Friday, June 30th

Lar & I took the bus from Grindelwaldhof stop to the Terminal stop at 8:22…so amazing how on time transportation is in Switzerland!  We hopped on the Eiger Express tri-cable gondola that took us to the Jungfrau Railway in Eigergletscher in 15 minutes (the fastest gondola in the Alps)!  We could see hiking trails heading up the mountain amidst the clouds!  We arrived earlier than our reservation but were luckily able to board an earlier train.  We were trying our best to beat the incoming storm!  Halfway up the Jungfraujoch the train stopped at Eismeer to allow pictures of the glacier through an opening in the rock, which was made famous where Clint Eastwood was rescued by George Kennedy near the end of the Eiger Sanction movie! Magnificent!  Upon arrival at the Jungfraujoch, we headed straight for the Monchsjochhutte, a hut located at 12,000 feet - a 700 foot ascent in about a mile and a half!  We made first tracks in the 2 inches of fresh snow until the snowplow came through!  The snowplowed trail was easily walked in hiking shoes…we worked up quite a sweat despite the temperature being in the low 40s!  Happily, the weather cleared as we approached the hut!  The vistas from the hut were jaw dropping with deep crevasses evident just below the rim.  As the first visitors of the day, our host had time to tell us as we sipped our refreshments about the thriving alpinist community who stays here on their way to/from Monch, Eiger, Jungfrau, Shilthorn summits…they can accommodate up to 120 people overnight!  We caught glimpses of blue ski on our return walk to the Jungfraujoch…we felt so fortunate since the forecast had painted a much different picture!  We toured the numerous experiences inside the mountain, including the Alpine Sensation, which had the feel of “it’s a small world”, the Ice Palace, which was a series of tunnels carved out of the glacier in the 1930s, and the Sphinx, a set of terraces overlooking the mountains!  Absolutely, an amazing feat of engineering and remarkable Swiss efficiency!  Construction of the tunnels began in 1898 and the opening of this vast facility that serves 1,000s of visitors a day was in 1912!  Transitions from one experience to the next was seamless especially considering the vast number of visitors!  We had lunch overlooking the glacier, which disappeared into the clouds about halfway through!  The views on the way down were enshrouded in clouds.  We walked back to the hotel from the Terminal.  We met Karen & Phil at the hotel and went out for drinks and dinner after a brief rest.  We enjoyed fondue and cocktails at the restaurant next door to our hotel…the fondue was so creamy and delicious!  We walked down the street further and enjoyed dinner at Kruez + Post!