This morning we started our journey to the top of Jaungfroujoch, this would be a full day excursion in order to do it justice.
We set out early to get the first train from Interlaken Ost station which would take us to Grindelwald, a town which at an altitude of 1034m was at the foot of the mountain climb. From here we changed trains and headed further up to Klein Scheidegg, at 2061m this is the final stop before the Jaungfroujoch summit train takes over. Whichever way you come all trains end here. It was then onto our final train, the famous Jaungfrou railway, which takes you up through the inside of the mountain to the highest railway station in Europe at a height of 3454m. Although it's a 2hr journey from Interlaken it doesn't feel like it. You are left in awe of the scenery the entire time. The journey up is well and truly part of the overall experience.

The railway took 16yrs to complete at a cost of 15 million Swiss francs and next year (2012) will celebrate 100yrs since it's first passengers made it all the way to Jaungfroujoch. The train rises at a gradual gradient, never more than 25cm per meter, which allows passengers to slowly adjust to the higher altitudes. They also produce some of their own energy. The energy produced through braking is converted into current and fed back into the line. We learnt that three descending trains produce enough energy this way to power a fourth train to the top. Over half a million people take this trip every year.

Exiting the train inside the mountain simply serves to build your anticipation for what lies ahead.... After getting our bearings inside the visitor center we decided to head up to the Sphinx lookout, at 3571m this is as high as you can go without specialised gear and skills to climb the peak, a further 600m above.

Stepping outside for the first time you're suddenly hit with the reality of where you are. The views are breathtaking with snow covered peaks above and below you, a glacial run splitting them as far as you can see and the town of Klein Sheidegg 2000m below. Wind gusts of up to 74kph and a current temperature of -3 we're a far cry from the sun & beach we'd enjoyed up till now. This was also a "good day" in terms of weather as the sun was shining against another clear blue sky. Our "Melbourne Winter" clothing did it's best and was able to keep us warm enough to take it all in. It was actually quite comfortable in between wind gusts.
After warming up inside we made our way out onto the plateau so we could have our feet on the ice and the freezing winds again smacked us the face! With all the people on the glacial ice throughout the day it effectively gets polished by the rubber soled shoes making it ridiculously slippery. The uneven contours simply add to the difficulty in standing up. Periodically throughout the day a massive snow plough is used to grind the surface of this area creating small windows of time with grip underfoot.
The snow play area was closed off today for safety reasons, it's really luck of the draw what will be accessible up here day to day as the weather really makes all the decisions. It is after all on top of the mountain and they really can't have people sliding off!
After a few hours up here we decided it was time to head back down so it was back inside for the train down to Klein Sheidegg. From here we chose a different route home, this time coming through Wengen and Lauterbrunnen to ensure we captured as much of the area as possible. After spending some time at a cafe in Lauterbrunnen we headed back again to the station, this time for a bus connection to bypass a landslide that had taken the ground from under the tracks a few days earlier, before rejoining the trains into Interlaken.
Sounds a little complex, we know, but it really is quite simple. Effectively when you buy your tickets to Jaungfroujoch you can explore any of the mountain towns in the region on your ticket date, each offering their own adventures from hiking, climbing, skiing, cable-car etc.
I've done my best to put into words the magic of the Jaungfrou railway and incredible views it opens up, do yourself a favour and get there at some stage of your life. Young or old you'll never forget the experience.