All posts by yuning

Hey there! My name is Yuning. I’m a full-time adventure travel blogger & photographer who’s been exploring the world for over 6 years, with no plans to stop anytime soon. Welcome to my travel blog! This is where I share entertaining stories, amazing photography, and crazy adventures with you from my perpetual travels around the world.

Top of Europe, get our own Jungfrau Passport

Today, we are going to climb Jungfrau.

Interlaken is a Swiss town about a two-hour drive from Mulhouse in French.

As soon as we enter Switzerland, a beautiful plateau mountain scenery opens out before us.

Interlaken takes its name from its geographical position between the lakes (in Latin inter lacus). The Aare flows through the town from one to the other lake, whilst the Lutschine flows from the southern mountains into Lake Brienz however not running through the municipality of Interlaken. The town located at the foot of Jungfrau is very beautiful.

The Hoheweg is Interlaken’s main street which runs between Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost Railway Stations. On this street you will find many souvenir shops. Have a look at Hoehe Matte Park, the 150-year old Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel, and don’t miss the beautiful view of the famous snow-covered Jungfrau from Hoehe Matte Park.

Today, the weather is wonderful, paragliders land on the Great Lawn of Hoehe Matte Park from time to time. I really wanna play this paraglider, unfortunately, time does not permit.

Casino Kursaal is even more for cultural activity purposes. It was built in 1859 and rebuilt in 1968. A variety of public activities, cultural entertainment activities such as elegant dance, annual music week, folk song and dance performances, local exhibitions, trade fairs, etc are held here.

We go by train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunen and start our journey.

The left red train is for Lucerne, we are waiting for a train on the right railway platform.

When I see the ice mountain, I may be a bit excited.

The total one-way traveling time from Interlaken Ost to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe station is just over two hours.

The Jungfrau at 4,158 metres (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, together with the Eiger and Monch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.

From Interlaken Ost (567 m / 1,860 ft), two routings are available to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe station – either travel via Lauterbrunnen (796 m / 2,612 ft) or via Grindelwald (1,034 m / 3,094 ft). The time needed and the price of tickets are the same for both routes and it is possible to travel up via the one route and return via the other.

Railway journeys from Interlaken to the Jungfraujoch start on the Berner Oberland Bahn (BOB) trains from Interlaken Ost station. Enter the correct carriage as the train splits in Zweilutschinen with different wagons traveling to Lauterbrunnen (20 minutes) and Grindelwald (35 minutes).

Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are famous as the best spots to watch Jungfrau, the tourists can see Jungfrau in their hotel rooms.

At either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen (via Wengen), change to a WAB cogwheel train heading towards Kleine Scheidegg. The train from Grindelwald takes just over half an hour while the trains from Lauterbrunnen need around 45 minutes to reach Kleine Scheidegg.

From Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfraubahn trains go through the mountain to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe station. This last section of the route takes 50 minutes – up-bound trains stop twice at special viewing points inside the tunnel to allow passengers to get off for a few minutes of sightseeing.

On the way to Jungfrau, At Lauterbrunnen we transfer to another train.

Lauterbrunnen is a mountain town, the scenery of Lauterbrunnen is very beautiful. This is one of the best four towns to watch Jungfrau. The other three are Grindelwald, Wengen, and Mirren.

If you are independent travel, staying in these small towns is a good choice, especially in Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, changing trains is particularly convenient.

From Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg, the cogwheel train send the tourists up the mountain.

Several workers are cleaning the fallen leaves near Kleine Scheidegg.

Several workers are providing the maintenance of the railway track and guarantee the security of railway traffic.

Kleine Scheidegg railway station is coming, we have to change here for a train to Jungfrau.

There is a coffee shop sell coffee drinks at the station, we can get some calories here.

While we are waiting for the train, at half-past two in the afternoon, mountain snow is shining in the sun.

From Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfraubahn trains go through the mountain to Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe station.

Going out of Jungfrau railway station, we take a high-speed elevator to the Sphinx Observation Deck at an altitude of 3,571 meters.

The Observation Deck was built on a vast ice surface and was surrounded by handrails guardrail.

The Observation Deck offers 360 views of Jungfrau, Moench and Eiger within many kilometers, the panorama of snow mountain is very spectacular.

In good weather, I feel Jungfrau in front.

Two or thirty meters below the Observation Deck, there is an ice palace, which is an ice cave caved out of the million-year-old ice layer. Many ice sculptures are crystal clear.

The tour guide sends us a Jungfrau railway centennial passport in the break room of the Observation Deck, Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe station manager imprints the passport with a seal and gives us the passport as a keepsake.

Stamped by Jungfrau railway station, I keep mementos.

We get an up-close view of the beautiful snow and ice world.

The Aletsch Glacier has been listed as World Natural Heritages.

On the return trip, we see the snow mountain of sunrise.

Dorint hotel is a true mountain hotel, from which hotel guests can almost reach out and touch the 2,000m high Niederhorn, or the legendary Eiger North Face.

Lucerne is a must-see place in Switzerland

Yesterday, we slept overnight in Doring Hotel.

We stand on the balcony, overlooking Lake Thun in the morning, the scenery is very beautiful.

At noon today we will go to Lucerne by the Golden Pass panoramic train. We go shopping in the morning.

Interlaken is the central town in the Bernese Oberland, It is surrounded by the Alps, but it’s not actually in the mountains. The town is situated in between two beautiful lakes. Interlaken is one of foreign cities that have established sister city ties with Huangshan City in China. The city has horse-drawn buggies, gardens, shopping streets, upscale hotels, dining rooms and so on, each with its own characteristics.

There are many expensive Swiss watch stores, upscale fashion shops and featured souvenir shops in Hoheweg street interlaken.

In the souvenir shop, we can see different kinds of cowbells.

The brand-new Golden Pass panoramic train is the most famous scenic train in Switzerland. The train route between Lucerne (Luzern) and Interlaken is one of the loveliest scenic rail trips in Switzerland and shorter than some of the other branded scenic trains, a part of the path of the Golden Pass train route.

We are required to book tickets for the Golden Pass panoramic train in advance, but the travel agency help us make ticket reservations, we don’t worry about that.

The train stations are clean, scenic and masterfully efficient. They all offer basic amenities, vending machines, and occasionally a store at which to stock up on supplies.

This route is very beautiful, Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and Lake Lucerne attracts our eyes. The train is running between mountains and lakes, lakes and mountains add radiance and beauty to each other, I find myself in wonderland.

Lucerne, lying on the Reuss River, used to be the capital of Switzerland, now is the sixth-largest city in Switzerland. As beautiful scenery, Lucerne is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Switzerland.

The Lion of Lucerne was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen, a famous Danish sculptor who lived between the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of the Lion of Lucerne was to commemorate the mercenary soldiers from central Switzerland who lost their lives while serving the French king Louis XVI during the French Revolution.

The highlight of the monument, however, is undoubtedly the statue of the lion itself. At first glance, the most noticeable feature of the lion is that it is dying. Upon closer inspection, one may notice the head of a spear sticking out from the side of the lion – the cause of its suffering and its eventual death. In addition, the lion is portrayed partially covering a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis. This is an obvious symbol of the French monarchy, as well as a representation of the cause that the Swiss Guards fought and gave up their lives for.

One of the most well-known descriptions of the Lion of Lucerne comes from Mark Twain’s 1880 travelogue,  A Tramp Abroad , in which the American author wrote that the memorial was “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”

Chapel Bridge is a wooden pedestrian bridge that spans Reuss River in the city Lucerene in Switzerland. It was built in 1333 and is one of the oldest wooden bridges in Europe.

One of the characteristics of Chapel Bridge is that it has painting hanged bellow its roof. They are triangular and depict events from the history and Legends of Lucerene, from painting that present life and death of Lucerne’s patron saint St. Leger to legends of city’s other patron saint St. Maurice. They were painted in 17th century by a local Catholic painter Hans Heinrich Wägmann.

On August 18th, 1993, shortly after midnight, about two thirds of the wooden Chapel Bridge were destroyed by fire. Only the pillars, the bridgeheads and the Water Tower could be saved. Within a year, Chapel Bridge was completly restored.

However, 85 of the 110 pictures under the roof, dating back to 1611, were destroyed by the 1993 fire, only 25 could be saved or restored. The others have been replaced by pictures from the second part of the bridge that had been safely stored since 1834.

Water Tower is older that the bridge by some 30 years and was used as a prison and also as archive. Although it is a part of bridge complex it is now not opened for public.

Hof Church, main cathedral for the city, as well as the St. Leodegar and St. Maurice religious center. A Benedictine monastery was founded here in the 8th century. In 1633, a fire destroyed the church; it was rebuilt in 1645. It is the most important Renaissance church in Switzerland. Especially noteworthy are the façade, Mary’s alter(with a relief panel dating from 1500), and the souls’ altar.

Schwanenplatz is a major shopping place for tourists visiting lucerne. there are numerous shops here, cafes, restaurants,etc. The shops of ‘bucherer’ and the ‘gubelin’ watchmakers are very famous for swiss watches and mostly high end watches. A rolex watch factory is also present in this area. Other shops around sell local swiss handicrafts, Some shops sell souvenirs such as swiss army knives-victorinox, chocolates, jewellery etc.

Coffee shops can be seen everywhere, on the streets of Lucerne, lakeside. If fatigue overtakes you, it is nice to sit down, relax, and have some coffee.

Swiss chocolate is famous aross the world, with good reason. The nation has a long history of excellence in the field, and many of today’s chocolatiers still use traditional recipes and make every sweet treat by hand. We visit here and do not ignore it. Hey, and ice cream too.

Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. There are many high mountains by the lake, such as Pilatus Mountain, Rigi Mountain etc. Swan swims on the surface of Lake Lucerne. Beautiful lakes and mountains are the typical Swiss landscapes, beautiful.

Dozens of tourist boats are tied up alongside the lakeshore, they are symbols of wealth.

Lucerne, transportation convenient, easy and comfortable life, picturesque mountains and lakes, is a well-deserved livable city.

The Grand Hotel Europe in suburban Lucerne in which we live is near the lake.

Thai Grand Palace · very luxurious imperial buildings

Thai Grand Palace is the biggest palace of Thailand’s royal family and is a dazzling display of what is best in the architecture, decoration, sculpture and painting of Thailand. Located on the east coast of Menam River, Thai Grand Palace started to be built in 1782, these complex buildings were once home to the Thai King Rama V, and are now used for grand ceremonial purposes. Thai Grand Palace is normally open to the public, and become one of the most famous attractions in Thailand.

Thai Grand Palace complex owns a total 22 buildings, the main buildings are 4 relatively unique palaces, these palaces line up from east to west, all palaces have attached roof ridge in green tiles finish, a purple glazed tile roof, and crested cornices.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha inside the royal palace is the most sacred temple in Thailand and is where the kings of each dynasty and the royal families held birthday celebrations and coronation ceremonies.

Thai Grand Palace is like a city within a city in the fairy tale world, the city of golden armor, everywhere is a golden Buddhist building.

The Patronus in various states

The exquisite architectural masterpieces

Only separated by a wall with Thai Grand Palace is the office area of the king, a handsome guard at the gate.

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall constructed during the reign of Thai King Ramah v.

The towering pagodas pinnacles are exquisite carved and dazzlingly brilliant in the sunlight.

A local tour guide is introducing the public to Thai Grand Palace.

The statues of the patron saints have different expressions.

We can see lots of stone statues inside the palace, it was said that the businessmen who transported the goods from China to Thailand bought many statues in order to keep away evil spirits and subdue wind wave. These statues are of exquisite workmanship, the king of Thailand of the day who was influenced by Chinese traditional culture liked Chinese art and bought these statues, but he didn’t understand the origin of these statues, these statues kept in the palace, these stately statues together with the patron saints, undertake the task of protecting The Grand Palace.

The old fresco on the wall of the palace

She is a devout Buddhist.

Thai pray in Buddhist temples and usually use a bunch of flowers.

Foreign tourists come to visit in an endless stream every year.

The guard is swarthy from the sun.