A Walk Down Memory Lane

Kreuzgasse. This is the street I lived on for the first five months I was in Vienna : Vienna, AT

After my meeting at the UN, I decided to see if I could find the first apartment I lived in as a missionary in Vienna. Back home in the States, I have a German Bible where I wrote the address of every apartment I lived in when I was in Austria. I had to go by memory here. I had ridden the U6 into Vienna from the southern suburbs, where I'd parked and I seemed to recall that this was the line we rode most frequently in the area where my companions and I were assigned. (I worked in this area with Leslie Driggs and Heidi Chartrand.) So, I rode the U1 to Stephansplatz, where I transferred to the U3. At Westbahnhof, I switched to the U6. I rode the U6 past what I thought was my street/area and got off at Volksoper/Währingerstraße. I started working my way back toward Alser Straße and up into the neighborhood, trying to find my street. I couldn't remember the name outright, but knew I'd know it when I saw it. Eventually, I stumbled onto Kreuzgasse and that's when everything clicked. The neighborhood was quite different after 20 years. More rundown than I remembered it and mostly a Middle-Eastern neighborhood than the little Viennese suburb I recall.  Anyway, just a few pictures from the area.

My first apartment in Vienna. Kreuzgasse 4. We lived in the apartment in the middle on the very top floor. : Vienna, AT

This little set of shops is now home to a couple of Kebab shops and a soon-to-open juice shop, but when I lived in this neighborhood, 
it included a cheesemonger, where I tasted and bought some amazing cheeses. My favorites were butterkäse and Alpkäse : Vienna, AT

Zanoni Eissalon. Best gelato in Vienna, meine Meinung nach! : Vienna, AT

After seeing the old neighborhood, I ventured back out toward Währingerstraße and began to make my way down to Alsergrund and the Alser Straße U-bahn station. Along the way, I knew I would pass Zanoni and I decided I'd stop in for a gelato. When I lived in Vienna, it was my first time overseas and I remember the very first time I had gelato: it was at this shop. A lot of the missionaries I worked with swore by the gelato at some place down in Reumannplatz at the end of the U1 Line. I tried theirs once, but I think Zanoni's is still, hands down, the better gelato. These guys have been in business at this location for 40 years and it was fun to sit for a moment and enjoy a chocolate and hazelnut gelato. Photography isn't allowed inside the store, so you'll have to settle for a couple of crappy Instagram photos of the outside (above) and my treat (below).

Schokolade und Haselnuß : Zanoni Eissalon : Vienna, AT

The goodness that is ice cream didn't end there, though. When I returned to Seebenstein, Christine took us to a place called Eis Peter in Traiskirchen. We were joined by Christine's daughter, Sonja, and granddaughter, Vanessa. It was a lovely evening out with lots of laughter and more outstanding sweets. I had an ice cream dish that pays tribute to Austria's most famous dessert -- Sachertorte. This was dark chocolate ice cream, apricot ice cream, and heaps of whipped cream. It was AMAZING! Writing about it now, my mouth is watering and I can't wait to go back one day.

Sachertortebecher / Sacher Torte Dish : Eis Peter : Traiskirchen, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/2012

UNO City

Flags of the Members States of the United Nations at the UN's Offices in Vienna : Vienna, AT

While we were in Vienna, I took the opportunity to meet with some folks at the United Nation's Vienna offices. Vienna is home to a number of UN agencies, including ones covering drugs and crime, money laundering, narcotics control, outer space, postal administration, and the scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation, among others. It was the latter group that met with to discuss their editorial needs. These are just a couple of shots taken from the grounds. I wish I'd taken photos of the surrounding neighborhood. It's so different and far more built up now compared with when I was here 20 years ago. Back in the early 90s, this area was really only the UN. Now, there are multi-national corporations and many more skyscrapers than before.

Monument to Women at the UN's Offices in Vienna : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/2012

Schloß Schönbrunn

View of the summer palace of the Hapsburgs, Schönbrunn, from the Glorietta : Vienna, AT

At one point during my tenure in Vienna, I lived in an apartment on the Hietzingerhauptstraße, which isn't that far from Vienna's -- and in fact, all of Austria's -- most famous castle, Schloß Schönbrunn. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see the inside, so it was high on the list of places I wanted to see if ever I returned to Vienna. Since we weren't able to see everything we wanted the day before, Maya and I trekked back up to the city without Charlie. It was absolutely horrid weather; pouring rain, wind. We took our cameras with us, but since photography was not allowed inside and it was too damn wet to use them outside, we shot photos with our iPod Touches instead. So, here you go. Crappy Instagram photos!

Another view of the summer palace of the Hapsburgs, Schönbrunn, from the Glorietta : Vienna, AT

Nepture Fountain just below the Glorietta : Schloß Schönbrunn : Vienna, AT

Schönbrunn has some really beautiful gardens. This was the best I could do, given the weather : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/2012

Circumnavigating the Ringstraße...

Memorial to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Vienna, AT

Just a few photos of some of the sights to be enjoyed on the Ringstraße. We walked from the Staatsoper to the Votivkirche. Unfortunately, my photos of the Staatsoper weren't that great, so we're starting with the Mozart Memorial in the Burggarten. We then walked over to Parliament, the Rathaus, and finally the Votivkirche. This was an area I traveled through several times a week when I lived in Vienna 20 years ago. It's still as beautiful I remembered it. To see more photos, go here.

Naturhistorisches Museum : Vienna, AT

Athena Fountain : Parliament Building : Vienna, AT

Wien Rathaus : Vienna, AT

Votivkirche : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/2012

Stephansdom

Saint Stephen's Cathedral / Stephansdom : Vienna, AT

We visited Vienna on a Sunday, so Stephansdom was essentially closed for religious services. We were able to stand in the very back of the nave and shoot a few photos through a gate that was drawn across the main part of the sanctuary. I was kind of disappointed by that, because I really wanted to get a photo of the Fenstergücker. Guess I'll have to come back again.

Inside Stephansdom, but only in the nave, since there was a worship service going on : Vienna, AT

Instagrammed Stephansdom : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Sacher Hotel

Sunday lunch at the Hotel Sacher : Vienna, AT

After walking around the Stadtpark and Karlsplatz, we headed over toward Stephansplatz and the center of town. As it was lunchtime, we decided to pop into the famed Hotel Sacher for lunch and Sachertorte. We sat outside, but I shot this one photo looking into the interior dining room. The Sachertorte was wunderbar! The photos below were taken using Instagram.

Table cloth at the Hotel Sacher : Vienna, AT

Hotel Sacher -- a Viennese instutiton : Vienna, AT

Veal schnitzel. Not nearly as good as pork. Should have gone to Herb's : Vienna, AT

Heaven on a plate -- Sachertorte mit Schlagobers : Vienna, AT

The Hotel Sacher is the exclusive maker and the only maker allowed to market its torte as "Original Sachertorte". Every year, the Hotel mails more than 250,000 of these wonderful cakes to homes and businesses all over the world. We bought one to take back to Christine and Hellmut as a thank you gift. I wish we'd bought one for us to bring home, but we knew we'd be on the road for at least another week and were afraid it might not keep. If you chance to visit Vienna, put the Café Sacher on your must-do list for coffee/tea and torte.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Karlskirche Restoration

Up close -- Detail of the frescoes in the dome of Karlskirche : Vienna, AT

Karlskirche was nearing the end of a multi-year, multi-million euro restoration project, so when we visited, there was still scaffolding inside. But, the cool thing was, they'd installed an elevator and you could ride it up to see the dome friezes up close! The church was commissioned by Charles VI, who pledged to build a church in honor of Charles Borromeo -- his patron saint. Borromeo was renowned for being a healer of those suffering from bubonic plague. To see more photos from inside this church, go here.

The dome from the ground level : Karlskirche : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Karlskirche and the Secession

Karlskirche : Vienna, AT

When I lived in Austria in the late 1980s/early 1990s, I spent nine months living in Vienna. We used to travel through Karlsplatz at least once a week, but I never made it inside the church. On this trip, I was determined to see things I hadn't seen when I was a missionary (I had three companions while I was in Vienna. The first was often exhausted and slept on our one day off; the second had been to Vienna as an exchange student the previous year and had already seen everything; and the third was from Europe and wanted to stay at home and write letters to her boyfriend. It was maddening.)

Karlsplatz U-bahn Station : Vienna, AT

One of the characteristics of the Karlsplatz area is the architecture style. Known as Vienna Secession and Jugendstil, it was started by artists Gustav Klimt, Max Kurzweil, and Joseph Maria Olbrich, among others. The movement brought French Impressionism to Austria and included recognition of greats, like Beethoven.

The Secession Museum : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Stadtpark

Johann Strauss Monument : Stadtpark : Vienna, AT

We started our tour of Vienna off by parking near and visiting the Strauss statue in the Stadtpark. Seemed an appropriate way to start off my first visit to Austria since living here more than 20 years ago as a missionary.

Instagrammed Strauss : Stadtpark : Vienna, AT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012