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?
“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 […]
Linz. I do believe, that the third-largest town of Austria is truly underrated. Years ago already, when we had our Austrian travel bloggers’ meeting in Linz, I have been impressed with what you can do in the city of Linz. Getting creative, that is, baking your own famous Linzer cake for instance. Visiting the internationally acclaimed Ars […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wernberg Monastery in Carinthia, the south of Austria. Thinking back about my recent trip, I think of one thing in particular: The genuine, radiant smile of Sister Monika-Maria Pfaffenlehner. She is a true force of nature, and one welcoming spirit to our community of guests. Lucky, though, if you can spot her, as she is […]
If coming from Lower Austria to the north, and driving via the Packsattel pass, you can definitely draw “a different breath of fresh air” beyond. Carinthia, the south of Austria, feels just different, more “southern” already! It’s what Pater Maximilian must have thought, as he “applied” to be taken from his original Benedictine abbey of […]
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 […]
Take five days of rest and retreat, mix it with the inspiring atmosphere of a view across a vast lake, add your very own pool and sundeck, garnish it with the taste of fresh strawberries, pizza, pasta, vino & cappuccino, and serve it with the aroma of a one thousand year old olive grove. My […]
