Denmark has a very special place in my heart as it is the very first foreign country I've ever visited. It was also the first time i got to experience flying by plane and fell in love with it right away. I was 16 and my parents arranged for me to visit my uncle who was settled in the north of Denmark, in the city called Aalborg. I remember my mum being pretty worried about me flying on my own but all I can remember is this huge excitement running through my body. I was so amazed by enormous white cloud castle-like formations under the plane that I couldn't keep my eyes off the window. There was no space for worry. In that moment I felt completely free.
After a smooth landing I remember my bag being searched by security (a teenage girl wondering around on her own must have seemed a bit odd I guess). My uncle was late to meet me but I was so overwhelmed by all the experiences that I still felt at peace and I knew that there's nothing that could go wrong. As I think now, that first flight must have set grounds for how I feel about flying till this day - excited and always amazed by what's behind the little window.
My uncle finally showed up and after a not so pleasant ride up north (there were so many roundabouts and in these days I was very easily car-sick) I got to see their beautiful house with private space for me in their study - perfect. Every day was full of something new to see, taste and hear. Everything seemed so perfect, so different from what I was usually surrounded by back in Lithuania - I loved it all.
It was a very busy visitors time for my uncle's family. They were still quite fresh in the country so relatives and friends were taking the opportunity to visit them and explore a new country as well. I must have stayed there for quite a while since I got to spend time with other three visiting families at different times. A lot has happened: I got to explore Aalborg, practice my English with my cousin's girlfriend at that time, see Erin Brokovich in a local cinema, taste garlic snails, eat outside in their beautiful terrace, that is also where I got introduced to Alanis Morissette's music and after listening to her CD five times a day I finally received it as a present to take home.
The most beautiful memories, however, come from travelling outside the city. I got to explore the stunning landscape of the west coast heading up north and back. We stopped in a couple small towns where you could find some cute old-school huts with straw roofs.
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| an old-school hut in Blokhus |
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| straw roof in Blokhus |
I admired the beautiful wide sandy beaches and cliffs covered with seagulls and even the not so pleasant smell of the North Sea weeds brings nice memories. All felt very special but the culmination was reached on one rainy day after joining in one of the visiting families in their car to see the famous landmark in North-West Denmark -
Rubjerg Knude lighthouse. It is most famous for being surrounded by huge dunes which are gradually covering the lighthouse more and more each year.
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| Rubjerg Knude lighthouse on a sunny day |
Going back to that very special day, myself and the dad of the family (Vytenis) I was travelling with decided to look around the area a bit more regardless of the weather being pretty miserable. His wife and son didn't think it's a good idea and so they stayed in the car. We were walking to the left from the lighthouse on top of tall steep cliffs and as we kept on walking an idea of getting down by the sea was growing bigger and bigger. The cliffs were really steep but we came across this one spot where it seemed quite possible to climb down. Because of the rain it was pretty muddy and a bit dangerous, I guess, but we were too keen to stop. As we set our feet on the narrow beach I was pumped up with adrenaline and it felt like we've won a race or something. I felt like shouting out loudly to express my happiness and I shared this with my companion. Silly, I know. His answer was: 'Let's do it'. And so we started cheering with all that our lungs allowed like kids not afraid of any judgement from outside. I couldn't be more happy. Something that has been growing inside of me finally was set free, I was free. I think Vytenis also was going through some pretty big emotions and the cheering therapy did good for both of us. I remember his wife being quite unhappy about us taking so long and leaving her and the son in the car with no clue what's happened to us. However, I feel that myself and Vytenis agreed - the silent tension in the car on the way home was so worth it.
