My July 2021: Back to full-time travel

I welcomed July, the hottest month of the year here in Denmark, by escaping to higher latitudes. My first season at the museum on Lolland came to an end, and I began my six months of travelling through Europe with a revisit to one of my two favourite countries in the world – and with three whole weeks of sleeping in my little, green tent!

Until we meet again, Lolland

I left my life on Lolland behind on July 1st, but not before taking all three dogs from the farm for a walk. Kanzi and Modig first, and then little Chico on his own as he’s easier to handle when he’s alone (so he doesn’t get tangled up basically)!

It was really sad to say goodbye to my colleagues, my host family and the dogs, but not as sad as it would’ve been if I wasn’t coming back. Because I will come back in January, and I’m already looking forward to it!

First stop, Copenhagen

Before flying off to faraway lands, I spent an evening with my two best friends in Copenhagen, a city I used to call home. It was my first time there since December 2019, which felt rather crazy! Although I’m 100 % a country girl, I do sometimes miss the excitement of the urban lifestyle, and I enjoy visiting Copenhagen once in a while.

We cycled out to Reffen, which is the largest street food venue in northern Europe. While Solveig and Mikkel went on a hunt for seafood, I enjoyed vegan dumplings, a vegan burger and delicious sweet potato fries. The burger wasn’t great, but the other food was, and the company was especially!

My 12th visit to the Faroe Islands

The next morning, I was finally off to the country of my heart, the gorgeous Faroe Islands. It was my 12th visit, and I decided to spend it focusing on my two favourite islands, Vágar and Nólsoy. Since I’ve been to the Faroes so many times, I don’t feel that I need to tour the whole country anymore. I’ve seen the highlights, and now it’s time to explore all islands in depth, one at a time. Meaning every mountain peak, every waterfall, every gorge and every corner of every village. I spent a good chunk of October last year exploring Vágar, but I still had six mountains yet to climb as well as a few trails and other spots. And as for Nólsoy, I spent six weeks there in 2019, but I was in the middle of writing my Bachelor’s thesis, so I didn’t have time to explore every corner of the island. Time to make up for that!

I arrived on Vágar after a gorgeous flight with first-time views of the Shetland Islands from above. I’ve seen them from a ferry before, but it was fun also seeing them from the sky! Next time, it will hopefully be on land. The sky was a perfect blue with hardly any clouds when we approached the airport on Vágar, giving me clear views of my beloved island.

The first thing I did upon landing (and after the obligatory Covid test) was to take a bus to my favourite hostel in the world, Giljanes Hostel. There, my friends Lucie and Kristjan were waiting for me with Felix the cat. We spent the rest of this glorious day moving Lucie’s caravan, catching up and relaxing in the sun.

In the evening, I followed the sunset to Klovningur, an unknown sea stack below the famous cliff of Trøllkonufingur. It was a beautiful little hike and the perfect start to my two weeks on the islands!

I went to Tórshavn, the tiny capital, next to watch Denmark beat Czech Republic and England beat Ukraine in the UEFA EURO 2020 at Hilton Garden Inn where Lucie works.

I had planned to go to Nólsoy next but the weather report promised lots of rain, so I went back west to Vágar where a little less rain was forecasted (the Faroes may be small, but the weather can be very different from island to island). Thankfully, the weather was much better on Vágar and there was hardly any fog, so I decided to climb four of the six remaining mountains; Eysturtindur, Jatnagarðar, Knattarheyggjur and Berinartindur. The hike was a lot easier than expected, except for the last mountain which is, paradoxically, the lowest of the four. It took me all day, but that was mainly due to my many photo stops! I’ve been loving the new camera I bought in June (a Sony A7R III 🤎).

Back at the hostel, I moved outside and into my tent as the hostel was full, and I introduced Felix to camping. He wasn’t thrilled at first, but he adapted to it eventually.

The morning before I was off to Tórshavn again, I experienced my very first Grindadráp (whale hunt), which I’ve actively tried to avoid. But this one was right outside the hostel so there was no way I could escape. I saw the whales get driven in to the beach, but went inside with Lucie as the killings happened. I’m not dead against whaling as long as people still eat meat (as it’s more sustainable and the whales aren’t locked up in tiny spaces until their death), but it’s not something I want to watch.

In Tórshavn, Lucie and I visited a few cafés and spent another evening at Hilton watching England beat Denmark. I didn’t mind since I’m half of both, so I was a winner either way!

The time had finally come for Nólsoy. I had planned two nights at the free primitive campsite, but ended up staying there for another night. I spent the first evening walking along the entire coast of Stongin, discovering an unknown puffin paradise and enjoying some wonderful views of the village.

Lucie joined me the following day for a loooong hike up all of Nólsoy’s four mountains and to the two lighthouses at the southern end of the island. We were exhausted by the time we reached the last lighthouse but we still had a long way to go. When we finally got back to the village, we rushed up to Maggie’s and made it just in time before the kitchen closed. Those fries were heaven-sent!

Lucie left the next morning and I thought I would have a relaxing day with only a small hike to the east coast. But those plans were quickly disrupted when I ran into two Danish couples that I’d met at the hostel a few days prior. They had a few hours on the island and didn’t know what to do, so I showed them around Stongin and gave them a little puffin experience. When they took the ferry back, it was finally time for my east coast adventure. I enjoyed a slow-paced hike to my favourite place on Nólsoy before collapsing in my tent, exhausted after an unexpectedly long day.

Back in Tórshavn, I met up with Lucie again and after a nice breakfast at Hilton, we hitchhiked to Gásadalur on Vágar to fulfil my goal of climbing all 41 mountains on the island. The two most challenging ones were the ones I had left; Heinanøva and Árnafjall, the latter being the highest on the island. Those are the two mountains that make up the backdrop on all the thousands of photos of the famous Múlafossur waterfall.

Back in October, I had attempted to climb these two mountains with another friend, but we failed to find the correct way up. There is only one possible way as it’s a very steep climb, but Lucie managed to find it. And although it was steep, it was a lot easier than expected. Unfortunately, by the time we were nearing the summit of Árnafjall, thick fog rolled in and crushed our dreams of seeing Vágar from its top. But we didn’t give up. We made it to the summit, and also to the summit of Heinanøva, which completed my goal! The fog had lifted a little by then, so we got more of a view, but still nowhere near as great as I know it can be.

Back at the hostel, I watched the UEFA EURO 2020 final with a bunch of Italians. They loved poking me and making fun of me as I cheered alone for England as Italy unfortunately beat us.

The next few days, I continued exploring Vágar. I found my way to a tiny, unknown lake in a hidden valley above Bøur. The lake is called Tjørnudalstjørn and it’s incredibly beautiful. Afterwards, I hiked one of my favourite short trails on Vágar, over a mountainside from Vatnsoyrar to Miðvágur.

Lucie and I returned to one of our favourite spots, the often overlooked waterfall of Skarðsáfossur. We discovered a fresh angle to view the waterfall, saw a seal that was very curious about us and even discovered a hidden black sand beach! Back at the hostel, we celebrated with a delicious homemade vegan carrot cake that we shared with some other Danish guests.

On a very rainy day, I hitchhiked all the way to Strendur on Eysturoy with just one car (!) to visit a family I’ve known for six years. Thankfully, the evening turned out beautiful so I was able to go for a long walk to see the sunset. Their beloved dog Alex, who was always my walking partner on previous visits, sadly passed over earlier this year, so I brought along Chelsea, the dog of the family mum’s father.

The next morning, the unthinkable happened as I was hitchhiking back to Vágar to meet up with Lucie for one last hike before leaving the Faroes. The same two guys that had picked me up the day before stopped for me again! They were returning to Vágar for work!

Lucie and I continued to Sørvágur where we started our hike to the abandoned village of Slættanes. It was the last remaining cairn hike for me on Vágar, and it did not disappoint. We had brilliant sunshine all the way to Slættanes, but unfortunately, the heavens opened as we started hiking along the coast to Oyrargjógv. For 3,5 hours, we were struggling along the steep coast, following narrow sheep trails as the rain continued pouring.

Lucie was able to change her plans so we could spend one last evening together at the hostel (drying off and eating our leftovers!). We said goodbye to each other shortly before midnight, and I jumped in the tent with Felix for one last windy night.

A volcanic detour to Iceland

Before leaving for the Faroes, I’d spontaneously decided to add-on a few days in Iceland on my way home to Denmark. It only cost me 1000 DKK extra for the extra flight + 1300 DKK for three days of car rental. I slept in the passenger seat of the car, keeping costs down as much as possible.

There was one specific reason why I decided to return to Iceland for my 5th visit. I desperately wanted to see the Fagradalsfjall volcano erupt. It has been erupting since March 19th, and nobody knows when it will stop, and I didn’t want to wait too long in case I would miss it. It turned out to be a great decision.

I visited the volcano not just once, but twice during my three days in the country! Immediately after I arrived and on my last evening to see it in the relative darkness of the Icelandic summer. Even though only one day had passed since my first visit, the eruption had changed a lot. The volcano was spewing much less frequently, and there was much less lava flowing through the valley the second time around. The first time was definitely better, but seeing it twice was incredible.

On my only non-volcanic day in Iceland, I decided to tour the South coast to see some of its many highlights. Even though the South coast is the most popular tourist destination in the country besides Reykjavík and the Golden Circle, I had never set foot on that part of the country before.

So I went to all the classics. I saw the tiny rainbows at the Skógafoss waterfall, walked the looong way to the Sólheimasandur plane wreck, was in awe over the beauty of Reynisfjara Beach and the cliffs of Dyrhólaey, entered a cave to find the Gljufrabui waterfall, and got splashed by Seljalandsfoss as I walked behind the famous waterfall.

But I also ventured off the beaten path a few times. I followed a random road towards the highlands and ended up at an outlet glacier known as Sólheimajökull. I even climbed a small mountain to see it from above! And on my way back towards the volcano on my last day, I randomly decided to climb another small mountain after seeing its name on the map. It’s called Stóra Dímun – exactly like one of the 18 Faroese islands! It was an opportunity I couldn’t miss, and I’m glad I did it, because I met two locals and their two adorable dogs, and they showed me around the picturesque summit.

A week at home in Denmark

My adventures up north had come to an end, and it was time to head back home for a few days. Unfortunately, I was hit with some very sad news on the morning of my departure, so I was very thankful that my trip was over and I could spend time with my family.

Time at home is always too short, and those six days went by in a flash. But I did go for many walks with my mum and grandmother into the countryside surrounding our town, and we spent a day in Skals visiting family. I also found time to go on a trip with my younger brother to the island of Vorsø. That was a huge experience, and one I’d wanted to do for years. Vorsø is a nature preserve and is only home to two people, and access is limited to a few guided tours per year. They sell out quickly, but we were lucky to get two spots! We saw lots of wildlife, including several cormorants, two sea eagles and a deer crossing the shallow water to the island! While it’s the only way for deer to reach the island, it was also our way of getting there. Such an adventure!

Time travel to the Mesolithic in Albersdorf

The last week of July was spent at the annual Stone Age gathering with a wonderful bunch of people. I met up with Solveig and Mikkel and together, we drove slowly along the country roads through southern Denmark and northern Germany, stopping every now and then for a rest or some food. We arrived at the open air museum in Albersdorf in the evening, a few hours before sunset, which I sought out as I still had most of my 16,000 daily steps left to do.

The rest of the week was spent doing all sorts of Stone Age inspired crafts, preparing for the annual Stone Age fashion show and relaxing, while I also enjoyed a few walks into town and through the forest that surrounds the open air museum. It was my first true holiday in a long time, with no computer or anything else to distract me from exactly where I was and who I was with.

It’s always a huge pleasure to spend time with my Stone Age community, and it was also lovely to get to know Albersdorf better. I really appreciate this part of Germany which is full of wilderness, quiet towns and prehistoric sites.

Destinations visited in July 2021

• Rødby, Copenhagen, Hov, Odder, Vorsø and Skals, Denmark
• Vágar, Streymoy, Nólsoy and Eysturoy, Faroe Islands
• Reykjanes and South coast, Iceland
• Albersdorf, Germany

Highlights

• Spending lots of time with Solveig and Mikkel. Those two mean the world to me!
• Finally completing my goal of climbing all 41 mountains on Vágar – as well as Nolsóys four mountains in one day – and with Lucie by my side on both missions!
• Discovering puffin paradise on Nólsoy – Mykines is overrated 😉
• Discovering local secrets on Vágar. The lake of Tjørnudalstjørn and the hidden black sand beach near Skarðsáfossur in particular!
• VOLCANO! That’s all I need to say.
• Unexpectedly stumbling upon the Sólheimajökull glacier and seeing it from above!
• Family time as always. I love love love spending time with my family 🤎
• Finally getting to Vorsø after dreaming about it for many years. It did not disappoint, in fact it was much better than I ever could’ve hoped for!
• Stone Age shenanigans. Always a huge pleasure!

Challenges

• The loss of a beloved family member. May you rest in peace, I. I miss you 🤎
• Saying farewell to my life on Lolland – although only temporarily, it wasn’t easy!
• Rain, rain, rain and lots of fog on the Faroe Islands. Whoever said July is the best month to visit must be crazy! I prefer October or April/May.
• When England lost the UEFA EURO 2020. To be honest, I don’t care much about football, BUT STILL.
• Exhaustion after three weeks in a tent (two weeks on the Faroes and one week in Germany) plus three nights in a car. I hardly ever saw a bed in July!

Most popular post

• Back on the Faroes: A sunset hike to Klovningur on Vágar – The first post from my summer trip to the Faroe Islands with many more to come!

The other posts

• My April-June 2021: Dawn of summer on Lolland – Everything I got up to in the three last months on Lolland!

Most popular Instagram picture

This picture of me on a mountain in the Faroe Islands was by far the most popular in July. It also became my new profile picture on Facebook!

Vis dette opslag på Instagram

Et opslag delt af Melissa Cherry ♀ she/her (@melissavillumsen)

Coming up in August 2021

It’s already thirteen days into August as I post this, and a few adventures have been had. I spent three wonderful days with my friend Mads on the islands of Læsø and Hirsholm, and since then, I’ve been recharging at home.

In a few days, I’m off again, first to the islands of Lyø and Avernakø and then to Austria for a week with my family. Towards the end of the month, I’ll be attending the christening of my friend’s son. It’s been almost a year since he was born and I still haven’t seen him, so that’s very exciting!