Top of Europe

February 15th –When we got up this morning, the weather was absolutely beautiful…not a cloud in the sky. We had been waiting for a day like this in order to go to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe. At 11,333 feet it is the “Top of Europe”. It turned out to be the perfect day to venture up the mountain because it was bright and sunny all day long. We took the 2 hour train ride up the mountain. About the last 20 minutes of the ride was in a tunnel through the Eiger Mountain. As you ride up, it’s amazing to think about the Swiss building this train track more than 100 years ago. We arrived a little before noon so we decided to eat lunch first. After lunch, we walked through the “ice palace”, an all ice cavern with ice sculptures. We made our way up to the plateau which is the outdoor viewing platform. The minute we stepped out onto it the wind was very strong and it was cold (-17.6 C). At times, it almost felt like the wind was going to blow us over. The view was awesome, and we got some quick pictures. We only could handle being out there a couple of minutes. From there, we walked via tunnel to the Sphinx Observatory (observation tower) for the highest viewing point (11,760 feet). From the Sphinx, you could see as far as Bern and beyond; plus the majestic peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. It was also a great vantage point to see Aletsch Glacier – Europe’s longest at nearly 11 miles. It was a magnificent view! The air was definitely thin up there…we were breathing a little heavy and our hearts would pound at times. We took the 14:30 train back down the mountain. The altitude must have gotten to Austin because he fell asleep almost the instant the train started moving.

Got snow boots?
February 16th - Ok, so Amy and I made a strategic packing decision not to bring snow boots for 2 weeks of snow (we did buy them for the kids). We each had Gore-tex / waterproof shoes or hiking boots. That had been sufficient until today! We decided to head up to Wengen and go sledging. I’m not sure if this is big in the US, but its huge here. The ski areas have specific, designated sledge runs. We rented dual sledges and headed up the mountain on the train. We got off at the first stop and started on a nice easy run…Austin and I on one sledge and Amy and Abby on the other. We soon hit a pretty steep slope and I realized the “brakes” were my feet. As I dug them in to stop the sledge, I sprayed snow all over Austin and I…including into my hiking boots. As I turned around to watch Amy and Abby, I saw Amy having the same “stopping experience”. We knew that our feet were a little cold, but didn’t think it would be that big of a deal. We got to the bottom and took the train a little farther up the mountain. This run was much steeper from the beginning. I basically had to drag my feet the entire time to keep us in control and not go off the side of the mountain. By the time we got all the way to the bottom, my boots were completely covered / filled with snow. Amy had the same issue. We sat on our sledges at the base and ate a picnic lunch that we had packed. As the snow melted, my nice, thick, warm wool socks begin to absorb the melting snow. So by the time we finished lunch and went back up for another run, my feet were soaking wet. Oh yeah, Amy and I thought our bums were cold from sitting on the sledges, but soon realized the snow was going up our backs and down our ski pants and so they were actually wet! No matter our woes, the kids were having a blast and wanted to keep going. We made a few more long runs. As we were coming down, I got a little daring and Austin and I caught air after hitting a bump and had a little crash (we went inverted for a few meters – ground, Mike, Austin, sledge). Unfortunately, Amy had chosen that time to let Abby steer and so they slammed right into my back. Luckily, we were all ok. However, we decided that we should call it a day and head into the village for some hot chocolate to warm up. We enjoyed our hot chocolate and then took the train back down the mountain to Lauterbrunnen. If we ever go sledging again, we will definitely make sure we have on good, tall snow boots!