“Home Sweet Home” Questionnaire #16: Lea Hajner.
Name: Lea Hajner
Twitter: @esctown
Website: escape-town.com
Facebook: facebook.com/esctown
1.) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your passion for travelling started.
I’m a freelance journalist and social media consultant. I have my own travel blog in German and English www.escape-town.com and I’m part of an awesome group of people the Reiseblogger-Kollektiv.com. Besides traveling a lot and writing, I also do video and commissioned work for tourism destinations, as well as consulting for blogger relations in the tourism industry.
2.) Where is home?
My new home has been Innsbruck for almost a year now.
3.) How did you get there? Have you lived there all your life, moved there because of College or just fell in love with the city/town on one of your trips?
I was born and raised in Vienna and lived there most of my life. At the end of last summer I packed my bags and moved to Innsbruck, a choice I feel was perfect for me. I love being close to the mountains and the small city has made me feel mostly welcome over the last months. I’ve met some great people and I just feel like life won’t ever get boring living there. I do travel a lot for work, so being in Innsbruck means both catching up on work behind my desk and enjoying life at home.
4.) What does your living situation look like? Give us a brief description (city or countryside, apartment or house, messy or neat-freak, roomies, pets, plants etc.)
I live in a great apartment in an old villa just at the bottom of the Nordkette mountain range. I share it with two roommates and it’s the first time I’m living with people I didn’t know before. It’s working out great, definitely an experience everyone should consider.
5.) What’s your favorite spot in your apartment or house & why?
It’s the small garden just in front of our house. We have a picnic table and it’s overlooking the city and the river. Whenever it’s warm I take all my meals outside and enjoy the view.
6.) Do you prefer books or movies (plus what’s your favorite one)?
Movies lately, since I’ve gotten a bit lacy with reading. I like old movies with Lauren Bacall, just as much as girl flics and love dramas, that play in far away places, eg. The Constant Gardener.
7.) Where & how do you write your blog articles? Do you start with a rough draft or get right to it?
That always depends on the story. Usually when I already have a story in mind I start with the photo editing and then get started on the story.
8.) What does a perfect day in your hometown look like? What season is it? Are you inside or outdoors? Do you hang out with friends or family?
Definite ly outdoors. Breakfast at home, a hiking tour (or if it’s winter a snowboarding trip to one of the surrounding mountains) in the Alps and a barbeque in our garden at night, followed by a night out in the city.
9.) Name three spots in your hometown, which you’d probably not find in a guidebook but you could recommend to travellers. Tell us what’s special about them.
- The “Flüsterbogen” – the door arch on Hofgasse 12 can be used to transport a message from one side to the other. Very romantic ;)
- One of the events that have recently popped up in Innsbruck: Going Deep, Bonanza or everything that takes place on Birdie – a pop-up stage that was build by students just in front of the Stadtcafe.
- Apfelstangerl at Bäckerei Ruetz, it’s Innsbruck best hidden secret, that those apple pastries are the best.
I’m also using a hashtag on Twitter and mainly Instagram to show things that are typical for Innsbruck: #onlyinibk – everyone is invited to contribute!
10.) What’s your favorite local dish (if you have one in your country/town, please tell us which one)? Can you cook it & what are the main ingredients?
Recently I really got the hang out of “Graukäse”, it’s an old dry type of cheese and you can eat it with fresh onion rings, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Or you make cheese dumplings out of it. The Graukäse cheese gives them a very soft and light texture.
11.) How much does 1 liter (or one gallon) of milk and petrol cost today?
The local milk I buy cost 89cents and petrol I hardly ever get to buy because I don’t own a car. It’s around 1,40 though.
12.) Where are you right now, on which device to you answer this questionnaire and what shoes are you wearing (if possible please add a picture)?
I’m on a plane back to Frankfurt coming from Mauritius and I’m typing this on my much beloved Macbook.
13.) Last but not least: What does “home” mean to you?
When I first read this question before I started to answer the questionnaire this song “Home is when ever I’m with you…” by Edward and the Magnet Zeros came to my mind and it’s been stuck there since. I guess home is a place where I have my friends around and my family is at least within phone reach. It’s also a place where I can truly relax and adapt the surroundings to my likings, eg. I love to put stuff up on the walls, memories, ideas, etc.
Want to be a part of this series?
If you want to be a part of our series, just go to the “Home Sweet Home” article and download the appropriate questionnaire. We’d really like to read your stories :)
Participants so far:
#1: Ulli Maier
#2: Nisa Maier
#3: Shvyia Nath
#4: Rika Huang
#5: Yvonne Zagermann
#6: Dario Endara
#7: Frankie Thompson
#8: Roy van den Bos
#9: Monica Stott
#10: Doris Neubauer
#11: Amanda Slavinsky
#12: Edna
#13: Casper Oppenhuis de Jong
#14: Ashley Abroad
#15: Inma Gregorio
#16: Lea Hajner
