What an experience, the whole journey, every layer, every crust! The professor was definitely great to read, a very believable character, but I enjoyed Axel too. He had restraints, fear, and doubts, like any normal person would have, but the little nerdy excitement that would erupt from him every now and then when he would witness the marvels of Earth were awesome!
Apart from enjoying the vivid imagination of Verne on this journey, one thought that kept nudging me throughout was the research work done by Jules Verne. He wrote this book in the 1860s and I cannot fathom how difficult it must be for SciFi writers to do that in those times when even traveling to a library in a different city was highly inaccessible. It must be harder for Jules Verne given how scientifically accurate he wanted his works to be (even though a lot of theories from this book were later disproved).
This book also led me to my own research due to the curiosity it piqued in me. Oh, the things I learned. I am not stopping until I finish reading at least 3 other cherished books of Jules Verne.