After the Himalayas, the European Alps seems to be the most beautiful range of mountains in the world, extending over four countries viz., France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Though the last of them is the smallest, it boasts to have some of the splendid mountain peaks.

Studded with jewels of lakes, alpine meadows, crystal clear springs and rivers all guarded by lofty mountains, Switzerland as a whole is one big destination for nature lovers. It is indeed a picture postcard country and every picture clicked here merits to be cherished.

Hats off to the Swiss, who have toiled hard over the years to provide ultimate facilities for tourists and have enabled every visitor to carry back home a delightful experience. Mountain excursions to the Swiss Alps, the dream of most visitors, have been made possible by the efficient mountain railways and cable cars.

The central part of Switzerland, familiarly known as the Bernese Oberland is a mountain plateau of lush green landscape of rolling hills bedecked with blue lakes and snow clad peaks. Jungfrau (yung fra) the tall beautiful peak was where I was heading to.

It was a feast of nature’s splendours in different forms as the train journey began at Lucerne, passed along grassy plains, through tunnels, besides lakes and past cute cottages. In the sprawling farms frequently encountered, the healthy cows, which have made Swiss Chocolates famous, looked mute and bemused.

At Brienz, the sailing trip across the huge lake was waiting. The steamer was cozy with a lounge and a restaurant. The launch began to drift in a slow and steady pace which helped to view the scenery leisurely from the deck.

Interlaken, the final stop at the other end was actually the beginning of the mountain trip. Aptly named, this lovely town is snugly placed between the two huge lakes, Breinz and Thun, which look like spread eagled wings.

The mountain train, Jungfraubahnen, glided up the slope gradually. As the altitude was gained, the scenery began to unfold. The three major peaks of the massif, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau were distinctly visible.

After eight stations, we arrived at Kleine Scheidegg, which itself is in a vantage position. We could spend some time looking around in the warmth of the sun before embarking on another train for the last stretch of journey literally through the mountains. For seven long kilometres we passed through a tunnel cut through the mountain mass.

At the first stop, Eigerwand, is a large opening carved out of the Eiger’s north face through which the debris were disposed while drilling the tunnel. Now, covered by glass and connected by a narrow passage to the track, it has been converted into a fantastic viewpoint.

Looking through the window down the sheer rock face that dropped into an abyss and the wide plains far away it was hard to imagine where we were! The next stop, Eismeer which means ‘sea of ice’, also has a similar window through which the hard blue glacier is visible as close as you can touch it.

This tunnel drilled through the mountains to the top is indeed a unique engineering feat. The technocrat genius, Adolf Guyer Zeller, was the pioneer who took up the challenge and began work towards the end of 19th century. This uphill task involving thousands of workers took 16 years and 15 million Swiss Francs to complete.

The purpose was not tourism alone. The area and atmosphere near the mountain top were ideal for study and research on environment, star photometry and cosmic radiation. As such, Jungfraujoch has also been an active observatory.

At the final station of Jungfraujoch, reached after an exciting journey, we were welcomed and guided to go around. Clambering up the steps we came out into the open and there we were, on top of the highest station of Europe on a snowfield!

The chilling winds reminded us to dig for pullovers, jackets and caps. But the crispy air was nevertheless refreshing and the scenery astounding. Right in front, the mighty peak of Jungfrau stood, its black rocky ridge distinct from the snowy slope in the backdrop of a blue sky. Rising to 13642 feet, this is the highest point in the whole range.

Immediately to the left was a deep snow slope, fenced for the safety of visitors, that led to the Aletsch glacier. It is small wonder that this long and wide glacier rife with deep and deadly crevasses has been declared a UNESCO heritage site. We could see tiny specks of skiers and climbers negotiating the odds. From outside, the station is concealed by rock and snow except for the metal dome, called the Sphinx.

We spent nearly an hour looking at the amazing views before getting inside for lunch. It was a pleasant surprise to find among the couple of food joints, a Bollywood restaurant run by Indians. By the way, one finds many Indian tourists here and it is no surprise if you bump into someone from your own town. Being frequently sought after by the filming fraternity, the restaurant sports portraits of some of our popular film stars.

After a hearty authentic Indian meal, we visited another manmade wonder, the ice cave. Narrow cave passages cut through icy layers led to small chambers. Attractive images neatly chiselled out of crystalline ice are a delight to see. The paths, also hewn out of ice are quite slippery and unless the railings laid for support are held, a fall or two is bound to happen.

We had something more to do; going to the top of the station. The spacious lift took us there in a few seconds and deposited us into the balcony just below the Sphinx dome safely encompassed by a balustrade.

With precarious drops on all sides, we had a feeling of being suspended in mid air! We stood dumbstruck at the breathtaking vistas everywhere. To the east, extended a long snowfield in a moderate gradient to the chain of jagged rock peaks bordering the horizon.

Topping them all was the conical peak of Monch with ribs of rock and snow. Hundreds of skiers, snowboarders and climbers moved up and down the snow field much like the ants on an ice cream.

Our excitement knew no bounds. Thoroughly exhilarated, we made it back to the station rather reluctantly. Even as the train almost reached Interlaken, many still peeped out and strained their necks to get a last glimpse of the peaks.

FACT FILE

*Getting there: Interlaken, the starting point is 180 Km from Zurich, which is well connected by air with all important cities. It is also linked with all Swiss stations by train.

*Accommodation: Hotels and Resorts. Day trips from other cities is also possible.

*Best season: June to October.

*Suggestions: Have a good pair of boots, warm clothing and a cap. A pair of goggles is essential.