Hi! I'm Elena! Welcome to my travel blog Creativelena.com.
For me, it is all about “life-seeing instead of sightseeing”: Join me as I create, eat & live my way around the world. Curious?
*Check out my book, “The Creative Traveler’s Handbook”, for learning more about what we mean by creative travel. Travelling means the world to me, makes me fit for everday life and sometimes, I trust, also calmer on the inside. Read this blog with a smile, share what you love and remember to check back regularly: After all, when was the last time you did something for the first time?
The so-called “Bergische Kaffeetafel” in the German city of Mettmann is featured in a single entry on Wikipedia. Researching about our trip to Mettmann, I also read astounding words such as “Muckefuck” or “Dröppelminna”, words that even make a native German speaker like me look up in wonder. How to explain this to my English-speaking friends ..?!
“Just take a seat & relax“, local lady Yasmin tells us laughing, warmly welcoming us to the museum of local history in the small town of Mettmann. Yasmin is visibly pleased by the arrival of so many interested guests following the motto #nl4blogger, promoting the German “Neanderland” for visitors. “Our afternoon tea and coffee time, you must know, is really being celebrated. The coffee dispenser you can see here is called Dröppelminna, welcoming you to enjoy the coffee ‘drop by drop’ as in the old days”, Yasmin explains. The history of this local ceremony, known as the “Bergische Kaffeetafel“, spans many centuries and does not lack a good deal of foodlover delights either. Served on precious porcelain plates, we are spoiled to a kind of sweet bread with raisins, instructed to top it with rice pudding (!), cinnamon as well as several types of jams. Cream cheese and rye bread provide a more savoury alternative too, apples and maple leafs underline the festive autumn season here in Mettmann.
“Our so-called Bergische Kaffeetafel is like a fourth meal during the day, celebrated around the famous ‘afternoon tea time'”, Yasmin continues to explain. “Here at the Alte Bürgermeisterei of the city of Mettmann, we have made it our responsibility to proudly showcase our living traditions and encourage visitors to explore everything the surrounding Neanderland has to offer.”
The “Bergische Kaffeetafel” in the city of Mettmann near Cologne and Düsseldorf …
… is really worth the culinary journey, for both the sweet & savoury tooth alike.
Enjoying the “Bergische Kaffeetafel” foodlover coffee table #nl4blogger in Mettmann …
… and learning how to use a “Dröppelminna” (local coffee pot).
Having just arrived from my book launch event in London, I seize the opportunity to hand my friend Janett a brand-new copy of “The Creative Traveler’s Handbook” here in Mettmann …
… and let myself become enchanted by the beautiful atmosphere of the local history museum.
Check out even more pictures explaining what a “Bergische Kaffeetafel” as well as the so-called Neanderland around the cities of Cologne & Düsseldorf is. Dig in & enjoy your meal!
… boasts an incredibly creative variety of local street art graffiti? The Ackerstraße and Kiefernstraße especially are full of them, with the Kiefern street featuring tremendous paintings over the walls of every single house. What is more, we actually get to meet an Irish squatter from the 80s, now calling Düsseldorf and Kiefernstraße home, relating all of this and the area’s history to us in fluent German. Not even Janett, my friend and local street art graffiti guide, could have imagined such a happy chance meeting … Check this out.
The city of Düsseldorf from another kind of perspective …
… featuring local beauties near town flats …
… and the critical question in society these days: Who is robbing who?
To that, we toast with a beer – typical ALT-BIER from Düsseldorf it is …
… before the interesting discovery of the German metropolis …
… continues with views like these: I would have loved to join a kids’ club like this when I was young!
😉 “Damn sexy Flingern”, the part of Düsseldorf city we are in.
Last but not least, check out this ferris wheel of Düsseldorf …
… where we had to come down and celebrate with a first cup of Glühwein in hand.! Cheers to Düsseldorf for welcoming us in this way!
“Such a beauty”, I find myself taking picture after picture of the colour display in the local forests. It does remind me of the magic we found at the foothills of the Pyrenees, only two weeks ago, hiking in northeastern Catalonia.
Then again, as a kind of juxtaposition, we look up in awe at the mighty Dome of Cologne, as well as the thousands of love locks at the Hohenzollern bridge. “How much may they weigh by now?”, we muse, happily enjoying the quiet autumn strolls and downtime together …
From the countryside around the city of Cologne …
… to the magic of the city during the autumn period …
… it certainly is, an easy guarantee…
… to fall in love with what both city & countryside have to offer.
We enjoy our time hiking, chatting with friends …
… and watching one of the prettiest sunsets of recent times: Just lovely, is all I can say.
Disclaimer: We have been invited to join the “Bergische Kaffeetafel” as part of our local exploration of the German Neanderland. All opinions are my own.
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