Originally, we had wanted to visit Mount Titlis. However, as there was an avalanche due to heavy snowfall the night before, we had to decide on an alternative. In the end, we decided to visit Kleine Scheidegg which is located 2061 metres above sea level at the base of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. During winter, the Kleine Scheidegg is a famous ski resort area surrounded by the beautiful view of the Swiss Alps. As such, we headed towards Lauterbrunnen to take the rail train to Kleine Scheidegg.
Along the way to Lauterbrunnen, our bus was stopped at a checkpoint just before approaching the winding mountainous road. In fact, all vehicles were stopped. The checkpoint was established to inform and ensure that all vehicles attached snow chains on their tires as it was snowing heavily and the road was icy. Even with the snow chains on, our bus had to travel at snail pace. For the first time in this trip, everyone (including myself) on board the bus fasten their seat belts. Safety first! It was an hair raising experience when the bus began going up the mountain which was a narrow single lane. There were some instances when I really thought the bus looked like it was going to drop down into the cliff or there might be an avalanche. In fact, we did witness a small avalanche right in front of us and our Italian driver with over 20 years of experience went 'dangerous, so dangerous'. I am so glad we are back alive! The group of us being Singaporeans were all hoping to see lots of snow before we left Changi Airport. Well, we got our wish (in fact it was a case of too much snow).
A photo taken on board the bus. Look at the amount of snow on top the roof of the house and the car. It was an eye opener watching the various types of vehicles remove snow and ice from the roads.
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| Left to right: Lauterbrunnen station, Map of Streckennetz de Jungfraubahnen |
The map of the Jungfrau Railways Network (Streckennetz de Jungfraubahnen) is shown on the top right of the photo above. Lauterbrunnen station where we took the rail train is on the left of the photo.
The scenery that unfold as we took the rack rail was stunning. What a beauty right? Our rail train had a snowplow attached at its front to clear the snow from the rail track. We past by Wengen which is just below Kleine Scheidegg.
At Kleine Scheidegg, it was snowing heavily and the temperature was negative 15 to 20 degree celsius! This was the coldest we got to experience during the entire trip. Luckily we brought our heat packs. We did not stinge on it as we used up several of the toe, hand and body warmers.
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We headed over to Restaurant Bahnhof Röstizza which is located 5 minutes away from the rail station for lunch. The restaurant was packed with people, mostly young kids and teenagers who were from the ski schools. Despite the crowd, the service was efficient. We were served our food within a short time.
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| Bread |
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| Minestrone Soup with Fresh Vegetables |
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| Minestrone Soup with Fresh Vegetables |
The soup that was served was the Minestrone Soup with Fresh Vegetables. A robust and absolutely tasty bowl of soup.
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| Bratwurst with Rosti |
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| Bratwurst with Rosti |
For the main course, we had the Bratwurst (sausage) with Rosti. The Rosti is a common dish in Switzerland and in fact many Swiss people consider this a national dish. Look at the amount of Rosti given. Even though I am someone who loves potato, I could not finish the Rosti. This was also partly because it was a tad too salty. The sausage was also on the salty end.
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| Pudding |
For desserts, we had pudding. The pudding was similar to beancurd, wobbly, silky soft. Accompanied with a fragrant sweet tasting caramel sauce, it was a hit among us.
After our food, we went ventured out into the snow. It snowed so heavily that we were advised not to bother to rent snow equipment as the snow was too deep in most areas. Nevertheless, the group of us had a great amount of fun as we went out and played with the snow (including snow fight and burying each other in the snow)! The snow was so light and fluffy that we could not make a snowman. The depth of the snow was so thick that some of us sunk into the snow at certain areas. Some parts were knee deep while the some were up to our waist! What a memorable experience. We lasted close to half an hour outside. Quite an achievement considering that it was so cold; -15°C to -20°C.
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This was the scenery on the way down. Beautiful right? The road on the bottom right looks icy.
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