Dubrovnik

Whether we were climbing the city's panoramic, fort walls or diving off the rocky cliffs of little nearby islands, every moment we were in Dubrovnik we found something amazing to do.

This is a city that you will never get bored of and while there are tourist activities galore, for me it was the War Photo Limited exhibition that found its way to the top of my must see list. In a time when Croatia is enjoying a rapid rise in tourism and a particular popularity with those there purely for the beautiful beaches and nightlife, this exhibition was a sobering reminder of the region's complex and devastating history. With a series of stunning images by a range of world renowned photo journalists, I would challenge any traveller to leave unmoved or uninspired.

While the breathtaking natural beauty and fascinating history of Dubrovnik had already well and truly won me over, the fact that we literally didn't have a bad meal the entire time, firmly cemented it as one of my favourite places of the whole trip.

Every random cafe and restaurant we wandered into in both Split and Dubrovnik delivered absolutely amazing food, from mussels coated in rich tomato and garlic sauce to the perfectly crisp and insanely generous pizzas, so big that they overflowed off the edge of our giant plates. I'm just going to say it, I had better pizza in Croatia than I did in Italy. I know, blasphemy, but it's true. And while Italy still holds the best gelato title, we definitely had to search much harder for the kind of amazing meals that we continuously stumbled upon in Croatia.

Almost every person we met on our travels had either been to Croatia or was on their way and after nothing but rave reviews, our expectations were high. However we were absolutely not disappointed and instead completely devastated to leave, and already desperate to go back.

Split

Even after arriving in Split at the crack of dawn, fresh off an overnight ferry, it didn't take me long to find a hundred reasons why I never wanted to leave.

The early start gave us the unexpected treat of stumbling upon the fish markets which are only open for a few hours of the morning till about 10 am. Just through the open doorframe you'll find giant slabs of stone acting as rows of tables, all covered in glistening plies of squid, buckets of prawns and huge tunas being sliced into steaks right in front of you. The markets are officially located on Neretvanska Ulica and following your nose towards the pungent smell of the sea that wafts through the far side of the old town is definitely worth it.

Amazing seafood was a theme that continued throughout our stay and Split absolutely delivered some of the best meals of the entire trip. If you're on a budget and looking for a quick delicious meal, Fife was the recommendation of almost everyone we spoke to. Packed with locals and with massive portions of a range of simple and fresh seafood, it definitely lived up to its reputation with our waitress even running across the road to buy us a block of local chocolate (free of charge!) when we found out they were out of dessert.

Our next amazing discovery was a more hidden restaurant called Konoba Varoš which we found on Ban Maldenova just out of the old town where Fife and most of the cheaper and less touristy places were located.

This is definitely a place for sharing which is perfect because the menu is filled with so many delicious sounding possibilities that making a decision, as an already indecisive person, was torture. But despite my food envy of the massive seafood platters around us, and the boys' stuffed veal snitchel, my cuttlefish risotto was possibly the best thing I've ever eaten. While dinner was slightly pricier than our usual picnic meals, it was still amazing value for the insanely good Dalmatian specialities that you get.

When we weren't eating, we found ourselves exploring Split's beautiful coastline, whether it was climbing up to Prva vidilica look out point, or following the trend of avoiding the harbour side man made beaches and instead lying out on the rocky cliffs' edge, lounging in the sun with a few of the stray cats that seemed to own the city.

Wandering through the old town was also a perfect was to spend an afternoon. Climbing to the top of the bell tower provided perfect panoramic views of the city and harbour below but was seriously challenging, especially if you're not comfortable with heights, thanks to the combination of the ancient, slippery stone steps and the new rickety metal ladders that shock with every step we took.

With the abundance of other holidaying Aussies, curious kittens and crystal clear water, there was something about Split that felt comfortingly like home, while still being completely different to anywhere I've ever been before, making leaving just as hard as I'd thought it would be.

Barcelona

Barcelona is definitely best enjoyed with friends, and that's exactly what we did. This incredible city absolutely bursts with life but still hides away little pockets of peacefulness with its maze of lane ways which are perfect for getting lost in when you want to escape the heat and hordes of tourists.

Barcelona's nightlife is legendary, and while the crazy night we spent at the beachfront mega clubs was awesome, it was the tiny bars and restaurants where far too much sangria and tapas were consumed that was the highlight for me. We found ourselves in the backstreets of a little area called Born, which is amazing for shopping during the day, and where drinks were cheap, delicious and occasionally even on fire by night.

As you wander down the main tourist strip know as La Rambla, make sure to stop at the famous La Boqueria food markets for a fantastic assault on the senses. As I pushed my way through the crowds of both locals and tourists, I just wanted to touch everything and had to fight hard to resist the urge to stick my hands deep into the giant vats of seeds and nuts letting a handful trickle back through my fingers Amelié style.
The mix of warm bread and buttery pastries, rich dried meats and salty seafood buried in mountains of ice, meant that there was always an incredible smell to follow as we wound through the tiny aisles.

Countless stalls showed off a rainbow array of fruit and veggies in perfect piles and freshly squeezed juices in every flavour combination you can think of, although Ella's recommendation of strawberry and lime was definitely the winner.

The city really has something for everyone, whether it's wandering through the harbour side area of Barceloneta and sipping iced tea on it's packed beach, admiring the epic Sagrada Família church and the other surreal works of Gaudí which litter the city, or even taking a day trip to the serene seaside town of Sitges, I'm yet to meet someone who hasn't been blown away by this crazy beautiful city.

Madrid

Before arriving in Madrid, my stereotype of Spain was vibrantly full of colour and bursting with life, and it was a stereotype that proved to be completely true, we just had to wait for it to get a little dark first.

As a chronic napper back home, I was actually excited for the famed Spanish tradition of siesta, but even I was shocked by how seriously it was taken. We thought we were doing well by waiting until 10ish to finally eat, but it wasn't until midnight that most of the locals seemed to be sitting down to dinner.

We spent the quiet days exploring the city's impressive art galleries and lying in the shade of the oasis-like gardens and parks to escape the blistering heat.

We chose one of the many free walking tours on the first day which was a fantastic way to get our bearings on what seemed to be an endlessly confusing city and pack in many of the impressive historical sights. However the majority of my highlights in Madrid, as in most of my life, were centered around food. Tapas and churros were obviously abundant, as were the little delis where we joined the locals standing at the bar, sampling the deliciously simple staple of cold cut meats and cheese in shiny bocadillo rolls.

Come nightfall the city suddenly snapped to life, and streets that had been dead quite at 4 pm were bursting with life by 4 am, not only with those drinking and dancing but with friends picnicking in the park and families wandering along with young children skipping through the streets and babies giggling in strollers.

While Barcelona was probably the more memorable city, Madrid had an ease to it that immediately made me feel at home and was a brilliant introduction to what are hopefully many more Spanish adventures.

Moscow

After the glitz of St Petersburg, arriving in Moscow gave us a glimpse of what was perhaps a grittier side of Russia, but a side that I absolutely adored. We had been warned that Moscow would be unpleasantly dirty and challenging but what I found was a much more honnest and intriguing facet to this seemingly endless country.

Once again the language barrier was significant but we more than managed and when you get down to it, it's amazing how far a basic phrase book, some serious charades and a smile can go. While the tourist attractions were well worth the time, what I loved the most was the hours spent wandering the back streets, exploring quirky little neighbourhoods and stumbling across street art, pop up exhibitions and forgotten monasteries. Russia's communist past was also far more obvious here with hammer and sickle symbols popping up everywhere we looked.

The city itself is completely inspiring but completely crazy. Cars weave through roads the width of five lane highways with absolutely no lines or road markings, while the skyline is dominated by beautifully intricate domed cathedrals and churches which I just couldn't take my eyes off.

It was amazing to see the kinds of people that an epic city like Moscow attracts. While we were from every corner of the earth, we had all be attracted to the sense of mystery and harsh honesty it seemed to exude and even while feeling the wrath of a serious night of Russian vodka, I still couldn't get enough of this truly incredible city.

How to survive the Moscow metro

I have decided that if I can survive the Moscow metro, I can survive anything. Being thrown into the endless sea of people all pushing and squeezing past as we tried to navigate our way with ridiculously large luggage during the hight of rush hour was a serious achievement.

The crazy metro system of Moscow is famed and for good reason, the stations themselves are works of art, decked out in everything from floor to ceiling marble to stained glass and mosaic murals. It feels like an entire other city buried deep under ground and to get to many of the tracks you have to ride one of the endless, wooden escalators which can take several minutes and go up to 100 meters below the ground. Once at the platform, trains speed past every 30 seconds (and yet we still saw people sprinting to make each one, as if that extra half a minute was the time between life and death) and the train doors shut sporadically and with no warning, which resulted in one instance where I managed to squeeze on, before the doors promptly closed in Sam's face, producing a moment of pure panic, and I'm sure a priceless shocked face on my behalf, before the realisation that we would simply meet at the next station set in.

Other hazards to watch out for includes buying tickets. We had no idea how the system worked which resulted in frustrated ticket officers yelling the same phrases at us getting louder and adding angrier hand gestures each time, which seemed who be a common Russian way of trying to explain things.

To avoid this bewilderingly scary experience, know that all journeys are the same price regardless of direction or distance. Once you finally make your way through the snaking queue to the ticket both, you simply need to indicate how many rides you want. Don't expect anyone to speak English, holding up the appropriate amount of fingers is enough followed by a 'spasiba' so you don't seem completely rude and incompetent.

It also pays to know the name of your desired and current stops in Cyrillic as almost none of the maps or station lines are in the English and the letters look so completely different it's pretty much impossible to guess, counting the number of stops was our main survival technique. At least pretend you know what you're doing and try to move with confidence as in the push of the 7 million people who take the metro every day, it's easy to get stuck in the middle of an impenetrable crowd going the opposite direction.

Of course outside of peak hour is not quite as crazy but I would still definitely rate the Moscow metro experience as more hilarious than traumatic, at least with a little hindsight!

The Red Arrow Train

For me, one of the biggest drawing cards for Russia was its rich and enigmatic history. I love the idea of diving into a culture that has such a vivid past which is still apparent in its present, so when I found out about The Red Arrow train, I just couldn't resist.

The train provides an overnight service between St. Petersburg and Moscow and is the oldest in Russia, earning it the title of train number one on all tickets and departure boards (number two does the reverse trip nightly as well).

Known as 'Krasnya Strela' in Russian it has run daily since its inception in 1931, only pausing between 1941 and 1943 during the Seige of Leningrad.

In Soviet times, The Red Arrow carried the Communist Party elite between the country's two main cities and this historic feel is still very obvious, from the red and gold colour scheme, to the hammer and sickle emblems stamped into the cast metal cups that sat next to the little vase of flowers on our table.

The experience is even topped off with the train's own imperialistic sounding theme song that plays proudly as it pulls away from the platform just before midnight.

As we were in second class we were joined by two other passengers, and while like most of the Russians we encountered neither spoke much English, both were polite and friendly, and clearly pros at taking down the cabin's folding bunk beds.

We awoke to a little packed breakfast of bread rolls, cheese and salami, but if it hadn't been for the wale up call I could have happily stayed snuggled in my little bed enjoying the lulling rock of the train for hours more.

Would I recommend The Red Arrow train? If you're into the history and want a bit of an experience, absolutely. Yes it was a bit kitsch but I love kitsch and while there are plenty of night trains that do the same route for a slightly lesser fee, for me the history geek out moment it provided was priceless.