We began our fall vacation in the land of classical music and schnitzel, where the word wiener meant more than a hot dog, but a city’s identity. After checking in to our hotel, we set out for our first taste of wiener schnitzel. The thin crispy veal accompanied by apple sauce and sour cream was delicious and surprisingly filling. We walked it off with a brisk runthrough of Stephansdom and a survey of Vienna’s ancient armor, musical instruments, and imperial jewels at the Neue Burg Museums and Schatzkammer. Exhausted, we turned in early, but awoke early the next day for breakfast at Café Sperl. Our first taste of the famous sachertorte was not what we expected – apricot jam in a chocolate cake? Seriously? We spent the rest of the morning seeing the Naschmarkt come to life and admiring the intricate façade of Majolikahaus. We also joined the crowds for the morning exercises at the Spanish Riding School. After having our fill of equine ballet, we hopped across to the Hofburg, which recounted the lives of the Hapsburg monarchy, particularly that of Princess Sisi. The long morning made us very hungry when we arrived at the Gulasch Museum for lunch – so hungry, in fact, that we ate a horse … goulash. In the afternoon we immersed ourselves in music – first at Mozarthaus, where the composer spent three years of his life, and then at a funky interactive museum called the Haus Der Musik, where we learned about the mechanics of sound and conducted a digital orchestra. After such a productive day, we treated ourselves to tea and cake at Café Diglas and pricey seafood at Lobsterdock. The next morning, we went to Schonbrunn Palace before opening hours to explore its neatly-groomed gardens, reminiscent of our chilly visit to Versailles. Leaving just when the tourists were arriving, we returned to the city for a tram around the Ringstrasse. On the way to lunch at a local biesl, we stopped for a lesson in psychoanalysis at the Freud Museum and anatomy at the Josephinum. The afternoon was spent playing with the free interactive exhibit inside the Parliament and hanging out at the Rathaus. Although the building was devoid of rodents, it gave us a backstage peek of a visiting circus. A well-deserved nap prepared us for an evening at the Konzerthaus, right across the street from our hotel. After enjoying some Hayden, Bach, and of course, Mozart, we snacked on toasty bratwurst from a street stand and apfelstrudel from a cafe. An early train took us out of Vienna the next morning, bound for our next destination.