Day 9: Now that we're thinking constantly about manholes, don't you wonder what's down there? I've gotten a peek down a few as there always seems to be something going on under the streets of New York. Some barricades and cones cordon off an area just beyond the sidewalk and you can see there is a metal ladder that leads into the darkness.
Just yesterday I was able to ask my father-in-law about what it was like to work down a manhole. He was with British Telecom and had to climb poles and descend the holes. He said there are special keys to open the hatch, then they would scale the ladder down about twenty feet. When I asked if he wore a hard hat with a light on it he explained that they would use a generator to power lighting below the horizon to work on the cables.
Check this out. Wouldn't you faint if suddenly this opened up and a guy walked out? If you happen to visit Weisbaden, Germany, perhaps you can get on this underground tour. I'm certain that this is not a typical inside view. Pretty cool, don't you think? More images HERE.
Makes me think of the scene from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where they find the town children hiding under the castle.
I got to thinking about how many movie have scenes in the sewers.....did a quick search ...there are more than a few...and found my way back to Bobbi, who wrote on her blog about a similar sewer in Vienna as seen in the movie The Third Man. Bobbi's post: HERE. Scene from the movie (I admit, have never watched the film) HERE.
How fun would it be to take a sewer tour? I've walked the canals of Birmingham, England, before they were cleaned up, then later when they were opened up and integrated as part of the city. Not sure how I'd feel to be totally contained underground.
Has anyone gone on a sewer tour?
