Author:
scott, May 9th, 2012
The Brazilian Tourism Board, Embratur will host the 16th annual São Paulo Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 10th, 2012, which is the world’s largest gay pride parade.
With a recorded attendance of over 4 million people in 2011 and a parade route of 2.6 miles, this year’s parade theme focuses on fighting homophobia and creating a more accepting society.
Full Story from Edge Boston
Click here for gay travel resources in Brazil.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: 2012, Brazil, gay pride, gay travel, june, sao paulo | 
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Author:
scott, May 9th, 2012
Germany’s second-largest airline and brand-new One World Alliance member, airberlin, is celebrating this summer’s Pride festivities and saying “danke schoen” to the LGBT community by giving away a free roundtrip flight for two.
The lucky winner and a companion will be able to choose exactly where they go by choosing from any US gateway to any German airberlin hub. It’s easy to enter, just fill out a form here. The closing date for entries is June 30, 2012, so don’t wait to enter.
Do you need more information about gay-friendly Germany? Besides checking out all the information we have up on Passportmagazine.com, be sure to visit airberlin’s newest microsite airberlin.com/lgbt.
Full Story from Passport Magazine
Click here for gay travel resources in Germany.
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Author:
scott, May 9th, 2012
Summer is almost here but there’s still a slew of great spring events to check out. Here are 10 (in order by date) that cannot be missed.
Boston LGBT Film Festival, Boston
May 3-13- Founded in 1984, The Boston LGBT Film Festival is the longest running Gay media event in New England. This year, more than 100 films from around the world will be screened. The festival will be opening at the Institute of Contemporary Art on the Boston Waterfront.
BeachBear Weekend, Fort Lauderdale
May 10-16- Bears get their bronze on at the beach, then head to the clubs to find cubs at night. Events include a Tea Dance, Under-Bear party and the Bear-BQ Fest. Don’t miss out on the fun, get wet and wild in Fort Lauderdale with the hottest bears from all around the world.
Full Story from GayTravel.com
Click here for gay travel resources.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: gay events, gay travel, spring | No comments
Author:
scott, May 9th, 2012
After San Leo, we departed for the neighboring city-state of San Marino. San Marino has an interesting history – it’s the oldest ongoing republic in Europe, dating back to the third century AD.
Two hundred years ago, Italy as we know it now didn’t exist – instead, there were a number of city-states, some independent, most controlled by Austria, Spain and France.
In the 1800′s, several heroes of the republic, including Garabaldi, Vittore, and Cavali, fought a war for the liberation and unification of Italy, eventually creating the country as we know it now. The country was unified via a series of battles, diplomacy, and finally public votes, and San Marino alone elected to stay independent. And so it exists today – a separate country entirely surrounded by Italy.
But relations between the two countries are very friendly, and you don’t need your passport to visit this tiny, beautiful Paese (country). In fact, it’s hard to tell exactly where Italy ends and San Marino begins!
Like neighboring San Leo, which was founded by a brother of the man who founded San Marino, this city-state exists in three parts – the valley, the hill, and the three towers that crown it.
We arrived from San Leo in time for lunch at the home of two friends of Marco and Fabry, Lisa and Fabio – Fabio is an artist who paints and sculpts wood, and his work is really good.
Lisa is an artist in the kitchen. She prepared us a delicious (if very large) meal, starting with homemade bread, prosciutto, and three kinds of cheese, followed by an absolutely delicious ravioli with cheese, spinach, and just a hint of lemon.
Then there was a pasta dish I’d never seen before – Il Nido del Rondine (pictured at right) – literally “the nest of the swallow”, named for the distinctive shape of the pasta.
This, in turn, was followed by a salad, and after this, strawberries and four kinds of gelato – truly a feast! Lisa and Fabio are consumate hosts, and we discovered we had several things in common, including an interest in yoga.
After lunch, the six of us made our way to San Marino’s storico centro (historic center) – reached via una funiva (funicular or lift) that carries you up from the valley floor. You can also drive, but parking is difficult, and this way is more fun.
When you arrive on the platform at the top, the valley is spread out below you, but the views are even better from the towers.
The city streets are very cute, winding up the hill with little twists and turns. The shops are mostly tourist traps selling the usual fare – shirts, purses and knick-knacks.
As you first enter the town, there’s a haunting statue of a woman in great distress with a child next to her, commemorating the bombardment of the country in World War Two.
A little farther on, you’ll find Freedom Square, celebrating the liberation of the city, complete with their own statue of liberty (no,she doesn’t look like ours) – but Fabio did brag that she was much larger than ours (I didn’t try to correct him).
Facing the square is the tall, skinny house of the San Marino Parliament, where the business of government is accomplished for this beautiful little country.
From here, we climbed up to another piazza with a grand columned building and a rather plain church (even Fabio thought so), and from here up to the first “rocca” (fortress).
There are three castles here, all in a row along the top of the hill, and two of these are open to the public for a fee.
Unfortunately, the governments here have no money left to maintain such treasures, so the entrance fees have gone up to help cover the costs. We were lucky – our friends, as native San Marinians, have free access to the castles for themselves and their friends
You can get some beautiful shots here of one castle from the other, and of the valley laid out below you.
The first castle has a number of rooms, walks, and even a tower to explore. The tower is reached via a steep ladder through a tiny hole, complete with trap-door, and only those sure-of-foot should attempt it, but you’ll be rewarded with the best view in San Marino, with the main keep of the castle and the old town below.
The Italians (and San Marinians) have been so friendly to us, even the strangers, and I was so excited to use a bit of Italian with a few of them here. Two women wanted to pass me on a narrow walkway, and so I stepped aside and said “Mi scusi” (formal Italian for “excuse me”, and a minute later, when it was my turn to pass, I said “tocca a me” (literally “it turns to me”, figuratively “my turn”). Our Italian class friends (especially you, Giovani) will appreciate this. 
From the first rocca, we descended along a short saddle between two peaks of the hill, and then climbed to the other.
This one is smaller, but features a large museum, that unfortunately was uncomfortably warm. We passed through it quickly, and enjoyed the views from here to the other rocca in the fresh outside air. We could also see the third tower from here, but it’s not open to the public.
As we descended from the second rocca, the skies finally opened up, and we rushed back down through the town through the rain to the funicular.
It was a long, tiring, but rewarding day of exploration – and time for dinner “con la famiglia di Fabry”.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: castle, Italy, rocca, san marino, village | No comments
Author:
carlosmelia, May 8th, 2012
BEYOND Gay Martini Bar Buenos Aires sneak preview | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Will Buenos Aires get back on its feet and revamp a sophisticated, trendy and interesting Gay Night Scene, that somehow, sometime along the way, in the last two years, has totally been lost ? Well judging from what I have seen today, the answer is YES. BEYOND, the first ever Gay Martini Bar of Argentina and of the city of
Buenos Aires, right over Juncal street, meters away from 9 de Julio Avenue in
Recoleta. Today, Edgar its owner – original from Chicago, US – invited me to a sneak preview of what by late May 2012 will become, hopefully, Tuesdays thru Sundays, into the hub of the Gay Scene of Buenos Aires.
… A few month ago, this was a multilevel furniture store with a cafe on the top floor, explained to me Edgar. I used to come here, because I liked the old-french and art deco style furniture. I would stop by to have a look and spend sometime at the cafe, but the store was always empty. So I came with the idea to take over, furniture included and transform it into an exclusive Gay Martini Bar. Buenos Aires needs and deserves an space like this for the local and international gay community…
The venue will have three levels, a BEYOND members area, and a VIP room with a private access and elevator. They propose an innovative Martinis Menu, full bar and Tapas. To be open from 06PM till late night, six days a week. The average price of drinks will range from Pesos 45 (USD 10) on. Chill out music and randomly live DJ performances.
Personally, I am so excited about this new option, in a very depressed and almost inexistent gay night scene in Buenos Aires. A place to have a quick bite, drinks (specially my favorite Martinis), mingle with locals and foreigners in style, enjoy a sophisticated atmosphere, chill out and lounge over funky music. But well that is what I have in my head from seeing the space and listening to Edgar, but we will have to wait and see the final product, which I hope it wont become in yet another disappointment. Beyond, to be opened late May 2012. Juncal between Libertad and Talcahuano.
Hey guys, dress up, shine your shoes, a get your act together and attitude to walk down the main stairs of Beyond. I, personally, look forward to spend sometime at Beyond on my next visits to Buenos Aires, hopefully to a beyond happening, interesting and smart gay night scene. CM
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Categories: gay men, gay tourism, gay travel, gay travel guys, lesbian, lesbian travel, lgbt, tourism Tags: 5411, 9 DE JULIO, Argentina, BEEN THERE DONE THAT, BEYOND, buenos aires, carlos melia, CARLOSMELIABLOG, CM BY CARLOS MELIA, gay, gay argentina, gay bar, GAY BUENOS ARIES, GAY MARTINI BAR, GAY NIGHT SCENE, gay travel, iglta, JUNCAL, lady gaga, lgbt, MADONNA, NEWS & TIPS, Recoleta | No comments
Author:
scott, May 8th, 2012
Our second full day, and the first stop was the village of San Leo.
A couple months ago, our friends Marco and Fabry sent us a few travel brochures of things to do in Emilia Romagna, the province where Forli is located, and we were intrigued by a photo of a castle perched high upon a rock.
So we set out in the morning for the village, arriving a little after 10 am. San Leo is really three places – a “new” town (ie: maybe 100 or 200 years old) at the base of the hill, a medieval town atop the hill, and a fortress perched above the town on a stony outcropping.
We arrived in the old town, parked the Fiat, and began the easy climb up to the castle. The “rocca” (fortress) is reached via a short road with one switchback, which offers some great views of the town and valley below.
The castle itself has a long internal keep, bounded at three points by defensive towers. One of these is long gone, with only the base remaining, but you can enter the other two, though the views are limited by the small windows, or notches, that were meant only to allow the use of arrows or a telescope to watch enemy movements.
But the castle offers a number of other great vantage points for looking out on the vistas below in all directions.
Also on display here are some of the armaments used over the years, from crossbows to cannonballs to a whole room full of modern guns. And there’s even a Medieval dungeon and torture room!
One of the tower rooms even has a scale model of the castle, so you can get a sense of how the whole thing fits together.
Our only compliant – there were grey skies all day. I kept wishing for a little blue to light up my photos.
After spending an hour or so exploring the castle, we made our way down to the village. It’s very small – basically two streets in an “L” shape – but also very cute, with a couple cafe’s, a gallery, and a darling little boutique hotel.
The standouts here are the two churches: The Parish Church of San Leo and The Cathedral of San Leo, the newer and more grand of the two.
No flash was allowed, but our new camera has a great “night” mode – it takes 10 photos in rapid succession and stitches them together into a single pic – so we were able to take some great pics even in the dim interiors.
We ended the visit at the local Bar-Pizzeria, where I had one of my long-time Italian favorites – the hot chocolate that’s so thick that it skins up on top like pudding – it’s really hard to find anything like it in the United States.
I was sorely tempted to lick the cup afterwards, but Marco and our friends restrained me!
It’s just one more reason to visit beautiful San Leo.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: castle, emilia romagna, Italy, san leo | No comments
Author:
scott, May 6th, 2012
We had lunch with our old and new Italian friends at a great little restaurant called La Trattoria di Rossa, in the heart of historic Bologna – four gay couples relaxing together after a morning of exploring the city.
La Trattoria di Rosso is really cute, with outdoor seating on the street under a cool canopy, and a couple of dining rooms and a bar inside.
We were seated at a long table in the back, below a couple windows letting in a cool breeze form the courtyard behind the restaurant.
We started off with some appetizers – a selection of Italian meats and some fantastic little fried breads – called crescetine (at left) – that were absolutely delicious. The closest I can come up with in the US are the indian fry breads that are popular at many county fairs – light and tasty.
Served with these was a soft cheese – a cross between the flavors of mozzarella and cottage cheese – that we spread on the crescetine.
Following the appetizers, most of the table enjoyed a delicious dish of gnocchi – potato dumplings – served with a pesto sauce. Gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes, and these were really good.
The lunch was part of a fixed-price menu – an entree, a salad, and dessert – all for just 10 Euro.
The salad (served after the main course, as is the tradition here) was another favorite – a Caprese salad, with mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil and a little lettuce, also really good.
We finished with a “zuppa inglese” (at right) – which despite the name was neither a soup or English. Instead, it was a desert of ladyfingers filled with a delicious creme, soaked in some kind of spirits – apparently, zuppa also means “soaked” in addition to “soup”.
The whole meal was fantastic, and you can’t beat the price. if you’re in Bologna, check out La Trattoria di Rosso for lunch or dinner.
You can visit their website here: http://www.trattoriadelrosso.com/
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: bologna, Italy, La Trattoria di Rosso, RESTAURANT | No comments
Author:
scott, May 5th, 2012
We survived the jetlag.
After getting in to Bologna a little after 2 PM (5 AM at home), our friend Marco arrived and brought us to his home, a beautiful modern apartment on the top floor of his building. We’re staying in the cute little Italian town of Forlì, about halfway between Bologna and Ravenna in the province of Emilia Romagna, maybe two hours east of Florence on the Adriatic side of Italy.
On the advice of our friends, Mrco and Fabry, we stayed up until 9 PM the first night, enjoying a wonderful dinner (tortellini in broth) with them. But by 9 PM I was fading fast. Heading off to bed at last, we slept all night, from 9:30 PM until 8 the next morning, and woke, if not exactly refreshed, at least able to function.
Our destination for the day was the city of Bologna, where we had arrived at the airport the day before. Marco and Fabry arranged to have four of their friends, two other gay couples, meet us in the city for a day of walking and sightseeing.
We started the day in Piazza 20 Settembere, where we met Alex and Loris, and Luca and Marco. After exchanging Italian hugs and kisses, we made our way into the city’s centro storico – the historic center.
Bologna has a large historic center – with miles and miles of beautiful covered walkways. Like many Italian cities, there’s a surprise around every corner.
The first of these surprises was one of the underground canals that runs through the city (at left). At one end of Piazza 20 Settembere, you can see the canal and a beautiful set of ruins. At one time, Bologna, like Venice, was built around canals, but most of these are now buried beneath the city.
We noticed that Bologna also seems to have a large gay community – there were gay guys, lesbians, and couples everywhere. Bologna is a university town, and Luca and Marco told us that many kids from the south come here for school – they called Bologna the San Francisco of Italy, where people feel free to be who they really are, although there was some disagreement on that title among the group.
From Piazza 20 Settembre, we walked over to Via di Indipendenza, past another beautiful ruin, and down the street to the Piazza Maggiore, the largest plaza in the historic center of Bologna.
Along one edge of this historic plaza sits the cathedral of San Petronio. Originally this church was to be built in the shape of a cross, and it would have been even larger than St. Peter’s in Rome, but the church at the time ran out of money, and instead the church has only the one long hall, without the side wings.
Here, also, you’ll find Il Comune del Bologna, with a public library, city offices, and a wide, open internal courtyard with glass tiles where you can look down at some of the ruins that lie beneath the current city. Bologna runs deep!
We also found one of our own churches – the church of the Apple Store! We try to make the pilgrimage here wherever we go – it was like seeing an old friend here in Italy.
There was also live music in the Piazza – a trio of musicians – strangely, when we walked by, they were playing the victory theme from the original Star Wars movie – you know, where Luke, Chewbacca and Han Solo get the medals at the end? Che pazzo paese – what a strange (and wonderful) country.
We enjoyed lunch with our old and new friends at Il trattoria del Rosso – we’ll do a separate review of this great little restaurant – suffice it to say the food was really good and the hosts very friendly.
After lunch, we walked down to the two towers – i Torri degli Asinelli e della Garisenda – did you know Bologna has its own leaning tower? This one has been stabilized, but at one time part of the top of the tower fell to the street. You can climb to the top if you want – it costs about 40 Euros, and the passage is really narrow and over 300 steps high. We decided to take in the view from the ground level.
Along the way, we also passed one of the oldest homes in Italy, built in medieval times – and still standing. The home is supported by impossibly long, thin wooden beams and two brick columns… it seems to hang there, suspended in the sky above you. The original family still lives on the premesis, but there are now stores below and some beautiful courtyards.
We ran across this sign on the way as well. A little background – there’s a son of a local politician who is accused of having bought a degree at a university abroad, and it’s ballooned into a huge scandal here over how that party has spend political funds.
Apparently they have a slogan that they are “hard” for Italy, and so the slang here says that we’re now paying for the party to have a hard… well, you get the idea. “Soldi anche al’ucello di Bossi” translates as “money also for the cock of Bossi” (the politician) – ucello has two meanings in Italian – one is “bird”, and the other is, well, cock.
As we said, crazy-wonderful country.
We also visited a beautiful 11th century church – now the Museum of St. Stephen – the church itself is really old, especially by American standards, but it’s built atop an even older church, which you can still visit – it’s now a quiet chapel for prayer. While photos were not allowed in part of the church, we were able to take a few in other parts, including the chapel.
If you have a day or two to spend, Bologna is a great place to visit – the historic center is huge. Parking is tight, so take the train in, or if you have to drive, give yourself plenty of time to find parking. The parking spaces use a system similar to the one we have in Sacramento – park, and find the kiosk where you pay for the parking for the day.
Then you can just wander the streets of this fascinating city (but bring a good map)!
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: bologna, gay travel, Italy | No comments
Author:
scott, May 4th, 2012
It’s a long way from Sacramento to Italy.
This year, for the first time since 2005, we’re taking a three week trip to il bel parse – the beautiful country.
First the prep – there were weeks of planning, gathering everything we thought we’d need for a three week trip, making lists.
What’s missing?
What’s absolutely must-have?
What can we buy once we get there?
What was 100 days quickly becomes 50, then ten, then tomorrow. The last day at home passes in a blur, mini crises as we rush to finish every last thing. And then, unexpectedly, it’s tomorrow.
And what’s a major trip without a little pre-trip freak-out? Where did we put that piece of paper? I thought you had it? Is it under the bed? Did we already pack it?
Finally we’re on the road – who knew you had to get up at 6 AM to make a 2 PM flight?
Half an hour to a friend’s house to give us a ride to SFO, two hours give or take from Sacramento to the airport, three more hours waiting, and we’re on the plane at last, ready for the first of two flights, to Frankfurt, Germany.
Then a two hour layover, another hop over to Bologna, an hour or two in customs, and finally an hour to our friends’ home.
Door to door in twenty six hours – and we’re here at last in Forlì. More soon…
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: | No comments
Author:
detourtravel, May 2nd, 2012
Crossposted from the TravelBlog by Detour Travel
Panama launched a new program this year offering free health insurance to tourists.
All this and free medical care too? Pinch me!
Obviously, this kind of thing only happens when a country wants to draw more tourism. Tourism is the country’s fastest growing industry, and this is part of Panama’s ongoing effort to develop its reputation as a tourist destination. Follow me below the fold for details and to learn more about Panama’s evolution. Read more…
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The Brazilian Tourism Board, Embratur will host the 16th annual São Paulo Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, June 10th, 2012, which is the world’s largest gay pride parade.
