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Published: December 16th 2014
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In Switzerland, there are a few main languages: German (which is the most prominent language) , French, and in some parts, Spanish and Italian.
Wilkomme to my thoughts on Switzerland- one of my favourite places that I went to in Europe. Actually I pretty much loved everywhere, but that's beside the point. Wilkomme is Swiss German for Welcome. Thank you can be said in a number of ways: Merci, Merci Vielmal, and Dangge. Please is the same as it was in Germany and in Austria: Bitte. Ok language lesson is done for the day. On the way to Switzerland we made a stop at the Swarovski Crystal Palace and Museum- very pretty shiny things inside 😊 And we saw how outrageous and spectacular the pieces are. I fell in love with a necklace, but sadly it was way out of my budget 😞
From there we traveled to Lucern, a town in Switzerland that is famous for making watches and chocolates. We had a watch demonstration that the tour group has to take us too, and there I also did fall in love with an awesome watch, the lady in the shop called it the "James Bond watch for
women", because it had over 40 functions. Unfortunately, that also was way too far out of y price range. Jen (a fellow chocoholic) and I found a little store that sold beautiful little chocolates and liquor chocolate bottles. It was €3 for 12 chocolates, so of course we had to oblige. They were mouthwatering! In Switzerland the currency is the Swiss Frank, however they also accept the Euro.
We then continued on our bus drive and made a stop on the mountain to look out at Schöbüel Lungern. It was truly picturesque, and no photos could ever do justice to it. We then made it to Lauterbrunnen, our camp site- we had little huts that had four beds in it and nothing else, there was a dinning hall, a bar, and communal bathrooms- luckily they were divided into boys and girls.
The next day morning we departed the grounds and walked down the road to the train station. The way up to the Jungfraujoch was via two trains. It takes almost 2 hours to get up and costs €130. Once you are on top of the Jungfraujoch, you are standing 3454m (11, 333 ft) above sea level and
at the highest point you can climb without training, hence the name "The top of the world". Once you are at the top, there are multiple activities that you can do. If the weather permits, you can do snowboarding, skiing, tobogganing and do the zip line- this cost will set you back another €100 but it also includes the hiring of snow gear and boots. Just make sure that your insurance covers snow activities, otherwise if you are involved in an accident, you will be out of pocket. If you aren't into those activities, you can always have a classic snowball fight, it is colder inside the building than outside. And after the snow ball fight, what better way to warm up than trying the hot chocolate made in the Lindt Chocolate Factory? Believe me there is no better way. The hot chocolate was divine, and they gave you free chocolate balls as well 😊 There is also a room which shows a panoramic view of the progress of the Jungfraujoch, it is amazing to see how it was even 30 years old, and to see how it's all changed.
It is hard to know what the temperature was
going to be up on the top of the Jungfraujoch, but given the fact that it was 5C on the ground, chances are it was going to be freezing up there. I think I had on about 7 layers. Believe me it was worth it to look like a marshmallow- I wasn't as cold as some others that went up there.
After a few hours up on top of the world, it was time to go back down, the last train left at 4, so we caught the 3pm train, arrived back down just before 5pm and then had dinner and got ready for the "Swisco Disco" party- our last contiki themed party of the trip.
Top tips for Switzerland:
1- Don't worry about bringing over Franks as well. The Swiss accept Euro, however, your change will come back to you in Franks.
2- You have got to try the chocolate. The Swiss are famous for it, Lindt is their own of course. And try the hot chocolate while you are at it.
3- Layer up at the top of the Jungfraujoch. As the day wears on, it does get warmer, so it is easier
to take off a layer than to be sweating or shivering.
4- Take a back pack- for food, water and your excess clothing layers.
5- Take your own lunch up. There are some cafes and restaurants up there, but some of them can be super expensive.
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