Comparison

Apart from trying to finish that PhD thesis, I probably spent most time in the greenhouse trying to cultivate a few vegetables. It is always amazing how fast things grow.

This is how the greenhouse looked like in the middle of April:

And less than a month later:

By now we have eaten almost all of the red radish, the first ones made it onto a picture and of course lots of salad.

 

And the first kohlrabi was devoured yesterday. Nothing beats the taste of self-grown vegetables!

Torpo Stavkirke

This church was built in 1192 and consecrated to St. Margaret. The chancel was demolished in 1880 and the rest of the church was supposed to be removed for a new church. However, the Society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments purchased and preserved the church while the new one was built next to it. The portals have quite nice carvings including birds. Furthermore, some runic inscription indicates that the church was built by Torolf. 

More garden

 Found this little guy while digging out some phlox. Quite interesting how they can bend their legs apparently into every direction.

And daffodils for the last time (nex time I'll show other flowers). They also come in quite a few varieties.

Vøringfossen in fall colors

A few more impressions out of the picture box. Unfortunately the hiking path all the way to the waterfall was closed due to the bad shape of a bridge so that was the closest possible I could get to it. Still impressive enough. Pieces of a truck were scattered all around the valley - probably had troubles with the brakes on the curvy road which leads down to the Hardangerfjord (didn't really want to take a picture of the stuff).

Flower power

Thought I best post a few pictures of the garden from end of March before the year is over again. Of course daffodils and primroses are long gone by now but the garden probably looks best in March/April when the early spring flowers are out and not too many weeds are overgrowing everything.

Hardangervidda - limitless

The Hardangervidda is also one of the places in Norway where I could spent months without getting enough. Lots of untouched nature and some kind of rough beauty with random rock formations, lakes, ice and snow make the area special. The Hardangervidda is the largest mountain plateau of Europe and therefore is blessed with a cold alpine climate all around the year. Yes, blessed! Call me spoil-sport but I really miss the winter (the real one not the last one which thought it could satisfy me with a few days below -20 °C). And don't tell me that I couldn't grow radish, spinach, peas, beans, chard and courgette/zucchini/green squash (take whatever you like best) which are all nicely sprouting in the greenhouse! I wouldn't mind half a year of growing some vegetables if I had half a year of proper winter ;) 

 One shouldn't underestimate the Hardangervidda though - it was a beautiful day but quite windy and in mid-October some proper winter clothing would have been appropriate. 

Gol Stavkirke

Actually this is the replica of the original which was moved to Oslo and is now a part of the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The oldest parts have been dated to 1212 but numerous renovations have changed the church over time. The present-day version is a reconstruction - it was impossible to restore the appearance of the original church so the missing parts have been rebuilt using the Borgund stave church as model. 

Øye Stavkirke

This small church dates back to the second half of the 12th century. The present-day church has been reconstructed from 156 pieces found underneath the floor of a newer church.

Burgund Stavkirke II (Fall colors)

May Day not mayday

May Day is a traditional hiking day of the (bigger) family. The destination was a place within the Swabian Alb and that usually means lots of limestone (usually with some cliffs), caves and quite often an old castle or the remains thereof. The elevation is called "Rosenstein" which literally means "rose stone". 

The weather was nice so the place was really crowded which was the only downside of the trip.  

 Lathyrus vernus (Fühlings-Platterbse)- had to look that up ;) Lots of woodruff was growing there, too.

One of the best geocaches I have seen. Walked by a few times without looking at it close enough to see that this is not a home for birds.  

 The remnants of the castle and also the location of another geocache. The rest of the family was watching while I was climbing the walls :) They didn't quite catch the exitement ...