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?
“And then, when each and everyone in my group realises the untamed power of the Alpine plants, this ‘medicine’ around us, I thank God for my gift and smile …”, says Christine Sperner, who is our hiking guide for the day and a sort of plant whisperer, too. You could also call her the translator […]
The landscape around me has changed. I can no longer see the “Romantic Road” stretch as far as the horizon, flat as it was before in Nördlingen, around Augsburg or Landsberg. Rugged mountain ranges have given way to straight lines. The gently rising Alpine foothills bring a smile to my face. Mountains always make an […]
“Am Brunnen vor dem Tore, da steht ein Lindenbaum …” Gently, I recall the famous melody to this traditional Austrian folk song written by Franz Schubert, Austria’s famous 18th century composer. We follow in the footsteps of our host, Irene Moser, who leads us around the historical Höldrichsmühle hotel. A property close to Vienna, yet still […]
She is of beautiful growth, smells absolutely wonderful, and has the power to turn people’s heads. She wants to be conquered, doesn’t just “stand around”, but likes to command entire mountainsides underneath her. She likes it when you approach her cautiously, respectfully at first, then visibly moved by her beauty. Wood artists love her, connoisseurs […]
Lilienfeld Abbey. You may easily find this gem of a medieval Austrian Abbey (the largest in all of Austria!) only about half an hour’s drive from St. Pölten, or a good hour’s drive from the capital city, Vienna. Coming into the small town of Lilienfeld, you can’t miss the abbey against the backdrop of the […]
You know what? In Murau-Kreischberg even snow cannons can be sustainable! Really?! I can’t quite believe what they say: Aren’t artificial snowmaking systems in the mountains considered one of the most environmentally unsustainable forms of development? “Not if you draw the water from your own reservoir lakes, and add nothing to the pure mountain water during […]
Since about a year, I’ve turned into “a city girl” from Vienna. As much as I cherish all the advantages of my urban lifestyle, I do miss “my countryside”, i.e. the place I grew up in. Miss taking deep breaths of fresh air, roaming forests and fields, taking a walk without traffic or cars. Let […]
Arrive. Revive. For some time, the Austrian National Tourist Board used this slogan to describe the feeling of arriving in Austria. Recently, I have felt just the same when travelling near the border to the Czech Republic, past the wine town of Retz, and into Thayatal National Park: Arrive. Revive. Taking that deep, wonderful, fresh breath […]
So where exactly … are Porvoo and the small island of Pellinge, just a little outside of Helsinki in the south of Finland? Well located, I’d say first of all. Well indeed if you, like me, have already seen Helsinki for yourself, have done perhaps a tasty food tour in the Finnish capital city, and are […]
There’s an old saying in German: Alles neu macht der Mai. (“April showers bring May flowers.”) In my case, it’s a flourishing of fresh ideas about the range of hiking options in Eastern Germany. Spoiled as can be, you don’t easily expect to impress an Austrian by suggesting a hiking trip in (Eastern) Germany. However, […]
