My September 2023: A precious new beginning with Minnie

September was the month where I finally became a mum – a dog mum to little Minnie!

Destinations visited in September 2023

Scotland

• Aberdeen
• Balmedie Country Park, Aberdeenshire
• Braemar and Loch Callater, Cairngorms National Park

Denmark

• East Jutland (Hov, Odder, Hørning, Aarhus)

Top 3 favourite new destinations

1. Braemar, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland
2. Balmedie Country Park, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
3. Loch Callater, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland

Daily life

Life in Aberdeen

September started with a major boost in temperature – it stayed sunny and above 20 degrees for the first few days of the month! My family were still with me in the city until the 3rd, and we spent those beautiful days taking long walks along the beach promenade and around Old Aberdeen, visiting the gorgeous sandy beach of Balmedie Country Park just north of the city and experiencing the Highland Games in Braemar – a highlight of their visit!

On the 4th, the day I’d feared ever since they arrived, it was time for them to leave and for me to be alone again in Aberdeen and in my new apartment. Homesickness got the better of me, so I left Aberdeen to join them in Denmark two days later – read more about that below!

On the 13th, I travelled back to Aberdeen, just in time for the arrival of Minnie, a wee dog from Romania, who is undoubtedly going to change my life for the better. No more being alone. No more feeling lonely. The first days with Minnie were tough. She was very shy and nervous, and would only sniff me or lick my fingers shortly before retreating to her comfort zone under the couch. But I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her.

Thankfully, as the days went by, Minnie started to trust me. Soon, she was out from under the couch and sitting on top of it instead, next to me. She started following me around everywhere and now won’t leave my side when I’m cooking or in the bathroom. She sleeps with me in my bed at night. She goes with me to uni, to quiz nights at the local pub and on long walks around Aberdeen. Everything we do is together. And I love it, I just love it. I’m so happy that Minnie is in my life now. She’s the perfect little dog – so sweet, so friendly and so well-behaved. She’s also incredibly quiet, which is important for the life I live (bringing her to uni would be difficult otherwise…). I don’t think I could’ve been any luckier with her!

At the end of the month, my friend Lucie, who I’d met on the Faroe Islands, came to visit. She is an adventurous soul like me and wanted to hike in the Cairngorms National Park, so we went there the day after she arrived, on the last day of the month – with Minnie, of course!

Travels and local adventures

A sunny visit to Balmedie Country Park

While Aberdeen does have some sand dunes north of the Don river, to see some truly beautiful and BIG ones, you’ll have to travel a few kilometres north up the coast to Balmedie Country Park.

My family and I spent a few hours exploring this beautiful spot on the sunny first day of the month. I climbed a sand dune for a gorgeous view and my brother took a dip in the cool ocean. For a moment, it made me long for the warm summer days that had passed!

Experiencing the Highland Games in Braemar

On the second day of the month, my family and I roadtripped deep into the mountainous Cairngorms National Park to attend the annual Braemar Gathering, arguably the most famous of the Scottish Highland Games as the British royals usually show up and present the prizes!

We had no idea what to expect from the gathering, but it was an experience like no other. I got teary eyes as soon as I heard the first pipe band marching towards us, and the surprises only kept coming. The games were plentiful, the competition great and fair, the weather beautiful, the backdrop breathtaking and the music incredibly atmospheric. I loved how cheery everyone around us were. It was a definite highlight for my time here in Scotland and something I’d love to experience again one day – but next time, in a smaller less known village!

A very spontanous trip back home

The day after my family left Aberdeen, I was feeling incredibly homesick so I looked up flights to home, thinking to myself that they’d definitely be too expensive. But I was wrong. At only 17 pounds each way, I could definitely afford taking a quick trip home, and after a talk with my mum who thought it was a great idea, the tickets were booked. 15 hours later, I was on the plane to Billund, the nearest airport to my family’s home in East Jutland, Denmark. I hadn’t told my grandmother that I was coming home, so she got the surprise of a lifetime when I walked down the drive!

I arrived home just in time for my parents and grandmother to go off on their weekend trip to Ærø, so instead of our kittie spending the weekend alone, I was with her. She is getting older, so every moment I spend with her is so precious to me. After two slow days of dissertation writing, blog writing, kittie cuddles and long walks in my hometown, they arrived back home. The next day, I spent the day hanging out with my two brothers, my sister in law, niece, nephew and little doggo. It was wonderful to see them all again – not least to see the surprise on my younger brother’s face when I pulled up to pick him up – I hadn’t told him about my spontaneous visit either!

I met up with my aunt the following day for a nice walk in Ørting Mose, a nature area near my hometown that I love, and afterwards we enjoyed an ice cream at the harbour in my hometown. For the rest of my time at home, I just relaxed, got caught up on two Danish TV shows that I love, wrote on my dissertation and blog and hung out with my family. This time at home was much needed after a chaotic and busy summer!

Hiking and camping by Loch Callater in the Cairngorms

Lucie had lots of good ideas for places to hike to in the Cairngorms, but sadly most trails are inaccessible without a car so in the end, we settled for a hike to Loch Callater, hoping that it wouldn’t be too crowded. It was rather crowded and the hike there was more like a walk (a ten-kilometre one from Braemar), but we found a nice secluded spot to pitch Lucie’s tent and slept there for the night.

Minnie absolutely loved hiking! I let her be off-leash while on the trail and she ran like crazy, sniffed all the flowers, marked her territory and just had a blast! It was amazing watching her go. She was not too happy about sleeping in the tent, although it helped when I put her in her transport bag. She slept through the night and proved that she’s a true adventure dog!

New on the blog

Most popular post

• My August 2023: From Alaska to Aberdeen – As always, my monthly recaps are popular and August was no exception!

The other posts

• Hiking in Saxon Switzerland: The most interesting geological region in Germany – Everything about my visit to Germany’s most gorgeous region
• Vestmannabjørgini: A boat trip among the majestic Faroese bird cliffs – A gorgeous boat trip that is an absolute must-do on the Faroe Islands!
• Kerrera: A journey back in time to one of Scotland’s least known islands – How I fell in love with Scotland’s second-most beautiful island (Raasay still has my number one spot!)
• Som perler på en snor: A bike ride to six tiny marinas on southern Lolland – 66 kilometres of biking around the beautiful southern part of Lolland, the place I called home for two years!
• An Odd World: Uncovering the Border Complexities of the Alps – If you’re also a geography nerd like me and love exclaves, this post is for you!
• Popular hikes restricted: Examining overtourism on the Faroe Islands (Updated) – With more and more hikes becoming restricted on the Faroe Islands, this post sadly just keeps expanding.

Most popular Instagram picture

Everyone loves Minnie but no one as much as me! 😛

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Et opslag delt af Mel (@north.trotter)

Coming up in October 2023

October began with more days with Lucie. She sadly left yesterday and now I am directing my full focus to assessments and my dissertation. At the end of the month, I have a trip to Dundee planned where Minnie and I will meet up with a friend of mine from Germany and her friend. I don’t think I’ll have time to do anything else in October, besides adventuring a little in Aberdeen with Minnie. It’s going to be a busy month, especially because I want to get as much done as possible before going home for Christmas at the end of November.

At least I’ll have the beautiful turn of the season to enjoy while I’m spending the days writing. I love autumn so much and I’m so happy it’s finally here. My first autumn with Minnie <3

Ohhhh and October is also SUCH a Swiftie month – not only does 1989 (Taylor’s Version) come out on the 27th, but her Eras Tour movie is also coming to the cinemas on the 13th! And even though I’m attending the Eras Tour in person next year, I just *have* to see the movie too 😛