This summer was supposed to be all about Greenland, working as a tour guide in the Nuuk Fjord and getting some much needed digging experience at an excavation near Sisimiut. But then corona came and changed everything.
For the first half of the summer, I was in Denmark under a lockdown of not just my county but the entire world. But the heat came and the numbers dropped, and our government decided to open up for travel in a few countries in Europe. After four months, I could finally travel again!
Quitting my job and preparing to travel again
At the beginning of the month, I quit the supermarket job that had been my lifeline during the corona crisis. I had originally planned to travel straight away afterwards, but I could really feel that I needed a break. So I took it easy for the next two weeks where basically all I did was relax, go for long walks, work on this blog and prepare for my next big adventure.
The last two sponsored adventures in East Jutland
But during those two weeks, I also found time for two adventures in my home region, an area I’d explored thoroughly during the spring and early summer! I went on my last job as an ambassador for Turistsamarbejdet Kystlandet, the local tourism board, which was a 36 km hike along a newly inaugurated trail from Odder to Horsens. A few days later, I went kayaking in Horsens Fjord! This trip was sponsored by Juelsmindehalvøens Kajakudlejning who lent my friend Mads and I a sit-on-top kayak for my first ever kayaking experience! And I loved it – so much that I’m dying to try it again!
A week spent in the Stone Age
On July 19th, it was time to hit the road! I took busses and trains to Odense where I met up with my besties Solveig and Mikkel. They were actually supposed to meet me in Fredericia, but due to a little mix-up of the dates (hehe, Solveig!), we ended up staying the night in Odense with Solveig’s grandmother before leaving for Germany the next day.
With our masks ready, we drove to Albersdorf, a small town near Heide in Schleswig-Holstein where we attended the only Stone Age gathering that hadn’t been cancelled this year! We were fewer than usual, but it was still such a wonderful gathering and we even got to hold the second annual Stone Age catwalk – a fabulous show!
Family time in Stralsund and Rügen
Solveig and Mikkel left for Denmark after the gathering, and I was picked up by my family who were headed east to the city of Stralsund. There, we stayed for eight days and explored the nearby island of Rügen, Germany’s largest, which offered majestic chalk cliffs, ancient beech forests, quaint villages with cobblestones and turf-roofed cottages, a ride on an old steam train and the world’s longest building!
We also found time to explore the hilly northern parts of Hiddensee, visit a friend of mine in Greifswald and get to know the beautiful city of Stralsund. It was a wonderful week and I was sad to see it end.
Learning to cope with post-Covid solo travel in Lübeck
Saying goodbye to my family wasn’t easy, especially since I was left alone in Lübeck in a hostel that revealed a whole new way of travelling solo. A lonely one.
I didn’t meet one other traveller to socialize with, so I was by myself for the full five days in the city. Unfortunately, that meant that I didn’t really enjoy my time in the otherwise beautiful city, but I did find comfort in getting out into nature on the nearby islands of Fehmarn and Poel. As weird as it sounds, being alone in nature is the best cure for loneliness for me.
Six trains down south to Munich
I was glad when my time in Lübeck was over and I could head south to Munich. There, a rental car awaited me, but first I had to catch six different trains over 14 hours to get there! It was a tiring day, but I kept myself sane by updating everyone on Instagram and going for walks in between the train rides.
I had two days in Munich before the roadtrip began, days I spent sightseeing and hanging out in the biggest park I’ve ever seen, the Englischer Garten.
An epic two-week roadtrip through the Alps and Central Germany
I left Munich on August 10th and set off on an epic two-week roadtrip through the German and Austrian Alps, a small corner of Switzerland and a large section of Central Germany. I spent the days driving and exploring, and most nights sleeping in the passenger seat of my rental. It was way more comfortable than it sounds!
My journey took me to the gorgeous alpine lakes of Starnberg, Walchensee and Alatsee and to the Austrian pene-exclaves of Hinterriß and Eng, Jungholz and Kleinwalsertal. The latter two offered my two favourite hikes on the trip; a mountain climb in Jungholz – in fact, to the summit which is the only point where Jungholz is connected to the rest of Austria! – and a 5 km post-rain hike through the side valley of Gemsteltal.
Afterwards, I went castle chasing in Germany’s Alps and reached Lake Constance, where I explored the Pile Dwelling Museum in Unteruhldingen and discovered the rich cultural heritage on Reichenau Island. Then it was time for a short trip into Switzerland to see the picture-perfect city of Stein am Rhein and the Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest and most powerfall waterfall! I also stopped by the tiny German exclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein for a walk along Enklavenweg and a drink at a restaurant that sits on the border between Büsingen (Germany) and Switzerland!
Then I headed north through the fairytale region of the Black Forest, where I spent a day hiking above the timber-frame village of Shiltach. Focus then shifted on exploring some of Germany’s many UNESCO sites as I made my way further north to Langenhain near Frankfurt to see the Bahá’í House of Worship!
I headed east next, back into Bavaria to explore the famous towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Bamberg, which are just as pretty as the guidebooks say! I left Bavaria again after a few days and drove to the cultural city of Weimar, chasing more UNESCO sites along the way and visiting a very special museum in Halle, where I got to see the Nebra Sky Disk!
My last few roadtrip days were spent in the Harz Mountains, strolling through the picturesque towns of Quedlinburg and Goslar, and hiking along a romantic trail through the forests of Harz. I then took quite a detour to a village north of Berlin to visit Maria who I lived with in Greenland back in 2018. There was just no way I could spend five weeks in Germany without seeing her! We had a wonderful day together, and I really enjoyed seeing her beautiful home and cuddling with her four cats, two kittens and two dogs!
The next day, I drove to Magdeburg where I dropped off my rental car and caught the first of four trains to get home. My journey had come to an end, and although I had thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many beautiful places in Germany, I was excited to be going back home.
Home sweet home
I arrived home in the afternoon of August 24th, exhausted and in need of relaxation (roadtripping is tiring!). For the first time in forever, I didn’t have to study or work while I was home, so I could actually spend as much time as I wanted doing fun things with my family.
This resulted in a very spontaneous trip to the nearby island of Tunø with my younger brother! I got up that day with no plan for the day, and then he asked if I wanted to join him. Tickets are free this summer to encourage Danes to stay at home, so I couldn’t find any reason not to go! We spent three wonderful hours there, walking through the middle of the island, exploring the church and the tiny museum, eating fries in the sun at a local restaurant and buying fresh local vegetables to take home!
The other days were spent hanging out with my family and seeing my niece again, going for long walks in the cool air (finally – I’m so over summer heat!) and working on this blog. I’ve almost finished tweaking all the pages on the blog – now I just need to get up-to-date with the blog posts!
Destinations visited in July-August 2020
- Hov, Odder, Haldrup, Horsens, Brigsted, Vorsø, Alrø, Snaptun and Tunø, Denmark
- Albersdorf, Stralsund, Rügen, Greifswald, Dänholm, Hiddensee, Lübeck, Fehmarn, Wismar, Poel, Munich, Ammerland, Walchensee, Wies, Hohenschwangau, Alatsee, Eisenberg, Unteruhldingen, Reichenau, Konstanz, Büsingen am Hochrhrein, Donaueschingen, Triberg, Schiltach, Maulbronn, Speyer, Heidelberg, Lorsch, Messel, Langenhain, Würzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Baunach, Bamberg, Weimar, Naumburg, Halle, Eisleben, Quedlinburg, Goslar, Hahnenklee, Biesenthal and Magdeburg, Germany
- Hinterriß and Eng, Jungholz and Kleinwalsertal, Austria
- Stein am Rhein and Rhine Falls, Switzerland
Highlights
- Trekking the old railway between Horsens and Odder! It was so much fun to explore this part of my birth region in depth – and I found quite a few new places that I want to return to!
- Kayaking with Mads! That trip was spectacular and it opened up a whole new world for me. I can’t WAIT to get back on the ocean!
- Everything about Albersdorf, but especially the fashion show! That event is always so incredibly fun!
- A magical first evening in Stralsund. The sky was pastel-coloured and the buildings lit. I knew from that moment that I was going to love our week there and I truly did.
- Riding the steam train through Rügen – such a cute experience!
- Seeing Prora, the world’s longest building. I’m still amazed by the sight of it!
- The epic hike through Jasmund National Park. Every corner I turned, I found a new breathtaking view of the chalk cliffs!
- The day out at Fehmarn. A long walk on the island was just what I needed to cure my homesickness after saying goodbye to my family.
- Climbing Mt. Sorgschrofen – nothing beats the feeling of reaching a summit after a tough climb! And this one was special.
- Hiking in Kleinwalsertal – wow! What a landscape! And it was the perfect conditions too, post-rain with the most amazing cloud formations.
- Enjoying a cola zero at Restaurant Waldheim in Büsingen am Hochrhein – on the German side while making eye contact with a dog on the Swiss side!
- Discovering the quaint village of Schiltach. It’s rare to find such beauty with almost no tourists around in Central Europe!
- Seeing the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain and meeting some of the local Bahá’ís. Such a special moment!
- Seeing the Nebra Sky Disk with my own eyes!
- Exploring the quaint streets of Quedlinburg, a timber paradise!
- Reminiscing about Greenland with Maria – and cuddling all of her adorable pets!
- The comfort of home. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to be home after a trip. To hug my family and kiss my cat again was wonderful!
- Coming home to Autumn weather! Summer is always too long for my liking, I’ve missed the cold, the wind and the rain!
- The spontaneous trip to Tunø with my younger brother. I just love days like that!
Challenges
- Homesickness. I felt it a lot during my weeks alone in Germany, much more than I ever have before. I think it was a mixture of having been home for so long during the lockdown, having just said goodbye to my family after a lovely week travelling together and being completely alone without any other travellers.
- Solo travel during the Corona era. It has changed so much. I didn’t meet any other travellers while staying in hostels and it made solo travel lonelier than ever before.
Most popular post
- Follow the old railway: Trekking 36 km from Odder to Horsens (Published in July) – my last sponsored trip with Kystlandet this summer took me along a new hiking trail in my birth region!
The other posts
July:
- A weekend on Tunø: A car-free island in the Kattegat Sea – Two beautiful days on my favourite island with Amanda!
- My April-June 2020: Making changes in a Coronaworld – All about how Covid-19 first changed my plans and then helped me change my life!
August:
- Adventure at sea: A two-day kayaking trip on Horsens Fjord – Words and pictures from a brilliant trip I’ll never forget!
- Stone Age Gathering ’20: An escape to the Mesolithic during the Corona era – My first post from Germany was all about our wonderful Stone Age get-together!
- Travelling in a Coronaworld: Summer 2020 in Germany – What it was like to travel alone during a pandemic!
Most popular Instagram picture
My retrospective post about my amazing time in Kyrgyzstan got the most love this summer!
Coming up in September 2020
I’m heading back to Germany!
This time, I’m visiting a tiny off-shore island called Heligoland. A place I’ve wanted to visit for many years!
But before that, I have two weeks at home where I’ll focus on this blog, go for long walks and hang out with family and friends. And after my trip to Heligoland, I’ll do the same for another ten days before embarking on my next adventure!
Oh, and September will also be the month where I give my very first talk at a conference – the Meso’2020 conference!
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