My April-June 2021: Dawn of summer on Lolland

With the world still in lockdown, I stayed put in Denmark for all of April, May and June – and most of my time was spent on the southern island of Lolland, where I continued my work at an exciting archaeological excavation. But I also travelled around Denmark during the weekends and holidays, and it only made me more thankful for having such a beautiful backyard to explore during these times of no international travel.

Birthday time with my family on Lolland

April started with a trip over the ocean to Lolland after some nice days at home in East Jutland with my family. But this time, I wasn’t returning to Lolland alone; my mum, dad and grandmother joined me! They spent five days in a cozy airbnb there, and got to meet my host family, the dogs and see my workplace.

We also spent lots of time exploring Lolland and the nearby islands of Farø, Bogø and Langø, which we visited for my 26^th birthday! I showed them Lolland’s most famous sight, Dodekalitten, and we explored Denmark’s second-longest passage grave, Kong Svend’s Høj, and I took them around to some of my favourite places near my current hometown of Rødby. We also took the dogs to the beach, and Kanzi had the time of his life swimming in the ocean!

And then it snowed – in April!! The weather certainly has been weird this year.

A week full of Solveig

My family left and later the same day, my bestie Solveig arrived. It was perfect timing as I wouldn’t have time to feel homesick now that she was there. Solveig stayed for a week to do some work at the museum to do with her ph.d., and she stayed at the farm with me! We spent the evenings laughing our faces off and cooking delicious vegan meals. Unfortunately, the deliciousness didn’t translate onto the cake we made to celebrate my birthday at work – it was a vegan and allergy-friendly cake, and it was absolutely awful. Oooops!

During the weekend, I decided to show Solveig my favourite village in the area – tiny, gorgeous Sædinge – and we brought the three dogs along with us for a 10 km hike in brilliant sunshine.

It was no surprise to me that Solveig loved the dogs and the farm, and I’m so glad to have shared part of my life on Lolland with her.

Work and life at the farm

When Solveig left, it felt a little empty. Suddenly, I had no one to walk with to and from work and no one to cook with in the evenings. But life soon went back to normal, and I found myself enjoying the routine of going to work, coming home to the dogs, cooking for myself and occasionally blogging. Unfortunately, I was quite exhausted these three months as the 8-16 working hours and too little sleep finally caught up to me. Not to mention that I worked overtime most of April! As much as I LOVE my job and archaeology as a whole, I’m simply not built for a working life as such. At least not for longer than eight months, which I discovered was my max. Come the end of June, I was ready to embark on a new life journey, so it was perfect timing that I left Lolland on July 1^st.

At work, I had the highlight of my career (so far), when I found something amaaaazing. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to go into any detail at all, so… Y’all will have to wait until it’s published! But other than that find, I also got to dig out a horse skull and some well-preserved pottery. And I spent a few days teaching school classes, and a whole week teaching two trainees. It was really fun to get back to teaching, something I’ve missed since leaving my jobs at the Land of Legends and the National Museum of Denmark, where I taught school classes about archaeology and the different prehistoric time periods. At the end of June, I had to present a timeline I’d made with the trainees to all the important peeps at the museum – that was nerve-wracking, but also nice to get some recognition for my work.

Other than work, I spent lots of time playing with the dogs in the garden, running along country roads and trails, and my host mum Pernille and I also spent many evenings testing vegan chocolate drinks to find the best and the worst. We agreed on some of them, and others not at all. I don’t like sweet drinks, whereas she loved anything sweet! But we both agreed that Naturli’ is the best brand for vegan chocolate drinks here in Denmark – followed closely by Alpro.

April adventures

The last two weekends in April were dedicated to adventures! I spent a whole day biking through the islands of Fejø and Skalø, located off the coast of Lolland, and also completed my hike along the local canal, Rødby Kanal, that I’d started back in March. I’d discovered that the canal splits in two, so I had to return another day to follow the other part of the canal!

At the end of the month, I spent an extended weekend at my colleague’s idyllic farm on Northeast Falster, an area of Denmark that absolutely blew me away. I had barely been to Falster before, and never really gave it much consideration, but that was a huge mistake. Especially the northeastern parts of the island are just incredible. I’d actually planned to just spend one day in the northeast and then head down south for my other day, but I ended up spending both days in the northeast plus half of the day of my departure! There was just too much to see to rush through it.

So I biked as far as I could, first visiting the gorgeous forest of Corselitze Østerskov, which is full of ancient burial structures and stretches down to a rocky beach beneath chalk cliffs. I also explored Halskov Vænge, a small forest with 78 ancient burial structures, walked along Sortsø Strand and under one of the Farø Bridges, explored churches full of colourful Medieval murals, visited Denmark’s longest passage grave near Listrup, saw Denmark’s largest tree, and discovered gorgeous nature at Borremosen. Northeast Falster has it all – mountains excluded.

In the evenings, I enjoyed the company of my colleague and his girlfriend and their maaaany animals that include the most adorable kitties, a newborn kitten (and more now!) plus two friendly goats.

A weekend with Solveig and Mikkel

In early May, Solveig returned to Rødby and brought along her boyfriend (and my friend), Mikkel. We spent a blissful weekend together, cuddling the dogs, taking them to the ocean for Kanzi to have another dip, and we even took them on a full-day roadtrip around the eastern part of Lolland.

Solveig and Mikkel showed me two places they love that I hadn’t been to before; Frejlev Skov, which is situated beautifully down to the ocean and is home to an abundance of ancient burial structures; and Fuglsang Herregård, a fairytale manor with the most gorgeous garden I’ve seen in a long time. We ended our day in Nysted, the most beautiful town on Lolland, where we enjoyed an ice cream with a view of the cozy harbour.

A weekend away at Nakskov Fjord

The biggest adventure of May was a weekend away in Nakskov, the largest town on Lolland, located in the west part of the island. I’d brought my tent along and stayed at a large campsite at Hestehovedet, a gorgeous beach on the banks of Nakskov Fjord. With only four kilometres to the city centre, it was the perfect base for my weekend.

I spent five hours on a historic post boat, sailing through Nakskov Fjord to the island of Enehøje and to Albuen, my favourite place on Lolland (yes, I have a lot of favourites, hehe!). I absolutely love the unique nature and cultural history of Albuen, so a return was just perfect.

The rest of my time was spent exploring Nakskov with all its beauty in the old town, and all its eyesores in the industrial area by the harbour. I also went for a lovely stroll along the inner fjord, and spent lots of time reading and enjoying the rare sunshine.

Two extended weekends at home

After many weeks of absence from East Jutland, my home region, I returned twice in May. I had actually planned to visit the island of Langeland for an extended weekend, but some family affairs made me cancel and go home instead. I needed to be with my family more than anything else in the world.

After the weekend, I returned to Lolland, but just for four days of work, before travelling the long way home again for another extended weekend. This weekend was planned for a long time, as it was my baby’s birthday, my darling kittie Holly. She turned 12, and I celebrated it by making the most disgusting cat-cake ever, full of her favourite treats! She loved the topping, but unfortunately didn’t touch the cake itself… Oh well, I tried!

I also spent a wonderful day out in Aarhus with my entire family, where we went on a walking tour with a former homeless guy who told us all about the rough life on the streets. I’d actually been on one of these tours before with my aunt, but it wasn’t the same guide so I got a fresh perspective. Afterwards, we went to Aarhus Street Food and each bought a delicious meal. I love the concept of street food, as there’s always something for everyone, even fussy vegans like me!

The next day, my brother, mum, grandmother and I went for a long walk in a gorgeous forest near Beder, an area I’ve neglected in the past but will definitely return to in the future!

Oh yeah, and it was also Eurovision weekend! I looooove Eurovision and I’m glued to the screen every year. One day, I really have to see the final irl! Unfortunately, both Denmark and UK were rubbish this year, so I rooted for Finland and Azerbaijan, although I didn’t mind the winner from Italy.

Late arrival of spring and straight to summer

Spring was late this year, very late. I felt it on the excavation. It was cold for months on end, and even I (a winter child at heart) was longing for warmer days. But spring did eventually arrive sometime in May, although only for a few days before it was washed away by wind and rain.

June arrived, and so did summer. Temperatures rose beyond 30 degrees celcius, and instead of freezing at the excavation, I was now boiling. The spring I had hoped and longed for never came, but summer sure did.

A glorious new camera and GoPro + lots of gear!

One day in early June, my fingers suddenly slipped and robbed my bank account for many thousands of DKK… Oooops.

But June 7^th was just like Christmas. My new baby, a Sony A7R III, two beautiful Tamron lenses and a new GoPro Hero 9 + aaaaall the gear arrived, and I spent two hours unpacking everything! It was wondrous.

I’d actually wanted to buy a new camera for ages as I desperately want to take better travel photos, and a GoPro had also been on my wishlist for a while. As I watched my savings account grow, those wishes could finally come true. I made sure to still have enough money left for six months of travel, and then blew the rest on the most amazing camera I’ve ever owned, the GoPro which will (hopefully) finally get me started on YouTube, and lots of beautiful gear. I’m especially in love with my Lowepro camera bag, which can fit everything including my laptop!

June adventures

The weekends of June were my last chances to see as much of Lolland and the surrounding areas as possible before leaving for half a year. I returned to Femø, my favourite island in the area, and brought Kanzi along for an overnight stay at the campsite. We enjoyed two slow days full of hiking, reading and relaxing in the sun.

The next weekend, I took Chico (who is now eight months old!!) along to Nykøbing Falster to see my friend Amanda, who I met at university. I hadn’t seen her in a few years, so it was lovely to catch up and explore her hometown! It also served as a test for Chico, as I wanted to bring him to the open air museum in Maribo the following day. He was good as gold and truly the easiest dog I’ve ever brought anywhere, so he came along to the museum as well. We went there with my host mum, who also loves open air museums. Unfortunately, it was rather empty as there was no staff and hardly any visitors, but the opposite was the case at the Medieval Centre in Nykøbing Falster, which the three of us visited the following weekend. It surprised me greatly, and I loved the fact that there were more people in traditional Medieval dress than guests. The following day, as a last weekend adventure, I went on my favourite walk near Rødby to Sædinge with Modig. I can’t wait to walk that route again in January!

Chico got lucky and also got to go with my host family and I to Marielyst on Falster, where we celebrated Midsummer on a sunny Wednesday evening. It’s my favourite evening of the year as it brings communities together and welcomes summer with long nights, freedom and happy faces.

Home for my grandmother’s birthday

Another family birthday, this time my dear grandmother’s 75^th, brought me home again in mid-June. Because of my many days of overtime at work in April, I was able to take Friday and Monday off, so I spent a long weekend with my family.

As soon as I arrived, I cut my hair short and gave my neck some freedom for summer. What a liberation!

We celebrated my grandmother’s birthday at Skovmøllen, a gorgeous restaurant in the most idyllic settings in Moesgård Forest. Unfortunately, the food was mediocre and overpriced, but the ice cream that we had by the beach afterwards made up for it. We also went for a lovely stroll through the forest, which might actually be my favourite place in all of Denmark. It’s no doubt on top 10!

I also went for two long runs in my hometown, and beat my grandmother and dad at minigolf – twice! 😉

Getting ready to leave Lolland

Back on Lolland, I had just two weeks left before leaving the island. As my last day approached, everything I did registered as the last thing I’d do there, at least until January. It was unnerving, surreal and rather sad, but also beautiful and exciting. As much as I loved being on Lolland, I was ready to start travelling again. I longed for it, actually.

But I cherished those last weeks on Lolland, and hung onto every moment with the dogs, my host family and my colleagues. Time is precious.

Destinations visited in April-June 2021

• Lolland (Rødbyhavn, Rødby, Kragenæs, Nysted, Sædinge, Holeby, Frejlev Skov, Fuglsang Herregård, Nakskov, Hestehovedet, Enehøje, Albuen, Maribo), Farø, Bogø, Langø, Fejø, Skalø, Falster (Nykøbing F, Aastrup, Corselitze Østerskov, Hesnæs, Halskov Vænge, Sortsø Strand, Listrup, Borremosen, Marielyst), Hov, Odder, Aarhus, Beder, Femø and Saksild, Denmark

Highlights

• Showing my family around on Lolland – it was so nice to introduce them to my host family and their dogs, and to show them my workplace and some highlights of Lolland and surrounding islands!
• Solveeeeeig x2 and Mikkel! I love these two peeps so much, and every second spent with them is one of joy and painful cheeks from too much laughter.
• Finding a — at the excavation (I’m sorry, I’m not allowed to go into any detail, so I’m just going to leave it hanging there :P)
• The week with the trainees, which reminded me why I love archaeology so much. They were golden, and I felt great joy passing my passion onto them.
• Chico, Modig and Kanzi – every moment spent with them is precious <3
• Completing my two-day hike along Rødby Kanal! It felt great to finally finish it, a month after I’d started, hehe.
• Cats, goats and more cats at the farm on Northeast Falster. In general, it was a wonderful weekend with lots of first impressions and a new-found love for this part of Denmark.
• Finally getting back to camping – at both Hestehovedet and Femø. It’s been a while (six months to be exact!), and for someone who loves camping, that’s a reeeeally long time!
• Celebrating my Holly’s birthday. She’s too precious to me, and her birthday is my favourite day of the year!
• EUROVISION! Always a highlight, no matter how awful most of the songs are. My favourite this year was Finland, but I also liked the winner from Italy!
• Spending quality time with my family. I love my weekends at home so much.
• CAMERA AND GOPRO! How excited I am to finally have decent equipment for my world travels!
• Meeting up with Amanda. It’s always wonderful to reconnect with old friends!
• The Midsummer celebration in Marielyst. It was a wonderful evening, and it (once again) reminded me why I love Denmark so much. Denmark during the summer is glorious, and the Midsummer bonfire is the epitome of “hygge”.
• Exploring the open air museum in Maribo and the Medieval Centre in Nykøbing Falster – especially the latter was an amazing experience that brought back memories of my time at the Land of Legends.

Challenges

• Exhaustion. Working 8-16 Monday-Friday plus lots of overtime finally got the better of me, and it resulted in a lack of blog posts for the entire three months (I only posted eight combined which is very unusual for me!). After work, I was unable to do much else than relax and play with the dogs, and the weekends were always dedicated to exploring. So I abandoned the blog a little – I’m sorry!
• Spending most of my savings on the camera and GoPro… :3 My bank account regrets it, but I sure don’t!
• Mentally preparing myself to leave Lolland and especially the pups was difficult. I miss them so much – but thankfully, January is only six months away!

Most popular post

• The Black Forest: Fairytale villages and forested peaks in the southwest corner of Germany – The most enchanting part of Germany, and one I hope to return to one day!

The other posts

April:

• A brief visit to Switzerland and the German exclave of Büsingen – My first ever visit to Switzerland included Europe’s biggest waterfall and a very special part of Germany!
• Islands of Ulvsund: A birthday trip to Farø, Bogø and Langø – My family visited me for my birthday and we took a trip to three new islands!

May:

• Early spring on Fejø and Skalø, two idyllic islands in Smålandshavet – One of the first sunny days of the year was spent on two gorgeous islands near Lolland!
• Bilbao: The first meeting with the Basque Country – A visit to the largest city in the Basque Country two summer’s ago

June:

• Follow the canal: A hike along Rødby Kanal through southern Lolland – A project that took two full days resulted in a much better understanding of the landscapes of southern Lolland!
• A trip to Barra and Vatersay, the southern end of the Outer Hebrides – The last part of a 2,5-month journey through Scotland with my younger brother!
• Midsummer tale: Leaving Lolland to embark on a long-awaited journey – All about my upcoming adventures, and why I’ve chosen to leave Lolland for six months

Most popular Instagram picture

The post where I revealed my travel plans for the second half of 2021 was quite popular!

Vis dette opslag på Instagram

Et opslag delt af Melissa Cherry ♀ she/her (@melissavillumsen)

Coming up in July 2021

I’m travelling… For the first time since October!

I’ve left my life on Lolland behind to start a six-month journey through Europe (although with some trips home in between), and the first destination is my beloved Faroe Islands. I arrived yesterday, and I’ll be here for two beautiful weeks! Then I’ll fly to Iceland, although just for a three-day visit, mainly to see the volcano Gerlingadalur erupting!

After my trip up north, I’ll head home for six days of Danish summer and family fun, and then I’ll be off to North Germany to attend the annual Stone Age gathering with my friends! And that’s July over. I’m sure it will be a wonderful month full of adventure and lots and lots of hiking!