It would be an oversimplification to say that Vienna is a city of two halves, but it’s undoubtedly one with two distinct personalities.
There’s the more traditional side, with all the reasons my mother would make a beeline for the Austrian capital: genteel, grand buildings painted in shades of pastel elegance and steeped in history; centuries-old coffee houses with their fiercely contested cake recipes (just ask about the true origins of the famed Sachertorte if you want to see sparks fly); the plethora of Christmas markets scattered around the city, with a frankly overwhelming abundance of festive cheer; the clip clop of hooves as tourist horse and cart rides make the rounds of the first district.
