In the first days of August I found myself in Norway. My colleagues and I were invited by Hadeland Glassverk to visit their beautiful factory village. Anyone how knows me, knows my love for the Scandinavian countries and their culture. So i was particularly excited about this trip!
Hadeland Glassverk is the oldest industrial operation in Norway with continuous operation since 1762. In 2022 it marked the 260th anniversary so it couldn’t be any more perfect timing to visit.
Glassverk at the beginning of its operation was producing glass bottles, jars, and household glassware, and during the 1800s production moved to wine glasses, bowls and vases.
The factory village is located in a scenic surrounding at the southern part of the lake Randsfjorden.
The factory village is so beautiful I could easily live there! The weather was mostly sunny with temperatures around 22 degrees. It was a blast!
We stayed in Thorbjørnrud Hotel, which is 5 minutes walk from Hadeland factory village and has striking views of the lake Randsfjorden. I loved my room and this cozy alcove with views over to the garden. So relaxing and peaceful. All hotel stuff were very friendly and so kind!
So the first day we were guided throughout the history of Glassverk and we visited the glass museum.
We had dinner at 5:30pm in a stunning dinning room at the hotel. All the dishes and the wine were so tasty and delicious! Our waiter/sommelier Michael, was really kind, attentive and very knowledgable!
I have to say that I was surrounded by so many amazing people. I met Angela and Audun, from Glassverk, which I really thank for this fantastic trip, and together with our amazing colleagues we all spent a wonderful time. It was just magical how we all bonded with each other almost immediately. Everyone we met, at the hotel and at the factory, was very friendly and kind. ❤️
Before night, we visited the lake 💙
The next day, we started our day with breakfast at the hotel. I must admit we ate a lot in this trip! Breakfast was rich and we took the opportunity to fuel ourselves with many sweet calories. (or at least I did!)
Then we visited the coffee house at the factory village where we had some more pastry along with some coffee.
At the factory they demonstrated to us the process of making a bowl. It was mind-blowing how easy the made it look. It requires lots of skills, practice, patience and of course lots of strength.
For lunch, we visited the restaurant at the factory village.
We also visited the warehouse, the prototype rooms and their gallery. Last but definitely not least, we visited their lighting showroom where I loved every and each lampshade!
We had dinner in the dinning room at the hotel ❤️
Amongst all the amazing dishes we were served, I tried the artichoke soup. At the beginning I felt somehow uncomfortable as I despise artichoke in every way. I don’t even like the smell of it. But I was really embarrassed not to try it. And so I did and i am glad i tasted it. I congratulated the chef for making such an amazing dish that could convince even someone like me to say I truly loved the artichoke soup! (Not ever would i ever think i’d say that!)
We spent our last evening relaxing together
The next day in the morning, we visited Kistefos. Kistefos is located very close to Hadeland and is one of Europe’s most important sculpture parks that offers world-class architecture, contemporary art, and two art galleries.
One of the two art galleries is The Twist. The Twist is a sculpture, a gallery and a bridge across the Randselva river. It twists at the midway point and is designed by the Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels.
Our wonderful time here has come to an end. Hope to visit again soon!
Until next time ❤️
