valley

The west wall of Lauterbrunnen Valley with Staubbach Falls

In Lauterbrunnen, we eat a lovely lunch before getting back in our car and heading home. Liz and Karen have arranged massages back at the Glacier Hotel for themselves while Chris and I veg out.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Today (yep, it’s beautiful, again), we take the train all the way to Interlaken Ost where we catch the ferry which takes us the length of Brienzersee to the town of Brienz at the far east end of the lake. It is a beautiful boat ride offering a very different perspective of the mountains as well as the lake that we had seen from the top side while on the Schynige Platte to First hike. We stopped in Brienz for lunch at a lakeside restaurant and then walked the town. Honestly, we all had the impression that Brienz was a town whose time had passed. This surprised us as the lakes at Interlaken are beautiful and well known as a tourist destination and yet, here is this town that is a little run down, a little beat up, and it appeared that things would be getting worse before they got better. Still, you can’t help but to love the lake itself with its amazing views.

Our boat ride on Brienzersee Lake

The town of Brienz

In Brienz, we catch the train to take us back to Interlaken and then we get the train to Lauterbrunnen where we next get on a bus back to Stechelberg with the hopes of taking a series of gondolas to the top of Schilthorn. At the top of Schilthorn there is a lodge called the Piz Gloria that was made famous by the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), in which George Lazenby plays James Bond (yes, that’s correct, George Lazenby…look it up) and from which ensues a dramatic ski chase that includes several of Bond’s enemies literally skiing off of the cliff edge of Lauterbrunnen Valley. [This ski sequence not to be confused with the one from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) starring Roger Moore as Bond, also filmed n the Alps, but not in the Jungfrau region.]

When we arrive at the Stechelberg canyon we learn that our all-inclusive transportation passes, inexplicably, do not include this series of gondolas. But the ticketman then points to a live video stream from the top of Schilthorn Mountain which is a total whiteout. He saved us big time. For the second straight day, we walk back the beautiful Lauterbrunnen Valley. If I could walk this valley every day, I would. It is perfect.

More pictures from Lauterbrunnen Valley

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Spot the paraglider

See him now?

Friday, August 30, 2019

Sounds like a broken record, but can you believe it, we awake to another perfect day. Today, we take the bus from Grindelwald to Grosse Scheidegg, which sits at 6400 ft, where we have a cup of coffee before starting a 4+ mile hike to First, a hike that is gradually uphill as we gain 700 ft in elevation. It is a beautiful hike that offers views to the south back towards Monch and the Eiger.

Looking back towards Grosse Scheidegg

The Eiger with Monch behind it

Our walk from Grosse Scheidegg to First

At First, we eat lunch out on the large outdoor deck as we watch the paragliders take off and then float by like eagles. It is amazing to watch, almost intoxicating. After lunch, we take the gondola back into Grindelwald, do some final grocery shopping for tonight’s dinner before heading back to our condo.

The crew - almost made it to First

And there is First in the distance

Another paraglider

A shot of Grindelwald in the valley from First

Tonight we play cards. Chris and Karen introduce us to a version of Canasta called Hand and Foot. It is a complex game requiring one more deck of cards than you have players. Each round takes a very long time to play, but it is fun and strategic. We play for several hours, clearly outclassed by the veterans of this game, but still loads of fun. I will play again someday, but it has now been a couple of months, and frankly, I don’t even know where to start. Liz and I will have to invite Karen and Chris over some day for a refresher.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Today we leave our beautiful condo, Grindelwald and the Jungfrau and, yes, the weather is, once again, perfect. It is difficult to leave. There is no better place to be on a sunny day than in Jungfrau. This is my happy place, after all, and I have spent the past week in absolute happiness.

Today's sunrise on the Eiger - from our balcony, one last time

On the way back to Zurich, we make a stop at Lucerne, a small city sitting on the edge of Lake Lucerne tucked among the mountains. Lucerne has been a walled city dating back to the 14th century and some of the old wall still exists. The old town is pedestrian-only with many shops and cafes, quaint and beautiful. We walk the streets, peruse the Saturday open market, visit the Jesuit church from the 1600s and then enjoy a terrific lunch along the water’s edge. hotel

Lucerne from the top of the wall

Jesuit Church, Lucerne

Next, we are back in the car and heading for Zurich where we check into the airport hotel. After check-in, we meet in then lobby and take an Uber into the city where we enjoy a terrific vegetarian dinner, out last meal together on this trip. After dinner, another Uber and we are saying goodbye in the lobby of the Radisson Blu.

One last photo of the crew - thank you Karen & Chris for sharing this with us

I can’t believe it is over. I have been looking forward to this week for months. And it turned out to be everything I was hoping for and more. The weather was great and the hiking off the charts. But there was something else. The opportunity to share my Happy Place with close friends is truly special. And to see them embrace it with such enthusiasm was just the best. But there’s even more than that. Karen and Chris are very special people. They are special individually and as a couple. Spending quality time with them is a gift and Liz and I had the opportunity to receive that gift over the course of a week. Here’s how I expressed my gratitude to them-

First, again thank you for joining us on this remarkable trip to the Jungrfrau. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to share my love for this place with others who equally appreciate its beauty. It multiplies the joy that I get from being there over and over again.

In addition, spending a week with the two of you has been so much fun. It is wonderful to experience your relationship, the love you have for one another and the appreciation you have for life. You live in gratitude and that is a gift you give to all who know you. Thank you.

Tomorrow, Liz and I head to Africa for a safari in Kenya and a Water For People trip in Rwanda. Should be great!

Musings….

I cannot even begin to tell you how much Malcolm LOVES Jungfrau - he is truly like a kid in a candy store. It is breathtakingly beautiful. And, as he shared, our weather was beyond the forecast and our wildest expectations - we were truly in the land of miracles here.

Our new AirBnB was one of the better ones - so much to be grateful for and the week has barely started! And it was so fun to have our good friends, Karen (one of my best buds) & Chris, experience this week with us. One of the things I am definitely missing is “girl time” so this was a treat. We even snuck in a mini spa afternoon. I actually went to bed every night and thought I’d take the next day off from hiking but the mountains beckoned and I just couldn’t miss out on the fun. One of the nicest gifts of the week was home cooked meals. Karen & Chris enjoy the same, primarily, vegetarian kind of food we do and were happy to eat on the deck overlooking the Eiger (while listening to Barry Manilow I might add!). Great change of pace. And we learned a fun new card game - felt like home. Yea!

Jungfrau should be on your list if you like gorgeous mountains, quaint towns, cool trains, or any level of hiking. It is a wonderful place to experience nature. I have only been in the summer months, but imagine it is glorious during snow season too. Plus, there is crazy entertainment as you’re hiking with the base jumpers literally running off the sides of the mountains in squirrel suits - totally insane but very fun to watch. You can also paraglide, parachute, and take helicopter tours of the glaciers (we did that last year and it was cool). Malcolm mentioned my (and Karen’s) fear of heights - funny that we both experience it differently - but it does put this phobia to a good test every once in awhile. Good to exercise that fear of dying muscle;).

Loved our week, loved spending time with Karen & Chris, and loved seeing Malcolm so happy. Great week and great exercise in nature. And, if you go, definitely stop in Lucerne - quintessential European town. 

Off to Africa to experience a totally different type of nature!