Just returned from a fascinating trip to the summit of Jungfrau (pronounced yung-frow) which is the highest peak in Europe.
At a height of over13,000 feet and eternally covered with snow, it is truly an abode for the Gods. Had it been in India, it would have surely been part of popular folklore and would have served as the backdrop for many a tale featuring Gods and demons.We later learn that Europe too as a fable built around it.
We started from the station Interlaken West and took a 5 minute train to Interlaken Ost (East).
From here, you need to take 3 trains in succession to get to the summit:
1. Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen
2. Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Schnidegg
3. Kleine Schnidegg to Jung frau.
If you think my writing is complicated, German station names (in Swiss land) are more so. You just have to get used to it.
It takes a total of 2 hours to complete the journey one way (including the wait at each station). Each leg is covered in a narrow gauge train. The middle of the track has an added "tooth-rail" which provides much needed grip as the train goes up steep inclines.
For a train lover, this is paradise. The engines and carriages are straight out of a toy box- all painted in rich, bright colors and absolutely spotless in the upkeep of the compartments.
It is mind boggling to learn that this entire route to the summit was completed way back in 1912. The last 6 km (including a couple of stations which offer panaromic views and rest room facility) are entirely within a tunnel. Further, there are two separate routes to go up and come down.
Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is covered in a cream and blue train in about 20 minutes. The route runs right beside a mountain stream which flows through the valley. Towering mountains with snowy peaks on either side present an awesome picture.
A yellow and green train covers the route from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Schnidegg. It is here that the train
ascends on a steep gradiant revealing some breathtaking views of the valley. A few waterfalls tumble down in the distance and feed the mountain stream that curls in the valley below. Small, picture-perfect townships are found in clusters in the valley. Pine trees form a predominant part of the vegetation on the mountain slopes in the distance as well as alongside the track.
We near the station Kleine Schnidegg. The landscape changes dramatically. The vegetation is replaced with bald, jagged, rocky slopes covered predominantly in snow. The tops of the mountains are lost in the clouds leaving the height of the mountains to our imagination.
A German co-passenger suddenly gets chatty and throws light on the 3 main mountain peaks in this region:
Jung frau, Eiger (Ai-gur and "ogre" in English) and Monche (Monk in English).
Jung frau is a girl who was saved by a monk from the monster (ogre). Hence, the names of the three peaks.
The last leg is covered in a red train where we find the steepest of gradients. It is here that we find the 6 km tunnel from Eiger to Jungfrau.
We finally arrive at Jungfrau which boasts itself of being "the top of Europe". Jung frau has been completely taken over by Indians. We are totally baffled how they managed to congregate at this place when we hardly bumped into anyone till now. The only possibility seems as if a truckload of them were bodily airlifted from Mumbai and simply dropped on top of this peak. Indians come in all sizes, shapes, ages, decibel levels and
regional affiliation.
"Aiyaan jo jo" - is heard in Gujarati. Someone is obviously keen that no one in their group misses out a point of interest.
"Chai mein cheeni dali hui hai?" questions another one who should be from Delhi to ensure that his cup of tea is just right. A tour guide from Thomas Cook has rounded up his Indian group members and gives them elaborate instructions on how they should pick up food at the buffet: "Pehle apni apni thaali utha lo" "side mein katori rakhi hui hai" he goes on patiently. But I benefit from his discourse when he moves beyond the culinary topic. There are two main attractions that shouldn't be missed:
Sphnix- The highest observation point and
Ice plateau- Where we can actually play with snow.
He also gives a good tip: Altitude sickness can set in. Hence, it's important to walk slowly.
Samyukta feels a little nauscious and needs to use the restroom. She is fine soon. Saankhya and I narrowly miss a child who throws up without the slightest warning. We beat a hasty retreat to be far from this madding crowd.
The clock has turned back by just over a decade. Usha and I feel that we are back in Ottawa. It is bone chilling cold especially in the tunnels leading to the Sphinx and the Ice plateau. The cold hits you in the face, the hands go numb, and so does the mind. The temperature is -2 degrees celcius. Somehow, it feels far worse. We are relieved that we took at least one good decision in abandoning these cold lands and returning to India. A tropical body is simply not made for this weather.
Samyukta and Saankhya get their hands on snow for the first time at the Sphinx. There is a very light snowfall as well and we are glad that we can tick this item off the kids' check list. But there's not much that can be seen from here. It's all white and misty and cold. The icicles hang from the walls precariously and there's a warning
to that effect. I am keen that we get the hell out of here as soon as we can.
Ice plateau is similar. Worse, it's slippery as well. In our over enthusiasm, we don't want a broken hip bone now! The kids hold the snow in their hands and pose for a photograph. We are done.
There's an ice gallery as well. It's much too cold to venture into the depths of it to view ice sculptures. If we don't return soon, we will be one of those sculptures, I warn the kids!
We overhear a conversation where someone is comparing this place to Vaishno Devi. Another bhai-saab wants to know how far away a particular vantage point is and whether it is worth the effort. I give a reply which wouldn't have cleared his doubt in any way.
I concede that it is confusing when Jungfrau is pronounced as "Yungfrau". But when the entire non-Indian population is pronouncing it as Yungfrau,I don't see why we cannot slightly alter our pronunciation giving them the benefit of doubt. But some of us are either too hung up on the actual spelling or simply in-attentive. Hence, we catch a number of people with jarring references to Jungfrau. We just have to leave them alone. Jug jug jiyo! Hey, it is actually yug-yug dude!!
The pencil can now scratch out Jung Frau from the list. We take the train back to Interlaken. A cow-bell and a cuckoo clock are purchased as souvenirs. Swiss knives,chocolates, watches and bank accounts are famous too. One of them is a security risk these days. The other one is fatty and bad for sensitive teeth. The third one is far too expensive. We are not politicians to worry about the fourth.
Nature has been particularly kind to Switzerland. We have no doubt.
At a height of over13,000 feet and eternally covered with snow, it is truly an abode for the Gods. Had it been in India, it would have surely been part of popular folklore and would have served as the backdrop for many a tale featuring Gods and demons.We later learn that Europe too as a fable built around it.
We started from the station Interlaken West and took a 5 minute train to Interlaken Ost (East).
From here, you need to take 3 trains in succession to get to the summit:
1. Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen
2. Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Schnidegg
3. Kleine Schnidegg to Jung frau.
If you think my writing is complicated, German station names (in Swiss land) are more so. You just have to get used to it.
It takes a total of 2 hours to complete the journey one way (including the wait at each station). Each leg is covered in a narrow gauge train. The middle of the track has an added "tooth-rail" which provides much needed grip as the train goes up steep inclines.
For a train lover, this is paradise. The engines and carriages are straight out of a toy box- all painted in rich, bright colors and absolutely spotless in the upkeep of the compartments.
It is mind boggling to learn that this entire route to the summit was completed way back in 1912. The last 6 km (including a couple of stations which offer panaromic views and rest room facility) are entirely within a tunnel. Further, there are two separate routes to go up and come down.
Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is covered in a cream and blue train in about 20 minutes. The route runs right beside a mountain stream which flows through the valley. Towering mountains with snowy peaks on either side present an awesome picture.
A yellow and green train covers the route from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Schnidegg. It is here that the train
ascends on a steep gradiant revealing some breathtaking views of the valley. A few waterfalls tumble down in the distance and feed the mountain stream that curls in the valley below. Small, picture-perfect townships are found in clusters in the valley. Pine trees form a predominant part of the vegetation on the mountain slopes in the distance as well as alongside the track.
We near the station Kleine Schnidegg. The landscape changes dramatically. The vegetation is replaced with bald, jagged, rocky slopes covered predominantly in snow. The tops of the mountains are lost in the clouds leaving the height of the mountains to our imagination.
A German co-passenger suddenly gets chatty and throws light on the 3 main mountain peaks in this region:
Jung frau, Eiger (Ai-gur and "ogre" in English) and Monche (Monk in English).
Jung frau is a girl who was saved by a monk from the monster (ogre). Hence, the names of the three peaks.
The last leg is covered in a red train where we find the steepest of gradients. It is here that we find the 6 km tunnel from Eiger to Jungfrau.
We finally arrive at Jungfrau which boasts itself of being "the top of Europe". Jung frau has been completely taken over by Indians. We are totally baffled how they managed to congregate at this place when we hardly bumped into anyone till now. The only possibility seems as if a truckload of them were bodily airlifted from Mumbai and simply dropped on top of this peak. Indians come in all sizes, shapes, ages, decibel levels and
regional affiliation.
"Aiyaan jo jo" - is heard in Gujarati. Someone is obviously keen that no one in their group misses out a point of interest.
"Chai mein cheeni dali hui hai?" questions another one who should be from Delhi to ensure that his cup of tea is just right. A tour guide from Thomas Cook has rounded up his Indian group members and gives them elaborate instructions on how they should pick up food at the buffet: "Pehle apni apni thaali utha lo" "side mein katori rakhi hui hai" he goes on patiently. But I benefit from his discourse when he moves beyond the culinary topic. There are two main attractions that shouldn't be missed:
Sphnix- The highest observation point and
Ice plateau- Where we can actually play with snow.
He also gives a good tip: Altitude sickness can set in. Hence, it's important to walk slowly.
Samyukta feels a little nauscious and needs to use the restroom. She is fine soon. Saankhya and I narrowly miss a child who throws up without the slightest warning. We beat a hasty retreat to be far from this madding crowd.
The clock has turned back by just over a decade. Usha and I feel that we are back in Ottawa. It is bone chilling cold especially in the tunnels leading to the Sphinx and the Ice plateau. The cold hits you in the face, the hands go numb, and so does the mind. The temperature is -2 degrees celcius. Somehow, it feels far worse. We are relieved that we took at least one good decision in abandoning these cold lands and returning to India. A tropical body is simply not made for this weather.
Samyukta and Saankhya get their hands on snow for the first time at the Sphinx. There is a very light snowfall as well and we are glad that we can tick this item off the kids' check list. But there's not much that can be seen from here. It's all white and misty and cold. The icicles hang from the walls precariously and there's a warning
to that effect. I am keen that we get the hell out of here as soon as we can.
Ice plateau is similar. Worse, it's slippery as well. In our over enthusiasm, we don't want a broken hip bone now! The kids hold the snow in their hands and pose for a photograph. We are done.
There's an ice gallery as well. It's much too cold to venture into the depths of it to view ice sculptures. If we don't return soon, we will be one of those sculptures, I warn the kids!
We overhear a conversation where someone is comparing this place to Vaishno Devi. Another bhai-saab wants to know how far away a particular vantage point is and whether it is worth the effort. I give a reply which wouldn't have cleared his doubt in any way.
I concede that it is confusing when Jungfrau is pronounced as "Yungfrau". But when the entire non-Indian population is pronouncing it as Yungfrau,I don't see why we cannot slightly alter our pronunciation giving them the benefit of doubt. But some of us are either too hung up on the actual spelling or simply in-attentive. Hence, we catch a number of people with jarring references to Jungfrau. We just have to leave them alone. Jug jug jiyo! Hey, it is actually yug-yug dude!!
The pencil can now scratch out Jung Frau from the list. We take the train back to Interlaken. A cow-bell and a cuckoo clock are purchased as souvenirs. Swiss knives,chocolates, watches and bank accounts are famous too. One of them is a security risk these days. The other one is fatty and bad for sensitive teeth. The third one is far too expensive. We are not politicians to worry about the fourth.
Nature has been particularly kind to Switzerland. We have no doubt.
No comments:
Post a Comment