Destination: Interlaken
I woke early the next morning, and got ready quickly as I had a 9am tour booked in a town called Alpnachstad that was a 2 hour drive away.
I was super excited as I was really looking forward to the tour, I just had to return my gate pass and set the directions in Waze and I’d be off. Pulling into the carpark in front of the site, I ran back to return my pass, saying my goodbyes and thank you’s to the cheerful staff. Now I just had to set Waze and be on my way.
There was a problem … the 2 hour journey had now become a 4.5 hour journey and I had no idea why. Perhaps I’d not calculated the mileages properly. I checked Google maps, and i’d definitely got the right number of miles. It could only be the route, but I put the details into Waze several times and it came back with the same directions. I decided I’d just have to skip the tour, which was disappointing as i’d really been looking forward to it. But there was just no way I was going to make it.
Nevertheless, I still had another activity planned today in the town of Interlaken and it was also huge. I decided to head straight there as I didn’t want any navigational fiasco’s messing that one up too.
Little did I know what Waze had in store!
The Alps
It was a lovely drive, through lush green valleys with pretty little chocolate box villages, past grazing cows and their tinkling bells. And away in the distance I could see a zig-zag road winding up a mountain. It was all very picturesque, just how I’d imagined Switzerland to be.
I was quite surprised when Waze directed me to turn toward the mountain road. But I thought I’d better just follow along as I really wanted to get to Interlaken on time. After over an hour of driving ever upward on snowier and snowier roads, I began to realise I probably wasn’t taking the most direct route. I began to wonder if I’d accidentally activated ‘scenic’ settings on my satnav.
And then, before I knew, I was on top of a mountain, surrounded by other mountains.
Thank you Waze, for the adventure I never expected, it was the drive of my life.
Stop 1: Interlaken
My heart was racing as I made my way out of the mountains and towards Interlaken. Luckily the next part of my drive was relatively relaxing, and I sat back and enjoyed the views until I reached my destination at TCS Camping Interlaken.
I had booked my overnight camping at the lovely TCS site next to the river, my plan being to set up the TentBox then head off to my next big adventure. However when I arrived, it seemed the reception was closed for (a 2 hour) lunch. So I parked up in a space in front of reception and sent them a message that I’d be back after my trip.
It was just a short walk from the campsite to Interlaken Ost station, where I was catching a train for the first leg of my journey. I would be travelling to the mountain village of Grindelwald a the foot of the North Face of the Eiger.
To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure which train to get on, as I didn’t find the instructions at the station particularly clear. However there were a couple of guards around and one immediately pointed out the right train when I showed her my ticket.
Stop 2: Grindelwald
The journey from Interlaken to the station at Grindelwald Terminal takes around 40 minutes. Once the train leaves Interlaken, it rises steadily into the mountains. From there I was going to catch the ‘Eiger Express‘ cable car high up into the Bernese Alps, to the Eiger Glacier (Eigergletscher).
The terminal at Grindelwald hosts both the train station and cable car station which makes it super easy to go from one to the other. There are also a couple of small shops in the terminal for last minute provisions or gifts.
When you are ready to get onto the cable car, you literally present your ticket and hop onto the first free car that comes along. And be prepared for the sudden rush when it leaves the terminal!
The view as you rise up the side of the mountain range is breathtaking. The gondola cars are also way more steady than the ones at Mont Blanc as they are built on a special cable system. This was good to know, as I was eerily the only person in my gondola on the ride up the mountain!
The Eiger Express certainly lives up to it’s name, with the journey up to the Eigergletscher Station only taking 15 minutes. Once you are there you can get out and admire the stunning views while you wait for the connecting train to take you to the summit.
Stop 3: Jungfraujoch
The last leg of my journey involved taking a train to the summit of the Jungfraujoch through a tunnel carved through the mountain itself. I had booked the ticket for this Jungfraujoch adventure months and months in advance and was beyond excited to reach the top.
Part of the way up through the tunnel, the train stops at the ‘Eismeer’ for visitors to get a look at the Eismeer (sea of ice) Glacier. I was really glad we got to do this, as once we got to the top, the weather conditions were terrible and the Glacier Plateau was a whiteout!
I couldn’t believe the weather at the summit could be so different from a couple of hundred feet down where the sun had been glorious. It was so cold, my hands stopped working before I got to the summit, but I was determined to get there.
Nevertheless, it was incredible, and I was so chuffed that I got to the summit and reached the flag!
My train back down wasn’t for another hour so as soon as I got back inside I got a coffee to warm my hands. Then I visited the ‘Ice Palace’ and had a wander round the visitor centre, before picking up a free Jungfraujoch passport and getting it stamped.
The trip to Jungfraujoch isn’t cheap, a return ticket will set you back a couple of hundred pounds. But it was immense and I have no hesitation to recommend doing it if you can. Next time I’m there, I think I’d like to hike some of the trails, and might even get the 3 day pass.
Overnight: TCS Camping Interlaken
After all the excitement of the day, I was delighted to get back to the campsite so that I could pitch up. Unfortunately the site office was closed (again) and having had no response to my messages, I had no idea where I could pitch. Luckily there was a lovely UK couple nearby who said I could come and pitch alongside them and their campervan ‘Doris’.
It was a beautifully clear moonlit night, but cold. I was regretting not bringing any PJs for this part of my trip, but I got everything warm I had brought and put it on. For my next trip to Switzerland I will definitely be investing in a thermal liner for my TentBox!
But all in all, I couldn’t grumble, I had wanted adventures and I had certainly had them today.
