Today we headed up to "The top of Europe" - the station on the mountain Jungfrau sits 3454m above sea level in the middle of Switzerland, with a glacier 22km long.

The railway line up the mountain was built over 100 years ago by Italian workers, it opened in 1912 and took 16 years of construction. With four train connections to get there our early train from Brienz, was at 7:30am about an hour after sunrise - the Brienz mountains were covered in low cloud and we were slightly concerned, but we had checked the mountain cameras as recommended and it appeared all was good on Jungfrau above the cloud level.

Train tickets for the final leg come in reserved and non reserved seat options the later of which you have to queue for- being just outside the peak season and from advice we'd seen on trip advisor we had opted not to make reservations. We were lucky that on the ascent there was just enough room on the first train - though we had a slightly nervous moment when the kids and I got through and Darryl had to wait a few minutes longer.

Our first view of the mountain was impressive - a sheer face of rock on one side with snow covered slopes and rocks on leading up the other. The size and magnitude is overwhelming. The weather was clear and the view stunning - everything we had hoped for.

The layout of the site is well planned for the multitude of tourists that arrive daily. There were multiple attractions on site and they flow from one to another in such a way that it never feels crowded despite the high volume of people present. The attractions include an elevator to the highest point, (11m above the main floor area) outside viewing areas, a chocolate shop, watch shop, a tobogganing area and zip line, a restaurant, ice tunnels with sculptures and a picture gallery with memorials to the workers that died during the construction of the railway track and tunnels. There is also a 45 min outdoor walk (Darryl didn't believe me when I tried to tell him about this on the way up - which put him on dishes duty that night), unreal to think that you can go for a casual walk on a mountain at 3400m.

We started off on the walk - the lack of oxygen at this altitude had Sarah and I feeling a little tired and lightheaded. We walked for about 10 minutes before deciding to turn back with April for some food, and left Scott and Darryl to complete the walk alone.

Darryl: It was a tranquil 45 min walk to a chalet/restaurant which unfortunately didn't sell Icecream and so to Scott's dismay the promised reward didn't eventuate. On the way back down we stopped at the highest village - Kleine Scheidegg is a quaint little alpine village surrounded by imposing mountains and their glaciers. From here you get the best view of the North Face of the Eiger which is an imposing face of granite - and why anyone would want to climb it is beyond me.

We stopped at a few other stations on the way back down, took a stroll through the car free touristy village of Wengen where we struggled to find Icecream (and Kate managed to walk into a glass door to the amusement if everyone including the shop keeper who tried in vain tried to keep a straight face), and bought some groceries for tomorrow when none of the supermarkets are open.