My April 2022: From Rømø to Germany and Belgium

In April, my travels continued alongside my life on Lolland. I got back from Serbia and immediately went to the island of Rømø. Four days after that trip, I was off to Germany and Belgium for Easter, and the month ended with a trip back home to East Jutland. On top of a busy travel month, I also worked a lot of overtime at the excavation.

From Serbia to Rømø

After two beautiful weeks in Serbia, I travelled back to Denmark on April 1st – and luckily wasn’t subject to any April Fools jokes from the airline!

My mum and grandmother picked me up at the train station in Kolding, and then we drove west and over the 9,2 km long dam to the island of Rømø. My dad has told me that we went to Rømø when I was a child, but I remember nothing from it, so I was really excited to explore this island which is extremely popular among Germans!

We stayed in a cozy airbnb with a view to the golf course on the southern end of the island, and spent our days exploring. We took it slow, discovering just about every corner of the island and watching some gorgeous sunsets. Rømø is especially famous for its enormous western beach which covers 1/3 of the island. It’s very unique as you can drive right down to the ocean – on the sand! This makes it the perfect destination for watching the sunset comfortably from your car.

But my favourite thing about Rømø was its hilly heathland interior. There are hiking trails in every direction imaginable, and abandoned WW2 bunkers hidden below the sandy hills. I was in heaven, running around the heathlands with my camera like a maniac.

After three wonderful days, the day of our departure had come, which was also my birthday. Unfortunately, a lot went wrong as we were met by a rude lady at the local bakery when we went to get breakfast, and later in Kolding, the only vegan food I could find was a dry roll. On top of that, I spent the whole day travelling, first from Rømø to Kolding, and then alone to Lolland… Regardless, it was still a nice day because I spent it with two people I love very much. We took it slow driving from Rømø to Kolding, stopping by a few towns on the way to shop at thrift stores. We also had a quick walk in Kolding while looking for food, but we weren’t impressed by the town – except for the cute street pictured below (second to last picture).

The day was also made better by the beautiful gifts I received. From my mum and grandmother, I got a little wooden salt bucket with a wooden scoop, a cherry tree vase and beautiful clothes from The Simple Folk including my favourite pajamas ever (high quality gingham linen!). My boyfriend gave me a new cover for my phone and a phone camera update (can y’all see the difference!?).

In Kolding, it was time to say farewell as my mum and grandmother drove home, and I caught the train back to Lolland.

A brief time on Lolland

I spent just four days on Lolland before I was off again, and those days were filled with work at the excavation, learning how to use MapInfo to produce maps from our GPS data, and a course in worked flint. Back at the farm, I cuddled with the dogs and enjoyed my pack of vegan handmade soaps and accessories from the small Faroese company, Havdypp.

I recently started a collaboration with them, hosting a giveaway on Instagram and advertising for them. I very rarely say yes to collaborations as I’ll only work with ethical companies that sell products or experiences I’d buy myself, but this one definitely ticks all boxes!

Easter in Berlin

On April 8th, I left Lolland after work and headed to Berlin to visit my boyfriend. We had originally planned to begin our trip to France and Belgium the next day, but illness got in the way, and we ended up spending the first four Easter days in Berlin which certainly wasn’t a bad thing! In fact, I think that was just what I needed.

I enjoyed sleeping in (hadn’t done so for ages!), watching endless episodes of HIMYM and walking a lot. I visited the last three of six modernism housing estates which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. I shopped in my favourite store in the city (Veganz) and bought a beautiful paper bag from Papero (my second!) and a hemp belt. I went to the NochMall indoor flea market but didn’t buy much. We had takeaway from Phantasia, my fave restaurant in Berlin (mmh mock duck!). I travelled through many S- and U-bahn stations on my journeys throughout the city. And I discovered new parts of the city, such as a beautiful hidden courtyard behind the Church of St. Bonifatius.

During these days in Berlin, I also filled in my application to get my chosen Master’s education accepted for the Danish student’s grant and study abroad scholarship. That was part two of my process to get accepted into the University of Aberdeen (the first was to get my UK passport!).

A whirlwind of a trip to Gent

After four days in Berlin, it was finally time to head to Belgium. What was supposed to be a few days in Lille in North France and a few slow days split between Bruges and Gent, turned into one night and half a day in Gent (Bruges is on the list for the next visit!). We met up with my boyfriend’s sister and her boyfriend who we’d gifted our unused train tickets and nights at the most beautiful hostel in town, with a view of the old city centre from the bedroom windows! After a cozy evening together, my boyfriend and I walked to our hotel, located inside an old monastery!

The next morning, we got up early to see as much of Gent as possible before our afternoon departure. Thankfully, the city is small, and most main sights (such as St Michael’s Bridge, St Bavo’s Cathedral and the Belfry of Gent) are within a few hundred metres of each other. We did, however, venture outside the city centre to explore the ruins of St Bavo’s Abbey and the Small Beguinage. My favourite place in Gent was atop the UNESCO-inscribed Belfry tower which offered an incredible panoramic view of the historic city centre.

Fun and delicious waffles in Brussels

We waved goodbye to Gent as the train sped off, taking us to Belgium’s capital, Brussels, for a weekend. We were greeted by my younger brother and our mutual friend, the latter of whom has been to Brussels many times and was the perfect guide to all the famous sites and the best bars!

I visited Brussels for the first time during a bus journey to Paris in 2012. I remember seeing the giant steel buildings of the city and thinking to myself that it lacks character (bear in mind that I didn’t see much of the city). I didn’t remember anything else about Brussels… And I literally only had two terrible pictures of the city until the trip this Easter… Well, turns out Brussels is much more than just ugly steel buildings. In fact, the city surprised me a great deal.

Together with a bunch of my favourite people, I finally got to explore the city, and I discovered that Brussels does in fact have a lot to offer. It has the most beautiful square in Europe (no competition!), possibly the weirdest building in Europe, the creepiest cemetery in the world, and – most importantly – the best waffles on this planet. I’m still dreaming about those crispy, vegan waffles full of ice cream and chocolate, strawberries and banana (actual heaven!).

A day in both Liège and Aachen

As our time in Brussels came to an end, it was time for my boyfriend and I to travel to our next destination. We had planned to spend our last full day of travel in Aachen in West Germany, but decided last-minute to split the day between Liège and Aachen. We stayed overnight in Liège, in an Airbnb in the beautiful neighbourhood of Sainte-Marguerite.

Liège is the largest of Belgium’s French-speaking cities (besides the bilingual capital), but it often slips under the radar. For me too. I’d never even heard about it before my boyfriend suggested going there because of a picture he’d stumbled upon. Funny enough, Liège ended up being my favourite spot in the country!

I absolutely loved the huge staircases going high above the city centre, with wonderful views as our reward once we’d defeated them. I loved the laid-back atmosphere, the cozy cafés, green parks and lively streets.

In the early evening, we caught the train to Aachen and spent the last two daylight hours wandering through the city centre, and staring at the magnificent cathedral, which is one of the most important cathedrals in Europe, and also one of the oldest – the foundation stone was laid in 796 AD!

With just an evening to spare for Aachen, we barely scratched the surface, but the city centre is small so we felt like we’d seen a lot when we finally called it a night after a late night walk and a meal at a cozy restaurant.

A visit from my besties

Early the next morning, we departed to Hamburg and split there as my boyfriend went back to Berlin and I continued north to the ferry to Lolland. My two besties were there to greet me when I arrived, and the next week was full of fun with them!

They had visited me on Lolland before so they knew the dogs already, and I think the reunion was mutually exciting! I worked overtime as always but we did spend the evenings together, cooking delicious meals and relaxing with the dogs. When the weekend came around, it was time for a little adventure. We visited Lolland’s coziest brewery and enjoyed a delicious drink and truffle crisps (my new fave!), and took the dogs along for a walk through the castle gardens.

Work work work

Ever since I got back from the Easter trip, I’ve been at work. Or at least it feels that way.

I’m working overtime everyday, as I have to bring the GPS from the field station in Rødbyhavn to the excavation in Maribo in the morning, take it back in the afternoon and then process all the data. It’s an exciting time as I’m learning new skills, but it’s also tough to have hardly any free time. I’m not sleeping enough but I’m working on a new sleep schedule to change that as I can already feel it taking a toll on my body.

Despite these long work hours, I still choose to walk to and from the field station as I really love that half an hour of complete silence, exercise and time to relax by myself (walking is my meditation!). I often pick some wild garlic on the way to eat for my dinner – nature’s food is simply the best!

While most work days were spent at the excavation in Maribo where we’re uncovering (what seems to be) a Neolithic flint working site, I also spent two days at a preliminary excavation in Stubbekøbing on Falster which didn’t result in much. I really love how archaeology takes me to different places, allowing me to really get to know the area I’m currently living in!

Back in my little hometown

The last weekend of the month was spent in East Jutland with my family and boyfriend who got to meet everyone for the first time and explore my beautiful little hometown. We enjoyed street food in Aarhus Friday night, and a slow day of walking, relaxing and indulging in huge ice creams on the Saturday, before meeting up with the rest of our family for a spring get-together on May 1st.

I hadn’t been back home since my mum’s birthday in February, so it felt really good to hug my family and kiss my kittie again, and it was especially wonderful to show my boyfriend everything I love from my childhood.

Destinations visited in April 2022

• Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Serbia
• Rømø, Kolding, Lolland (Rødby, Rødbyhavn, Maribo, Krenkerup Castle), Stubbekøbing, Nykøbing Falster, Aarhus, Hov and Odder, Denmark
• Berlin and Aachen, Germany
• Gent, Brussels and Liège, Belgium

Highlights

• Heathland hikes and beautiful sunsets on Rømø.
• Learning new skills at work. I really love expanding my knowledge and getting to understand archaeological processes better.
• Four cozy and slow days in Berlin. Just what I needed.
• Belgium as a whole. I really love how diverse the country is, and I can’t wait to return to explore more cities and see the countryside. Liège was a huge favourite and one I’ll definitely be coming back to!
• Belgian waffles, especially the vegan ones. And no, I’m not biased – these words came from my non-vegan boyfriend!
• Lots of quality time with my besties, and dog cuddles galore!
• Finally returning to my hometown – this time with my boyfriend!

Challenges

• A disaster of a birthday. Next time, I swear I won’t plan a travel day on my birthday
• Changing the plans of our Belgium trip over and over again – but in the end, it all turned out perfectly. Sometimes, you just have to trust that things are supposed to happen the way they do.
• Feeling tired almost the entire month. I hope I’ll be able to turn things around in May.

Most popular post

• Kitzbühel, Tirol: In the footsteps of Hansi Hinterseer, my grandmother’s hero – I was surprised to see how well this post was received; apparently, many people dream of following in Hansi Hinterseer’s footsteps!

The other posts

• My March 2022: The return to Serbia – Everything I got up to in March, including a two-week trip back to a Balkan favourite!
• Sakskøbing to Toreby: A hike back in time on Lolland – All about my first hike of the year, including a detailed route description so you can follow in my footsteps!
• Novi Sad and beyond: 13 must-sees in and around Serbia’s culture capital – I finally got around to writing about Novi Sad, Serbia’s dynamic second-largest city!

Most popular Instagram picture

My birthday post of a happy me at Belgrade Fortress was the most popular Instagram post in April – the Giveaway in cooperation with Havdypp excluded!

Vis dette opslag på Instagram

Et opslag delt af Melissa Cherry Villumsen (@melissavillumsen)

Coming up in May 2022

With May’s arrival, it’s time to breathe a little, at least travel-wise. Because May will be a month of work. Lots of overtime is expected, but I honestly don’t mind when the weather is as great as it is lately!

The weekends will be busy as well. As I write this, my aunt has just left after a wonderful two-day visit with lots of sightseeing and fun. Next weekend, I’m off to Copenhagen for a Eurovision party, a VR event and a boat trip around the canals with my besties and other friends, and the following weekend, my boyfriend is coming back to join me at my boss’ wedding! I’ve been planning a weekend getaway for us to Falster in connection with the wedding where I want to show him some of my favourite places, and visit some new-to-me places as well!

At the end of the month, I have a small four-day holiday, and while the destination isn’t completely set as of yet, I will (hopefully) be spending it with my boyfriend.