My best travel moments of 2022

2022 has been and gone. A whirlwind of a year full of travels throughout Europe while also living my sweet life on Lolland. Just like every year that has passed since I started travelling solo, I have gone through my most memorable travel moments and chosen my ten favourites. Those moments that will stick with me forever. Moments that shaped my year and made it all the more wonderful.

Surprising my brother in Berlin

I travelled to Berlin often in 2022 as my partner lived in the city. But my first trip to Berlin of the year wasn’t to visit him; instead, I was there to surprise my younger brother and his friend Oscar who were visiting the city! I’d told my brother that I wouldn’t be able to visit Berlin that weekend, but little did he know, I’d been planning the surprise of his life all along!

Shortly before they arrived at A’s apartment for dinner, I snuck into the bathroom, had a shower and then walked out without saying a word. Oscar noticed me first but didn’t quite register who I was before taking a second look. My brother, on the other hand, was focused on a conversation and first after a few moments, he started realizing what was going on. He was shocked to see me, surprised and overjoyed. It was one of my favourite moments EVER. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he realized it was me! It was well-worth the long journey from Lolland!

Coming back ‘home’ to Novi Bečej

In October 2021, I spent two weeks working on an archaeological project in northern Serbia with Novi Bečej as our base. Novi Bečej is a small town, located in the province of Vojvodina near the borders to Hungary and Romania on the banks of the river Tisa. The village is not significant in any way, except for the fact that it feels like home to me. That might be strange after spending just two weeks there, but it was two glorious weeks and I loved every moment. So when I was invited back for another project in March 2022, I didn’t hesitate to join.

I was so happy to be back in Novi Bečej, it felt like coming home. I’d missed the town and the team so much!

Crispy vegan waffles in Brussels

The best food of the year was consumed in Brussels during Easter. I’m talking about the crispy waffles that Brussels is so famous for. And not the usual ones, the vegan ones (even the non-vegans agreed they were better!). I’ll forever be craving those crispy, vegan waffles full of ice cream, chocolate, strawberries and banana!

I promise I’m not over-exaggerating, I was in actual food heaven!

Veganwaf serve the most delicious crunchy vegan waffles with all the vegan toppings you can imagine. Find them in the Galerie Agora by La Grand-Place!

Getting ‘rehomed’ in Marburg

In July, a friend and I spent a weekend in Marburg, a beautiful medieval city in central Germany. I’d booked us a room in a hostel ages before, but a few months before our trip, we were told we’d have to be relocated. I was initially worried it would be an even worse place somewhere far from the city centre, but I was ecstatic when I saw they’d given us a whole apartment in the fancy Elisabeth Apartments next to St. Elizabeth’s Church!

The apartment is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed in, and we never could’ve afforded it otherwise! We felt very lucky to spend two nights there with a beautiful view of the church and the forested hills beyond the city!

A heavy downpour in Jelenia Gora

It might sound odd that a heavy downpour is one of my favourite travel memories from 2022, but I can’t deny that it is. After some hectic days with a hospital visit in Wrocław, a friend and I spontaneously ended up in Jelenia Gora, a small cozy Polish city near the Karkonosze National Park.

We’d had a wonderful day full of hiking and sightseeing in the sun, and were enjoying the last drinks in the evening on the lively main square when it started pouring down. We sat there in the warm rain for ages, as did many others, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Hiking among the Sú’lov Rocks in Slovakia

I didn’t do nearly as much hiking in 2022 as I would’ve liked, but thankfully, I did get to hike a little in Slovakia. I absolutely loved hiking among the gorgeous Súl’ov Rocks which houses a medieval castle ruin in a setting so unusual it looked like a different planet.

I hadn’t even heard of these rocky crags until the day before going there, but the day spent hiking there was one of my favourites of the year!

Excavating skeletons in Slovakia

Excavating prehistoric human skeletons is every archaeologist’s dream – and this summer, that dream finally came true for me! I joined a team of archaeologists for a three-week dig of a mass grave from the early Neolithic in western Slovakia. The grave contained the remains of around 35 people, all of whom had been decapitated with the exception of one infant!

It’s very rare to get to work on an excavation this interesting, and I could hardly fathom what I was doing as I unearthed bone after bone.

Read more about our incredible results here!

Discovering the wild and rugged cliffs of Fugloy

Visiting Fugloy had been a dream of mine for many years. It was the last inhabited island on the Faroe Islands that I had yet to visit, and it certainly didn’t disappoint when I finally made it there in September.

I enjoyed Fugloy from the get-go, but it wasn’t until we reached the summit of Klubbin, the highest mountain on the island, that I understood just how beautiful Fugloy really is. The views from up there were MAGNIFICENT, and the mystical fog only made it more surreal!

I’ve seen a lot in the Faroe Islands over the years, but I still get a rush through my body when I discover a “new” breathtaking spot. And that’s exactly what happened when I saw those views from Klubbin!

Finding out I got into my dream university

I was sitting in a cozy café in Klaksvík on the Faroe Islands when an e-mail I’d been waiting months for ticked in: an offer to study Archaeology of the North at the University of Aberdeen!

I’d been dreaming of this moment for years, and since it was my only choice for a university, it was pretty crucial that I got in. I think the whole café heard my shrieks of joy! This is a huge dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to start my life in Aberdeen (just eleven days to go!).

Hiking in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps

I loved every moment of my trip to Switzerland with my mum in November, but there was especially one day that stood out: our day in the Bernese Alps.

This part of Switzerland is known as one of the most scenic in the country, and I have to agree. I loved the village of Lauterbrunnen where a waterfall cascades over a cliff, our hike to the idyllic car-free village of Wengen and the majestic mountain views from the village of Grindelwald.

It was a gorgeous day that showed us some of the best the Swiss Alps have to offer!

Each of these moments have secured a special place in my heart and are a big part of what made 2022 so great. But of course, happy times also come with less awesome times. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share my worst travel moments of 2022!