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