A Travelling Engineer

Approaching Bordeaux on the TGV from Paris I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This is a city known for the finest wines in the world and so high prices and pretentious wine experts on every corner felt like a sensible guess. As the train entered the region of Nouvelle-Aquitane, the smoke from the wildfires was visible on the horizon and in a few minutes we were pulling into Bordeaux station. Very quickly I realised that my worries about bankrupting myself for a single drink were completely unfounded. Since this is the largest wine producing region in Europe it is possible to buy a whole bottle of the local produce for less than 5 Euros, and in some shops a bottle of wine is cheaper than a bottle of water! With such a readily available, cheap source of good alcohol it is impossible to not have a good time here. Taking a very scientific approach to my trip, I realised that I couldn't understand what made the wines here so good without conducting an investigation into the product...

 Medieval Tidal Power Tidal power makes headlines today for being a possible method to generate power without creating any greenhouse gas emissions. However, the power of moving water is not a new revelation. Mont Saint Michel is an example of how humans have been combining human ingenuity with the natural power of the tides with spectacular success and creating the greatest tidal fortress and monastery in the world. As the bus travels from the train station towards the coast I become aware we are approaching our destination by gasps of wonder from the fellow passengers. This causes me to turn my head to the window and I soon join them. A magnificent fortified building stands off the coast topped with a grand abbey. Previously, the only way to access the fortress and village was to wait for low tide and walk across the exposed beach. Nowadays, thankfully, there is a bridge which the bus is able to use to drop us off near the huge stone walls. From the bus I take a moment to fully c...

Disney Fairytale to Construction Site A centuries old symbol of Paris that has played a role in Disney films, romantic stories and the backdrop for many major events in French history, now stands behind a fence surrounded by cranes and construction equipment.  When I approached the site of Notre-Dame de Paris I wasn't sure what to expect. In 2019 a huge fire gutted what was the most popular tourist attraction in Paris and left it a smouldering ruin. Since then work has been on going to restore it but this has clearly been a long and difficult process. I was very relieved to find that the postcard facade with the large circular window and two towers either side remains largely intact. Unfortunately, due to the scale of the rebuild a large fence has been erected and it is impossible to get any closer than the square at the front of the building. Even despite the damage, Notre Dame is still an impressive site and in the evening sun provides a beautiful spot to end a walk around Paris....

Build connections, not barriers.   Between Folkestone, UK, and Coquelles, France, 75 metres beneath the English Channel burrowing across the 50.5kM width is the world's longest undersea tunnel and only land connection to mainland Europe and the British Isles since the ice age. The Channel tunnel. My journey around the the world of engineering begins in St Pancras station in London, at the long queue of the Eurostar terminal. When I'm finally onboard the train sets off, in less than an hour the windows go black and we disappear under the sea. After 20 minutes daylight returns and we emerge in France travelling at 190kmh towards Paris. Travelling through one of the most iconic pieces of rail and civil engineering in the world may be the best possible way to begin this adventure.  The idea to build a tunnel from Britain to France is not a recent one, in fact it was first proposed in 1802. However, due to the fact that at that point Britain and France were still in their phas...