Fire Number One!

Of course, it's not really a gun -- it's one of the abandoned drain pipes up the hill where we walk Miss Annie -- but it always makes me think of the hidden artillery scattered throughout Switzerland.

In spite of its image of peaceful neutrality, Switzerland maintained a strong military force for decades, including a dispersed fleet of airplanes concealed in bunkers and using public roads for runways.

This video (commentary is in French) shows several of the interesting and imaginatively disguised military installations. Some forts and bunkers have been converted to peaceful uses, including tourism and digital data storage.