Autumn has arrived and I’m loving the change in temperature! The summer was long and hot and I’m excited for the change in seasons, but also worried about the world because the second wave of you-know-what has already set in, and international travel is (once again) becoming more difficult.
Down time at home in Denmark
The first two weeks of September were spent at home in East Jutland. I mainly worked on the blog when I wasn’t out walking, picking blackberries to freeze for smoothies or hanging out with my family or friends, and I also spent lots of treasured time with my kittie.
I also finally found a way back to my creative self as my mum and I spent a whole Sunday painting. She started her first ever landscape painting and I painted a moon and some small galaxies on wood!
My first ever talk at a conference
September was the month where I took a step up in Academia as I gave my first ever presentation at a conference, the Meso’2020 – Tenth International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe.
My paper was based on my BA thesis where I reexamined the treatment of the dead in the Late Ertebølle period (ca. 4800-4000 BC). Only seven skeletons (plus lots of loose human bones) are known from the period and six of them are embedded in waste areas, so it’s a very interesting period in terms of burial practices or the lack thereof.
I really hope that this conference will open some doors for my future as an archaeologist focusing mainly on the Mesolithic.
A surprise babyshower for Victoria
One of my dearest friends, Victoria, is giving birth to a baby boy in November – and of course that deserves a celebration! Together with our close friend Maria, Victoria’s stepdad Carsten and her boyfriend Joachim, I had been planning a surprise babyshower for months, and on a glorious Saturday, the surprise was finally revealed!
In best corona-style, we held a small gathering with Victoria’s closest friends and family and celebrated her and her baby with balloons, gifts, cake, pizza and lots of fun games! Victoria loved it, and I absolutely loved seeing her so happy. Her reaction to the surprise was amazing!
Victoria isn’t the only one close to me who has recently taken this step in life. So many of my friends have had babies this year or are having them soon… It’s a bit scary, but I’m in no rush. In fact, I don’t even know if I want children. We’ll see! For now, I’m really happy being an aunt to Ellie (and soon to a baby boy coming in March!), and I can’t wait to be a pseudo-aunt to Victoria’s baby!
A day trip to the island of Samsø
On a cloudy day, my parents, grandmother and I caught a ferry to the nearby island of Samsø. Despite the fact that I can see the island clearly from my hometown, this was my first time going there in many years (but definitely not the last!).
We took an early ferry and left in the evening, so we had the whole day to explore the island. We started by going north, driving up to Nordby Bakker, the most beautiful nature area on Samsø. There, we hiked to Issehoved, the northernmost point on the island. Afterwards, we tried to find our way out of the world’s biggest maze by answering questions about the world. We then had a coffee/hot chocolate break in the quaint village of Nordby before going on another hike to some beautiful coastal cliffs with a view to the tiny island of Tunø.
Then it was time to drive south, passing the Kanhave Canal on the way. This 500 m long and 11 m wide prehistoric canal was dug through the narrowest point on the island between 726 and 729 AD, and is Samsø’s most well known anicent monument!
We drove to the very south of the island, to Vesborg Lighthouse which offered a wonderful view over the green landscapes. We made a quick stop at the 17th century mill in Brundby before ending the day with fries and fish and chips by the harbour in Ballen.
Landing a new job – my first ever “adult” job!
Yo, I’m an adult!
Well… Sort of. I landed a new job this month, as an archaeologist on Lolland (a large Danish island!). For the first time ever, I will be paid to do archaeological work! No more volunteering (for now), now it’s time to get some real experience and finally save up some money for big travels (yeah, I’m not a sensible adult, hehe!).
I will be moving to Lolland in mid November and so far have a contract until the end of February, although with possible extension! I can’t wait to settle for a while in an area of Denmark I can’t even remember ever going to. There are so many tiny islands in the area as well as an abundance of archaeological sites to explore! I’m sure my time on Lolland will be a great adventure!
Roadtrip through southern Denmark and northern Germany
Mid September, I picked up a rental car in Odder and drove south towards the northern German region of Schleswig-Holstein. But before crossing the border, I made a small detour to Christiansfeld, Denmark’s only UNESCO town. Christiansfeld was founded in 1773 by the Moravian Church and built around a central church square with homogenous and unadorned architecture, which represented the protestant urban ideal at the time. I spent a few hours wandering the historic streets, discovering a town that I truly came to adore, even if it did feel rather out of place in Denmark!
Another hour on the road and I was at the border to Germany. But first, there was one special farm that I wanted to see. Vilmkærgård is located in Denmark, but can only be accessed by road from Germany! As you may know, I love map oddities, so I just had to visit the place while on my way south!
My destination in Germany was Dannevirke, a system of fortifications built across the Cimbrian peninsula, initiated in the Iron Age at some point before 500 AD (when the area was Danish)! It’s actually Denmark’s largest ancient monument, but it’s located in Germany! The fortifications stretch 30 km from Hedeby on the Baltic Sea to the marshlands in the west. After visiting the museum in Dannewerk and walking along fortification remains, I drove to Hedeby to discover more remains and to visit an open air museum with reconstructed houses from the Viking Age. The museum is located on the site of Viking Age Hedeby, the largest and most important settlement in the north at the time. And I didn’t even have to pay for entrance as I got there 8 minutes before closing time – so it was just a quick stop for some photos and to get a feel of the place!
In the evening, I drove to Steinzeitpark Dithmarschen in Albersdorf where I’d attended a Stone Age gathering back in July. I’d left a few things there, so I went to pick them up and was surprised to see four of my Stone Age buddies there! So I decided to spend the evening with my friends by the fire before going to sleep in the car that was safely parked inside the open air museum.
Four glorious days on Helgoland
My main reason for going to Germany was actually to visit the archipelago of Helgoland. I was supposed to go there in July, but I had to postpone the trip as I couldn’t find a way to get to and from Büsum where the ferry docks on the mainland, and I couldn’t find any budget-friendly accommodation on Helgoland. But this weekend in September was perfect. I spent four days on the archipelago and the sun shone brightly every day!
I had booked the cheapest available hotel (which wasn’t that cheap) on Oberland, the upper part of the main island, and it was a nice base to explore the archipelago. Helgoland consists of two islands, the rocky main island which is home to around 1300 people, and Düne, a sandy uninhabited island. I spent one full day on Düne, walking around the entire island to find the grey seals that chill on the beaches. I stayed until the evening to watch a beautiful sunset by the seals. The other three days were spent on the main island, hiking around the edges of the famous red cliffs, photographing northern gannets and sheep, exploring the colourful town and discovering secret spots below the cliffs. I got up early one day to watch the sunrise paint the cliffs bright red, and saw two amazing sunsets by the famous sea stack, Lange Anna.
I loved that I had time to relax in between and to really get to know the place. There wasn’t a single spot on that archipelago that I didn’t go to (it’s quite small!), and I often returned to the same places over and over again. Helgoland is an incredibly unique destination and I’m so glad I took the time to thoroughly explore it.
Back home in East Jutland
I spent the last ten days of the month at home in East Jutland. I enjoyed going for really long walks in the countryside and had some success getting up early to walk. I’m really trying to turn myself into a morning person instead of a night owl, and the first step is to (after years and years) stop snoozing! I’m trying my hardest to just get up with the first alarm, something that seemed impossible before, but it has actually been easier than I thought!
My 18-month-old niece Ellie stayed with us for a few days, so we had lots of time to connect and have fun together. I also spent an afternoon with my friend Reyhane and her gorgeous British Shorthair cat and wathed my mum get four new small tattoos! I was also supposed to get one, a cover up on my arm, but it’s more difficult to cover up than I thought so I’ve postponed it to November to give the tattoo artist more time to design the perfect tattoo.
I also went for a long bike ride to Norsminde Fjord to collect some worked flint (I found a scraper), and the last evening of the month was spent playing bingo with my mum, sister in law and some friends! A fun way to end the month although I didn’t win anything but a pack of meat (great prize for a vegan haha!).
Destinations visited in September 2020
- Hov, Odder, Odense, Samsø, Skals, Christiansfeld and Vilmkærgård, Denmark
- Dannewerk, Haddeby, Albersdorf, Helgoland and Düne, Germany
Highlights
- Victoria’s babyshower – and in particular, her reaction! It was priceless.
- Getting my first ever PAID archaeological job! I can’t wait to get dirt under my fingernails again! And to finally not be broke!
- The best solo trip I’ve taken in a long while. Everything about my short trip to Germany was wonderful!
- Seeing Dannevirke for the first time. It’s such an important part of my country’s history, so I’m glad I finally got there.
- Helgoland. Everything about it. What a unique and incredible place!!!
- It’s official now that my older brother and his wife are having their second child, a healthy baby boy, in March! I can’t wait to be an aunt again.
Challenges
- I had the biggest spider EVER in my room (okay, maybe an exaggeration, but it was HUGE!). It was 3 AM when I spotted it and everyone was asleep, so I had to be careful not to scream as I stood on a chair and tried to catch it in a glass. I managed – miraculously – and set the guy free outside. Now I’m just praying that he won’t return!
Most popular post
- Over the bridge to Skye: Eilean Donan and the two Kyles – My first post in a long time about Skye! I still have many more to come – I just hope they will be as well read as this one!
The other posts
- My July-August 2020: A summer adventure in Germany and the Alps – Summing up five weeks of travel during the corona era!
- Sevilla: Flamenco and spectacular architecture in Andalucía’s capital – A return to last summer where I had the freedom to travel around Spain and visit this gorgeous city!
- Childhood dreams: Chasing my heroine in Ayamonte – A very special day by a very special statue!
- A week on Rügen, Germany’s largest island – White chalk cliffs, ancient beech forests, seaside resorts and the world’s longest building. Rügen has it all!
- Exploring Søhøjlandet: A hiking trip to Ry and Vrads – A summer visit to one of Denmark’s most beautiful nature areas!
- A new normal?: How to travel responsibly in the age of a pandemic – I travelled all summer and learned the hard way just how much travel has changed. Here are some tips on how we can all continue our travels safely and responsibly!
Most popular Instagram picture
I’m not surprised that my post about Mongolia got the most love this month! Mongolia is an incredibly unique country that I can’t wait to one day return to.
Coming up in October 2020
I’m going to the Faroe Islands!
The Faroe Islands have been calling me home for a while now. It’s actually been 1,5 years since I last stepped foot in my favourite country in the world (joined with Greenland!). But it’s not on purpose – I actually had a trip planned for April, but then Covid got in the way.
But now it’s finally happening. I’m getting on the first plane since March and flying to Vágar, where I’ll stay at a (really cheap) hostel all of October. I need to get tested and quarantine when I arrive and get tested once again on the 6th day, but afterwards, I plan on spending the month exploring every corner of Vágar and of course visiting my friends on the other islands!
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