March has been – well – an interesting month, for all of us. The first half of the month went as planned, finishing up my time in Scotland and arriving back in Denmark on the 13th. The last half of the month was the complete opposite of what I’d planned. Covid-19 became widespread in most of Europe. Denmark went into lockdown, country after country closed their borders and my trip to Switzerland and Liechtenstein was cancelled.
Saying goodbye to Skye
The first week of March was spent on the Isle of Skye, where I’d been living and working through the first two months of the year with my brother Brandon. Life went on as normal, everyone was aware of Covid-19, but no one knew what was about to happen.
I worked for the majority of that last week in Skye, with just a few hours per day to go for walks in and around Portree. Saying goodbye was hard. I’d come to love many of the locals and their animals (Rascal and Thunder, I will never forget you!!), and I hate goodbyes. I do hope that I can go back one day to say hi to everyone. I probably won’t come back to work in Portree, but I definitely want to go back for a visit. But for now, I’m thankful for the privilege to have lived and worked on Skye for two glorious months.
A week on the Outer Hebrides
On March 7th, Brandon and I said our goodbyes to Skye and headed to the Outer Hebrides for a six-day roadtrip. We had rented a car and planned on sleeping in the car, although we ended up only doing that three out of six nights as it was quite uncomfortable (it was a really small car!).
We had six wonderful days, driving all the way from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, through the Isle of Harris, the Uists and the tiny islands of Barra and Vatersay and back up to Stornoway. We saw the most beautiful white sand beaches, explored exciting archaeological sites, went for hikes in the moorland, saw some incredible cliff formations, played pool in local bars and met countless horses, cats and sheep (and a few humans too!). The weather was nice most of the days, although we did have a stormy day on Barra and a ferry cancellation which disrupted our plans a little. Still, we definitely made the most of our six days and ended up driving 627 miles through eight islands.
Settling into a new life in Denmark
We arrived back in Denmark on March 13th, on the very day that the lockdown began. Denmark closed its borders and banned all non-essential travel, ultimately cancelling my upcoming trip with Brandon and our mum to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (and also cancelling my April trip to the Faroe Islands and Norway). Suddenly not having any travel plans until May meant trying to find a new way of living while on lockdown in Denmark. Not easy for someone who’s used to being location independent – my sudden loss of freedom is still difficult to comprehend.
With everything but supermarkets, pharmacists and a few other shops closed, there’s not a whole lot to do in Denmark. For the first week, I was enjoying having time to relax with my family, go for long walks and catching up with blog posts. But I soon got restless. So I decided to try for a job at a supermarket I’d worked in during my gap years (2014-16), where my mum also works. They took me on immediately, so now I’m working to save up money to travel once this whole ordeal is over. Oh – and my wanderlust is worse than ever, so expect a full travel year or two for me once this is over!
Thankfully, Denmark is also a really beautiful country, and March blessed us with many sunny days, so on my days off, I went to explore new places in my own backyard. I went on a day trip with my family to Mols Bjerge National Park, one of the most picturesque places in Denmark, and we also spent an afternoon exploring Aarhus’ Old Town, a place I’ve loved since I was a child. I’m sure April will be full of these kinds of adventures too.
Destinations visited in March 2020
- Isle of Skye, Harris and Lewis, the Uists and Barra, Scotland
- East Jutland, Denmark
Highlights
- The most perfect beach I’ve ever seen on Berneray. Wow, what a place! I can’t wait to share it with you all in an upcoming blog post about our time on the Uists!
- Finally seeing the Calanais Standing Stones!! It was amazing being the only tourists and being able to get right close to the stones, something that would never happen at Stonehenge!
- The incredible cliffs of Mangersta on the Isle of Lewis. One of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever seen!
- Spending more time than I’d imagined with family and finally having time to catch up with blog posts. Although I would much rather be without it (as would we all), Covid-19 hasn’t been all bad for me.
- Getting a job at the supermarket, so I can at least save money for future travels now that I can’t travel!
- Getting the best call of my life: Being offered to go on an excavation in Sisimiut, Greenland, in August!!! I can’t wait for this incredible experience.
Challenges
- Saying goodbye to everyone and everything on Skye. I will miss you all!
- A ferry cancellation between Berneray and Harris, which meant spending an entire day sailing from North Uist to Skye and then to Harris. A one-hour journey in the morning suddenly became a four-hour journey, getting us to Harris and Lewis in the late afternoon and leaving us with only an afternoon and half a day to explore!
- Covid-19 has been and continues to be a challenge for many of us. For me, it thankfully hasn’t had any emotional consequences, but cancelling travel plans is never fun (especially when some companies never reply to emails or pick up the phone – I’m looking at you, Norwegian!). I realize, however, how privileged I am as I was able to postpone the trips and get most of my money back. But the worst part of it is the lack of freedom that we now all have. I find that quite difficult to deal with.
Most popular post
- After 5 years of solo travel: My 22 safety tips for solo female travellers – By far the most popular post this month! I’m thrilled to see so many women interested in solo travelling!
The other posts
- My February 2020: Isle of Skye and Raasay – A month of carefree living and travelling in beautiful Scotland
- In light of Covid-19: Changing my travel plans – An explanation of why I chose to postpone my upcoming trips
- Hiking to the Fairy Pools through the Cuillin Mountains – A beautiful hike in rainy weather on Skye
- Yemin Moshe: The prettiest neighbourhood in Jerusalem – Wow, this is a place I could imagine myself living in!
- Beyond the beaten path on Skye: Lealt Falls and Brother’s Point – My favourite place on Skye, visited with good friends
- The city of Ceuta, a piece of Spain in North Africa – A post on a very interesting, often overlooked Spanish city!
- To the end of Skye: A rainy day out at Neist Point Lighthouse – One of the most iconic places on Skye in rain and wind
- A very special Shabbat experience in Jerusalem – A wonderful evening of learning and appreciation of Judaism
Most popular Instagram picture
Skye never disappoints!
Coming up in April 2020
Well, I should’ve been heading to the Faroe Islands in six days and Norway ten days later, but that isn’t going to happen now. I’ve postponed my travel plans for the month and will instead stay at home in Denmark, working in the supermarket and exploring more of East Jutland. So far, I have a trip planned to Himmelbjerget, a picturesque hill amongst lakes and forests, and other than that, I hope to find time to go on a longer trekking trip somewhere in Jutland.
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