My travel year of 2022

2022 was the year when Covid-19 finally let go of its hold on most of the world. Countries opened back up and it seems that those horrible pandemic days are over. I took advantage of this and travelled as much as possible while living on Lolland for the entire year. Still, I felt much more grounded and I enjoyed a slower travel lifestyle than the pre-Covid years, with many weekends spent adventuring around Lolland and the neighbouring isles and visiting my family in East Jutland. And for the first time since I began travelling solo in 2015, I didn’t visit any new countries (with the exception of a new territory: Campione d’Italia, an Italian exclave within Switzerland). Instead, I returned to some favourites of mine and revisited several countries in Europe I’d only seen snippets of beforehand. In total, I visited ten countries in 2022 (besides Denmark). I spent many weekends in Berlin and travelled to several other places in Germany throughout the year, spent a second season working on an archaeological project in Serbia, visited the island of Rømø with my mum and grandmother, spent Easter in Belgium, went hiking in Saxon Switzerland, backpacked through Central Europe, worked on an archaeological excavation in Slovakia, revisited the Faroe Islands for the 13th time, and spent a week exploring Switzerland with my mum.

2022 was a much better year for me, personally. Where 2021 was full of loss and grief, 2022 was much easier on my family, and overall a much happier year for us. In fact, this year, I’m not glad to see the year gone. I’m sad to say goodbye to 2022 as it contained the last part of my life on Lolland, but I’m also excited to welcome 2023 which comes with a huge change in my life as I’ll be moving to Scotland!

Here’s a recap of my travel year of 2022:

January-February: Back to Lolland & Berlin

With the arrival of 2022, I travelled back to Lolland. Back to my job as an archaeologist at Museum Lolland-Falster, back to the farm and the dogs, back to weekend adventures and a slower lifestyle. I was happy being settled there for the year.

In September 2021, I’d met my then-boyfriend A who lives in Berlin, so I spent many weekends this year visiting him in the German capital. The first visit happened on the very first weekend after moving back to Lolland; a spontaneous visit as my younger brother and his friend were in the city and I wanted to surprise them – and that I sure did! I spent less than 48 hours in Berlin and lots of travel time getting there and back, but it was all worth it seeing my brother’s surprised face when I turned up!

I spent the following weekend in East Jutland visiting my family, and finally received my UK passport. I’m now a dual citizen, y’all! The next weekend was spent visiting friends in Copenhagen, and then February arrived along with A who came over to visit me for an extended weekend. I took him around Lolland and showed him some of my favourite places, and we brought little Kanzi along for our day out. I’m thankful we did as this was his last adventure; sadly, we lost him a few weeks later 🤎

The following weekend, I was back in Berlin for another brief visit, and I came home with a bad mouth infection. Gradually, I stopped eating as it was too painful, and I had to take time off work because I was feeling so weak. After a few weeks, I finally healed in the comfort of my family’s home, the only place I wanted to be at the time.

March: Back to Serbia

On a sunny Sunday in March, it was finally time for the first hike of 2022. I plotted out a route from the town of Sakskøbing to the village of Toreby on Lolland, approximately eighteen kilometres through pretty forests and along winding country roads. The hike took me past the beautiful Krenkerup Castle from 1480 and into Flintinge Byskov, a forest full of Neolithic burial structures including a well-preserved passage grave. A few days later, A arrived and spent a week with me on Lolland. We took Chico and Modig with us on a trip to the historic town of Nakskov and also visited Krenkerup Castle, Fuglsang Manor and the quaint town of Maribo.

And then it was finally time for the first big trip of 2022; two weeks in Serbia. On March 18th, A and I flew to Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, where we spent the first two days exploring the city centre and the beautiful neighbourhood of Zemun. We splurged on some really nice vegan meals, gawked at the stunning golden interior of the Church of Saint Sava, watched the sunset over the city from Belgrade Fortress, had drinks with two of A’s friends, emptied a really cool thrift shop, climbed the Gardoš Tower for a view over Zemun, and so much more. I wasn’t initially in love with Belgrade, but the city has grown on me, and especially the Zemun neighbourhood!

We then headed to Novi Bečej in the north where I stayed the following two weeks while working on an archaeological project. Some of you might remember that I went to Novi Bečej last year as well to work on the project Borđoš 2021, doing geophysical surveys and surface collections of Neolithic sites all over the province of Vojvodina. I was invited back for the 2022 project for more geophysical surveys as well as a small excavation of a skeleton (which turned into five skeletons, four of them children). We were a bigger team than last time, and we were split into two groups – one at the excavation and one doing geophysical surveys on various sites. I was mostly on the latter team, which was a lot of fun and also allowed me to explore even more of northern Serbia!

We had some great results and collected many cool artefacts. We also had some very fun moments when we weren’t working; we got invited to some very strong coffee by an elderly man who lives by a 300-year-old oak tree; we went wine tasting; we explored the city of Zrenjanin; a few of us went on a little hike around Jegrička Nature Park; and I got to drive the most beautiful Lada Niva in the world! We had both Saturday and Sunday off, so I decided to go on a solo trip to Subotica, a small city in the north that is renowned for its Art Nouveau architecture. The small city didn’t look anything special on the outskirts, but it absolutely blew me away once I entered the city centre! Two days was enough to explore it all, though, and I even made a short trip to the village of Palić, situated beautifully by the calm Lake Palić.

April: Rømø, Germany and Belgium

After two beautiful weeks in Serbia, I travelled back to Denmark on April 1st and went straight to the island of Rømø with my mum and grandmother. 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! 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.

Back on Lolland, I worked for four days before I was off again, this time to Berlin to visit A. 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, watching endless episodes of HIMYM, enjoying all the vegan foods and walking a lot. I visited the last three of six modernism housing estates which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and discovered a beautiful hidden courtyard behind the Church of St. Bonifatius.

After four days in Berlin, it was finally time to head to Belgium. Because our trip was cut short, we had to skip France and Bruges and only spend half a day in Gent. We met up with A’s sister and friend and got up early to see as much of medieval Gent as possible before our afternoon departure to Brussels. 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.

Upon arrival to Brussels, we were greeted by my younger brother and our mutual friend. The five of us spent the weekend exploring the bustling city, which was a huge positive surprise to me. I really liked Brussels! It has the most beautiful square in Europe (no competition!), possibly the weirdest building in Europe (Atomium, if you were wondering), 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!).

As our time in Brussels came to an end, A and I bid farewell to the others and headed to Liège. 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. 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 A suggested going there because of a picture he’d stumbled upon. Unexpectedly, Liège ended up being my favourite spot in the country! 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!

Arriving back on Lolland after a loooong train journey, I was greeted by my two besties, and the next week was full of fun with them! When the weekend came around, it was time for a little adventure. We visited Lolland’s coziest brewery at Krenkerup Castle and took the dogs along for a walk through the castle gardens.

The last weekend of the month was spent in East Jutland with my family and A. 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 A everything I love from my childhood town!

May-June: Adventures in Denmark, Czech Republic and Germany

May and June were busy with lots of weekend adventures. I spent the first weekend of May in Copenhagen watching Eurovision with friends, and cooking vegan dishes from all 25 finalist countries. My favourite dishes were homemade patifu from Czech Republic and Zhingyalov hats from Azerbaijan and Armenia! The day after, we celebrated a birthday with virtual reality and a boat trip around the canals of Copenhagen. It was really nice to see my previous home city from the waterside!

My aunt came to visit me on Lolland and I had lots of fun showing her around the island. I spent a weekend in northeast Zealand visiting an old friend and her dog. I also travelled home to East Jutland for a weekend to see my family and celebrate my grandmother’s birthday in the gorgeous town of Ry. I spent two weekends biking around on Lolland, first a short ride of some twenty kilometres to the villages of Holeby, Sædinge and Nebbelunde, and then a 66-kilometre ride in unbearably hot weather with 30+ degrees around southern Lolland where I came by castles, a tiny local museum, six tiny marinas dotted along the coast and Lolland’s largest rock.

On May 21st, my boss married the love of his life at their beautiful rural farm on Northeast Falster. I was invited along with a few of my colleagues and A. We met the day before in Gedser to explore this historic town which is the southernmost in Denmark. We also walked to Denmark’s southernmost point, located four kilometres from Gedser. After the wedding, A and I stayed overnight at my boss’ farm, and spent the next day hiking through my favourite forest in the area, Corselitze Østerskov, full of prehistoric monuments and pretty cliffs right at the edge of the forest!

I took advantage of the many spring holidays the following two weekends, and headed to Germany. First on a trip with A to Saxon Switzerland. We chose Děčín in Czech Republic as our base for exploring the area as it was much cheaper than staying on the German side, but the city turned out to be much more than just a convenient place to sleep. We really liked Děčín, which is small and cozy and nestled beneath the low mountains that make up the Czech side of the national park. While we spent the first day exploring Děčín, we set off for the German part of the national park the remaining two days of our trip. We explored the medieval hilltop fortress Königstein in depth and hiked around its base, and spent a day hiking in the rocky mountains above Kurort Rathen where the famous Bastei bridge is located.

Five days later, I was off to Berlin. June had just begun and Berlin had warmed up significantly. We enjoyed some summer days in the city and spent a lot of time walking around Kreuzberg and exploring Teufelsberg, a “mountain” which was built of 26.000.000 m3 rubble from demolished buildings, and which is a mecca for graffiti and street art, and arguably one of the most awesome places in Berlin!

On the last Saturday in June, I took a day trip to the German island of Fehmarn, located just 45 minutes from Lolland by ferry. I visited the town of Burg, the largest on the island, and spent a few hours walking around the countryside surrounding the town. It was a hot day – unbearably so – but I enjoyed my visit nonetheless. I was especially captivated by all the cute details of Burg’s old townhouses.

July: Summer in Germany

I returned to Berlin in the beginning of July for a weekend of walking at Tempelhof and partying with A’s roommates. The following weekend, I went on a trip on a historic steam train on Lolland, a relic of the past when there was still a train route connecting Maribo with Bandholm in the north.

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 two-month summer holiday began. Berlin was where my summer travels began. I spent two days in the city soaking up the summer atmosphere and going on a really awesome adventure to Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park.

On July 22nd, A and I travelled south to central Germany to spend a weekend in the city of Marburg. 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!

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 exception. I also found time to explore the surrounding area a little, and I discovered that the Lahn Valley is incredibly romantic, full of old towns with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, surrounded by low forested mountains.

I returned to Berlin at the end of the month, and joined A and his colleagues for a hike around a huge lake complex in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We followed a 20-something-kilometre route which took us from the medieval town of Waren and along the lakes Feisnecksee and Müritz. The landscapes in this area are gorgeous with beautiful shallow lakes and extensive forests.

August: Adventures around Central Europe

August began with some slow days in Berlin with A before setting off on our big Central European summer adventure. We had planned hardly anything, all we knew was that Wrocław would be our first destination, and we’d end up in Slovakia somehow in the end. We chose Wrocław, the fourth-largest city in Poland, based on recommendations from other travellers and my younger brother. For many years, I’d felt like I’d missed out because I skipped the city on my trip around Poland in 2015, so I was really excited to finally see the city. But for some reason, Wrocław didn’t quite do it for us. The old city centre is beautiful, all the sculptures are interesting, and I really enjoyed exploring the bohemian neighbourhood of Nadodrze with all its thrift stores and cozy cafés. But we weren’t overly impressed. Maybe it’s because we spent half a day at the hospital because I had bad stomach aches (they found nothing and it went away after a few days, but it was not a fun experience trying to find the right place with our broken Polish and waiting for hours on end to be examined…). But I’m also wondering if it’s because I’ve seen too many cities in my life.

After two days in Wrocław, we desperately wanted a change of scenery. We wanted mountains, good views and some hiking. So, we looked at the map and randomly chose a city near the Polish mountains. That city was Jelenia Gora. The city is small, home to around 80,000 people, but due to its proximity to the Karkonosze National Park, it’s a well-visited destination in the summer, but only by locals. Jelenia Gora turned out to be an amazing choice. The city’s history dates back to the 10th century, and many of its historic buildings are preserved. There was plenty for us to see in the city, and we also spent a day hiking up to the Chojnik Castle ruins from the 13th-14th century, located atop a hill overlooking the picturesque Jelenia Gora valley.

After a few days in the mountains, we headed to Prague. We went there primarily to visit friends of A, but also because I hadn’t been there since I was six! Our days in Prague were a bliss. I hadn’t done any research whatsoever, I just let myself be guided and taken around to all the “must-sees”. I get why Prague is so popular, it’s incredibly beautiful, and most of all, magical! My favourite memories were seeing the beautiful city from the hills, chilling by the river Vltava, eating veganized Czech cuisine, and reconnecting with a local friend whom we’d met back in September in Georgia!

I got to choose our next destination, and I chose the town of Kutná Hora, Czech Republic’s cultural hotspot with its UNESCO-inscribed gothic cathedral and eerie bone chapel. It’s a place that many tourists visit on a day trip from Prague, but we chose to spend the night to explore it more in depth, and also to escape the crowds by exploring in the evening and morning. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb in the outskirts of the town, with a view to the gothic cathedral!

I desperately tried to steer us away from visiting Brno on our way down to Slovakia, but A really wanted to visit the city, so I caved. I first visited Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, in October last year, and I thought it was quite ugly. But to be fair, I only saw a fraction of the city while on the hunt for a restaurant. And none of it was in daylight. I never gave Brno much thought since. Didn’t think I’d ever return. But I decided to keep an open mind and give it a second chance. I liked Brno much more in daylight but aside from the cathedral and castle, there’s not that much to see.

After Brno, it was finally time to get back to the mountains. Again, we looked at the map and randomly chose the small city of Považská Bystrica as our first destination in Slovakia, because it was close to the mountains and had a somewhat cheap hotel room. The city itself is an eyesore, but the area surrounding it is breathtakingly beautiful. We went on a sunset hike to the ruined medieval castle of Považský Hrad, located atop a 497-metre-high hill overlooking the river Váh, and spent a day hiking among the otherworldly Súľov Rocks, my favourite destination on our entire trip!

We spent the following two days exploring the small cities of Trenčín and Nitra. Trenčín is the cutest little city with a hilltop castle where a medieval gathering took place, a highlight of our visit! Nitra is one of the oldest cities in Slovakia, but we didn’t find it very interesting. The view from the castle is nice, but the castle itself is nothing special, and there’s not much to see in the city centre. BUT there was one place we visited that I truly enjoyed: the little stone church of Dražovce from the 11th century, which required a short bus ride and a short but steep hike to reach.

On August 14th, we travelled to the tiny village of Radava in western Slovakia and met up with a bunch of archaeologists, some of whom I’d worked with in Serbia back in March, as I was joining a three-week excavation. We worked at two different sites, first for a week at Podhájska where a rondel from the Lengyel Culture (ca. 5000-3400 BC) had recently been discovered, and then at Vráble where a bunch of skeletons had been discovered in a ditch surrounding a settlement from the Linear Pottery culture (ca. 5500-4500 BC)!

When I wasn’t working (which was most of the time), I spent time exploring Radava and the surrounding area, going for quiet morning runs and watching gorgeous sunsets over the low forested mountains. I even found time for a 15-kilometre hike in the countryside. Apart from being eaten alive by little annoying flies, it was great and a much-needed break from being around a ton of people. I enjoyed the peace, and I’m happy I had time to explore a bit of the place I called home for three weeks this summer.

A friend of mine from Kiel visited us at the excavation along with two of his friends, and they invited me to the 28th EAA Annual Meeting (an archaeological conference) which was held in Budapest at the end of the month. Going there meant having to leave the excavation two days early, but since we weren’t super busy at the end, I was granted permission to leave and join the conference. I was only able to attend two days, but it was so much fun, and I’m really glad I went! I enjoyed revisiting Budapest as it’d been six years since I was last there!

September: Faroe Islands & back to Lolland

On September 2nd, it was time to head off to my last destination of the summer, my beloved Faroe Islands. This was my thirteenth visit, and it was special for many reasons. My parents, grandmother and younger brother joined me for the first week, and I got to show A around for the last ten days!

The first week was heartwarming and cozy. My family and I roadtripped through seven islands, visiting the highlights that you can reach by car, as well as many lesser known spots. We went sailing with my “adopted” Faroese dad and shared two dinners with his family. We had waffles in Tjørnuvík and walked up to Fossá, the largest waterfall in the country. My mum, brother and I hiked from Skarvanes to Dalur on Sandoy – in thick fog. We experienced car problems and had to change our rental car not just once but FOUR TIMES. We visited Felix the Cat at Giljanes Hostel. We had sunny days, cloudy days and no rainy days (we got lucky!). We played yatzy in our cozy airbnb and watched football at a pub in Tórshavn. We went thrift shopping. We saw dolphins (twice!), highland cows, cuddly kitties and lots of posing sheep. The whole week was wonderful, and it went by way too fast.

The day before my parents and grandmother left the Faroes, A arrived. My younger brother also stayed for another week with his friend. The second part of my Faroe adventure was full of hikes, camping, hitchhiking and fun with friends. A and I hitchhiked all over the country, went sailing among the Vestmanna bird cliffs, camped with a view of Nólsoy, spent two days camping and hiking on Fugloy (my first time visiting this island!), explored Viðareiði and Klaksvík, hiked up Eiðiskollur for a wonderful view of the Risin and Kellingin sea stacks, got our tent soaked (twice) and slept in a comfy sofa at the campsite in Eiði, visited my two “Faroese families” in Tórshavn and Toftir, went swimming in the cold Atlantic Ocean (ok, only one of us was crazy enough to do that!) and camped next to the airport. We stayed with my friend Lucie for a few days, explored Tórshavn on a rainy day and did some more thrift shopping. With my brother and our friends, we went hiking to the famous viewpoints of Trælanípa and Bøsdalafossur on Vágar, climbed four mountains above Kaldbak, partied and sang karaoke (terribly) in my favourite bar and baked the annual vegan carrot cake at Lucie’s place.

A and I arrived back in Denmark on September 18th, and spent the last Sunday of our holiday in Copenhagen. I have lived in Copenhagen for two years so I know the city pretty well, but I didn’t need to plan anything crazy as A had never been to Christiania despite visiting the city a few times. Well, let me tell ya, it’s a crime not to visit Christiania when in Copenhagen! The place was just as wild, cozy and charming as always.

I was happy to return to “normal life” on Lolland in mid-September. Cozy time was upon us and the autumn chills had set in, so I wrapped up well both at work and at home on the farm.

October: Lots of Lolland, Falster and Berlin

I started the month with a weekend at home with my family and a surprise visit from A. Back on Lolland, life followed its usual course. I spent the weekends adventuring; I went on a Saturday hike to the village of Gedesby and Bøtøskoven, a forest on Falster’s southeast coast which is known for having “wild” horses. I went on a combined bike ride and run to the lighthouse at Hyllekrog, a picturesque headland. I biked 49 kilometres along Sundruten, taking me along the sound that separates Lolland and Falster, and I went for a walk with Modig to my two favourite villages in southern Lolland, Sædinge and Nebbelunde.

In late October, I spent a weekend in Berlin with A. The main event was a Foil Arms & Hog gig (look them up if you don’t know them, they’re incredible!) and of course lots of vegan foods, walking and fun times!

Towards the end of the month, my younger brother came to visit to get a glimpse of my life here on Lolland. It was wonderful to show him everything I love about my life on the island. We explored a local abandoned supermarket, took the dogs for a walk through an autumnal forest to the brewery at Krenkerup Castle, hiked with the dogs to the lighthouse at Hyllekrog, took a walk through the medieval town of Maribo, and visited Dodekalitten, Lolland’s most famous sight.

November: Switzerland & Rostock

In November came the last overseas adventure of the year (Germany excluded). On November 5th, I met up with my mum in Copenhagen Airport and boarded a flight to Zürich, Switzerland. We’d booked a beautiful airbnb on the shore of Lake Lucerne in the central part of the country, and a tiny rental car to take us out and about. For eight days, we explored the gorgeous Alpine country, from its many lakes and high snow-capped mountains to its quaint villages and historic cities. It was a wonderful time, and I’m so happy to have shared every memory of it with my mum. This was our seventh annual mother/daughter trip – and the fourth time we’d tried to make this trip happen (thanks, ‘rona!).

We spent three of our days exploring the region around Lake Lucerne, arguably the prettiest lake in all of Switzerland. We hiked a trail through autumnal forests with wonderful views of the lake, spent a morning in the beautiful village of Weggis, explored the medieval city of Lucerne, spent an afternoon shopping and watching the sunset in Brunnen, drove up to Gätterli Pass, and hiked in the forest of Seelisberg. On the other days, we drove far and wide to explore as much of the country as possible. We spent a day in the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, exploring the three medieval castles of Bellinzona, walking in the Italian exclave of Campione d’Italia, and enjoying a dinner in the beautiful city of Lugano. On the only rainy day of our trip, we visited the Lindt Home of Chocolate museum for a tasty tour and spent the afternoon in Zürich. Our favourite day was spent in the Bernese Alps where we went on a steep hike from Lauterbrunnen where a waterfall cascades over a cliff behind the village to the car-free village of Wengen, located high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We ended the day with a sunset drive through the mountainous village of Grindelwald and a meal in a cozy Alpine restaurant. Our last day in Switzerland was spent in Bern, the nation’s quaint capital, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its incredibly well-preserved medieval city centre.

Merely five days after returning home from Switzerland, I was off again, this time to Rostock for a weekend with A. We had little expectations of the city, but Rostock turned out to be a really cute and cozy city, perfect for a weekend getaway. We stayed in a nice hostel in the city centre, and spent the entire Saturday exploring. We walked the cobbled streets of the city centre, visited its three churches, saw the view from above in a church tower, walked along the old moat with autumn leaves falling around us, enjoyed several hot drinks and spent the afternoon in Warnemünde, a neighbourhood by the Baltic Sea with no less than three lighthouses and a gorgeous sandy beach.

Towards the end of the month, I travelled home to East Jutland for a weekend with my family. Christmas lights were up all throughout my little hometown, creating the coziest atmosphere for all the small Christmas markets going on that weekend.

December: Leaving Lolland, Lübeck & Christmas at home

December’s arrival is always full of joy for me. I love Christmas with all my heart. But this December was a teary one as I had to say goodbye to my life on Lolland after two wonderful years. Before then, I made sure to soak in the last precious moments, walk lots in little Rødby and spend one last weekend adventuring. I went on a cycling trip to the Vejlø peninsula and Kappel Stubmølle, one of the oldest mills in Denmark. I also visited two friends who had recently moved into a farm that’s as if taken out of a fairytale. Everything I did during my last week on Lolland registered as the last thing I’d do while living here. I already miss my life there – the farm, the dogs, my host family, my colleagues, the amazing excavations, the adventures, just about everything! But I’m also excited to see what the future holds for me.

On December 16th, it was time to leave Lolland. I travelled to Germany and met up with my family for our annual German Christmas markets trip. We usually go to places closer to the Jutland border, but this year, I’d persuaded them into going to the well-preserved medieval city of Lübeck, and it was the perfect decision. Lübeck is the ultimate Christmas city with markets around almost every corner, and a vast array of stalls with everything you can imagine of crafts, Christmas foods and hot drinks. And there was even snow on the ground! It was the perfect beginning to a cozy family Christmas.

I travelled home to East Jutland with my family after our weekend in Lübeck, and that’s where I’ll be for the rest of the year. With a month-long Christmas holiday at home, I’m enjoying some down-time before the big move to Aberdeen!

What’s up in 2023?

It’s finally time for my move to Aberdeen!

I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for this move. I feel like it’s a completely new start for me, a chance to reinvent myself and figure out what I want in life. I am so excited to begin studying again, to meet new people, to perhaps learn a bit of Gaelic and to call Scotland my home.

I’ve intentionally not planned any other travels for 2023 as I want to fully immerse myself in life in Scotland. But as you’ve probably guessed, I have a ton of adventure ideas for my time in Scotland, and I honestly don’t think I’ll spend a single weekend “just” relaxing. It’s Scotland, y’all! There are so many islands to be explored, so many munros to climb and so many incredible experiences to be had!

I leave on January 13th. The countdown is on!

Do you have any travel plans for 2023?