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 ‘Donaudurchbruch’ is the narrowest point of the Danube river in Bavaria. It is just 80 meters wide”, Monika Hummel explains, pointing to the rugged cliffs between which our excursion boat glides almost silently. In my head, the “scenic symphony” written by the Danube river (see my travel video immediately below) swells again like a rush of water. It is wonderful here, to be travelling along Europe’s largest river. Especially right now, cooling down by its banks from the blistering heat of summer. But where exactly is the #JungeDonau, and what can you experience around here?
Let me take you through Bavaria following this mighty stream, all the way from Kelheim, via Bad Gögging, to Günzburg. Did you know, for example, that beer has always been brewed here for well over a thousand years?
Of course, right.!
… for even a group of Americans crossing the Danube river from source to mouth with canoes is by no means a rarity. Of course, we had to meet them in the oldest monastery brewery in the world, the monastery Weltenburg near Kelheim.! Throughout centuries, even millennia, the Danube river has always served as a major gateway carrying goods, people, information, as well as offering (in the more modern context) an opportunity for countless leisure activities. Check this out.
Feeling the Danube river …
… either hiking or walking alongside its banks …
… or from high up the rugged cliffs near a town called Kelheim …
… as part of a boat tour …
… or crossing the mighty stream on a barge: There is something for everyone offered around here.
Check out the Danube cycling trails “Donautäler” near the town of Günzburg …
… which are very well signposted, including lots of useful tips and travel information about the area.
Altogether, I have five tasty recommendations for you: From the juicy and very healthy meat of the ostrich farm Donaumoos, over a “real Celtic stew” to local Danube fish served in the health resort Bad Gögging. Use the following map to locate all of my tips (by clicking on the green markers, you will easily see the names and addresses of the restaurants):
Ostrich sausage at the ostrich farm Donaumoos, oh so good and rich in good fats …
… or how about a summerly break over a meal at the main square of Günzburg?
Landgasthof Waldvogel serves us delicious summer veggie soup, too …
… the same hotel & restaurant also has a small ostrich steak on the menu, ideal for a meaty bite on a hot summer afternoon !
Check out this original “Celtic stew” served to us at the stalactite cave Schulerloch …
… or this selection of local fish at the Hotel Marc Aurel in Bad Gögging.
Loved tasting all these meals. Thank you and kudos to our wonderful chef(s)!
Hotel Marc Aurel, located right in Bad Gögging next to the beautiful Limes Spa, is a perfect option for either one or more nights. A little further south-west, near Günzburg, I can well and truly recommend “Waldvogel” Hotel, one of the most delightful country inns I have ever visited. Here, everything is harmoniously kept and arranged, the balance between tradition and modernity just about right. I would not hesitate to stay here again. Check this out.
The view from my hotel room at the Hotel Marc Aurel in Bad Gögging makes me want to go back there, right now please …
… and yes, the wine tasting following our meals has definitely added to the beautiful sense of place, too.!
Loved staying at Landgasthof “Waldvogel” …
… a cosy place for just about any traveller, solo, as a family, or in a group of friends …
… still tasting the aroma of all the fresh ingredients being served here.
Not always right by the Danube, but by no means far away, you will find the following jewels on your journey. The best way to get there is by foot, thought you may use your bike or car as well of course. Underground, for instance, you will find a legendary “mapping show” (no Muppet show!). The Limes Spa centre has you walk through a marsh for its healing skin properties: Even the Romans already knew about it. And, of course, lots of beer. How else, and you will agree with me, is it possible to travel in Bavaria ..?
Beer (pit) stop: The monastery brewery Weltenburg has been making local Bavarian beer specialities for almost a thousand years!
Right next to it, you will find the rather idyllic Altmühltal …
… providing access to one of the area’s most spectacular limestone caves, and its fascinating stalagmite formations! The cave furthermore features a light show about its natural creation millions of years ago: Be sure to watch it!
Another travel jewel along the Danube river is visiting the spa town of Bad Gögging, where you can “walk through healing marshes” soothing your feet in the dirt …
… and sometimes, in the face of all these adventures, why not just sit and stare into the blue sky at the main square of Günzburg?
A little later, this cute fella will want your attention anyway …
… and aren’t they ultimately cute, little ostrich chicken but a few weeks old …
… at Germany’s largest ostrich farm with well over 800 animals!
Kudos to my #localhero of the day, the “ostrich family” Engelhardt !
Check out even more pictures about travelling along the Danube river in Bavaria:
And be sure to follow me as I cross over into Germany’s next province, Baden-Württemberg, and further up the Danube river all the way to Donaueschingen! More about this in my next blog post.
Disclaimer: I have been invited by on this trip by the German National Tourist Board. All opinions are my own.
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