The Top of Europe

After a wonderful morning of skiing, Ben's family and I decided to spend our last afternoon in the Lauterbrunnen Valley area in Jungfraujoch, nicknamed "The Top of Europe."

To be honest, the phrase "Top of Europe" is a bit of a misnomer. The Jungfraujoch actually refers to the saddle between the two peaks Monch and Jungfrau, which rise hundreds of meters above Jungfraujoch. Even then, the two mountains Jungfraujoch sits between aren't even Europe's highest: that title belong's to France's Mont Blanc. What Jungfraujoch does have, however, is the highest railway station in Europe.

The Jungfraujoch railway is a pretty incredible story.

Construction of the Jungfrau railway began in 1896, and by 1912, it was up and running. Now, nearly one hundred years later, the railway is not only still functioning, but still holds the title as the tallest railway in Europe. The railway itself is almost completely underground, consisting of a four-mile-long tunnel through the massive Eiger mountain. In addition to being long, the railway is also steep, with inclines up to 25%. If you ask me, that's some pretty impressive engineering. 

By the time we emerged at the top, it didn't matter that Jungfraujoch wasn't technically the "Top of Europe"-- the crisp air, brilliant white snow, and endless sea of mountain peaks around us made me feel not only as if I were on top of Europe, but on top of the world as well. 

incredible views. 

the great aletsch glacier. 

chris, ben, and me, eating lunch with a (very, very impressive) view.

covering more than 45 square miles, the great aletsch glacier is the largest
 in switzerland. 

chris + ben

chris, ben, and me

ben, posing next to some pretty stellar ice sculptures (I'm not sure if you can
 tell, but they're ice penguins!)

this falcon ice sculpture was one of my favorites.

an endless sea of mountain peaks. 

the hamner family! chris, mark, susan, and ben.

the train ride back to lausanne, relaxing after a jam-packed and
wonderful two days.