After spending Christmas in a more provincial town, we reached our final destination of St Petersburg via an overnight train. The train experience was quite good, with the four berth cabins having enough space to fit everyone’s luggage as well as their owners. The beds were relatively comfortable and the loud local Russian radio that served as a wake up call in the morning was quite a surprise.

St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great during Russian’s Northern War with Sweden. Unlike Moscow, this city appears quite flat and is subject to frequent flooding due to its location and the number of canals and proximity to the Neva River and the Baltic Sea. Peter the Great had quite a passion for Amsterdam and you can see these influences in the design of the city. St Petersburg was also the capital for some time, until the Second World War where it was moved back to Moscow to protect it from being captured by the enemy.

To me I got the impression that St Petersburg is a bit more like the cultural capital of Russia in comparison to Moscow, filled with both the historical artefacts and the more up to date interests in art and culture. It seems like St Petersburg is to Moscow what Melbourne is to Sydney but it could be because it is filled with over fifty universities, albeit many smaller ones and the number of many more accessible cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants.

Road traffic in the city is horrendous, particularly leading up to the New Year. The local buses seem to be the best way of getting around the most effectively and although there is a metro system, it is not as wide reaching as Moscow’s due to the city’s susceptibility to flooding.

During our stay in St Petersburg we visited the Peter and Paul Fortress, Catherine the Great’s Summer Palace, St Isaac’s Cathedral, Church on Spilled Blood, and The Hermitage. The Hermitage is probably one of the most awe inspiring buildings, once Catherine the Great’s winter palace, and home to a huge collection of classical art and sculpture work from the likes of Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet and more. Apparently if you spent one minute looking at every item in their current collection you would have to spend eleven consecutive years to get through. Before departing we even managed to spent some time attending a few cultural events including a somewhat touristy Cossack show and the more famous and more impressive Russian Ballet.

The entire Christmas in Russia experience was great and is something tha I can now vouch for as a worthwhile experience.

Our next destination after spending a few days in Moscow was Vladimir, a former capital of Russia. Our first day in this region was spent in Suzdal, where we visited a local church to witness the noon churchbells played by a local monk. We also had the opportunity to experience a traditional Russia sauna. The sauna is called a banya and is a winter activity that is embraced whole heartedly during the winter months. Unlike any other sauna, part of the banya experience involves laying down on a bench inside the sauna and being beaten on the back by veniki (birch twigs and leaves that are softend in warm water). Apparently the purpose for the thrashing of the veniki on the back is to use its essential oils to ease the aches and pains and encourages the release of toxins the body stores from eating the nutrient restrictive Russian diet. After spending enough time, you plunge into pools of water outside in the snow and this process is repeated several times. It sounds strange, but is an exhilarating and relaxing experience which served to cure several aching heads and bodies.

Vladimir also proved an ideal place to participate in other winter activities such as ice skating and cross country skiing. I decided to try the latter, as the former is readily available in different places around London. Although there seems to be a certain skill to doing cross country skiing well, it did not seem too difficult to just get started, and was as easy as simply walking with long skis on. Skiing was cheap at only 200 rubles (about £4) for over an hour and included low cut soft boots that reminded me very much of football boots and were both comfortable and easy to move about in. The skis as well, though long, were also quite flexible and manoeuvrable. I can understand cross country skiing’s popularity as there is something magical about being surrounded by pristine white fields, and peacefully trekking through them.

We celebrated Christmas back at our hotel, a strange place where the second floor seemed to be a popular hang out for locals. It contained several pool tables (all with a slight slant), several bowling alleys and a club that played crazy Russian disco dance and some Western pop songs. There was a folk show over dinner and as strange as this was for a Christmas evening, everyone still had a great night.

I returned on Thursday night after spending ten days in Russia, the coldest country I have ever visited by far. Unlike many other countries, Russia is one of those countries that you need to be ‘invited’ to go to, so joining a tour group was the easiest and best way of ensuring a visit. Once you are invited, getting a visa was an adventure of its own which we experienced back in October. We got to the consulate early as it is only open three hours each day, and stood in the freezing cold until, as the last people, were finally let in two minutes to noon, although the morning sacrifice meant making up hours at least guaranteed us entry into the country.

It was a great experience visiting several different cities in the biggest Eastern European country and learning more about their history, which although considerably tragic, is still part of what constitutes Russian culture and their current way of life. From my personal view, I think the country has had it quite hard, from the 200 years of halted progress caused by invading Mongols, the seemingly back-stabbing and murderous royal families that ruled and hoarded exquisite European artefacts at the cost of the nation to the communistic views of a Marxist Lenin and the harsher Stalin. Russians are extremely proud of their country and there were quite a few people we saw that carried cards of famous figureheads such as Peter the Great in their wallets. These people still manage to keep up with the pace of change, rapidly embracing the current capitalistic nature of the world.

To state that Russia is cold is a big understatement. Although I spent some time in upstate New York during the winter months you cannot but help feel the cold even with up to five layers of clothes when you walk around in -10, sometimes -15 degree snowy conditions. I can, therefore, completely understand why a shot of vodka is popular with locals at meals, being the quickest way of returning some heat to your body.

Although we flew in later than everyone else we were picked up in Moscow and escorted to our hotel with ease. We were lucky that our tour group was a more ideal size of just over twenty people, made up of a good mix of people (though mainly Antipodean) and did not have any major personality or lifestyle clashes. We were also just as lucky to get our tour group leader, who was a young passionate Russian woman who spoke excellent English and possessed deep knowledge about the history of pretty much all the places we visited. During our stay in Moscow we visited Red Square, the Mausoleum where Lenin’s body lays, St Basil’s Cathedral, the Kremlin and its armoury where many historical and national treasures are on display.

On one of the days we spent in Moscow we visited the KGB museum. The museum is not very large, only really composed of about four rooms located on the grounds of the new replacement agency, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation or FSB for short. The four rooms contained pictures, tools and artefacts from an era filled with life through the stories told through our guide, a now-retired soviet spy with a good sense of humour. We were told about some of the greatest spies that worked during the Second World War and the Cold War and even say the remains of a few spy gadgets that were employed by the agents.

Getting around Moscow is quite easy if you know what station you want to get to and once you get used to the long Russian names. The entire system is excellent, both being quick and seemingly reliable and is copiously decorated with intricate mosaics, elaborate chandeliers and the sort of sculptures you expect to see in museums or galleries, a direct result of the “Palace for the People” concept that Stalin had which resulted in something quite positive.

Even though I’ve been in London for only a few months now, I haven’t yet taken advantage of the multitude of travel opportunities available with Europe being in such close proximity. This all changed this weekend when I went to visit the Christmas Markets in Vienna. The Christmas Markets, which apparently first started in this city, has spread as a tradition all throughout Europe and even has plenty of imitators back here in England. Its atmosphere is something that can only really be experienced first hand, and is highly recommend at night time, where the Gluwein (mulled wine) has its best warming effects and where the Christmas lights, trinkets, music and general atmosphere can be enjoyed at its fullest. You will definitely not run out of things to do in this city, with over six different Christmas markets in addition to all the other tourist spots.

Although I am probably naive, not having visited many other European cities, I was stunned by the amount of effort most buildings have had put into them. It seemed that each building was watched over by intricately chiselled gargoyles not to mention the lavish gold trimmings that adorned the awnings found on most of them. The Schonbrunn Palace is yet another great example of the delight that can be had from the architecture and culture of this bourgeois empire. The grounds are probably at their height in summer or spring where the large sprawling gardens, the hedge maze and the huge palace grounds come out in their greenest and would be excellent for lazily strolling around in. There is also a Zoo with one of the widest range of animals I’ve seen (including one of our Australian icons, the Koala), not to mention the ever popular tour of the palace insides.

Austria tends not to be very vegan or vegetarian friendly, with many of their national dishes containing pork or beef. A well trodden tourist spot, yet managing to stay authentic where you can consume apparently the best of one of the national dishes, the Schnitzel is Figmullers, tucked away in an alley way just behind the towering Stephensdom Cathedral. The reason it is so well known is because of the giant-sized breaded pork piece that overshadows the plate it sits upon, and is complemented well by their uniquely tasting potato salad. Although there is another Figmullers around the corner, I think the original is the best with its cosy settings and buzzing waiters and people providing the ambiance.

Cakes and pastries are big in Vienna and just down the road from Figlmullers, you can find Café Diglas, one of the better places in Vienna that serves a good Apple Strudel amongst the many other pastries and cakes on offer. The Hotel Sacher is also an essential visit, officially the home of the world renowned Sacher Torte. Though overpriced at €4.50 a slice, this light but rich tasting chocolate cake, thinly covered with apricot jam before being smothered with a chocolate ganache is best eaten with the cream served with it used to lighten each bite. The alternative is the famous chocalatier, Café Demel, that serves another version of the Sacher Cake, though is more likely to be busy because of its location on one of the main shopping streets.

Viennese coffee has an excellent reputation and there are enough cafes serving that you would have no difficulty enjoying one every morning. A place we hunted down was Café Hawelka, a place that not only serves a mean coffee, but also one that seems to be a favourite of locals. The slightly smoky, speak-easy like settings attended by waiters in suits seems like quite an appropriate place to enjoy a peaceful break from the bustling of the Christmas markets. Finally, although the best chocolate probably still lies with the Belgian or the Swiss, Vienna’s take on good chocolate is the Mozartkugeln, balls or coins of chocolate filled with a marzipan and praline cream. These gift friendly chocolates are sold all over the place, but buy them at a supermarket where they are sold at more reasonable prices.

Getting around Vienna is not difficult, with excellent public transport via the Underground, buses and trams serving all parts of central Vienna and with most parts being extremely walkable. In fact it is probably by walking around that you can full appreciate the culture that Vienna has to offer and discover the little alley ways of cafes and shops for yourself.

The photo album can be found here.

Our final day in Dubai was also spent indulging in Dubai’s cultural and iconic places. In the morning attended the Jumeirah Mosque tour. This tour is not one that you would typically think of, that of perhaps being guided around a building discussing the history and architecture of the building. In contrast to this, the famous Jumeirah Mosque tour takes you on a cultural tour that helps you better understand where the Mosque fits into the religion of Islam and distinguishing between activities that are part of the religion, and those that are part of the culture of the region which practices this religion. The tour lasts between an hour and an hour and a half and is highly recommended, especially if you have never visited a Mosque or read anything about the Islam religion.

Our final place of visit for the day was the 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. Tours of the hotel are few and far, so either book ahead or be happy to take pictures from afar. We were lucky enough that my sister had booked us a lunch at the restaurant that resides at the top of the hotel, so we had no issues getting in. Needless to say, lunch was tremendously expensive, and even though my sister said she would pay (as she has been earning pounds for the last year), I was still uncomfortable indulging in such a lunch. I would suggest for those wishing to enjoy a meal there, definitely take the afternoon tea option.

Admittedly the view from the restaurant was quite beautiful, and the relatively clear day (at least for summer) gave us a good view of both the palm tree islands and world map islands. Lunch was enjoyable with fresh breads (beetroot loaf, parmesan and oregano crostini and a sun dried tomato foccacia), followed by a starter of shellfish bisque and the main of a modern beef “Wellington vs Rossini”. Both dishes were delicious and excellently presented, but the chef still managed to overcook my medium-rare steak I asked for.

For the rest of the day we lounged around on the beach and by the pool, basking in the warmth of our final day in Dubai before finishing up the evening with an Arabian feast at Al Muna inside Mina A’Salam.

My sister had organised for us to be staying at the Le Meridien Fairway for half of our stay in Dubai. It is a fantastic hotel (although if you want something even ritzier and self-contained, definitely try the Le Meridien Dubai which includes the pool-bar and hotel village). This hotel is closer to central Dubai giving easy access to the various souks, shopping malls and other city sights.

The other part of our stay was scheduled for Mina A’Salam, part of the Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Beach Resort. Jumeirah is the western part of Dubai, sprawled across beach frontage hosting a number of beach resorts, beach clubs, sailing clubs, the Dubai Zoo, the water park Wild Wadi and home of the 7-star, Burj Al Arab hotel. Describing Madinat Jumeirah is beyond any vocabulary that I have as it is just simply amazing. This resort was architected to resemble old Arabia and is made up of 5 major parts, big enough to almost be considered a village of their own. A man made waterway stretching 3.7 kilometers connects all of the various parts, with the best way of getting around being the traditional Abra boats operating 24 hours a day. Madinat Jumeirah is also home to 43 world class restaurants, 5 pool side bars, several nightclubs and bars and an entire souk of up-market clothing and fashion stores.

The resort has a huge array of facilities including Dubai’s largest pool, several more outdoor and indoor pools, five tennis courts, several squash courts, a large club gym, and a 1 kilometer patrolled private beach where you can indulge in watersports of all kinds including windsurfing, sailing, water-skiing, kneeboard and banana rides. Inclusive in the hotel rate is free entry into Wild Wadi, the most advanced water park I have ever been in. Although it is not as big as Wet ‘N’ Wild back home, it’s the only place where I know where water slides will actually push you up hill. A large water tube circuit connects most of the park, so you can skim from place to place in the park. They also have two flowrider rides which simulates the experience of tube-riding and is a must do for any one who goes. The park also has a cashless payment system where you can pay for things on a watch-like device to pay for souvenirs, food and drink anywhere inside.

At night-time, the entire complex literally lights up. We sat on the beach watching the sunset and saw the massive Burj Al Arab light up at night. We can also sit inside our room and see the world renown 7-star hotel shift colours, lighting up the Jumeirah night sky.

Our second day in Dubai saw us back at the Gold markets in the morning and then at the City Central Shopping Centre for lunch. Dubai is supposed to be a shopper’s mecca but I have been yet to see anything ridiculously cheap. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been exposed to the US’s coupon/voucher/rebate schemes so much that nothing else seems relatively cheap. Everything is still pretty reasonable but I really have nothing I want to buy just yet.

We made our way back to the hotel where we had organised a desert safari for the evening. Costing AUE230 (AU$90) this safari offered by several companies (we went with Orient Tours) is something I highly recommend everyone do. The one that we picked combined several different facets that are hugely popular with visitors to Dubai including desert four wheel driving, visiting a camel farm, and several stops at picturesque points along the way, before reaching the campsite for dinner. Activities abound at the campsite including camel back riding, sand boarding (pretty fun too!), getting a henna design, and shisha smoking before chowing down on a tasty Arabian barbeque dinner to be followed by traditional belly dancing (oh, and be warned, pretty much everyone has to get involved as well!)

The safari package is superb value, especially if you are into four wheel driving. I haven’t ever done it back home (is it on Fraser or Straddie?), but I’m not sure if you would ever get the same sort of driving. I’m yet to work out whether our driver was cocky or just crazy for not wearing his seat belt for the entire trip. To give you any indication, my sister and I felt the need to wear our seatbelt to protect ourselves before we even left the city! I don’t think that I would ever be driving a 4WD like that, but the driver certainly made the afternoon and evening a fun one. Imagine an entourage of 16 cars all ripping it up in the sand hills of the desert. After dinner it was even more thrilling (worrying?) that we had to make our way back out of the desert at nighttime, at the same crazy pace we came back in. At least you can tell from this post that we got back home safely anyway.

On our third day, we continued with another tour of the United Arab Emirates. This tour was extremely cheap at only AED130 (AU$48) for an entire day although it did not include lunch. This tour saw us stop in Masafi to browse the ‘Friday Market’, a collection of market stores along the roadside selling various rugs, fruit and vegetables and other various trinkets. I picked up a pomegranate as it the first time I had seen one in real life. This tour was pretty much driving a long way into many of the other Emirates and even a cross over into the border of Oman for a short while. We stopped at a beach resort where we had the chance to go for a swim in the Indian Ocean. We also indulged in a Lebanese-style Mezza spread for two (that really could have filled four people) which was pretty good.

Average temperatures of 40+ meant that the sand was just as hot. Running into the sea from the sheltered beach lounges was the only way of minimally scalding your feet (which I still managed to some degree), only to find yourself standing in some really warm water (my guess, about 30°C). The water was extremely clear and blue and it was refreshing to be in it, if not only to avoid the hot sand.

We drove back through what appears to be the only mountainous regions of the UAE, with the bare rock indicating the strength of the erosive desert winds. Apparently these are the richest areas for agriculture as it receives the most rainfall and has access to the most groundwater reservoirs. Approximately 100mm of rain fall in the UAE, therefore most of the agriculture depends on processed sewerage water, and drinking water coming from refined seawater.

Our final destinations for the day saw as stop at Al Badiyah, the oldest mosque in the Emirates, at old Fujairah city where restorations of old buildings are currently taking place, and then at the old citadel at an oasis in Bithnah. This tour gives you a better idea of what life outside the largest cities is like, and an understanding of how harsh living in the desert can be.