Glasshouses at Oslo Botanical Garden
Scott and I went for a mini break in Oslo last week. Part of our holiday was a two hour boat trip around the fjords surrounding the city. As scenic as it was, we stepped off the boat frozen to the bone with just enough feeling in our legs to put one foot in front of the other. I can normally cope well with the cold but it got to me that day — I was tired from hiking adventures the day before and it was already below freezing on land, even colder on the water. We decided walking was the best way to stay warm and headed to the Oslo Botanical Garden. Imagine our joy when we discovered not one but two heated glasshouses!!
The first glasshouse we came across was Palmehuset (The Palm House). There are three rooms all connected through wooden doors; Evolution Room, Mediterranean Room and Desert Room. We took advantage of benches next to warm pipes. You can see Scott thawing out above :)
After coaxing ourselves back outside we spotted another glasshouse called Victoriahuset (Victoria House), named after the giant Victoria water lily. I loved stepping in here. It was bright and warm and we were greeted by a wall of green and the sound of trickling water. Normally I hate being anywhere hot and humid but on this occasion it was glorious. And that's what I like about colder climates; heat is something to be celebrated.
This was probably my favourite glasshouse of the two because it was full of colourful tropical plants I never normally see.
Although there wasn't much growing at this time of year, I'm glad we visited when we did because we had the glasshouses pretty much to ourselves. Hopefully we can go back one day and visit the herb garden and scented garden — any excuse to go back to Norway, I really like it there :)
