Looking down to Lauterbrunnen from Wengen
Cable car station at Mannlichen where we started the hike to Kleine Scheidegg
View to the valley from Mannlichen
Trail to Kleine Scheidegg
You should be able to make out the Jungfraujoch, the top station of the railway at The Top of Europe. It is sitting in the saddle between the 2 mountains.
This is a closer view
The train station to go up to Jungfraujoch is at Kleine Scheidegg. When we finished the hike, we were trying to work out how the train got to the top. We could see the train track part-way up and then it just disappeared. It actually goes through a tunnel that has been carved out of the Eiger and Monch mountains. So the train goes the whole way inside the mountain. The ride up takes about 50minutes and goes for 9.3km. It has 2x5 minute stops along the way where small side tunnels have been created for visitors to get off the train and see the mountains at various stages.The photo above was taken at the Eismeer stop at 3158m.
Icicles overhang the window at the Junfraujoch.
Jungfraujoch is situated at 3454m. It has 5 restaurants, cafe/bar, 2 shops, cinema, research station, ice palace, observation terrace and of course, the railway station. As you move about much of the complex, you are actually walking inside the mountain and in places, on ice, particularly the ice palace.
The outside viewing deck, the Sphinz Terrace at 3571m
If you remember, a couple of days ago we took a hike to see the tail end of the Aletsch Glacier from Bettmeralp. This is the start of that glacier.
One of the features of the Junfraujoch is the ice palace, created entirely inside the glacier. As you walk through the tunnel to get to the palace, you are walking on ice. Not a nice feeling. Not only is it slippery, but you can see through the ice to layers beneath. The above photo is of one of the carvings in the Ice Palace.
As we make our way back to the car, this is the view from the train, looking down to Wengen.
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