Way down the mountainside we could see the track we had traversed ,with two trains about to pass each other.
The turquoise Brienzersee stretched out before us with Interlaken visible at its most distant end. On the other side of the lake the mountains stood out in all their glory:
From left to right, the three highest peaks are the Eiger (the black one), the Monch and the Jungfrau – brilliant in clear sunshine today – hmm, perhaps could have done the Jungfrau - oh well, it is what it is.
There is a hotel (Hotel Rothorn Kulm) and restaurant at the summit, offering spectacular views. We found ourselves a seat beside the footpath and happily ate our lunch.
The locomotive crew likewise enjoyed their spectacular “lunch room” view.
As we watched, a cloud moved over and covered the summit of Jungfrau.
As well as a hotel on the summit there’s also the Sorenberg aerial cable way that glides down the back of the mountain into a valley below. The granite outcrop and mountain in the background middle of photo is Mount Pilatus.
All too soon, it was time to make our way back to the train for the trip down the mountain to Brienz.
TIP: be sure to sit on the left side going UP the mountain and the right side going DOWN the mountain. We had arrived early for the departure (to get photos of the train, of course!) and had taken our places on the windows on the right side of the carriage, the seating being bench seats across the width of the carriage.
A portly woman arrived at the last minute. Her husband boarded the train as directed by the conductor but of course there were only central seats left.
The woman stood her ground on the platform and started to berate the conductor telling him (in German) to move those “auslanders” (us) so she could have a window seat. The conductor and I had become “best buds” chatting about steam in general and that steam loco in particular (as us train tragics are wont to do) so she was given short shrift. MrsC and I had been chatting in English as I was giving her a running commentary on the altercation and the angry woman was saying a few unsavoury things about us secure in the knowledge we couldn’t understand her, and generally providing entertainment for the other passengers.
I leant out of the train and said politely but quite loudly in my best hochdeutsch (high German) “Bitte steigen Sie ein - wir warten noch nur auf Sie (please board, we’re waiting only for you)”. A look of horror crossed her face as I smiled sweetly down at her, the conductor stifled a laugh, but other passengers laughed out loud….. as did her husband. She boarded, slamming the door closed behind her as chuckles sounded from all parts of the carriage. Deathly silence apart from furious heavy breathing. I felt sorry for her husband who I was sure would be punished later that day!
As we looked across the valley, the Jungfrau summit was now totally shrouded in cloud – whew, we certainly dodged a cloudy bullet there!
Back at Brienz, it was only a 15 minute wait for the next train to Lucerne – much longer than this morning’s train.
A wonderful end to our Swiss “mountain climbing”.