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Subscribe to RSSHigh and mighty, vast and timeless: Matt stood on the "top of Europe" to kick off the fourth day of Where in the World.
The anchor was 11,745 feet above sea level at Jungfraujoch’s Sphinx Observatory, located in the Swiss Alps.
TODAY
Did you guess correctly? Natalie did! Read an explanation of Matt's two clues.
The mountains are home to snowy peaks and lush valleys. Towns accessible only by cable car dot the landscape.
It's a popular tourist destination: 700,000 visitors come every year (with many likely leaving with their jaw on the ground).
Slideshow: See the other locations Matt's visited on his 10 trips
You can get there by taking a train, like Matt did. It's the highest railway station in Europe. (Watch a video of the spectacular trip here.)
But some people mountain climb to get there! Matt profiled a group of climbers, one of whom scaled the Eiger, Europe’s most dangerous mountain, in 2 hours and 45 minutes! Meet the guy who climbed it that quickly in the video below.
The Where in the World team was supposed to arrive in Jungfrau on Tuesday, but poor weather changed the team's plans.
Video: View the 'whiteout' storm that scrambled Matt's plans
How would one survive in these horrible conditions? Matt was joined by survival expert Bear Grylls who showed Matt how to create a snow cave for shelter and how to find food: grub, which Matt ate live on the show.
Thankfully, this morning was beautiful: 23 degrees Fahrenheit with a sun so intense that Matt didn't need a coat.
And of course there's more to eat up there than insects. When most Americans think Swiss delicacies, they think cheese.
But NBC's Kerry Sanders, who joined Matt on top of the mountain, reveals that while Swiss locals are borderline obsessed with the dairy product, there's no such thing as what Americans call Swiss cheese. Watch his report.
Matt was also joined at the top by yodelers and a Swiss "model": a St. Bernard named Asti. Check out the lovable pooch below:
Jungfraujoch Observatory is most famous for being the breathtaking setting for the 1969 James Bond film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."
And Bond would be proud of how Jungfraujoch has evolved over the last few years. From the zipline to paragliding, mountain biking to sipping stiff drinks in an ice palace, visitors can definitely follow in the footsteps of Agent 007.
TODAY Travel Guide: See these amazing views in person
Watch a video of Kerry performing some intense stunts in the Swiss Alps below.
Before Matt left Switzerland, Matt bestowed his co-anchors with gifts and revealed a clue about his final destination.
What do you think of Jungfraujoch? Let us know in the comments below!
Relive the previous days' locations:
Complete coverage of Where in the World is Matt Lauer
Day 1: Skeleton Coast in Namibia | TODAY Travel Guide
Day 2: Madrid, Spain | TODAY Travel Guide
Day 3: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | TODAY Travel Guide
Leave a Comment:
I first visited the Jungfrau region of Switzerland when I was 20. Brought the family back for a few trips as well. Truly an amazing place to see.
Just heard the clue for tomorrow, I think he's going to Rio DeJaneiro!
It's so much fun to watch where Matt is these days. I should be recording it. One thing that is very annoying however, are the boxes that are up in front of the tv scene! It is so annoying because you can't always see everything you want to see. Please! Please! Get those boxes off the screen!
I'm guessing Brussels, Belgium
The Orient Express! I wish to one day take that ride.
My grandmother's great uncles Johann Rudolf & Hieronymus Meyer were the first to reach the summit of the Jungfaujoch on Aug. 11, 1811. No one believed that they were able to reach the peak, so they went back & did it again in 1812. They went up the south side. It is so nice to see it on the Today Show!
Matt might be going to Ieper (Ypres) Belgium, to mark the anniversary of Armistice Day.
My guess for day 5, either Germany or England
Who is the vocalist and the song played in the background of Switzerland footage with Matt Lauer... sounds like Sarah Brightman...
sorry to say, I am unable to watch the videos, I was only able to see " Namibia " since yesterday , I can only watch the commercial, and than the stream stops, I have waited up to 5 minutes for the upload but nothing happens, what a shame, have a good day
Visited Jungfraujoch with my family in 2005 and would love to go back! Would love to know how Matt and the crew are dealing with the altitude. I started feeling really tired and sluggish after about 2 hours at that elevation.
Standing on Top of Europe is not too great of an idea at the moment, since European unity seems to be collapsing.
Friday, Day 5 of wiw is Veterans Day and I think the location will be connected to a way to honor our vets or something connected to the military? Question is where?
Sounds like you will be visiting Holland next. They have a two day party of epic proportions. Sounds like a blast
The Jungfraujoch Observatory was not in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. That movie's location was atop a neighboring peak, the Schilthorn.
I have been to Jungfraujock, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
I also wonder if the making tracks part of clue might suggest a large scale tracked over snow and ice vehicle like at the South Pole. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year of the expedition that reached the South Pole where now there is a permanent research station Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station?Otherwise I keep thinking maybe to Iraq as American troops prepare to leave for good and have one giant party on Veteran's Day?
How much can you get wrong in one short article?
How do you arrive "in Jungfrau"? Jungfrau is a mountain, they probably arrived in Interlaken.
Jungfraujoch is on the ridge between the Jungfrau and Eiger mountains and not a mountain peak!
James Bond was on the Schilthorn (Piz Gloria) which is 20 miles away across the valley!
PS: both places are awesome! ;)
Put this place on your bucket list; my husband and I enjoyed skiing Jungfrau and stayed in Grindelwald. If you have one place to go in Europe, especially to ski, this is the place to go. you will not be disappointed.
Seems to me like you will be going to Tunis, Tunisia next. This is because in the ancient world Tunis used to be called Carthage and the Carthaginians enemies were the Romans. So a Carthaginian general named Hannibal took his army and war elephants and tried to sneak up on the Romans by hiking the alps and going into Italy. This was a party of epic proportions. You will face your back towards the alps because you are backtracking Hannibals journey to where it all began in Tunisia.
Nicely done 'SwissDan'. The way they kept showing the scenery was just jaw-dropping and it was put together very nicely showing some of the famous/most important things about Switzerland. The only thing that felt like nails on a chalkboard was every time they slaughtered the pronunciation of 'Jungfraujoch'. Next time, just ask the Swiss person next to you to help you say it correctly... it would've made the whole segment twice as good (at least to all of us Swiss that were happily watching). I love Switzerland!