After a wonderful stay in Sweden, I headed over to Nesodden, Norway to help at an historic garden. I had a quick stop in Oslo, the capital of Norway. A city of about 600,000, it felt quite a bit smaller than Stockholm and was easily navigated on foot. I didn't have time to go into any of the museums, however saw the famous City Hall building, visited the Royal Palace (a public park circles it and you can walk right next to the building, quite rare for Europe!), visited the famous Frogner Sculpture Park, and then headed on the ferry to Nesodden.
Nesodden is considered a suburb of Oslo, located on a peninsula about a 20 minute ferry ride across from the city. So after a ferry and a bus ride, I arrived at my destination, called Lindehagen. The house and garden sit up on a hill a little tucked away from the main road where through the trees, rolling hills, and other houses you can get a glimpse of the water. The property is quite large, taking up about a whole block of space in the neighborhood.
Lindehagen is a property that was built in 1912 by a Norwegian man that was in the construction business. He traveled to America in his twenties and became a very successful builder there. When he came back to Norway, now quite wealthy, he built a property for both his brother and himself in Nesodden. On one of these properties he built a baroque style garden. Baroque gardens were a function of high society Europe and built to show off ones power and affluence. They became popular during the 16th century during the reign of Louis XIV of France who created one of the most well known baroque gardens - Versailles. They are very formal gardens, all based on symmetry, lines and patterns. This style garden is quite rare for Norway, as the royals here are quite new and don't have the same affluence and history that other European royals do. The house itself also incorporates baroque elements, with a grand, specifically constructed staircase which makes the house appear bigger from the garden and road. Because of his builder connection, parts of the house were even constructed with American stones!
My host, Camilla, met me on my first day at the house and after a tour of the place I had completely fallen in love. Not only does the house have some amazing history and architectural features, she is also an amazing decorator. I really felt like I had taken a step back in time with each space she showed me. I could totally picture Great Gatsby style parties happening here back in the day. The garden is magical - she has a gazebo, play house, fountains, statues, countless flowers, shrubs and bushes, apple, cherry, lemon and lime trees. She is turning a shed right outside the house into a small cafe that will be utilized in the summer. And to top it all off, she has two peacocks that roam the property which makes it feel even more like a fairy tale.
Camilla bought the property 5 years ago after it had pretty much sat unmaintained since the 1940s. The house was falling apart and the garden was completely overgrown. She said she couldn't even walk from one end to the other. Over 100 people came to look at the house when it was put on the market, and she was the only one that put in an offer. No one else was willing to put in all the work to restore it! Well it definitely fell into the right hands. Camilla's goal is to restore the property and the garden to its previous glory, keeping the tradition of its history alive. She maintains the entire property herself and hosts weddings, parties and different events that are open to the public. All of the yard work and most of the projects on the property she has completed herself - and she doesn't drive a car. So many of her projects are reusing materials that are already at her disposal and naturally occurring. One of my projects was to help her cut down, peel, and stain elm tree branches that she is going to create a fence out of. She has a tireless work ethic and has an exceptional vision for the property. Her passion for the garden and research on the history of it was so inspiring. She was such an amazing host - kind, caring, and thoughtful. After our first dinner I felt like I had known her for years! I had such a wonderful time staying with her and her two boys. And I think I have her convinced to list a couple of her spaces on Airbnb - so hopefully you can stay at her amazing place one day too!
Nesodden is a small town, but it feels quite busy. Walking down the road one way you reach a school and walking the other way a grocery store. Although there are quite a few cars passing by, there is still a sense of rural life. Walking to the store the other day I was passed by a man wearing roller skis and a little while later a horse. Across from the grocery store is the Nesodden Kyrke (church), build in 1175. I mean, how is that even possible?!
The landscape here is more rugged than in Sweden - and while it looks like rolling hills of green trees, up close there are many rocks covered with moss and other greenery. From Nesodden you can see the busy city of Oslo with it's few high rise buildings. The beaches in Nesodden are mostly rock and appear to be used a lot for fishing. Walking in the neighborhood I passed many beautiful houses perched on mossy rocks with spectacular views of the water. I could definitely get used to having that view!
I felt like I had truly stumbled upon a special place in this little town in Norway. From the historical house, to the beautiful garden, to my wonderful host Camilla - I think it will definitely be a place I come back to.
Highlights:
- Meeting Camilla and her two boys! They were a wonderful family and so welcoming.
- Not only was Camilla's property beautiful on the outside, her house on the inside was amazing as well! I gained a lot of inspiration from her space. It was full of natural light and amazing design features.
- Walking through the neighborhood and checking out all of the houses and views.
- Being able to help (in a small way) to make the garden come alive.
Lessons Learned:
- Norwegians are tough. It was pretty cold here but no one seemed to notice. We also had a day of sun, snow, 2 hail storms and rain. Crazy weather!
- They don't sell cold medicine in Norway. It doesn't exist.
- Norwegians are so nice! I asked countless people for directions (I think I asked four different people how to get on the ferry and to make sure I got on the right boat) - everyone was willing to help!
- Swedish and Norweigan languages are similar, and here most everyone I met spoke English.
Thanks for following along!
The house.
The coziest gazebo!
Neighborhood houses.
The water.