雪域之行瑞士第4课

Wake me up in the morning.
This is morning.

We take care of business here. When the weather clears, we head for the high country. We are looking up maps and timetables to put together some great days in the Alps. Of course, our plans depend on the weather, which can be quite different in the high country. It's clearing down here, let's see what it's like up there. These alpine resorts have weather reports in English.

Let's go to the Jungfrau Joch. Early birds get the sunshine, cheaper lift tickets and fewer crowds. There are plenty of ways to economize on your alpine lift tickets.

Be sure to know your options, half|price cards, family and senior deals, round|trip fares and so on. We are taking the train up to touristy Gimmelwald, it's a good springboard for some great hikes. But we'll settle down elsewhere.

We buy a picnic lunch, double check at the tourist information office about train timetables and hiking trails, then jump onto the train to Kleine Scheidegg. Now we've successfully run the gauntlet of tourist traps and reached the heights. Before us towers the ultimate Swiss mountain panorama, the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau, boldly proclaim that they are the greatest. I'll buy that.

Kleine Scheidegg is a great example of how adept the Swiss are at getting the Alps in their laps. To get to this point, you have the choice of hiking or taking the train. We can buy a good hot meal , we can even spend the night in one of the inexpensive bunks. But what we really came for is the view.

If you don't mind spending some money and on a nice day waiting through a long line, you can take the expensive ride from here to the towering Jongfrau Joch. It's certainly not something I do every time I'm here, but since the weather is good and you are riding along for free, let's do it today.