Jungfraujoch

Some of the most famous Swiss Alps (and on a clear day you could see the snow-capped range from our little Interlaken town square!) is the Junfraujoch (Jungfrau yoke), so named for the saddle dip between two of the mountains, Jungfrau (the Maiden) and Munch (the Monk). The third peak is the Eiger (Ogre--remember Clint Eastwood's The Eiger Sanction?). As the legend goes, the monk's position protects the maiden from the ogre. Talk about zeitgeist. In any case, the mountains are some of the highest in Europe and are worth the cog rails and cable cars to get to them.

Jungfrau food and services were impressive. Clean facilities, decent food choices. I went in the men's room by mistake. When I came out of the right place, there was a bloodcurdling scream echoing throughout the modern mountain facility. Yet another baby needing care. I'm sure the yell was heard on the next glacier!

Jan walked out on the snow and a bit of the glacier. I had the wrong shoes and feared the literal slippery slope. Back inside, there was an immersive film depicting how the mountains formed and a fun ice cave filled with silly and sublime ice sculptures down a number of passageways. Even the walkway was ice. Cool. Very!

Train cars were full--it was August, after all--filled with families, children, dogs. We met one gal whose husband is stationed in Frankfurt. When we told her our travel plans and staying in Munich the last five weeks, she said to explore the expat community. That may help me since my German is still not fully there and French and Italian still burp up.