The Chunnel = MAJOR Disappointment :(

Okay…so I REALLY don’t know WHAT I was expecting…but I did not get what I thought!  The Chunnel is an underwater tunnel that connects the UK to France.  Cool right?  Well, kinda!  As we were popping and popping and popping our ears on the Eurostar (the super fast train throughout Europe…ears pop due to the changes in speed and such) I began to question Dave about the Chunnel (how long it was, how sturdy it was, how deep we were under water, when it was built, how it was built, etc.) because as we all know “Dave knows a lot of things” (my comment from the late summer of 2007).  Well, he did the best he could answering my 20 questions and could see from my expression that it wasn’t exactly what I was thinking.  We were WAY underwater…like many meters, it was dark (duh…I could see out the window into the actual tunnel), there were tons (literally) of water above us…hmmm…  I think he also knew I was worried because a few days prior to our trip through the Chunnel there was a history making earthquake recorded UNDER it!  AHHHH!!!!  Apparently it was fine, there were people on the Chunnel at the time that said it just felt like a big lorry (truck) driving past quickly.  NOT what I would want to feel under water!!!!  So when it got really dark (I mean, it felt like we were in a tunnel for a while) I asked Dave, “Is this the Chunnel?” to which he responded, “Ask me again in 20 minutes.”.  So I waited, we talked about other things, I slept, he read, and when a long amount of time had passed I asked again.  This time he kind of laughed (I think he may have thought I was joking, or maybe he laughed because he couldn’t believe that I’d waited!) and said “yes, we’ve been in it this whole time”.  I was quiet for a few moments and then we popped up and I could see the countryside again and we were out! 

So why the disappointment?  Well, you could not see ANY critters!!!  I don’t know WHY, but for some reason I really thought we would be traveling through a clear tube (like at Rainforest Café or the aquarium) where the riders could see fish and eels and the like.  No. Such. Luck.  Bummer dude.  It was just dark…and concrete or cement.  Not cool to look at and not something I can really think about…kinda weird…like it shouldn’t work…how do you even build a rail system UNDER water!?!?  CLEARLY, I am not an engineer!  :)