"my birth place." a United Kingdom Travel Page by whitecliff

<b><font color="red"><big>Hi everyone and welcome to the United Kingdom,and my home town of Folkestone.I was born and raised in Folkestone and for some unknown reason that i can't explain,im still here 40 years later.Folkestone is a traditional seaside fishing port with a lovely picture book harbour where you can see the fishing trawlers coming in on the high tides.We used to have direct links to France via the cross channel ferries,but that has long since gone.The new way to get to France these days was made in a historical event which happened 4 years ago when the construction of the channel tunnel broke through and the United Kingdom and France joined hands 13 miles under the sea,and is now the longest underwater tunnel in the world.There is also another massive building project going on at the moment,and that is a new high speed rail link that will take you from London Waterloo direct to Paris France via the tunnel,this should be completed in 2004.In my view Folkestone went into a decline in the 70s and 80s with unemployment high but with the arrival of these projects and a brand new shopping center due to start this year i believe Folkestone is on the way up.The harbour area has also had a major overhall and is looking fantastic.Folkestone has also had its fare share of sadness over the years,in 1987 the cross channel ship the Herald of free enterprise sunk killing over 200 people some of them friends,that disaster shook this community to bits.The town was also heavily involved in both world wars,in the first world war Folkestone became the main embarkation point for soldiers on their way to the fighting in France.Tens of thousands marched down to the harbour along what is now called the road of rememberance and thousands were never to return.After a few years of peace world war 2 broke out,where Folkestone was again heavily involved.With the possible invasion of the germans only 21 miles away Folkestone was always on guard from invasion.There is a war memorial on the top of rememberance hill where you can see a list of all local soldiers who lost there lives,my grandads name is on it.So if you're ever in the U.K come down to Folkestone in the county of Kent.You never know you may not want to leave.</b><font color="red"><big>