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?
Have you ever heard about Kamloops in Western Canada? Those eager explorers among you may have heard of the “city at the confluence” as a central point of the VIA Rail train service passing between Vancouver and Jasper, a particularly beautiful track through the western Rocky Mountains. But Kamloops deserves more than just to be […]
Our journey to Jasper kicked off with a stormy beginning. If the vast wilderness of Western Canada is what you are looking for, then stormy weather should not bother you at any time of the year: At its highest point, just near the turnoff to iconic Peyto Lake, the road from Lake Louise to Jasper leads […]
There is no way of travelling through the Rocky Mountains in Canada without visiting the world famous places (and landscapes) around Banff & Lake Louise. But what if I tell you: “There’s much more to the Rockies than just Banff and Lake Louise …?”! Especially on your first road trip here, you should also choose […]
Oh, Banff. Somewhere “along the travel lines”, I’ve fallen in love with this place. While it’s my third return to Banff in three years of travelling to Canada, it’s the first time for dear Georg by my side. Exploring the settlement history, soaking in the wonderful local hot springs right off the mountainside and climbing […]
“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 […]
