Fire in tunnel under the English Channel halts Eurostar traffic

by Jamie Rhein on

When my six-year old son and I pulled into Manhattan on the Amtrak train, and again on a Trailways bus last month, we went underground. I’m not sure where Amtrak goes, but Trailways goes through the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River in order to deposit passengers into Port Authority terminal.

As we passed through the tunnel, –the Holland Tunnel, he wondered why the river didn’t come caving in on us. Because the tunnel is well lit, you can see the inside of the tunnel perfectly. On the train, it’s dark outside the train’s window for the most part. Looking out the window means looking at your own reflection.

My son’s question was one of those moments when I realized I really didn’t have a clue. Kind of know, but don’t really know, but willing to trust engineering and the principles of physics. As I explained the safety of such a tunnel, I looked at all that expanse of tile and wondered a bit. Actually, I thought of how awful it would be to be stuck in it for any length of time with exhaust fumes spewing if there was a car wreck. That’s when you say to yourself, “Stay in our own lanes, people, and don’t go too fast. Pay attention.”

In the tunnel going under the English Channel yesterday, a wreck didn’t cause the travel snafu, but a fire on a train going between England and France. According to this article, the train was carrying trucks and only 32 people–mostly drivers of those trucks.

For passengers hoping to go through the tunnel on the train, they had to find alternative ways to get to France or stay where they were. Just like weather is something that airlines say they have no control over and won’t fork over assistance, so are fires in train tunnels. Eurostar said that because they have no control over fires they won’t help with plane tickets or hotel rooms. You can, however, get a refund or exchange tickets for another time. (I found this out on the Eurostar Web site.)

Because the fire is still going, trains are not heading through that tunnel today. I bet the ferries are packed with people lucky to snag a ticket. For the rest of the stuck people, lots of luck. (The photo by OliverN5 is of Eurostar trains at the Gard du Nord in Paris, France.)

Spain’s growth plan turns the tables on immigrants

by Abha Malpani on

Spain rocks when it comes to tapas, flamenco, and fiesta, but a peek into some serious issues and you’ll find that much is messed up and inconsistent.

On one hand Spain welcomes illegal immigrants seeking refuge, and on the other hand it’s now making it harder for legal immigrants to make a living in the country.

Spain has always been generous with amnesty. Since 2000, it has granted legal status to more than 1 million people who have lived there illegally for 3 years and could prove they were employed.

Now suddenly things are changing. Paperwork is getting harder and harder, and as the unemployment rate in the country soars to 11% (2.5 million people) — the highest in Europe — Spain’s latest plan is to decrease this rate by creating more jobs for nationals, paying immigrant laborers on temporary contracts to go back to their countries, and making the visa process for new immigrants difficult.
Of course this has caused much debate. Immigrants in Spain — mainly from Africa and Latin America — comprise a large percentage of the labor workforce in the country, doing many jobs that Spaniards refuse to do and at very low wages. According to this podcast, about 88,000 immigrants were hired this year on temporary contracts to do back breaking work nationals will not do; them leaving is not a solution to decrease unemployment in the country.

It’s interesting how Spain’s economic downturn has turned the tables on immigrants who were considered valuable resources till about a year ago. According to a report in Business Week, in the last decade, despite the fact that Spain absorbed about 3 million immigrants from all over, it was the best performing economy in Europe and the rate of unemployment plummeted. In event, much of this success was attributed to the influx of immigrants. Now in crisis, Spain is plotting against the very people who aided it’s growth over the years.

In my opinion, Spain used to be one of the easiest countries to immigrate to, especially illegally — irrespective of nationality — whether you are Eastern European, Asian, African, or American. That, and the general “Mediterranean good life” drew in hoards of people. I know a handful of Americans who came to Spain on holiday and just stayed. None of them have paperwork and all of them will probably sort themselves out under amnesty. I, although not a student, have somehow managed to maintain a student visa for almost 3 years now, and have been working without a contract. Trying to be legit and get a “real” job just seems waste of an effort in this country.

All said and done, once you are sorted in some way, you can live quite a good quality of life. Spain has that charm. The government created this environment over years and, although with hiccups, it generally worked for both the country and foreigners choosing to reside there. Now unfortunately, for lack of a better plan, everything seems to be taking a U-turn.

Fungus in plane ketchup and air conditioning. Tutut.

by Abha Malpani on

Two fungus-in-aircraft stories are worth note and worry: An Indian Airlines flight served a passenger snacks with ketchup that had fungus on it. The passenger noted the contaminated packet and made a complaint, the airline dutifully apologized.

Fungus can be hazardous to health and can cause allergies, asthma, and even cardiac arrest. There would probably have been a grand issue should the fungus-ketchup have been consumed by a child or an elderly person. The airline said that they will investigate the situation and the suppliers from which they receive products.

That’s all fine but I don’t understand how the cabin crew member who served the fungus laden ketchup, didn’t notice it. And, if the fungus is on the pouch of the ketchup, it’s probably because it’s old and/or expired, which has nothing to do with the supplier. This was an easily avoidable situation.

Another fungus situation was in Ryanair: A flight from Hungary to Ireland had to divert because fungus laden ice started to drip onto a passenger from an overhead locker, triggering an allergic reaction in the passenger who started coughing. It was discovered that the fungus had contaminated the aircraft’s air conditioning system.

Thanks to jackhynes for the flickr photo.

Snow-rocks (too large to be called hail!) fall in Madrid. In September!

by Abha Malpani on

Yesterday was a normal day; one of those summer-ending-autumn-starting type days. Although a little gloomy, it was still warm, I walked around in shorts and flip-flops. Then at night, to everyone’s shock and scare, rocks of hail hammered the city. Yes, ROCKS. The picture here is from my balcony. I’m not exaggerating when I say that a lot of the hail falling was larger than walnuts. Imagine 10 people targeting your window at the same time with rocks, that’s exactly how it felt. If anyone was walking on the road at the time, they would have been seriously injured.

Snow is not normal in Madrid. It does hailstorm occasionally, but the normal rice-like hail. Accompanied by severe thunder and lightning, this was like nothing I’ve seen before. Ever. And it’s September for goodness sake! You can see some more photos here.

Think the French are rude? Try New York

by Grant Martin on




After compiling data all summer, I honestly have to say that I’m starting to like Parisians more than New Yorkers. This isn’t limited to a one time event or getting kicked out of Milk and Honey either – I realize that when faced with thousands of people every day everyone is going to run into a few bad apples. At this point in my travels, however, I’m starting to get the feeling that Parisians are just flat out friendlier than residents of the Big Apple.

To back up – I’m not the sort of person that makes broad generalizations about a city or culture based on a bad experience. I have tons of lovely friends in New York and am almost always thrilled to be in the city. I reap my opinion from days sown in each city, fumbling around in circles trying to order pizza or crepes, navigating the city streets in the middle of the night or underground, lost in a maze of subways.

As an example, on holiday in Paris this past month I spent three days wandering through the city with my girlfriend. Not once did someone scowl at me for butchering my French, nor did they shirk away when I asked for directions or stood on the wrong side of the escalator. To the contrary, people I met were pleasant, nice and even downright helpful.

Conversely, my time spent in New York has been marred with impatient commuters, surly public transportation employees and a general feeling of “you don’t belong here.”

What can I say? Paris has done a better job of making me feel welcome than New York has. Been across the pond this summer? What’s your story?

%Poll-19228%