It’s the long-awaited day to go to Jungfrau! It was one of the places I looked forward to the most during my trip to Switzerland and my entire European trip, as I had heard about it many times since I was a child, including in Korea. After hearing that there would be too many people if we went to Jungfrau late, we decided to take the first car. I woke up at 5:30 and started getting ready. Since we had to go to a high mountain, we asked to have breakfast and we shared a large cup of fried udon. Then I quickly put on my makeup and changed my clothes and left around 6:40. I walked to Interlaken Ost Station and took the train to Grindelwald. After passing out and sleeping, I arrived at Grindelwald terminal and took the cable car. Actually, I don’t remember much because I was so sleepy, but at first I couldn’t see outside at all, so I thought, ‘I’m in big trouble.’ I was worried, ‘What if the fog is this thick above?’, but after about 3 minutes of climbing, the cable car burst out of the fog. Looking from above, there was a layer of fog, and I think it was just around the cable car boarding area. The scenery I saw on the way up was beautiful. I saw a similar scenery yesterday, with the snowy and green mountains harmonious, fairytale-like small houses and goats, but it was such a beauty that I don’t think I could get used to it even after seeing it for a year. We went up a little further and arrived at a station called Eigergletscher. From here, we take the train again to go up to Jungfrau, but there weren’t that many people there, perhaps because we were the first to go up by car.
It took almost 2 hours to arrive at Jungfrau Station. I just arrived, but I was confused because I couldn’t see a door leading outside. First, we decided to go sightseeing by following the map labeled Discovery tour, so we went to a cinema showing Jungfrau videos and a small observatory. The next course was called Ice Palace, and I had more fun than I expected. We had fun taking pictures by imitating the penguin next to the ice carved in the shape of a penguin, taking pictures like Elsa on the ice bench, and skating on the ice.
Then I finally went to a place called Glacier Plateau. If you go out here, you will come across a photo spot in Jungfrau where everyone takes pictures, and the pictures change every time you visit. We arrived around 9:15 and waited about 15 minutes before it opened. At 9:30, the door opened and everyone started to leave. To get to the Jungfrau Photo Spot, you have to climb up a snowy hill, but it was a lot more slippery and difficult to climb than I expected. Still, I diligently went up with the thought that I would have to wait a long time if I went late. We did an open run, and perhaps because we went up early, we had to wait about 10 minutes to take pictures. While waiting, I took pictures of the snow next to me. We went there on a day when it was snowing, and our shoes and socks got wet as we walked, and 80% of the people in line were Korean. The team standing in front of us and the team standing behind us were all Korean. In the middle of the line, I promised to take a photo with the couple standing behind me, and at the end of the line, I was asked to take a photo of the four-person team in front of me. It was a moment when I felt the affection of Korea. When our turn finally came, we eagerly took individual photos, took some with our friends, and took photos of couples behind us, then went inside.
The long-awaited cup ramen time! I came indoors from the cold outdoors, looked at the Lindt souvenir shop, and came down to a lounge-like space with cup ramen. As expected, it was full of Koreans… We ordered cup ramen and two cups of hot chocolate, which we received with the Jungfrau VIP pass. The cup ramen I received and tried was truly impressive. Life became cup ramen. It was a hot and stimulating taste, a taste that warmed the body and gave happiness at the same time. I inhaled it as one with the cup ramen, and my friend said that the people sitting at the table next to me complimented me. I myself had a hard time striking a pose, so I said, “Let’s do a heart-hurrah!” “Hello~” He said that he took the picture while saying this and that it came out well, but I was so engrossed in ramen that I didn’t hear anything. But I happily ate the ramen and finally it was time for cocoa! The cocoa topped with whipped cream was a taste that gave me a dopamine rush. Sometimes, I find cocoa that is not sweet, but here, the rich sweetness seemed to bring a blood sugar spike and happiness at the same time. We ate happily, rested for a while, went to a souvenir shop, and then went to catch the train.
The last destination is Muren! It is a small village at the right end of Jungfrau. I went to First, which is the left end of the Jungfrau Pass, yesterday, and Brienz, which is the lower end of Interlaken, yesterday. I also went to Thun, which is the right end of Interlaken, the day before yesterday. I chose this course because I hadn’t been to the right side of Jungfrau, but in the end, I would have missed a lot if I hadn’t gone. I almost regretted it. The route was so complicated that I had to change trains three times. This course requires you to take a train, transfer to another train, and then take a gondola to the last train. On the first train, I mainly saw caves, but the moment I arrived at Kleine Scheitek, the first transfer station, I couldn’t believe my eyes. So beautiful? The snowy mountains spread out in all directions were magnificent. I am once again feeling the limits of my ability to express myself… I once again felt overwhelmed. I had about 20 minutes until the next train, so I enjoyed the view and took some pictures, and I felt like I made a good decision to come here. It was a sight that made me happy just by looking at it and made me want to stay there forever. After looking around for a while, I boarded the next train. The next train was a very cute yellow and green train. It was cute outside and the seats inside were cute too. And there was a full window, so it was nice to see nature outside. I arrived at the next transfer station while looking out the window with such happiness that it felt overwhelming to see nature outside. It’s a station called Lauterbrunnen, and here you take the gondola up. It had the highest slope among the gondolas I’ve ever ridden, and it was nice to feel like I was at similar eye level to the snowy mountain in real time and to be able to see various sights. The road to Murren on the last train felt cute because there were many houses, and it also felt majestic because I could see snowy mountains and waterfalls.
Muren, where we arrived, seemed like a small town. I took a picture with a log, which is Muren’s representative photo spot, and walked around here and there before entering a cafe. Drinking cocoa at a cabin-like cafe in a cute village while looking at the snowy mountains was one of my long-time bucket list items, and after completing that bucket list, I came in to take a quick break. I ordered cocoa, coffee, and apple caramel walnut cake. The cocoa was less sweet and delicious, and the cake was very sweet but still delicious. After taking a leisurely rest, I headed home. On the way back, I bought a sandwich and water for tomorrow’s breakfast.
I took a shower and ate ramen, sausage, and even Hetbahn today, just like yesterday. If you think about it, today was a day where I ate fried udon for breakfast, Shin Ramyun for lunch, and Neoguri Ramen for dinner. Everything was delicious. Especially Shin Ramyun for lunch! I’m drinking champagne with my friends and writing and chatting. Now I’m going to finish the day by playing and resting.
2 cups of cocoa + cake 15 francs
6 francs for groceries
