a walk remembered

upon returning home from work today i realized that while living in southwest florida next to the most beautiful beaches in the world, surrounded by more ethnic restaurants choices my hometown of cincinnati could dream about, and some of the best and most corropertive weather patterns for the fall season, i was not happy with where i have settled down.  though the perks are nice, what i truely missed was the option of walking outside a downtown apartment and being in the cultural center of a country. i miss the feeling of significance that a capital city brings whether it be the classical music of vienna, the royalty of london, the romance of paris, or the history of rome, i need that stimulus. i have been spoiled by public transportation and the aesthetics of timeless architecture, the plentiful offerings of city and district markets, and the escape of hidden green spaces. 

there are times even now where i close my eyes and place myself back within the reach of those feelings that i developed while living in vienna. i can hear the echo of my foot steps while walking down my flat's dark stairwell and feel the morning's cool viennese air hit my face as i turn right onto the sidewalk. i still remember the traffic patterns at the intersection of marxergasse, löwengasse, and rasumofskygasse on my way to prater.

i can also sense the extacy that was felt upon turning left and first witnessing the spire of stephansdom. it took some internal navigation to finally spot the focal point, but the transit was always worth the anticipation. the walk to the canal and the marxergasse bridge was quick, but the enjoyment came once the street changed names to rosenbursenstraße. it was here that the city's design changed from the radial, spoke like fingers that made up the districts outside the ring to one of a labyrinth that was laid out so many years prior. paths appeared tangled to the blind eye, and the naive resident could easily be fooled into a wrong turn. not me though, i had lived there long enough to spot the landmarks no matter if it were night or day. i knew the next turn, not the sharp left that had previously deceived me, but the slight incline up predigergasse, a left on postgasse, and finally a right onto one of my favorite streets in vienna: bäckerstraße. after a 50 meter walk, it opened into a square highlighted by the jesuitinkirche that was tucked away to the right.

until this point i had held off on my morning coffee knowing that there was always a café around the corner that i had yet to discover. but on this walk that i so often took, i made kaffee alt wien one of my regular stops and the melange my regular purchase. oddly enough, the owners, leopold and josefine, who opened the shop in 1936 moved three years later to open my favorite cafe in vienna; café hawelka. it was from here where i zigzagged a short way to stephanplatz and it's famed centerpiece.

it is about this time where i open my eyes with the hint of a smile upon my face. even now while writing this i find myself in the same situation. it is difficult to portray to those of you who have not traveled, but i can trace these steps on multiple routes and from various starting points in vienna and other cities that i have visited. it is one way i make it though the week, knowing that at any time i can revisit my home away from home through my thoughts and visions that i have stored over the past couple of years.


if you go:
café hawelka
dorotheergasse 6
1010 wien, österreich
+43 (1) 512 82 30
specs. tucked away in the first district, this place is a haven for starving artist and coffee seekers alike. a cozy setting, patrons will see art covering wall to wall and the smell of freshly baked buchteln that is josefine's legendary creation.