Ali is awake and up early barely able to contain her excitement. At 09:00 we take the now familiar 35 minute journey to Stephen Platz. Being much earlier the area is quiet, with a few people having coffee or breakfast in the numerous cafe terraces. We stop for coffee before heading through Graben to the Spanish Riding School. Before N+G go to the public entrance they give us a bag of souvenirs; a painting of the horses, shot glasses and pin badge. We are helped with a ramp through a side door, where the ticket collector, a patient but authoritative chap, in a frock coat, asks us to wait while he admits people to other areas. Each ticket is scanned and passed to an usher who leads people to their seats. Soon it is our turn, and once in our place Ali cannot hold back her tears. To see the Lipizzaner Horses of Vienna has been but a dream from her childhood. We wave to Nick and Grete up on their balcony as the chandeliers are winched high into the three tier room and dimmed. Introductions are broadcast in five languages then the show starts. There are five 'acts'; All steps Pt1, Pas de Deux, Work in hand and schools above the ground, All steps Pt 2 and the School Quadrille. For seventy five minutes we are treated to dressage, training, parading and riding of the finest precision. All moves have a military background including the trademark routines of the flying kick and the standing on rear legs. All the acts are accompanied by Viennese classical music by Strauss and Mozart.

We leave the theatre and go around to the square where the Hofburg Cafe where we intend to get a taste of another Vienna treat, Sachertorte and hot chocolate. We are served with plates of sticky chocolate cakes, cream or ice cream and cups of chocolate drink topped with whipped cream and drizzled with pistachio and chocolate sauce. Hopefully the bow-tied waiters are practiced in CPR! Nick forbids cobbled roads for the next hour in fear of it all shaking back up.

Around the corner on a perfectly smooth pavement is the Museum of Globes. Basically it's a load of old balls, but there are some of the oldest globes in existence including celestial, meteorological and lunar varieties together with odd-balls like inflatable, pocket and pop-up globes. Sadly there is no 1970's drinks cabinet.

We wander through a flea market and an ornate arcade of cafes and posh shops before returning via Graben to Stephan Platz where we go to look inside the cathedral. If there is a more depressing place of worship we've yet to see it; dark and dingy with smoke stained columns, it is divided by utilitarian iron railings to prevent visitors from approaching the altar. Speakers blare out harsh Germanic mantra and the whole space is intimidating and unwelcoming.

When we exit we pass by one of the horse-drawn carriage stations and sit in the Bavarian marketplace, where wooden huts are selling bratwurst, hot dogs and wine. It's our last chance to sample the local fare and it's 3 hours since Sachertorte so we indulge in a light snack of sausages,sauerkraut and spritzers.

Walking the few yards to the lift we have a last, lingering look at central Vienna before descending into the metro and saying goodbye for this visit.

Given another chance, we'd visit again in a heartbeat.