Sunday 13 April 2014

J is for Jungfraujoch

Marketed as the “Top of Europe” experience, the husband and I were expecting our trip to Jungfrau to be the high point of our Swiss sojourn.

We chose to use the services of the Jungfrau railway, known to be a pioneer of sorts in the mountain railway scene. We boarded a delightful cogwheel train at Kleine Scheidegg, which took us to Jungfrau in about an hour’s time. En route, we got off at two spectacular view points and gasped and marvelled at the Alps.

At this point, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that TH and I have lived near the equator practically our entire lives. You may now appreciate the effort it took us to just get to Jungfrau. We actually felt like ghosts, because we could not feel our feet and hands beyond a certain altitude.

When we finally reached, we were dazed to see a bunch of people rush to a particular spot, trampling everything in their wake. TH and I managed to find each other again after all this drama and floated along (ghosts remember?) to get out into the snow. And guess what we find? Shah Rukh Khan! (For the uninitiated, he is a big Bollywood superstar) Not in body and flesh, but his picture on a cardboard was enough to send people into a frenzy.

I occasionally loathe how loud and crass Bollywood can be. So you can imagine my dismay when I go all the way to the top of Europe, braving the cold, only to see people making a beeline to click pictures with a cut out of Shah Rukh Khan and dine in Restaurant Bollywood!
Well, that does not take away anything from the beauty of the place. It is quite astounding. Just watch your back for crazy SRK fans when you step out into the snow.




14 comments:

  1. Whoaa.. I did not know SRK was this famous !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He he, I think the Swiss tourism industry thrives because of the impetus is has recd from Yash Raj films and SRK! ;)

      Delete
  2. Aarthi, Love this. How many times indeed do we leave our own little world to learn that it's more ubiquitous than we had hoped! McDonald's I'm looking at you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, true Corinne. Something a little more warm would have perhaps been nice.

      Delete
  3. Oh no, how disappointing to have that stunning view spoilt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenny, the view was quite amazing by itself. Just that we did not expect to be shoved around so rudely. It came as a shock and was a tad bit distasteful.

      Delete
  4. Sounds like a great trip! I live in America, and the number of countries I've visited is sadly limited right now. I hope to change that someday!

    Visiting from the A to Z Challenge signup page. It's great to meet you!

    Stephanie Faris, author
    30 Days of No Gossip
    http://stephie5741.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great to meet you Stephanie! I assure you, you will find the ways and means to save up, reserve holidays for a bigger trip etc. and get hooked on to travelling once you start! Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

      Delete
  5. I'm a big fan of SRK, but even I wouldn't want to click myself next to a picture of him, man! That too up there! Aiyyooo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He he.. Well, my husband and I think about it and laugh now. But at that point, it was really frustrating!

      Delete
  6. Wow.. That's crazy! So much madness just for a cardboard cutout.

    By the way, don't hate me for this, but I'm happy that I have company in being behind on my posts. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not at all Devika. The feeling is mutual :) Happy to have a companion :D Let's catch up with the rest of the crowd now!

      Delete
  7. That is so funny! It's a long time since I went to the Jungfrau, but it is a beautiful place. Hope it didn't spoil it too much for you. :)
    Jemima
    #TeamDamyanti
    Blogging from Alpha to Zulu in April

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jemima. Nah, the view was way to spectacular for something small like this to spoil it :) Just that it was a bit shocking to have experienced this in the first place.

      Delete