So today one of our optional excursions, was to go to what is known as the "Top of Europe", ie- the tallest point in Europe and the Swiss Alps! I was excited about this mostly because I couldn't imagine being up there and seeing how pretty the mountains looked, because they already looked so beautiful from ground level.
We headed up about 9:00 am, and it was an 1 1/2 journey by train to the top. Once we arrived to the top, we were able to explore and take loads of pictures!! It was absolutely stunning! They have an ice palace which is up there as well as many open areas where you can actually step out onto the snow and take in the views and grab some great pics.
We took a group picture around the Swiss Flag and some of us (with direction from our fearless tour leader Carly) took a "somewhat bare" picture. She got all the way down to her undies lol....but most of us did not, the guys just took off their shirts and the girls showed their bellies. It was funny because when Carly took her clothes off, she immediately became a tourist attraction up there. She had old Asian men and women asking for a picture with her and wanting to take silly pictures with her....lol....it was hilarious!
Surprisingly, the weather isn't what you'd expect, being that it is a mountain, covered with snow, and is the highest peak in Europe. I was layered up, expecting the worst, but honestly, the picture below will tell you, that it was actually quite bearable. I started taking off layers after a while, which is kinda cool if you think about it, that when you are surrounded by snow, you can still be wearing just a long sleeve shirt and a fleece, and don't have to be bundled all the way up.
Surprisingly, the weather isn't what you'd expect, being that it is a mountain, covered with snow, and is the highest peak in Europe. I was layered up, expecting the worst, but honestly, the picture below will tell you, that it was actually quite bearable. I started taking off layers after a while, which is kinda cool if you think about it, that when you are surrounded by snow, you can still be wearing just a long sleeve shirt and a fleece, and don't have to be bundled all the way up.
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| Brian, Kevin, Scott, Alissa, Kelly, Me, and Carly |
Anyways, after that and taking lots more pictures I decided to walk through the palace and some other exhibitions they had up there, as well as headed to an area called "Snow fun" which had various activities you could do: skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, zip lining, etc. I decided to go ziplining, if nothing else to just get some beautiful views of the mountains behind me!
As beautiful as Switzerland is, one thing that sucks is the cost of everything! For a souvenir magnet from here, it cost me 9 francs. The meals at the restaurant near our hostel were 17 francs for pizza and stuff. It was so ridiculous!
Anyways, after coming down from Jungfrau I had initially planned to head into Grindewald by bus and check it out, but I was exhausted so I just chilled out at the hostel the rest of the evening.
I can't believe we only have 8 days left of this trip. I am so glad I decided to this, see the places I've seen, and have stories and memories to last me well into the future. Especially considering the year I've had, I deserved this, and am lucky I could take the time off to make it happen.
Off to Munich in the morning!
