Venice, Italy:

Any gondola or vaporetto (waterbus) ride through the canals puts you at eye-level with crumbling stucco and rotting woodwork. The houses, knee-deep in water are painted in fading pinks and yellows and a brightly striped mooring post might be the only indicator that this was once a palazzo. The conditions are not easy on buildings here. 
The gondoliers are friendly fellows, dressed in the regulation striped shirt and dark pants, and some will even serenade you as you pass along under the multitude of Venice's bridges. By law, all gondolas plying the canals and waterways of Venice must be painted black.
Today's Venice is more secure. A few years ago when the buildings began to sway a little, many of the foundations were shored up by ramming down beside the wooden tree-sized pylons that have held the city's head above water so well for so long.
St Mark's basilica was built in the 13th century. Its façade is as beautiful as an Eastern icon, gilded and ornate. The 95-metre Campanile (bell-tower) is a reconstruction, as the original fell down unexpectedly in 1902. There is an elevator to the top for a panoramic view of the city. The square outside it, ringed by cafes and boutiques, is a popular meeting place.

Built upon a marshy lagoon, the impossibly beautiful city of Venice (Venezia), is unique. With a total population of about 1.6 million, it draws twice that number of visitors annually.
Venice, for over a millennium, was referred to as La Serenissima, literally meaning 'the most serene'. Those who fall under the spell of its magnificent crumbling beauty, the narrow canals and tiny hump-backed bridges are never quite the same again.

Venice is a world-magnet and massive cruise ships come here too, mixing it with tugs and vaporetti and gondolas. Anything and everything goes here.

The annual Carnevale, which begins forty days before Easter, draws many thousands of tourists who join the annual dress-up party. The masks many wear have become almost symbolic of the city and all year round they appear in shops throughout Venice.  Read more about Venice....
 

Vienna, Austria:

There are the anchors of history here, heavy important powerful buildings made to last through anything, erected on behalf of heavy, powerful dynasties such as the Habsburgs. And delicate baroque buildings that contract against the more modern places. For Vienna is a mix of many centuries.


Vienna is such a gracious city, that it's hard to realise that 28 percent was destroyed in WWII.  

You may dream of sacher torte or schnitzels when planning your meals in Vienna, but pretzels like these and coffee ('to go' or not) are also a must. Vienna is said to have been the birthplace of coffee houses and it still does the decadent, quintessential coffee house routine better than almost anywhere else. Read more...

Victoria, Australia:

The Australian state of Victoria began with a European settlement on Port Philip Bay in 1803. The capital, Melbourne, was begun in 1835 and has now grown into a thriving city with a population of 4.1 million stretching over and area of more than 8000 square kilometres.

The multicultural city has everything from gracious public buildings and high-rise tower blocks to laneways showing an exuberant artistic side as well. In the inner-city, many original arcades and lanes are noted for their dedicated cafe culture.

Country Victoria has so much to offer, you need to spend many weeks exploring what there is to offer. One of the most delightful places in Lake House in Daylesford, in the Spa Region of the state. You may even find yourself joined at breakfast by a kookaburra!




Voluntourism has become popular in recent times as a way for people who love to travel, but also feel a need to give something back to the world, to make a difference in less fortunate countries. The options for involvement are many and use whatever skill a volunteer may have, from building houses or digging wells to medical assistance or teaching reading. For more information...


Vanilla:
 
 Vanilla vine on Reunion Island (pic: Wikimedia Commons) 
Vanilla is the pod of a climbing orchid originally found in Central America and is said to stimulate the nervous system. Today 80% of the world's supply comes from Madagascar, yet sadly much of what we use in cooking is an artificial variety.
Pure vanilla essence is far superior and a white crystalline film is not a sign of contamination but of purity. It is vanillin which gives vanilla its fragrance. Vanilla beans or pods may be bought where spices are sold and the tiny black seeds can be scraped out to add flavour to custards and many other dishes.
A vanilla pod stored in sugar will create 'vanilla sugar' that adds a subtle flavour to many dishes, or the pod can be boiled with milk to flavour it for use in custards and sauces. The pods are also said to deter cockroaches if pieces are scattered in the kitchen.

Verjuice:
Verjuice is a very acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit. Sometimes lemon or sorrel juice, herbs or spices are added to change the flavour. In the Middle Ages, it was widely used all over Western Europe as an ingredient insauces, as a condiment, or to deglaze preparations. It is still used to some extent in the American South.

Maggie Beer, an Australian cook, vintner, and food writer, began the modern resurgence of verjuice when she began commercial production in 1984, after a harvest of Rhine riesling grapes could not be sold. She persuaded a winemaker who was a friend to assist her in turning the juice into verjuice. After slow national sales, 15 years later came international sales, that were then followed in France and elsewhere by local product.






Vitamins & Minerals:
 

VITAMINS are only needed in small amounts and are sometimes referred to as micronutrients. There are thirteen known vitamins, and they are vitally important to regulate metabolism and chemical reactions in the body and assist in the use of other nutrients.
 

MINERALS also occur in minute amounts in food, yet without them we would not survive. They regulate water balance, nerve responses, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction. At least 17 trace minerals have been identified and each has a different specific and vital use in the body.
Find out more...