Memories are all that are left

Rekindled memories. My sis is in Vienna right now, she is there for a holiday while on exchange in Switzerland. As I write this, she is probably weaving through the cobbled-stone streets of Stephansplatz, taking in the sights and the sounds, discovering the city as I once did not too long ago.

A couple of days ago, I put my memory to test as I wrote her a list of Must-dos/Must-sees in Vienna. In it, I drew maps, labeled the coffee houses and shops, wrote down the addresses to restaurants, recommended the good eats, educated her on the etiquette of tipping and ordering and directed her along the transport routes. I fared well, and memories of the place where I spent the best time of my life were hauled up from the depths of the memory bank, dusted, polished and revived.

I asked a friend who spent those 6 months with me in Vienna what he would like my sis to bring back for him. And he said this, "Nothing, there is nothing I miss there but the memories". Wise words simply spoken. It's true, for I miss the place very much but regardless of how much I tried to put a finger on what would satisfy this longing for a time long past, nothing that can be bought formulates.

I managed, however, to come up with a list of things that could never be retrieved or materialized.

1. Those freezing moments as we braved the winds and stood out in the cold eating gelatos.
2. Those lunches where we ate out of a wheelbarrow at Centimeter.
3. Those dinner times where we conjured up recipes put together with whatever ingredients the fridge had to offer and came together to share our culinary experiments.
4. Those late nights spent chatting/watching movies/sipping wine.
5. Those times before dawn where we were still awake feasting on cereal and milk.
6. Those idle Sunday afternoons of sitting in Aida savoring cakes, sipping coffees and watching Viennese old men and women with their dogs savoring cakes and sipping coffees.
7. Those days of walking down Mariahilferstrasse and around Stephansplatz.
8. Those domestic moments of grocery shopping and sussing out the bargains.
9. Those times of drinking Melange at Tchibo.
10. Those weekends of discovering Vienna.

and the list goes on...