Top of Europe - Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Oct 12 (Tues): Journey to the Swiss Alps

Continuing our journey up north from Italy...our next destination was Switzerland!! The only country out of all 8 countries that we visited that doesn't use Euros but uses Swiss Francs instead. And because of this we 'rugi' quite a lot from currency exchange...from RM-Pounds-Euros-SwissFc...ouchh! :p 

Money matters aside, we spent only 1.5 days in Switzerland but I think I fell in love with this country already!! Of all the countries that I've visited during this Europe trip...I'll definitely choose to come back to Switzerland if I've got the chance. :) Switzerland is such a pretty country...loveee the breathtaking scenery of the Swiss Alps, the clean & fresh air, the tranquil & simple lifestyle, and the friendliness of its people!! 

Picturesque scenery from the moment we crossed the Swiss border.

My poor camera never got to rest throughout the journey uphill & downhill. We stopped by Sustenpass for lunch break.

The whole journey was winding road...luckily I was sitting in front so didn't feel sick at all. Our coach driver was really professional...ain't easy driving a coach up this narrow winding road...and look at the fence by the roads...imagine falling off the cliff!! 

Lotsa mountains in Switzerland. There was avalanche warning coz those snow at the peaks may melt anytime. I realized only all the Malaysians sitting in front of the coach were busy taking pictures throughout the journey while all the angmohs were sleeping at the back. Can't blame us coz we don't get to see all these in M'sia!!

Lotsa tunnels along the way as well

Steve was nice enough to do a pitstop for us to get off the coach and take pictures. :) Viewing the scenery by the cliffs was absolutely awesome!! =) But my leg was shaking coz it was quite scary standing there!!

The daredevils...don't play play leh!! 

Those angmohs in the bottom right pic really 'boh kiasi'...climb here climb there. :p Well I also climbed up there and took some pics. :p

Continuing our journey...lotsa greeneries & clean rivers. Love those houses by the mountains.

Nice village as we were approaching our hostel at Grindelwald....1034m above sea levels.

Finally arrived our The Mountain Hostel...stayed here for 2 nights. This was the only hostel that we stayed throughout the trip but I quite liked this place coz they had a common area for us to hangout with other tour mates and the rooms were very comfortable too. =)

On top of that...beautiful scenery around the hostel.

Had our sumptuous dinner at a local restaurant...appetizer, main course, desert...yum yum!! Nice view of the mountains from the restaurant too. But I was surprised to find out that a glass of water cost CHF4 = RM12!?!? Luckily I didn't order...haha! :p

Oct 13 (Wed): Snowy mountains...Jungfraujoch (3571m)

Took too many pictures in Switzerland so I'm gonna split into two posts. :p If you've seen the previous post, I personally think that the pics in this post are even nicer. =) We spent most of our day 3571m above sea level at Jungfraujoch. 

Initially, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go up Jungfrau but finally made the decision on the last day...kinda pricey but was definitely worth it coz the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Plus, we'll never get to see this in M'sia so might as well take this opportunity since I've come all the way. Lucky us the weather was superb...clear skies for me to take nice pics of the snowy mountains. =)

Misty mountains...view from our room. Nice view & fresh air...what a great way to start the day. :) 

Took a train all the way up to the highest railway station in Europe. As I mentioned earlier...it costs quite a lot to go up the mountain...spent all those Swiss Francs. =.=

Scenery along the way...the train ride took bout 1.5 hours.

Finally arrived Jungfraujoch!!

First stop...Ice Palace. Nothing much to see though.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!

Time for some camwhoring. :p Btw...it was actually pretty cold out there (-2.5c) but still bearable. I was wearing 4 layers of clothes and 2 layers of jeans.

Another viewpoint on the mountain...the Sphinx Terrace.

View from the Sphinx.

More pictures! :p My leg was actually shaking walking on that platform coz the 'floor' was filled with holes and we could see the cliffs right below our feet!!

Panoramic view from another side of the mountain.

We could actually hike along the trails in the snow but we didn't coz it was cold. :p Besides, I didn't wear any shades and it was so glaring coz the snow was reflecting the sunlight...extremely strong UV. I could hardly see anything when I went back indoor. 

Me loveee these pics!! =)

Woohoo...jumpshots again!! Credits to WeyShin for taking all my awesome jumpshot pics. 

Acting stupid before leaving. :p

Sceneries on the way downhill

Switched train at Kleine Scheidegg station.

Back to Grund station...5 minutes walk from our hostel. Beautiful scenery yea. :)

Took a train up to Grindelwald town to get some souvenirs & swiss chocs then walked back down that small path to get back to our hostel. 

Said 'hi' to some moo moos along the way.

Do you notice that all the houses there have the same pattern? The government actually pays the owner to build their houses in this pattern so that it looks nicer.