re: Austria and Scandinavia suggestions

I only spent two days in Vienna, so we pretty much hit up the big tourist spots. We toured Schönbrunn Palace, and then walked around the Innere Stadt and then took a stroll over to the Naschmarkt and the Secession building. We had the typical wiener schnitzel at one of the places Lonely Planet recommendeds, which I'm assuming was equivalent to Mother's in Nola as far as tourists are concerned.

Vienna's käsekrainer is the best drunken street food, as far as I'm concerned. It's basically the Lucky Dog of Vienna, only it's stuffed with cheese and not topped with sweat from a homeless person. After a long night of drinking schnapps and grüner veltliner (local variety of wine), it hits the spot.

Public transportation was great. Safety-wise we never felt uncomfortable, despite some locals telling us we were staying in a rough part of town.

If for some reason you crave American beer, there is a small craft brewpub on the edge of the Innere Stadt called 1516 that I wondered into one night. They have Victory Hope Devil on tap, along with a mediocre selection of their take on American craft beer styles. They also have a very attractive staff, but I'm assuming your wife might not care about that.