Europe # 2: Oslo and Kristiansand - Sept - Oct 2026

          Europe # 2: Oslo and Kristiansand - Sept-Oct 2026

                        More Interesting Manhole Covers

    

                                        Working Our Way to The Ship

               No More Stress...Enjoying Time Together 

         Leaving Oslo. Looking Forward To Seeing Different Places

              Started The First Day With Breakfast In The Room

Tourist/Information Woman Traces Her Family In Kristiansand From 1600's. Each County Wears Different Costume Designs

Local Greeter

Kristiansand Was Originally Known For Exporting Fish. Now, Specialized Metals, Minerals And Other Products Are Exported

We Signed Up To Tour A "Cannon Museum." Expected to See A         Large Room Filled With Cannons And Other Weapons. This would Not Be The Case.

WWII German Engineers/Military Built Several Of These "Monster" Cannons. Three Were Installed For This Area And One Across The Channel In Denmark. 

Cannon Weighs About 750 Tons! 

The Gun Barrel Alone Weighs 230 Tons.

                        Weapon Can Reach Targets > 34 miles Away

   The Cannons Were Installed By Germans, Danes And Prisoners

   2000 People Lived In This Area: Soldiers and Russian Prisoners

This Was A Strategic Area For Germans To Defend. Allies Were Intent To Get Special Minerals And "Heavy Water" For Atomic Bomb. Resistant Group Blew Up The Facility. "Hollywood" Made A Movie About This WWII (Heavy Water) Project.

Inside The Cannon Facility Are Many Items Used To Operate The Equipment.

Army Personnel On Top Of Island, Inside Facility And Counterparts In Denmark Communicated With Each Other.

Control Center/Computer

 Operators Would Use Weather - Wind, Temperature, Etc. To Calculate/Insure The "Best" Type Of Shell Would Reach Its Target

Many Choices To Use - Depending On The Target

The Second Largest Shell Was Named, "Siegfried." 

"Adolf" Was Named For The Largest Shell

Two Soldiers Pushed This "Car" To Ready The Shells, Gun Powder, Etc.

When Shooting The Shells, People On Outside Had To Relocate Well Over One Hundred Yards Away So They Would Not Get Killed From The Noise And Change Of Air Pressure!

Our Guide's Father Was In The Norwegian Resistance. Eventually Caught. Relocated To Different Camps. Tortured For Days. Survived. Eventually Found His Way Home After The War  

Germans placed 18,000 Mines In The Middle of The Channel Between Norway And Demark. With The Two Guns And Mines, It Was Impossible For The Allies To Try And Navigate Through This Area. Following The War, The Allies Used Dolphins To Track/Find The Mines. Allies Would Then Blow Up The Mines!

One Of The Communication Centers

There Were Plenty Of Fascinating Items In The Cannon Complex Or Museum: Uniforms, Weapons, Medical Equipment, Personal Items From The Soldiers, Etc. The Shoes And Boots Were The Most Interesting: Heavy Duty To "Protect" The Feet Should Something Fall On Them.

One Of The Barracks

Anti-Aircraft Gun And Fully Trained (Senior) Operator

Aerial View Provides A Good Perspective Of The Gun's Size. 

We've Been To Many Museums. Most Are Now A Blur. 

This Was An Iconic Experience To See/Learn About This Weapon And To Get A Better Understanding Of The German Occupation Of Norway