Saturday June 16, 2018 - Bern, Switzerland - Jungfraujoch

NOTE - It's June 27 and I'm updating the notes and pics from this first entry!
As usual no time for stories and we are headed home tomorrow after a great trip.  I wasn't sure about a cruise but we were off all day, busy, good food, fun and I'd do it again - just not on a thousands of people cruiser!  I like the 119 people and 40 crew - works great!
Today topped it off with the "Top of Europe" aka Jungfraujoch = young virgin saddle; huh - seems a bit odd to me so I might have to confirm.
Much more when I get home and have time to catch up.  I checked my camera and have around 500 photos so need to do a little "cleaning up".
Time for the big group cocktail and dinner time.........another day another glass of wine...or two!
UPDATE:  Fully day 8am-5:30pm!!!  Bus to Lauterbrunnen "please dress warmly and wear shoes with nonslippery soles".  Bus, cogwheel train, another track with cogwheel, bus back.  Altitude 11,333 feet inside glacier with temp about 25 degrees Fahrenheit.  Halfway up we stopped for lunch and acclimation to altitude.  We visited "ice caves, snowy slippery slope and a lady told me to "duck walk up and dig heels in to go down the slope".  I remember that as a kid.
Jacket back of a waiter at the restaurant - so I know where we ate and alcohol was not recommended due to altitude so I had Fanta - my favorite orange "pop".

 Made it and we were welcomed in many languages:

 Unusual to see a Coca Cola teepee at the high point in the Swiss Alps next to the cog wheel tracks.

 

 What a beautiful view of the Swiss Alps and the top of the clouds.  It really made the beautiful blue sky contrast stand out.  The Alps are in 7 European countries and 2/3 of Switzerland is covered by mountains and hills.

 This is the "office" and maybe a weather reporting station?

 The reason for the solid sole shoes was because we walked quite a distance through these ice caves of solid icy and slippery everywhere.  Most places had a little handrail on one side but mostly we just slid our feet carefully along!

 This is one of the beautiful ice sculptures.  They do have a way to control the temperature with the climate change problem so it doesn't collapse on the tourists!!!  Mont Blanc in France is really the highest peak in Europe but Jungfraujoch claims Top of Europe as it is the highest train arrival station.
We passed by Thun Lake where Swiss ammo was dumped after WWII

 A bunch of ice penguins and birds and igloos:

And the Goofy Four at the top dressed in layers for sure:

I love how the Swiss flag stands out against the bluest of skies:

I had to dig in my heels to get down from here and I only saw one lady slip and fall but she got right up.