Rjukan power station and the Hardangervidda plateau

When we started this trip Gretel said, "I am not going to any power stations." Well she did and she didn't seem to mind.

Rjukan must rank as one of the most interesting power stations there is. The original power station, completed in 1911, was the largest in the world. Electricity generated  produced fertiliser and later 'heavy water' - water weighing 10% more than normal water due to an additional neutron in the hydrogen atom. This water would later be a focus of Nazi Germany as they attempted to produce a nuclear bomb.

The Allies, aware of the German's atomic bomb project and their need for Rjukan heavy water, sent specially trained Norwegian resistance soldiers to destroy the heavy water manufacturing equipment. They needed to scale cliffs in order to break in to the heavily guarded power station, plant explosives with short fuses and try to make their escape. This was all achieved. The bombs put an end to production of heavy water for several months, but production recommenced. An American bombing raid, in which they dropped nearly 1,000 bombs in 30 minutes, failed to halt production.

The Germans decided to move heavy water production to Germany, but a final Norwegian resistance raid sunk a ferry carrying all the heavy water stocks, fatally impacting on Germany's atomic programme. Churchill described the attacks on Rjukan as
"The greatest resistance acts of World War 2." Two feature films have been made (one, made in 1948, featuring the original 6 saboteurs as themselves) and a recent extensive television documentary.

The power station is now a museum with an interesting range of thought provoking exhibits including a letter from Albert Einstein to Eisenhower warning him about Germany's atomic bomb programme.

The town of Rjukan is situated within a deep valley. It receives no sun at all for nearly 6 months of the year! To deliver sun to the market square 3 rotating mirrors, each measuring 17 square metres, have been erected on a mountain top overlooking the valley. These computer controlled mirrors, ironically remotely operated from Germany, illuminate one third of the market square.

Video link talking about the mirrors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdvA8X9PJuo
Video link summarising the Norwegian resistance Rjukan effort
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfIlYQpFswE

Part of the cliffs the saboteurs had to scale (at night and in snow and ice) to launch their attack.

The Rjukan power station

The turbines.

The Hardangervidda plateau - above the Rjukan power station where the saboteurs hid for many months. This plateau is the coldest place outside the Artic/Antarctic Circles, it has 160 days of storm each year with an average temperature of -3 degrees. We spent 2 nights camped on the plateau, it is magnificent in its bareness, a vista dominated by rock, water, snow and moss.

Waterfalls and boat houses

In Norway rain means waterfalls, they are everywhere. Whether painted to the sides of fjords or thundering out in a vivid display of force, they are awe inspiring.

Boat houses also have something mystical about them. Perhaps it was my high school days listening to Sam Hunt. Norway has them in abundance. Some are small rustic affairs, others appearing to include accommodation.

Here are a selection.

No waterfalls or boat houses obvious, but I am sure they are there.

You were able to walk behing this waterfall.

61 degrees North

Sognefjord was the northernmost point of our trip. We turned around wishing we had allowed time to go further north, but our ferry to Finland had already been booked and we couldn't justify paying for it twice.

An influencing factor in our original decision to restrict our time in Norway was the reputed cost of living, and Gretel's predilection to purchase stuff at most destinations. As it turned out prices in Norway, with the exception of the ferries, have not been as astronomical as we envisaged. Camping is for the most part free, as there are a multitude of places to park and nobody seems to mind. It has been the most 'motorhome friendly' country we have experienced in a continent that generally welcomes camper vans.

Below are a few of the images portraying the countryside.

A typical Norwegian fishing village

Fish farming Norwegian style

Reflections

Flowers add some welcome colour

A grass roof, a common site in Norway, hard at work keeping out the rain.

Snow in the middle of Summer resulted in the obligatory snow fight.

Looking down at Sognefjord

I am writing this as we leave Norway after ten glorious days and will do a couple more posts describing our time there.

Norway is all about water and we had our fair share. Precipitation greeted us on our arrival and forgot to stop. It didn't inhibit our activities, but did reduce the palette of colours. Blue and yellow were conspicuously absent.

Much of Norway reminded us of New Zealand. Weatherboard houses predominated, the bush looked similar, although without the aroma of beech trees and the people were friendly.

Johan about to ...

Test the temperature.

Shades of grey

Johan hauling in a mackerel - a bit part of 'When the boat comes in' for those old enough to remember

Now for the messy part.

Pulpit Rock, Norway

Until we commenced walking up to Pulpit Rock we wondered if there were many people in Norway at all. The stream of people walking up was continuous. It is fortunate the rock is quite big. We walked despite the forecast being a bit iffy, as rain was predicted for the foreseeable future - there are no irrigation businesses in Norway.

On reaching the top we ate our lunch debating how close to the edge to get. Johan was all for dangling the legs, Tony and Gretel displayed their customary woosiness. Eventually a compromise was reached, Johan and Gretel dangled their legs and the balance of our party looked on from afar.

Five minutes later it rained, the fjords below disappeared and we joined the column of ants who departed in single file for the slow walk back to the car park.

Below is a link to a short youtube video that shows a drone providing a view over Pulpit Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NijQCwukTk

"Hi Mum"

600 metres straight down

Looking up Lysefjord

Jossingfjiord, Norway

Jossingfjord is situated on the south-west coast of Norway.; two significant events in World War 2 occurred there. The first event has become known as the Altmark incident. Norway was still a neutral self governing country in February 1940, when a Altmark, a German tanker carrying 299 British POW's (transferred off the Admiral Graf Spree), took refuge in the fjord from a British warship.

The British boarded the tanker, calling out,
"Are there any Englishmen here?" All 299 men were rescued.

It is reputedly the last time the British navy have boarded an enemy ship whilst brandishing a cutlass (visions of Mark Penn).

The fjord is also the home to a memorial commemorating four New Zealand airman, killed in when attacking a tanker sheltering in the fjord on the 14th April, 1945 - one of the last acts of World War 2 in Norway. Every year, on Norwegian Constitution Day, the New Zealand flag is raised to remember the involvement of Allied soldiers in liberating Norway.
 

It was quite moving to stand in front of the memorial, wave the New Zealand flag (the same flag we had in 1945) and sing our National Anthem - well Gretel and Johan sang, Tony attempted.

A view down Jossinfjord

Gretel and Johan in front of the memorial.

Proud to be New Zealanders

The New Zealanders who gave their lives in Jossingfjord in 1945.