Whatever-lahno: Europe Trip Update Part 8: Sledge and Snow in Top of Europe

I have completed my final paper today so merdeka wohooooooo! Just another semester and I will be a degree graduate. Well, better late than never!

I always want to go to Swiss, after watching films ( especially Hindi's) and always want to see snow. I achieved all of them on 8 May 2013. So in the morning, after having breakfast we walk to the beautiful Lauterbrunnen village. Our train is around 10.30am. Before that I manage to go to the post office to post my postcards. I did that for every country that I've been. I will do my postcard entry later.

We where given ticket and passport, it is quite unique passport and you can see the photo later. The train cost around 195 CHF (~RM 600), yes one of the most expensive train ever. It will takes us from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfrau, Top of Europe which is 3454 metres height. Yap, the train will go all the way up to the mountain, how cool is that.

So when the train arrived, there is Kelana Convoy written at the digital display, how great, we got the train by ourselves. So the journey begin. At first it was slow and we can see more clearly on the valley and see a little bit snow here and there because it started to melt already and suddenly bang, full white of mountain staring at us. It was just so big and we just so awe. We just take turn to take photo and the train was design for us to enjoy the panorama as the window is big clear classed that we can open if we want to.

Then we have to change our train at Kleine Scheidegg and then continue around one hour journey after that. Then it started becomes white as we reach in near the top and the crew already warned us to use shade or rayban as it will hurt your eyes seeing the white snow. even with all the white scenery, me and one of my tent mate did fall asleep. Actually it was not good to fall asleep as we reaching the high up on the mountain because it will cause us to death in the sleep because of low oxygen level. But, I don't know perhaps because of that we fall to sleep. But we manage to wake up around 30 minutes before we reach the top.

During the train ride, we manage to plan where to go first, of cause to find where is the snow. They have this facilities inside the mountain around 7 (rooms?) or places to go. After we arrive, one of my mates, has quick faint because of low oxygen level. I did feel hard to breath and has to pace myself so I won't faint also. First we went to see the three tops of Jungfrau, Eiger and Monk and it was so beautiful and could blind your eyes if didn't wearing any shades at all. We try to take some time there to familiarize with the oxygen level there.

Then we went to outside, we we can play the snow. From the tunnel, we can see this white sandy snow and for the first time in my life I touch snow. I still can't believe myself that I was here. They got a lot of activity here like skiing, flying fox, and sledging. The crew has warned us not to do anything that Insurance won't cover such as skiing because it will cost us a lot if we injured during skiing and especially the person who can save us is using helicopter. So, we decided to hang out where they got like a soft pillow and shade like at the beach where we can see people doing flying fox and sledging. My tent mates decided to lay down on snow and me and my bus mates decided to do something else. As my bus mate it is quite adventures, so she wants to do flying fox and I help her to take her photo doing it. I was just scare to do flying fox.

Then she decided to do sledging which I said to myself, when and where else can you do sledging, so I decided to join her. It cost me around 20 or 30 CHF (I can't remember) but you can do repeatably before it closed. So she went first and I took her photo and when it is my time, I do feel nervous and because it just so fast....so I did it, and scream all the way down...the Indian kid who do faster than me asked why do I put my feet in front ( to slow down the sledge), he said I should let go, I just said to him that I just scared. To go up we can use the escalator. Cool, right. Then we went to the Ice Castle and it was so cool. everything was made in ice,, even the pathway, but it was not so slippery.

Believe or not we only has chocolate for our lunch to make sure we have energy. I don't thing we can eat anything there because we feel to tired and sometimes just laying against the wall and on the floor and looking at people around us. I try to shop there but it just too expensive. The Swiss t-shirt can cause you 30 CHF (~RM90) and the fridge magnet is around 10 CHF. So, I didn't get anything.

On the way back, we found out that we need to do take another train route to Lauterbrunnen which is using Grinderwald. I do watch The Amazing Race when they covered Jungfrau and do all the task. Grinderwald is small valley and also beautiful. During the train ride, I just wonder how do the people the live, I wish I can live one day at their home. What they do for living?

When we arrive, my mate want to buy watch for her mother and there is one shop open so all Malaysian is in that shop except for me and 2 other friends. We just hanging out at one of the chair and see the beautiful scenery of in the valley. I still can hear the cow bell and the church bell ringing in my ear. However, I also still remember the smell, yep, the smell of the cow, I don't know perhaps we are seated near the farm or something. At dinner we are having the spiciest nasi lemak ever but with the cols weather, it just also become the delicious nasi lemak ever.

In our dorm, we just can't stop sharing our experience and how it just one of the best experience ever for me. I really wish I can go Swiss again and to stay at one of beautiful village there.

Next is about our 10 hour rides to Paris and the city of love itself. Stay tuned!