Journey through the Earth

I came across this website that showed where you would end up if you dug a straight hole through Earth and travelled through it. Ofcourse, we are not going to keep in mind the obvious impossibilities of travelling through the Earth's cross. We will just believe that our hole will be a straight line starting from right below the spot where we stand and going on till it reaches the outside of the crust again. Surprisingly, most of my childhood dreams of reaching United States of America through this hole in the ground got dissolved in the South Pacific Ocean. If I ever embarked on digging this hole, I know I should take my swimming trunks with me. :-)

Anyways, this little stupid childish trip of mine reminded me of one of my favorite novels from childhood. "Journey to the center of the Earth" by Jules Verne. Arne Saknussemm. The holy grail like character who seemed to have done the trip to the center of the earth guides Professor Otto Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel on retreading the same path, along with the trustworthy and resourceful Hans. When I first read the novel, I was filled with the same enthusiasm that filled the Professor. I remembered the Icelandic words used in the novel and used to look at distant mountains musingly.

I have since then read the novel atleast 3-4 times with the same enthusiasm that I had as a child. Only that, as a 8 year old, I believed it could be true. And much later, I realised that it has to be fiction. :-)

Sometimes, it is lovely to be ignorant and read fiction believing that it were all true. It fires away our imagination! And it is wonderful to have us live through the imagination, vivid enough to have believed that we experienced the same! :-)

If you are interested to read the online version of the book, here are some links where you can do the same.
1. http://www.online-literature.com/verne/journey_center_earth/
2. http://jv.gilead.org.il/vt/c_earth/
3. http://www.4literature.net/Jules_Verne/Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth/

Wishing you a wonderful journey to the center of the Earth! bon voyage!!