Both boys did their presentations on the Chunnel this week in CC. We watched a couple of very interesting documentaries about it and looked up more facts on the internet.

The Chunnel Underneath the English Channel is a tunnel called the Euro Tunnel or Chunnel. It connects England and France. Before the tunnel was built, people had to cross the English Channel by ferry boat, which took more than 90 minutes. A train ride through the Chunnel now takes only 35 minutes. Planning for the tunnel began over 200 years ago before cars and trains were even invented. The first design was a tunnel for horse drawn carriages. Digging was started and stopped many times before the Chunnel was finally finished in 1994. Queen Elizabeth and the President of France were the first passengers. The Chunnel is actually three tunnels. The outer tunnels form a loop for trains to drive back and forth. The middle tunnel is a service tunnel and emergency exit. The Cunnel train is big enough to carry cars and trucks. Over ten thousand people use the Chunnel each year.