Life, with the garden
Location: Rosendal, Vestlandet, Norway • • • Visit: May 2022
I moved to Bergen in March. By first of May, I had found a lovely little apartment close to the old city center, and my mom came to visit and to help me move in. Among the IKEA visits and organizing of cupboards, we also had time to do some sight-seeing around Bergen. On a sunny but rather chilly day, we took a ferry down the coast to the next fjord over to visit the small village of Rosendal and the castle gardens there.
I don’t know if I would call it a castle: The small 17th century structure blended into the fjord valley without much fuss. It used to be the home of some noble family, but now it is a popular tourist destination. The rose garden is gorgeous, meticulously organized and planted with traditional rose cultivars.
The location is breath-taking: The rolling grassy hills in the valley, full of lambs learning to use their legs while the mother sheep leisurely grazed behind them. The steep fjord slopes reaching up to snow-covered peaks. A waterfall just behind the castle along a short but steep hike.
We spent a lovely day strolling through the garden, enjoying the sun and the bright spring colors, laughing at the lambs. And, after eating our packed sandwiches, we continued sitting by the small (not-yet-opened) greenhouses, in the sun, protected from the wind, reading. The quiet sounds of birds and sheep and falling water from beyond, in the valley, both calming and invigorating. It felt like an early taste of summer.
Katja Malmborg 