Weekend Adventures: Exploring Nature

The past two weekends have been packed full of spontaneous adventure in Denmark. Here’s a recap of my recent travels!

The Summer House

Two weeks ago my host mom and I ventured north to her summer house in Rågeleje. As we began to traverse the country roads, the lush green landscape of northern Zealand completely captivated me. The natural beauty continued as we made our way to the beach near the summer house. Countless rocks and shells covered the shore. I could’ve spent hours looking at the rocks alone!

At the summer house, my host mom harvested grapes from the courtyard. I had no clue grapes were growing there, let alone that we would be making juice out of them! Little did I know, my host mom was full of surprises that Sunday. We traveled to Heatherhill, a park of rolling hills ending in a cliff over a beach. The nature and grazing sheep seemed almost straight out of a fairy tale and almost transported me back to a joyous child-like mindset.

Large rocks of Rågeleje Strand
My host mom & I @ Rågeleje Strand
My host mom harvesting grapes from the summerhouse
The harvested grapes (4 bags!)
Walking with my host mom @ Heatherhill
The landscape of Heatherhill
The sheep of Heatherhill
Up-close enounter between the sheep and I @ Heatherhill
Cute Cafe in Tisvilde

Faxe Hostel & Geomuseum

Since beginning classes at DIS and getting to know the other students here, I have made a few close friends, including Leah from my core course. On Thursday evening we made spontaneous plans to take a weekend trip together to the city of Faxe. Despite such short notice and little planning, our trip continued swimmingly, filled with many surprises.

Upon arriving at Faxe, we noticed the incredibly central location of our hostel and its close proximity to the Geomuseum on our itinerary. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the outdoor hostel cafe overlooking the limstone mine and lakes. We also managed to explore the surrounding town, seeing small shops and finding some gems in the local Red Cross thrift store. On our last day we hiked the vast limestone quarry, finding fossils and capturing breathtaking images.

The blue lagoon of the Faxe Limestone Mine
Faxe Limestone Mine
Lunch at the Faxe Danhostel
Leah & I waiting for our bus to Camp Adventure
Looking out over the Faxe Limstone Mines (photo by Leah)

Camp Adventure

As an avid National Geographic Magazine subscriber, I have seen the Forest Tower many times before, but never in person. This short trip ticked off a major destination on my bucket list: The Forest Tower at Camp Adventure. Although only an hour’s drive from the city, the wooded landscape transported me to an oasis for the senses. The changing leaves, campfire air, and towering trees immersed me in nature. I felt as if I had taken a breath of fresh air for the first time in a while, releasing stress I forgot was even there.

The mesmerizing trip to the top of the tower proved difficult to complete, as we stopped every few steps to photograph each view. The surreal perspective from top of the structure humbled me. From the scale of the tower to the vastness of the wildflower field, I felt the significance and insignificance of my existence here in the momen and in the universe.