The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, fondly referred to as V &A Waterfront, is one of the premier areas around Cape Town. The area comprises not only a working harbour but also numerous gathering places and historical sites as well. Visitors and locales alike enjoy everything from live music, theatre, arts and crafts markets and shopping malls within this vibrant community.

The history of the waterfront reaches all the way back to 1860. It was during this time that the second son of Queen Victoria, Prince Alfred, visited the area and played a role in lifting the first rock that serve as construction for the breakwater on Cape Town. More than one hundred years later, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Company developed basins in the harbour in an effort to combine both commerce and tourism in the area. Today, visitors and locales can access the V&A Waterfront through a variety of means from the Atlantic Seaboard as well as the city centre. A bus and a shuttle operate along the Waterfront; running from town and the airport.

If you are new to the area, be sure to stop by the Visitors Centre, which is located on Market Square, adjacent to Vaughan Johnson’s Wine Shop. Here, you can find information on Cape Town, the Waterfront and the Western Cape. In addition, you can obtain info about local tours, accommodation and local tourist guides. The Waterfront area is quite safe as 24-hour surveillance is in operation, assuring that visitors are able to move about the Waterfront and enjoy all that is offered with no concerns.

When it comes to shopping, Alfred Mall is considered to be one of the most popular shopping venues, offering boutiques as well as specialty shops. When you are ready for a break, there are numerous coffee shops where you can sit and relax as well as a restaurant to enjoy. The Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre also offers dining options, including fast food outlets, as well as almost two hundred major retail outlets and specialty shops.

The Waterfront Craft Market offers one of the biggest craft markets in South Africa, offering a variety of quality handcrafts such as leather work, pottery, clothing, furniture and glass art.

The entire family will be able to enjoy a variety of entertainment venues ranging from street entertainers to buskers. In addition, there are also a number of festivals that take place throughout the year. Eleven cinemas offer numerous cinematic options.

Along with the many shopping and entertainment venues, there are also numerous historic buildings to view along the Waterfront. Visitors can also enjoy a number of different activities and tours, such as seaplane rides, helicopter flips, harbour cruises and boat trips. In addition, the Two Oceans Aquarium offers the opportunity to see some of the interesting sea life that makes their home in the oceans that surround the Coast. The aquarium is the largest in the country. The V&A is also conveniently located within just a few minutes of art galleries, museums and the Castle of Good Hope.

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Have you ever been to the Faroe Islands?

Finding a unique holiday or vacation destination has become something of a game amongst those with easy money to spend. The famous where are you going this year question becomes ever more competitive year by year. But if you take a vacation to the Faroe Islands then you really are going to trump most of your friends.

The Faroe Islands are a cluster of eighteen small isles in the North Atlantic. They sit half way between Norway and Iceland to the north west of Scotland. With a population of about fifty thousand people they are home to a thriving and bustling community. The Faroes have about seven hundred miles of coast line so - no matter where you are - you'll never be more than a mile or two from the sea. The locals have garnered a bad reputation with conservationists in the past because of their fondness for whale meat and whale products, but if you can leave that to one side then you really won't visit a more friendly country anywhere in the world.

Don't expect a sun tan if you head for these remote islands - wind burn or rain damage is more likely. The temperatures in summer average around eleven degrees - although the gulf stream helps ensure that winters are not as cold as they are on Iceland or in Scandinavia. In truth however, and jokes aside, most days in summer are mild and dry, and if it does rain the geography means that it often blows past quite quickly.

Most natives speak some English - particularly in the younger age groups - and the scandinavian languages are generally well understood.

OK ... so why would you want to take a vacation in this most remote location? Well, in truth, the main attraction is the friendly people and the warm local culture. Folk culture and tradition is very strong and their are open dances and festivals of dance and music all year long. The country hosts two major open air rock festivals each year. Food on the Faroes is certainly an experience. Mutton is popular and of course fish is omnipresent. Even sea birds make it onto some local dinner plates.

Travel to the region is not difficult. You can go by ferry from Scrabster in northern Scotland all year round and from Denmark and Iceland in the summer months. Cheap flights are available from London, Aberdeen and from Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. Scrabster is a fishing port on Scotland's most northernly coast - not too far from the town of Wick and accessible by road from all parts of the UK. Cheap flights are available from UK air operators and it's not difficult to find deals if you search online.

Don't forget that the Faroe Islands are part of the "lands of the midnight sun" and in June or July have almost no hours of darkness. They also provide an excellent location to see the northern lights of the aurora borealis.

Take a trip to the Faroes - you'll have a vacation experience to remember for the rest of your life.

About the Author

Gary Hill is a travel writer based in Scotland. He writes about ideas for European vacations in print and on several vacation websites. He currently lives in Barcelona.