With July’s arrival, it was time to start preparing for my two-month summer journey which began in the middle of the month with lots of exploring and fun in Germany!
Destinations visited in July 2022
Denmark
- Lolland (Rødby, Rødbyhavn, Maribo, Bandholm)
- Falster (Nykøbing F)
- Jutland (Hov, Hørning, Skals)
Germany
- Berlin
- Lahn Valley (Marburg, Niederweimar, Argenstein)
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Waren (Müritz))
Top 3 favourite new destinations
- Marburg, Germany
- Niederweimar, Germany
- Waren (Müritz), Germany
Daily life
As it neared the beginning of my long summer holiday, I started to slow down on Lolland and try to take in all the precious moments. I was busy at work, with lots of interesting tasks. We finished up the excavation of the cremation burials we’d been digging in June, undertook a very short preliminary excavation with no finds whatsoever, and I spent the next many days washing artefacts from previous excavations. I also spent a day on Northeast Falster with my colleague, where we had to locate 26 points scattered around on a field full of taller-than-us thistles. Thank goodness the beginning of July was cold so we hadn’t even considered wearing shorts! But that’s archaeology for you. You never quite know what you’ll encounter. Somedays, it will be a cremation burial or an awesome flint dagger, other days you’ll be fighting your way through thistles just to reach the site! Oh yeah, and other days your colleague discovers an old bomb from 1923, and bomb defusers have to come and get rid of it. Jep, that happened to us! “Unfortunately”, the bomb was no longer active – I say unfortunately because it would’ve been awesome to see it get blown up, but they literally just carried it away…
Home at the farm, I spent my days working on the blog, cuddling the dogs, running with the dogs (something we all LOVE!) and learning Russian. I’ve finally nailed the alphabet, now I just need to build on my vocabulary and start actually using the language whenever possible! I spent my last weekend on Lolland before the summer holiday in Maribo and Nykøbing, first on a mission to visit as many thrift stores as possible (I found some awesome stuff – an oversized denim jacket, a white linen shirt and a beautiful white blouse), and then at a café to catch up on some blog-related work, before going to a party to celebrate my collague’s ph.d.!
In mid-July, I packed my life on Lolland into a suitcase, said goodbye to my host family and the two bundles of fluff, and headed home to my family for a few days of rest before my crazy busy summer began.
I tried my hardest to relax when I got back to my family in East Jutland, but it’s not easy for me. Instead, I thought of 500 new projects I’d like to do, but only found time for one of them; to paint my phone cover! I took inspiration from one of my previous paintings of my cat looking up at a colourful galaxy, but painted a deer instead of a cat. I really like the way it turned out! I enjoy painting so much, even if night skies and silhouettes are all I can master at this point!
I went for many walks around my hometown with my mum and grandmother, cuddled my cat as often as possible, spent lots of time with my little nephew and niece, and also went up north to Skals to visit my dad’s aunt and her daughter and husband. It was really nice to spend a few days at home with my family, although it was too short as always. I’m already looking forward to Christmas where I plan on spending two weeks at home (shock, I know!), and I might just force myself to relax and do nothing for at least a few days.
July saw me return to Berlin twice to visit my boyfriend. Berlin is starting to become part of my everyday life as well, in fact I feel that my life is happily split between Lolland, East Jutland and Berlin (+ a dose of the rest of the world once in a while). My first visit to Berlin was during the first weekend of July, where we hung out with my boyfriends’ colleagues at Tempelhof (one of my fave places in Berlin!), and held a farewell party for his (now former) roommates.
Berlin was also where my two months of gallivanting around Europe began. I spent a day travelling by regional train (yay for the 9-euro ticket!) from my hometown to Berlin, and spent the next two days soaking up the summer atmosphere in the city, eating lots of mock duck and going on a really awesome adventure to Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park – but more about that below!
Travels and local adventures
Through Lolland on an old steam train
I found time for one local adventure before I left Lolland; I went on a trip on a historic steam train!
The train is a relic of the past when there was still a train route connecting Maribo with Bandholm in the north. It opened in 1869 but was discontinued in 1952. Ten years later, it opened as a “museum line”. A volunteer group keeps the tradition alive, and gives curious passengers a brilliant experience several times per week during the summer months. The volunteers are in traditional dress from the early 19th century, and the old station in Bandholm is preserved, including its original interior! I didn’t quite know what to expect when I boarded the train, but I enjoyed the trip immensely. Especially the slow speed and breathing in the fresh forest air as we rode through Merritskov.
A tour through Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park
I’ve been exploring Berlin quite a lot since I met my boyfriend last year, but somewhere I had yet to visit which was high on my list, was Speepark, an abandoned amusement park. I’d tried to go there last year but had to flee as I spotted guards walking around just as I’d crawled through an opening in the fence… BUT then I found out that it’s possible to go on a tour through the park for just 5 euros, and I booked a spot immediately!
Spreepark opened in 1969, covering an area of 29.5 hectares. It served as the only constant entertainment park in the former GDR. The park featured a ferris wheel, rollercoasters, carousels, water rides, a cinema, a Western town and an English village. However, the park closed in 2002 due to debt and a decrease in visitor numbers. Since then, it was left to decay for years until 2014 when the City of Berlin purchased the park. There are plans to make it into a creative park for everyone to enjoy, and most of the rides will be incorporated into this! It’s set to open in either 2024 or 2025, but according to my guide, a biergarten will open already this autumn!
Until then, it’s possible to take a tour like I did, to see the former amusement park in all its creepy, abandoned glory. I highly recommend it!
A weekend in beautiful Marburg
On July 22nd, my boyfriend and I travelled south to central Germany to spend a weekend in the city of Marburg. We lucked out and got “rehomed” to a beautiful apartment instead of a hostel – a total win-win, especially since we had a balcony view of St. Elizabeth’s Church!
I’ve rarely come across a city as beautiful as Marburg, and it came as a huge surprise. I’d done minimal research before setting off for the city, so I was in total awe when I first laid eyes on Marburg. Because Marburg is a fairytale city like no other. Think cobbled streets, narrow alleyways, half-timbered houses, historic churches, low forested mountains in the horizon and a castle overlooking it all. It doesn’t get much better than that!
We both really loved Marburg, and spent our time there soaking up the atmosphere, exploring the medieval streets and enjoying the lovely views from the castle and the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower (at sunset!). If it wasn’t for Stralsund (my love), I’d call Marburg my favourite city in Germany in a heartbeat. But they’ll have to share first place!
Back to the Stone Age at the Zeiteninsel
The reason why we were in Marburg was that the annual European Stone Age gathering was being hosted by the Zeiteninsel, located just 8 km south of Marburg in the tiny village of Argenstein in the scenic Lahn river valley.
I’ve been attending Stone Age gatherings for five years now, since my first in Lejre in 2018. The gathering week is always full of laughter, cooking over the fire, learning new skills and long evenings with music and chats, and this year was no different. It was wonderful to reconnect with my people and spend a whole week without staring into my computer screen.
While I spent most of my time at the gathering making jewellery from amber beads and wooden beads, trying (and failing) to make Stone Age shoes and organising the fourth annual Stone Age fashion show, I also found time to explore the surrounding area a little.
I had no idea the Lahn river valley would be this beautiful, but as I discovered, the Lahn Valley is incredibly romantic, full of old towns with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, surrounded by low forested mountains. I climbed a mountain above the town of Niederweimar, explored the quaint streets surrounding the town’s old church and went for a sunset hike above Argenstein. The latter was my favourite experience. Not least because the sun was just about to set when I reached the viewpoint, giving me a full view of the river valley in the softest, golden light. Such a beautiful moment.
A hike in the «Land of a Thousand Lakes» of Mecklenburg
I returned to Berlin at the end of the month, exhausted after the gathering and a week spent sleeping in my little green tent, but it didn’t stop me from going on an adventure the following day!
I have fond childhood memories from two summers spent at Lake Fleesensee, part of a huge lake complex in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (often called the «Land of a Thousand Lakes»), so when my boyfriend suggested we join some of his colleagues for a hike in the area, I knew we had to go.
Our route was planned beforehand; we followed a route from Komoot which took us from the medieval town of Waren and along the lakes Feisnecksee and Müritz. The landscaps in this area are gorgeous, with beautiful shallow lakes and extensive forests. And Waren is also a feast for the eyes with its historic churches, quaint cobbled streets and lively and atmospheric harbour.
We hiked 20-something kilometres, and although the terrain is mostly flat, I could certainly feel it in my legs afterwards. It’s been too long since I last went for a good hike! It was great to get back to hiking, and I was so happy to re-experience this part of Germany that I loved so much as a child.
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Most popular Instagram picture
Many of my followers seem to share the same love for train travel as me!
Coming up in August 2022
August will be a month full of travel!
It started in Berlin with a few days of relaxation and catching up on the blog, but now I’m off again with my boyfriend on a trip through Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our route is very vaguely planned, only Wrocław is certain as our starting destination. We arrived yesterday evening!
On the 14th, I’ll be joining a bunch of archaeologists from Kiel for a three-week excavation in western Slovakia. Many of the same people who I worked with in Serbia will be there – I’m super excited to see them all again and get back to digging up our past!
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