It is some 750 kms from Paris to Interlaken, but it did not seem that long with ever changing scenery and regular breaks - oh yes, and the fact that the coach driver was doing the hard part. In the East of France we noticed an increase in altitude, and we passed through some true 'Tour de France' country. Crossing into Switzerland was fairly obvious with a change in texture of the scenery, and the practical need to get some Swiss Francs which we did soon after entering the country. (The Swiss currency is officially CHF - Confederation of Helvetica Francs.)
We noticed how neat Switzerland is, be it in the country or the towns. Off to our left on the bus (North) were lakes, while to the South the Alps are immediately obvious. We missed some of the scenery because of the tunnels (one three kms long), and some of which seemed to exist for no other reason than to cut under farmland rather than through it.
We arrived late afternoon at our Hotel, and set off on a quick walk of Interlaken (non-tourist population of some 5,000). Again, neat as a pin with two glacial rivers flowing through the town that sits between two lakes. Bill was stunned to see a small banana tree near the rail station. We had a tour dinner that night at Beebi's - run by a very astute guy who could put on a show that covered over a very ordinary 'genuine Swiss fondue' meal. Anyway, it was fun.
The next day we did our trip to Jungfrau mountain, with the visitor centre there touted as the top of Europe (it seems like it is!). The entire day was eye-popping, from the time we got on the train in Interlaken to the visitor facility at Jungfraujoch. There were 3 restaurants at Jungfraujoch with a couple of shops, a 'walk through' glacial tunnel complete with ice carvings, a fairy lit 'crystal palace', research facility with outside platform, a 360 degrees IMAX type presentation, an external area for walking on the snow plus a separate area for snow sports including a tube run, rappelling, tobogganing and a snow trail for walkers - all at just under 4,000m! The whole thing is an engineering marvel with the railway celebrating 100 years of operation this year.
Words cannot describe this place, nor photos do it justice, and we had the privilege to see it on a perfect spring day. In fact we were not expecting the mid-20 degree temperatures (at Interlaken not up at Jungfrau!) - Spring is a perfect time to visit. We have seen some wondrous experiences and sights on our European trip, but Switzerland is one out of the box (thanks Mat for suggesting we visit here). And it is unlikely that we will ever experience something like today ever again.