My travel year of 2021

2021 is finally coming to an end – and I say finally, because 2021 hasn’t been a great year for my family and I. We’ve been through too many losses, and quite frankly just can’t wait for 2022 to arrive. 2021 was the year when I decided to stop travelling long-term solo – a decision, I addressed in a very personal post in early November (read it here!). However, despite everything, there has been many wonderful moments in 2021, and many of them happened during my travels!

I learned from last year’s events that planning travels months in advance is impossible, so I didn’t. I spent the first six months entirely in Denmark – something I haven’t done since I first started travelling in 2015. But when July and summer arrived, I said (temporarily) goodbye to my job on Lolland and started a six-month period of travels. I had many dreams for those six months, but much of it didn’t happen. This time, it wasn’t due to Covid, but because of personal changes and circumstances.

In 2021, I managed to visit eleven countries (besides Denmark), and four of them were new. I explored Lolland and the neighbouring islands in depth, visited friends and climbed mountains in the Faroe Islands, saw a volcano erupting in Iceland, spent lots of fun times in Germany, went on a summer holiday to Austria and Liechtenstein with my family, went island hopping in Denmark in the height of summer, backpacked through Georgia and Armenia, worked on an archaeological survey in Serbia, spent much-needed time with two friends in Norway and visited my family in England. At the end of the year, I returned home to family “hygge” and snow!

Here’s a recap of my travel year of 2021:

January-June: Lolland and beyond

My family and I entered the new decade with an unwelcome visitor; we all contracted the virus over the holidays. I spent the first twelve days of the year in bed, trying to get over my mild symptoms so I could return to my life on Lolland.

On January 12th, I was finally let out of my corona prison and I could return to Lolland – and that’s where I stayed until the end of June, apart from some trips home to East Jutland to see my family. While I spent most of my time working, I did find time for many weekend adventures. In January, I went on a long hike through the beautiful landscapes of Ravnsby Bakker, a 50 km bike ride along the scenic Maribo Lakes and several walks in and near my home in Rødby with the dogs (Kanzi, Modig and Chico) that I lived with on the farm.

February arrived – and so did the snow! Unfortunately, it only stayed for two weeks but I made sure to make the most of it. I walked 14 km along the hilly country roads of the beautiful island of Femø, and spent a cozy weekend away with Kanzi where we explored the frozen towns of Nørre Alslev and Vordingborg, and walked over the Storstrøm Bridge to the tiny island of Masnedø. I also discovered Sædinge, a tiny village near Rødby which quickly became a favourite of mine!

Also, on February 1st, I could finally celebrate walking 15,000+ steps per day for an entire year. This challenge completely changed my life and my attitude towards exercise!

With March came the gift of my nephew, Sam, and warmer weather which allowed for even more weekend adventures. I accidentally took the train in the wrong direction and ended up in Sakskøbing instead of Nakskov, but it didn’t matter. I explored the town (especially its thrift stores) and headed out on a bike ride through nature reserves and to the end of the Vigsnæs peninsula. The following weekend, I managed to take the train in the correct direction and did reach Nakskov where I started the longest day trip since arriving on Lolland. I biked 30 kilometres and hiked 16 kilometres to reach Albuen, a sandy headland with beautiful nature, an abandoned village and the remains of a Medieval herring market! Later in March, I hiked along my local canal, Rødby Kanal, from its mouth in Kramnitze with the intention of following it to its end. But it split into two, so I only followed one part of it and swore to return at a later date to follow the other part to the end!

With April’s arrival, I sailed over the ocean to Lolland after some nice days at home. But this time, I wasn’t returning to Lolland alone; my mum, dad and grandmother joined me for five days of adventures – and also got to know my host family! I showed them all of my favourite places on Lolland and we also visited Nysted and Kong Svend’s Høj, the second-longest passage grave in Denmark, both of which I hadn’t seen before. For my birthday on April 4th, we went on a roadtrip to the islands of Farø, Bogø and Langø!

After my family left, my best friend Solveig arrived for a week of fun (and work!), and of course I had to show her my favourite little village, Sædinge. Later in the month, I spent a day biking through the islands of Fejø and Skalø, I completed my hike along Rødby Kanal, and spent an extended weekend at my colleague’s idyllic farm on Northeast Falster, an area that I fell in love with. I spent my days there biking and hiking as far as I could, through gorgeous forests full of burial mounds and megaliths, along a beach and under a huge highway bridge, to the longest passage grave in Denmark near Listrup, to Denmark’s largest tree and through the gorgeous bird reserve of Borremosen.

Solveig returned to Lolland along with her boyfriend Mikkel in early May for a weekend. This time, it was them showing me their favourite places on Lolland! We took Modig and Kanzi along for a walk through the gorgeous Frejlev Forest, visited the fairytale manor of Fuglsang and enjoyed an ice cream in Nysted, Lolland’s most beautiful town.

The biggest adventure of May was a weekend away in Nakskov, the largest town on Lolland. I camped at Hestehovedet, a beautiful beach on the banks of Nakskov Fjord where I spent a day out on a historic post boat sailing to the island of Enehøje and to Albuen which I was happy to revisit – this time in much better weather! I spent the rest of my weekend exploring Nakskov’s old town and the new industrial area which is a true eyesore!

In early June, my new baby arrived – a Sony A7R III! She has joined me on many adventures since! I returned to Femø, this time with Kanzi for an overnight stay at the campsite. We enjoyed two slow days with hiking, reading and relaxing in the hot June sun. Chico joined me on my next adventure to Nykøbing Falster to see my friend Amanda who grew up there, and the following day, he joined my host mum and I at the open air museum in Maribo. The following weekend, the three of us spent a day at the fun Medieval Centre in Nykøbing Falster, and I took Modig with me on a walk to Sædinge.

On June 23rd, Chico joined my host family and I for a trip to Marielyst on Falster to celebrate summer solstice with a huge bonfire on the beach! It’s one of my favourite memories from my time on Lolland.

July: Faroe Islands, Iceland, Vorsø and Albersdorf

With July’s arrival, it was time to leave Lolland behind for six months of much-anticipated travels! I began the journey in my favourite country, the Faroe Islands, but not before visiting Solveig and Mikkel in Copenhagen from where I flew (my first flight in eight months!).

For my 12th visit to the Faroe Islands, I focussed on my two favourite islands, Vágar and Nólsoy, in an attempt to finish climbing all of Vágar’s 41 mountains and to explore the parts of Nólsoy I’d missed on previous trips. Fog was a challenge on some days (typical for the Faroes in the summer), and I actually ended up climbing the two highest mountains on Vágar in fog. Thankfully, my friend Lucie came along with me, just like she did for many other adventures!

During my two weeks on the Faroe Islands, I managed to finish my goal of climbing all of Vágars mountains by climbing the last six, and I also climbed all four mountains on Nólsoy on a full-day hike with Lucie. I saw the sunset above Klovningur, a sea stack below the famous Trøllkonufingur cliff. I watched Denmark reach the semifinals in the UEFA EURO 2020 and England sadly lose the final. I walked around Tórshavn and spent time at the new Hilton Garden Inn Hotel where Lucie works. I cuddled Felix the Cat a lot and enjoyed hostel life at Giljanes Hostel. I experienced my first Grindadráp but decided not to look when the killings happened. I ate way too many cakes with Lucie at Tórshavn’s cozy cafés. I discovered a puffin paradise on Nólsoy and showed four new friends around on the island. I found an unknown lake in a hidden valley above Bøur and saw a seal at the waterfall of Skarðsáfossur with Lucie. I hiked from Vatnsoyrar to Miðvágur on a beautiful sunny evening. I visited “my” Faroese family in Strendur and went for a lovely walk at sunset. And Lucie and I went on a very rainy hike from Sørvágur to Slættanes and Oyrargjógv.

With so many adventures packed into just two weeks, it was the perfect start to my new era of travel!

Due to the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupting, I spontaneously decided to add-on a few days in Iceland on my way home from the Faroe Islands. I paid just 1000 DKK extra for the extra flight + 1300 DKK extra for three days of car rental. To save money and for ultimate freedom, I decided to sleep in the car all nights. It was my 5th visit to Iceland, and the first time focusing on the popular South coast. I hiked up to the volcano twice, on my first and last day, and saw it erupting many times. It was a spectacular sight and one of the most memorable moments of 2021! On my second and only non-volcanic day, I drove along the South coast to discover some of its many highlights. I saw tiny rainbows in the Skógafoss waterfall. I walked the long way to the Sólheimasandur plane wreck. I hiked to the Sólheimajökull glacier and climbed a small mountain above it. I tried not to get hit by the treacherous waves at Reynisfjara Beach. I saw the cliffs of Dyrhólaey at dusk. I entered a cave to find the Gljufrabui waterfall and got splashed by the Seljalandsfoss waterfall as I walked behind it. And I climbed a small mountain called Stóra Dímun purely due to its name which it shares with a Faroese island!

Back home in Denmark, I spent a week relaxing with my family, and I also found time for a short local adventure. My younger brother and I went on a tour to the island of Vorsø – the only way of visiting the island since it’s a nature preserve with very limited access. We saw cormorants, a deer and even two sea eagles which our guide said is very rare. And getting there and back was the best part – we had to walk through the shallow water from the mainland! Visiting Vorsø was a dream come true!

The last week of July was spent in Albersdorf in North Germany at the annual Stone Age gathering, just like last year! I had so much fun with Solveig, Mikkel and all of our crazy Stone Age friends. This week is sacred to me, I can’t imagine a year without it.

Most of my July nights were spent in a tent – in fact, I spent almost three weeks in total in my little, green tent!

August: Island hopping, Austria and Liechtenstein

I returned home on the first day of August, and a few days later, I went on my next adventure. This time, I explored parts of Denmark that I’d never seen before, the islands of Læsø and Hirsholm. My friend Mads joined me on the trip for our fifth summer island adventure together (it has become one of my favourite traditions!).

We spent three days on Læsø where we rented bikes and camped, first by an idyllic lake for two nights and then in the garden of a farm on the last night. Three days was plenty to see just about everything that Læsø has to offer. We walked through the three villages on the islands. We climbed a tower for a view of the island interior. We searched for the traditional cottages with seaweed roofs that Læsø is well-known for (I love them!). We visited the working museum of Læsø Saltwork. We walked in shallow waters to get to some small islets. We met a bunch of curious cows. We ate lots of ice cream and spent time at a farm with kittens and baby goats. We shopped at a local market and the islands’ only thrift store. We took a few dips in the ocean. We walked along a sandy headland at the easternmost point of the island. We visited the old lobster huts at Horneks Odde. And on the last evening, we watched a beautiful sunset at Vesterø Harbour.

The following day, we sailed back to the mainland and then onto the tiny island of Hirsholm, the only inhabited island of the Hirsholmene archipelago (with just one inhabitant!). The hour-long journey over was rough with high waves crashing in over the boat. Once we got there, we spent some time relaxing and settling our stomachs before exploring the tiny village, climbing to the top of the lighthouse, visiting the tiny village church, searching for seals by the beach and exploring two bunkers from WW2. Although Læsø has much more to offer, I liked Hirsholm more because of how tiny and remote it is!

In mid-August, I joined my parents and grandmother on a two-day trip to the island of Strynø, a cozy island off the coast of Funen. We stayed in an airbnb next to the harbour and enjoyed two days of relaxing, roadtripping along every road on the island, wandering through the narrow streets of the only village on the island and going for evening walks by the ocean.

The day after arriving home from Strynø, we were off again, this time for a week-long holiday to Sesselebene in Austria. We drove the entire way, stopping for the night in Kassel, Germany. Sesselebene, located deep in the Paznaun Valley, was the perfect base for exploring parts of Austria neither of us had been to before.

We explored the nearby towns of See, Kappl and Ischgl and took the cable cars into the Alps to see the towns from above. My mum and I hiked several scenic trails in the area. We explored Innsbruck, a city known as ‘the capital of the Alps’. We visited Kitzbühel, home of my grandmother’s hero, Hansi Hinterseer. My mum and I went on a very long and tough hike in the Alps above Nauders to reach a spot that would excite every geography nerd out there – the very point where the borders of Austria, Switzerland and Italy meet!

And we even left the country for one day to explore the tiny nation of Liechtenstein. There, we roadtripped from the south of the country to the north, visiting places like the Medieval castles in Gutenberg and Vaduz, the picturesque village of Triesenberg, a viewing tower that was engulfed in fog, the capital city of Vaduz and the castle ruins in Schellenberg. We also crossed an old footbridge into Switzerland!

At the end of the month, I caught the train to Odense to spend a day with Mads before going somewhere special the following day…

September-October: Georgia, Armenia, Serbia, Germany and beyond

That special place was Lolland! I visited my host family for four days of relaxation, walking the dogs and visiting my colleagues. I spent the following two weeks at home, relaxing with my family, celebrating Sam’s christening and my dad’s birthday and digging up family history with my dad’s aunt in Skals. I also went with my mum and grandmother to Haderslev for what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend together, but we soon turned around, went home and rescheduled our trip to another time and place as the airbnb we’d booked was disgusting.

Then it was time for another overseas adventure, perhaps the biggest one of the year. I flew to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, with 2,5 weeks to spare for both Georgia and its neighbouring country, Armenia. Unfortunately, I soon realized that that amount of time wouldn’t be enough even for just Georgia, so I quickly knocked Armenia on the head and spent almost all of my time exploring Georgia.

I have Envoy Hostel in Tbilisi to thank for making my time in Georgia so memorable, as that was where I met my now-boyfriend A, Matija, Gabi and Alma with whom I travelled throughout the country. And little did I know at the time, I’d be seeing much more of A in the upcoming months.

After a few days in Tbilisi, I set off with the crew to Kazbegi for an overnight visit to the gorgeous mountainous region. We hiked up to the famous Gergeti Trinity Church and beyond to get some amazing views. Then it was time to return to Tbilisi for a few days of aimless wandering and relaxation before hitting the road again – this time to Kutaisi. We stayed at Dingo Backpackers Hostel, and it turned out to be one of my favourite hostel experiences! During our two days in Kutaisi, we explored the city, visited UNESCO’s Gelati Monastery, watched the sunset at the Motsameta Monastery, explored an abandoned sanatorium in the abandoned Soviet spa town of Tskaltubo and walked through the majestic Prometheus Cave.

The following day, it was time to part with the group, as A and I headed further northwest into the mountains of Svaneti. There, we spent the next five days exploring Mestia and its surroundings and hiking the popular four-day trail from Mestia to Ushguli. We met several fun people along the way, and one of them, Lukas from Czech Republic, hiked with us from the end of day one until the very end of day four. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it to Ushguli because of a landslide, but we did complete the first three days of the hike which are said to be the most beautiful and difficult!

September came to an end, and it was time to leave Svaneti behind and head back to Tbilisi – but not before swinging by Kutaisi and our favourite hostel first! We arrived in the evening, leaving us with hardly any time to explore Kutaisi, but we had a fun night with the other backpackers. The next day, A and I caught the train to Tbilisi, but stopped in Mtskheta first to explore this ancient capital of Georgia. We spent the evening eating out in Tbilisi and enjoying one last evening of hostel fun before I had to leave for Armenia the next morning.

So I did actually make it to Armenia, but only to catch my flight. I had just four hours of daylight to explore Yerevan, the capital city, but I made the most of it despite lugging around my heavy backpack all day. I explored the gorgeous Blue Mosque, wandered around the oldest district in the city, bought some souvenirs at the Vernissage market, people-watched at the Republic Square and walked to the top of The Cascade to watch the sun set over the city.

After a whirlwind of a trip to the Caucasus, I was happy to spend five days relaxing at home with my family, before venturing off again for my next adventure. This time, I was heading to eastern Europe – more specifically, to Serbia! But I wasn’t going for tourism purposes; I was going to work on an archaeological survey for two weeks!

I spent a night in Kiel, Germany, and met up with the other arhaeologists who are all from Kiel the following morning. And then we were off, driving through Europe with all of our gear. We reached Novi Bečej, our base in Serbia, after two days of driving with a night in Brno in the Czech Republic.

Despite not knowing anyone beforehand, I immediately felt at ease with the group and soon made friends with them. The next two weeks were a bliss; we worked at five different (mainly Neolithic) sites doing geophysical surveys and surface collecting, and we had some amazing results. During the evenings, we ate at the same restaurant just across the road from our guesthouse and enjoyed each others company (I especially enjoyed the company of Lenka, our excavation puppy!).

During those two weeks, we had one day off to explore Novi Bečej and the area surrounding the town. We started the day with a sunrise walk by the river Tisa, and then set out on a roadtrip to explore the Medieval Romanesque church ruin of Arača and the dried salt lake of Slano Kopovo. In the evening, I joined Sebbo for a stroll along random streets in the town.

When our project had come to an end, we parted ways as the others drove home to Kiel, and I continued to Novi Sad to explore some more of Serbia. I caught a ride with Fynn who was flying out of Novi Sad a few days later, and we first took a detour to the town of Kikinda! In Novi Sad, I had booked my own room in a hostel. As much as I needed some time alone after two intense weeks, it also left me with an empty feeling. But I tried to make the most of my time in the pretty city. I wandered the streets of the city, explored churches and shopped in thrift stores, enjoyed the views from Petrovaradin Fortress, watched a traditional dance in a quaint square, met up with Fynn for a tour of the archaeological museum, and, on my last day, I went for a long hike through the forests of Fruška Gora National Park. I climbed the highest peak in the park at 539 m. and explored an abandoned castle (!!!) that I just happened to stumble upon before hiking back through the forest in darkness!

After Novi Sad, I had planned a massive three-month journey through Eastern Europe, but as it got closer, I realized that I just couldn’t face three months of being alone, especially during these uncertain times. So I changed my plans entirely and instead headed to Berlin to spend time with A for his birthday on October 27th. But first, I had an overnight stopover in Vienna, a city I first explored in 2013 and didn’t really like. This time, I enjoyed the city much more! I arrived just past sunset and after dropping my stuff off at the hostel, I set out into the night for a long walk around the city centre, trying to see as many of Vienna’s famous sights as possible. The next morning, on Austria’s National Day, I walked almost the same route to see everything in daylight!

And then it was time to head to Berlin. I arrived the evening before A’s birthday, which we celebrated with a delicious meal at a Georgian restaurant (of course!). The next few days were spent hanging out with A and his sister, eating tons of delicious vegan food (Berlin is vegan heaven!), and going for long walks through different neighbourhoods of Berlin in the most beautiful weather. I’d only been to Berlin for one day before and I didn’t really like it much, but giving it a second chance was so worth it. The city has definitely grown on me!

October ended with a visit to Leipzig to visit Mikkel who was living there temporarily. The three of us explored the (surprisingly beautiful) city centre and ate way too much food!

November-December: Germany, Norway and England

November started as October ended – in Leipzig with A and Mikkel. We spontaneously decided to stay for another night as we were having so much fun. The morning was spent climbing to the top of the Monument to the Battle of the Nations for an amazing view of the city, and then A and I explored more of the city centre while Mikkel worked. In the evening, we met up again for another delicious meal (Germany is reeeeally my food heaven!).

Back in Berlin, A and I spent a few more days aimlessly walking, getting to know his new home city. And then I left to go to Norway, but not without visiting my family on the way and picking up winter gear. I decided to travel overland the whole way, and although the journey took two days, it was a great experience. When I have time, I much prefer travelling by train/bus/ferry than plane!

I arrived in Bergen on an atypical weather day; sunny one moment, cloudy the next. Solveig picked me up at the dock; I was there to visit her new home! She’s doing a ph.d. in Bergen and has already lived there for almost two years! I was supposed to visit her last year, but I had to cancel due to Covid so I was thrilled to finally be able to go!

We spent ten days together. Most days were spent partly at Solveig’s office, working on the blog and learning languages (I took up Russian and German – wish me luck!), partly out and about enjoying the city. Bergen is known for its rainy weather, but I was lucky to have sun a few days and just cloudy without rain most days! And that was in November!!

I explored Bryggen, Bergen’s famous Hanseatic wharf. I visited two museums with Sofus, another friend who was in Bergen for a few days. I did some Christmas shopping and enjoyed the Christmas lights that were being put up all over the city centre. I went running by Svartediket several times. I explored the Medieval Bergenhus fortress. And we spent a few evenings hanging out with Solveig’s international friends. In the weekend, it was adventure time! We went on Solveig’s favourite hike up a mountain above Bergen and along a scenic trail that goes past several abandoned settlements, and on the Sunday, in brilliant sunshine, we visited Hordamuseet, an open-air museum showcasing a local cultural landscape from the period 1850-1950.

On my way back to Denmark, I stopped for a few days in Stavanger to visit another good friend of mine – Regine, who I lived with in Greenland. She and her boyfriend recently had a baby, so it was wonderful to meet mini-her and to see her hometown and some of the places she loves nearby. We spent an afternoon exploring the city of Stavanger and then went on a roadtrip the following day, another sunny Sunday, around Jæren, a gorgeous nature area that she calls home.

In the evening, I caught a ferry back to Denmark, but I didn’t stay for long. I spent four hours in Aalborg with Lena, another good friend of mine who also recently had a baby, and then continued onwards to Berlin to visit A again. This time, we did a bit more exploring around the city, visiting places like the abandoned Tempelhof Airport and seeing the view from Victoriapark, both of which I absolutely loved! I spent some evenings at Berlin’s many Christmas markets and did a bit of Christmas shopping. We also ate mock duck at my favourite restaurant in Kreuzburg, Phantasia!

One of the days, I caught the train north to visit Maria, who I also lived with in Greenland. We spent a lovely day together cuddling her maaaany cats and two dogs, and going on a roadtrip to Boitzenburger Land for a six-kilometre hike partly in dusk through a forest with monastery ruins and a castle!

On December 3rd, I left Berlin to go to Kiel to visit the Serbia crew; we had a fun night at the local Christmas market! The next day, I joined my family in Flensburg for our annual German Christmas market trip, a cozy tradition that I hope will continue forever. I joined them for home for a few days, before my younger brother Brandon and I flew to England where my mum is from. As happy as I was to be going home again (I hadn’t been there since the summer of 2018!), it was for a sad occasion as we were attending the funeral of my mum’s cousin Jason who had just lost his mother Ingrid a few months prior. Losing two close family members in a matter of months has been really tough, but I’m glad we got to say a last goodbye to them, and to spend time with our family.

After five days in Thetford, I flew to Berlin for ten more days of fun with A and exploring the city. This time, I made sure to bring my camera everywhere as I’d really failed to be a tourist on the other two visits. I managed to revisit all the main places again, to photograph them all, and to visit several new ones. I went on a tour through the interior of Tempelhof Airport, explored Charlottenburg Castle and the beautiful surroundings, saw the views from Victoriapark (again) and from the Victory Column and sought out some of Berlin’s UNESCO housing estates. In the weekend, A and I biked to the East Side Gallery and the abandoned amusement park of Spreepark, and went on a day trip to Potsdam to discover some of its many palaces. And of course, we had mock duck at Phantasia again – it has become a tradition for sure!

In the evening of December 23rd, I returned home, exhausted and happy after six months of travels. It was lovely to come home and have some time to relax with my family, although much of my time was spent on the computer working on articles for an archaeological journal (a small temporary job, I got earlier in December!).

For the first time in eleven years, we experienced a white Christmas with beautiful frosty and sunny days. We enjoyed many walks in the snow, and I even managed to get up early three days in a row to witness the sunrise! The early sunsets also didn’t disappoint!

Today is New Year’s Eve, and I’m off to Aarhus to celebrate the new year with A, his sister, Brandon and some of his friends. I can’t wait for a fun and festive evening.

I wish you all a joyful and blessed 2022!

What’s up in 2022?

I’m looking forward to a much slower and less stressful year. Of course, the traveller in me is still alive, so I will be taking some trips here and there, but it will be much less than the previous years. And I’m very content with that!

I’ll be moving to Lolland on January 2nd, for more months of dog kisses at the farms and awesome excavations at work. During the weekends, I plan on continuing my explorations of Lolland and the neighbouring islands, and also going on several trips to Germany which is literally just a ferry ride away!

I don’t have any bigger trips planned, but I hope to make it back to Bergen to visit Solveig again, and hopefully my mum and I will finally get to go to Switzerland (a trip we’ve had to cancel three times now due to Covid!). I’ve also been offered fieldwork in both Serbia and Slovakia, so I hope to be able to make that happen! Other than that, I’m dreaming of a return to Svalbard, and a revisit to the Faroe Islands is always a plan!

As for my next step in life, I’m planning to apply for my Master’s soon. My dream university is Aberdeen, and I hope to go in either September this year or next January!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll continue reminiscing about the year that has past, and as I do every year, I’ll be sharing my favourite new destinations of the year as well as my best and worst travel moments! Stay tuned!

Do you have any travel plans for the new year?