The switzerland dream

If you read and looked through my last post and saw the video of our room and the small balcony view of the patio lights below, you saw how awesome the room was. However, we had no idea what the view from the large balcony would look like until we woke up the next morning.

This room was truly unbelievable. After a week of constant travel, each day a whirlwind of packing, exploring, unpacking, and repeating the cycle, we finally found ourselves taking a moment to relax. While every part of the trip was totally awesome before Switzerland, this was the moment we could truly unwind and enjoy the experience.

now LET THE TRIP begin to the top of europe

We were staying in Adelboden, about 45 minutes from Interlaken (by bus and train), and we were heading to Jungfraujoch , the highest accessible point in Europe. To get there, we'd have to take a bus from Adelboden to Frutigen, a train from Frutigen to Spiez, a train from Spiez to Interlaken, a train from Interlaken to Grindelwald, a gondola from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher, and finally another train from Eigergletscher to Jungfraujoch – about 3.5 hours in total.

By this point, we had a good idea of how the trains and buses worked, so traveling on such clean public transportation with great views the entire time made the trip fly by.


We were told by various reviews that Jungfraujoch would be a tourist trap.

Spoiler alert: yes, there were tourists. Would I do it again, and would I recommend it to anyone? Absolutely.

but lets snag a few pictures and make a few stops along the way

this entire journey felt like the destination, but we weren't there yet

Stress was way behind us at this point. We didn't have to worry about packing when we got back to the hotel, the breathtaking views throughout the day were surreal, and we were simply enjoying ourselves. We had about an hour left on our journey to the top of Europe and we still had to take a gondola and a crazy steep train.

we made it, I think?

....and I can barely breathe

So, we reached the top, and there I was, nearly crawling out of the train because of the high elevation. I look over at Amanda, who's sprinting up the ramp, leaping from one step to the next on the staircase, and then doubling back to give me a hand up. Now, don't get me wrong, 11,300+ feet up is high, but is it really THAT high?Perhaps those extra drinks the night before and the multiple fried chicken sandwiches the last week are to blame... but probably not.

After snapping a quick photo with the flag to commemorate the moment, we ventured around the corner and found the ice tunnel....and the top, again.

more on this ice tunnel

Everything around us was made of ice, and this tunnel stays cold year-round. We slid our hands across the walls and moved our feet back and forth on the ground, and it wasn't melting anywhere. It didn't even feel too cold in there, either. There were ice sculptures and photo ops throughout the tunnel, and every 20 feet or so, there was another tunnel to walk through. It was a super cool experience for the two of us.

but Wait, we still didn't make it to the top!?

We walked out of the tunnel and there they were....another set of stairs for me to lose my breath on and Amanda to sprint to the top on. This time, the stairs led to the REAL top of Europe. Through the Blizzard we went!

now WE made it!

and my final thoughts?

So this time, we finally reached the top. My sole task in the photo with us at the flag was to display the phrase "Top of Europe" written on it. I failed in this simple job, but we still managed to capture a good photo.

All in all, wow, what an awesome day. I told Amanda that this would easily rank among the top 5 days of my life. It was a truly unique adventure for the both of us, and being able to share it with her was special. I recommend it to anyone visiting Switzerland.

While this took up a significant portion of the day, it was undeniably worthwhile. However, it didn't take up the entire day, so we made the most of the remaining time and...

we had some drinks, ate a fried chicken sandwich, and relaxed in robes while lookin' at the view