Helsinki:

Visit Helsinki, the capital of Finland, and you'll discover that one of the  major tourist attractions are the massive icebreakers that are moored in summer in the harbour. Certainly they are of importance during the many months of winter when this port can be almost frozen over, but in summer there is so much more to see and do.

A visit to the waterside markets is a must. Do as the locals do, and buy a punnet of strawberries and walk along snacking on them, tossing the green hulls on the footpath. Berries ripen well in Finland's cold yet sunny summer climate and they feature in many desserts as well as on the breakfast menu, along with yoghurt, cheeses, breads and  cold meats.

Helsinki Cathedral is perhaps the most prominent building in the city. It was originally built between 1830 and 1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke, Nicholas I, the Tsar of Russia and until the independence of Finland in 1917, it was called Saint Nicholas' Church.

Helsinki hosted the 1952 summer Olympics, and has stayed prominent for sporting activities ever since.

Hobart, Tasmania:

Hobart, capital of Australia's smallest and only island state, Tasmania, is perhaps best known for being the end-point of the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which begins on Boxing Day. The arrival of the yachts at Constiution Dock is celebrated as part of the Hobart Summer Festival, a food and wine festival beginning just after Christmas and ending in mid-January. The Taste of Tasmania is a major part of the festival, where locals and visitors can taste fine local and international food and wine.

The old city, especially the waterfront areas are delightful places to wander around in, stopping at bars or cafes, or shopping in galleries.

It would be hard to find seafood more fresh than this - sold from one of the fish punts moored at the dock...

... or at neighbourhood fish restaurants such as this.

Tasmanian Atlantic salmon is known and respected worldwide for its freshness, health benefits and flavour. It is farmed in various places off the coast of Tasmania.

Herbs:

It is said that an early l5th-century emperor, who should remain nameless, had his 'girls' rubbed with herbs, selecting the one who smelled most strongly of whatever herb he felt partial to at the moment.

Herbs are basically edible weeds, although their usefulness goes beyond that, and over the ages many legends, magic and superstitions have been associated with them.

Beyond the usual properties of vitamin A, calcium and chlorophyll that all green plants have, many can have a therapeutic effect on the body. Some may cause drowsiness, others relaxation; some stimulate digestion or calm the nerves. Still others aid bowel or menstrual problems or relieve colic in infants.

Above all that is the delicious flavour they add to dishes and the way individual herbs may complement certain foods - basil and tomatoes, cloves with apple or beetroot, caraway seeds with rye bread, or coriander with Thai foods, for example. Herbs may be grown at home in pots on sunny window-sills or in kitchen gardens. Or most of the commonly used ones may often be bought from better fruit and vegetable markets. Store cut herbs in a cool place such as the crisper of the fridge, or chop finely and freeze in icecube trays with a little water, (later popping the cubes out to store in bags in the freezer), or dry in bunches.

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Honey:

Honey has featured throughout history. Ancient Britain was known by the Druids as the Isle of Honey and the Israelites also entered 'a land flowing with milk and honey'. The Egyptians, being more practical, found it useful for dressing wounds and it was their most popular drug, being mentioned in half of their remedies as early as 2600BC.

Other nations also found out about its healing powers - the Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, Chinese and even as recently as World War I, the Germans used it on war wounds. While most of us are content to enjoy it only on our toast or bread, bacteria sometimes present in it has been linked to infant fatalities, so apart from the danger of encouraging tooth decay, it is best not to dip a dummy in honey to pacify your baby.

Because honey is a liquid, if substituting it for sugar in cooking, you may need to reduce the other liquid ingredients to compensate. A refreshing summer drink is Ambrosia - apple cider vinegar, combined 1:8 with water and sweetened to taste with honey. Honey, used in making bread, acts as a preservative; and mixed with fine oatmeal for oily skin (almond meal for dry) and moistened with rosewater, makes a reviving beauty mask.