Visiting the Ramme Fjordhotel

Our autumn trip this year took us to the Ramme Fjordhotel in Hvitsen, about a forty-minute drive from Oslo (Ramme Kulturdestinasjon og Fjordhotell | Unike Hoteller Hvitsten). Hvitsten is a small coastal village located on the Oslo fjord. We arrived mid-afternoon on a Friday and left around noontime on Sunday, so we had ample time to explore the grounds, which include a beautiful Baroque-style garden (Havlystparken), cafe and giftshop/farm shop that sells eggs and seasonal vegetables, restaurant/bar, and Edvard Munch's villa down by the water. The latter is a short walk from the hotel. As luck would have it, we had lovely weather the weekend we were there, conducive to walking around and exploring. 

What impressed me most was the garden; it was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Ramme Fjordhotell. It was dotted here and there with intriguing sculptures, ponds and fountains, and lovely arrangements of flowers and trees. There was also a vegetable garden that had an entire patch devoted to the cultivation of asparagus. I finally got to see what full-grown asparagus plants look like (I've planted three in my own garden). They grow quite tall and feathery, and they spread out. I can't wait until mine look like the ones I saw in the Havlystparken. We've decided to visit the garden again in the spring when the many rhododendrons are blooming. 

Some photos from the Havlystparken:

asparagus patch

   

Ebeltoft--a charming seaside town in Denmark

We spent a week in July in the charming seaside town of Ebeltoft in Denmark. The town is situated on the central east coast of Denmark, 50 km from Aarhus, in Region Midtjylland on the larger Djursland peninsula of Jutland (information from Wikipedia). It attracts many visitors during the summer months, who enjoy the sandy beaches, the 'old town' with its cobbled streets, glass and ceramic boutiques, and restaurants, and different museums. The latter includes the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft and Fregatten Jylland. We enjoyed wandering around the Glasmuseets gift shop, where we bought quite a few lovely glass sculptures as gifts. Our visit to the Fregatten Jylland was also quite interesting; it is the longest wooden warship (frigate) in the world, loaded with cannons that were used during the Battle of Heligoland in 1864. My one thought when we walked around this old boat was how it managed to stay afloat under the weight of the cannons! A testament to excellent shipbuilding. The Brasserie 1864 is located adjacent to Fregatten Jylland, and we enjoyed several good lunches and dinner there. Since we had our car with us, we were able to visit the Ree Park Safari (outdoor zoo) and the Kattegatcentret, a public aquarium, in nearby Grenå. We also drove around Mols Bjerge National Park; it would have been nice to have hiked around parts of it, but we opted not to do so because it was so warm. 

I enjoyed wandering along Nedergade ('lower street') with all its diverse shops and restaurants. The weather was sunny and warm so it was a pleasure to be outdoors. I also was charmed by the Danish half-timbered architecture ('bindingsværk'); there are many houses along Nedergade that had this style of architecture, and many of them were very old. The town seems to be wealthy, since many of these houses have been completely renovated and restored, which must have cost quite a lot of money. 

If you're looking for a chance to enjoy life in a small charming seaside town in Denmark, Ebeltoft is a good choice.

 

small half-timbered house

large half-timbered house

gorgeous hydrangeas 

beautiful garden

Fregatten Jylland 

take a short tour with the little train

typical storefront

an old-style pub

Italian restaurant

looking out over the water 

view of courtyard from street 

July garden update

July has been an extremely warm month here in Oslo, with temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s. That has had an impact on the garden in terms of hastening growth and maturity of some of the berries. For example, our strawberries were ripe at least two weeks ahead of their normal schedule, and the gooseberries and black currants are on track to be ripe for picking next week, which is a good week to two weeks ahead of their normal schedule. 

The garden's growth has exploded during the past two weeks. My perennials have grown quite tall, those that do actually achieve some height. My dahlias are now blooming, likewise all of my lily plants, which are beautiful this year. The loosestrife is also lovely and has not shed its petals yet as it normally does. The wisteria along the fence is now blooming for the second time this year! Lovely. The magnolia tree is growing tall and starting to spread its branches. It's happy. There aren't many red currants this year, but there will be plenty of black currants and raspberries. New this year--a lot of black and yellow raspberries. Black raspberries are my favorite type of raspberry. 

As far as annuals go, I planted snapdragons and rose mallows from seed, and they are doing well. Note to myself for next year--plant more of them--they're beautiful. I removed all the pachysandra from under the krossved tree and planted a hosta garden that is doing well. The pachysandra, while lovely, was beginning to negatively affect the growth of the krossved, as it is known to do in many instances. You have to be careful what you plant it next to. 

My three asparagus plants (planted in April of this year) are doing very well, but there won't be edible asparagus for another two years. It takes that long for the plants to become stabilized. The pumpkin and zucchini plants are growing, but it will be interesting to see if there are pumpkins this year. Last year there weren't any because the plants had only male flowers. I planted two kinds of potatoes and they are growing happily. I mounded the soil this year because that is supposed to help yield larger potatoes. We'll see. My garlic and onion plants are also doing fine. 

Having a garden is a lot of work, but it's worth it when you see the results. I only hope as I get older that I will be able to manage it all. I've had the garden for ten years now, and am hoping for at least another ten. That's provided that the allotment garden is not turned into a public park as has been suggested by the Oslo municipality (a stupid idea if ever there was one). I'll keep you posted. In any case, here are some photos from the past two weeks. 

Anemone--poppy anemones according to my iPhone info

Burning love flowers

Potato patch to the left, hosta garden straight ahead, loosestrife to the right

Allium plants that the bees love

My beautiful wisteria

Black raspberry plant--the ripe black berries look like little hats

Loosestrife and allium plants, plus a red dahlia

Phlox and astilbe flowers

Japanese maple 

Rose mallows 

Yellow lily

Reddish-pink lily

Liatris spicata--the dense blazing star, next to a day lily

Loosestrife 

All about robins (the European ones)

I follow several Facebook pages having to do with European robins. These robins are the smaller versions of their North-American counterparts, and in my opinion, much cuter. They are also quite friendly to humans. I think they understand that kind humans are a good food source, especially during the winter. But they are more than smart. They are curious creatures, as I've experienced when I'm working in my garden. The one that visited my garden last year (up to late December) hung around, watching what I did. He hopped up to me, standing in front of me as if to say 'I'm here', wandered around the greenhouse, and let me feed him and take photos of him. He never landed on my finger, but we were very close to that point. I fell in love with him. There is another robin that visits now; I can tell because the new one has several black markings on his chest, unlike the previous one. 

I don't know what happened to my little friend from last year. I'd like to think he's doing well and visiting other gardens, but my gut instinct tells me that he has passed. Whether it was a natural death (the mortality statistics for the first year of an European robin's life are poor) or death by cat, crow or magpie, I will never know. Perhaps the new one who visits now is his son or daughter. I'd like to think so. They tend to remain in one place, and our allotment garden is filled with many interesting gardens to visit. There is an abundance of worms and insects--a smorgasbord for birds of all kinds. 

I'm reposting the post I wrote in December 2025 about my little robin friend. I will always treasure the time I had with him. He appeared in my life right before I had a major operation, and as they say online 'robins appear when loved ones are near'. I'd like to think that he was channeling all those whom I loved who have passed and were rooting for a successful operation. In any case, he appeared at a time in my life when I needed him. 

A New Yorker in Oslo: My little garden friend

More garden photos

 

Arctic barren strawberry plant

Hosta stems forming 

Narcissus

Hyacinths

Scilla 

Grape hyacinth

Crocuses and alumroot (Coral bells) in front of birdbath and statues