Good evening. Welcome to the Just Sleep podcast. I'm Tasia, your host.

Every week, I will read you an old story to help you relax, put the stressful day behind you,

and drift off to sleep.

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Tonight, I will be continuing the story,

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

So lie down, close your eyes, and let me read you a story. Chapter 8.

Serious Preparations for Vertical Descent

Altena, which is but a suburb of Hamburg, is the terminus of the Kiel Railway, which was

to carry us to the belts.

In twenty minutes we were in Holstein.

At half past six the carriage stopped at the station, my uncle's numerous packages, his voluminous

impedimenta, were unloaded, removed, labeled,

weighed, put into the luggage vans, and at seven we were seated face to face in our compartment.

The whistle sounded, the engine started, we were off. Was I resigned? No, not yet. Yet the cool morning air and the scenes on the road rapidly changed by the swiftness of the train drew me away somewhat from my sad reflections. As for the professor's reflections, they went far in advance of the swiftest express.

We were alone in the carriage, but we sat in silence. My uncle examined all his pockets and his

travelling bag with the minutest care. I saw that he had not forgotten the smallest matter of detail.

Among other documents, a sheet of paper carefully folded,

bore the heading of the Danish consulate with a signature of W. Christensen, consul at Hamburg,

...