Sevilla: View from La Giralda – Keep Calm and Wander

La Giralda From Tangier in Morocco, I took a fast ferry all the way to Tarifa in the southernmost part of Spain. It took 30 minutes and the ferry ride itself was comfortable and clean. Included in my ferry ticket is a bus ride from Tarifa to the bis station in Algeciras. From there, I took another bus ride to Sevilla / Seville that lasted two hours. Outside Seville’s bus station, there’s a tram – so it was an easy ride to my hostel, near Cathedral de Sevilla. The very first thing I did in Sevilla was go inside La Giralda, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and the world’s 3rd largest church. Instead of competing with the crowd inside the Catedral de Sevilla, I decided to climb La Giralda first. And yes, I was the first to go up there. Giralda Tower stands at 342 feet. Thus, the view from up there is incredibly breathtaking.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

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Toronto's West Queen West

Gladstone Hotel - West Queen West West Queen West, as locals have dubbed it, is the lesser-explored stretch of Toronto’s main shopping thoroughfare. It remains relatively spared from mega-chain stores while catering to a gayer, art-savvier population. Start your day at the Gladstone Hotel), a historic landmark and cultural center where you can enjoy a spot of tea — with a scone — while browsing cutting-edge installations on the upper floors. More eye candy awaits as you head east toward Ossington Avenue. Check out the nearby Twist Gallery — a 5,000-square-foot converted loft space with arched windows and exposed wooden beams — showcasing noteworthy local photographers and art events. Down a few blocks, the Stephen Bulger Gallery (BulgerGallery.com) is one of the most respected photography showrooms in the country. Recent exhibits have included works by Joel Meyerowitz and Vivian Maier, and Bulger also hosts free film screenings every Saturday in their 50-seat projection room and bar, Camera.

By Julien Sauvalle – Full Story at Out Magazine

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Chefchaouen: Morocco’s Blue City – Keep Calm and Wander

Chefchaouen - Keep Calm and Wander I have no doubt that Chefchaouen is Morocco’s most photogenic blue city. There are no skyscrapers here but mountains and there are no flickering light bulbs at night but stars. The houses aren’t made of steel and glass windows but of adobe bathed in blue. These houses aren’t coated in blue to beckon tourists to Chefchaouen. It’s not even for aesthetic beauty but more of a religious reason. So, you asked me, “Why blue?” Well, centuries ago, the Chefchaouen or Chaouen (for short), was a fortress for Spanish exiles. Most of these exiles were Jewish who wanted to escape the Spanish Inquisition. Here, the Jews, the Muslims and the Christians are living in harmony. When the Jews landed here, they brought with them the tradition of painting things blue to reflect the sky and the power of God.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Morocco Gay Travel Resources

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Places I Love in Seattle – Globetrotter Girls

Seattle - Globetrotter Girls I’ve decided to change things up a little bit with my Things I Love About… series. Instead of telling you all the things I love about Seattle, I’ll share 35 places I loved with you (It was supposed to have 33 places, but somehow I ended up with 35!) These are my personal favorites from a month in Seattle, so there is list is pretty biased and focuses on the things that I love: craft beer, parks, speakeasy bars, great views, cool neighborhoods, food, and of course COFFEE. I feel like I only got a taste of Seattle during my four weeks there, and with so many rained-out days, I also didn’t get around to visiting all the places I had on my to-do-list, so please consider this list by no means complete. These are some of the places I loved, so feel free to use this post for some inspiration for things to check out on a trip to Seattle. For practical information, scroll down until the end. 1. Golden Gardens This gorgeous beach in the north of Seattle made me wish I was visiting during the summer months, but even on the chilly October day I visited it made for a nice autumn walk along the beach. There are several hiking trails and two wetlands. I think this is also an amazing spot to watch the sunset.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

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Sydney's Romantic Beachside Restaurants

Sydney Sydney’s waterfront offers beautiful scenery and a classically romantic setting to enjoy quality time with your loved one. It’s not a surprise then to find a number of romantic restaurants with good quality food on the beachside. If you are planning for a lovely date night, you should check out the below selection of Sydney’s best waterfront restaurants.

The Boathouse

1 Marine Parade, Manly The Boathouse is located on Shelly Beach and it offers a lovely, affordable restaurant experience with stunning scenery. The little spot is perfect for a late lunch or a romantic Sunday brunch and you could even just grab something on the go from the Kiosk. If you truly fall in love with the restaurant, you’ll be excited to hear they also provide catering for weddings and other events.

Pizzaperta

The Star Sydney, Harbourside Entry, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont Italian food is among the best date night options you can pick. A slice of tasty pizza, a glass of a wine and the calm sea in front of you is definitely an experience you want to share with a special person. The casual setting is great for first dates or for those sudden decisions to do something fun together. The infused cocktails are definitely worth checking out as well!

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

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The Blue Walk – Lesbian Tour Operator

The Blue Walk Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay: Travel at the speed of you. Leave the tour buses behind. With The Blue Walk discover new places, have authentic experiences, and reconnect with a simpler way of moving through life. Enjoy leisurely, small-group, walking vacations along beautiful coastlines, village squares, and open spaces of Europe. Less about history or architecture, our passion is sharing the sights and surroundings of select destinations. Live large on the French Riviera, tour Northern Italy via rail, island hop through Greece. Discover the meditative quality of walking by large, lovely bodies of water, the expansiveness of taking in the canopy of blue sky. Take time on your own to explore an out of the way gem or sit quietly over a coastal outcrop. It’s your vacation. We create opportunities for unique experiences that touch the heart and mind to be remembered long after returning home. No hiking boots or backpacks required, just lovely walking trails, coastal meandering, and urban strolling. Based in 4 and 5-star hotels, travel with a friendly group of like-minded people who soon become friends. Our vacations, perfect for couples, multi-generational, friends, and solo-travelers alike, are designed with lots of options to serve a variety of activity levels.

See the Blue Walk Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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Lesbian Guadalajara – Globetrotter Girls

Guadalajara - Globetrotter Girls When it rains, it pours, they say, and that couldn’t hold truer for the past couple of weeks. And I don’t only mean that because it is pouring as I type this – I haven’t seen that much rain since leaving Seattle, but Guadalajara got so much rain today that the streets were flooding – but, as so many of us, I’ve been struggling with the events of this week. That combined with a string of bad news since the beginning of the month has put me in a slump which I’m trying to get out of. Coming to Mexico was certainly a good decision and is helping me getting my mojo back: As soon as I walked out of the terminal building last week and saw the familiar OXXO convenience store across the street, I felt like I was coming home. And there aren’t many places that make me feel this way. The familiarity of Mexico has also helped me ease into solo travel again, which I haven’t done in a while now, and the weather has been perfect for most of the week – after my depressingly wet and cold October this was much needed. Guadalajara, which I picked as the starting point for my current Mexico trip, was an excellent choice. I’d never been to Mexico’s second largest city, and it was time to fix that.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Mexico Gay Travel Resources

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Kansas City: Country Club Plaza

Country Club Plaza Country Club PlazaOne of the hi-lights of our recent visits to Kansas City was the trip to Country Club Plaza – a lovely, historic shopping center about four miles south of Downtown. Country Club PlazaKansas City is known for its many beautiful fountains – supposedly the most in any US city – and many of them are in Country Club Plaza. There is also some great art throughout the center. Originally built in 1922 on what was once a dumping ground and hog farm, the Plaza sits on 55 acres that were acquired, parcel by parcel, by JC Nichols. Country Club PlazaWhat Nichols built there was revolutionary. The first master-planned outdoor shopping center designed to accommodate a new invention – the automobile. Built with a Spanish theme, the architecture of Country Club Plaza recalls both the US Southwest and some of Europe’s most beautiful capitals. It’s an unexpected but welcome surprise in a city in the Midwest. After a flood in the 1970’s, the Plaza was revamped, and an influx of chain stores came into the center. Country Club PlazaThat was the main problem we had with this beautiful center – the architecture is amazing, and the location by Brush Creek makes for some great photo opportunities. But the stores are the same stores you’ll find in any mall in any part of the country. We were hoping for some great local shops where we could purchase something to take home as a momento. But most of what we saw were stores like Banana Republic, Tiffany and Williams-Sonoma. There was one stand-out exception. Near the Western end of the Plaza, we found a little place called Phoenix Gallery. The store had a great and eclectic selection of art and knick knacks, much of it moderately priced, and we found a beautiful watercolor print of the center there that we ended up having shipped home. Country Club Plaza jack-stack-barbequeAnother stand-out – Jack’s Stack Barbecue. If you’ve never tried Kansas City BBQ, you should, and this is a great place to do it. It’s on thie Eastern end of the Plaza. It’s got that dark steakhouse thing going on – a little heavy on the “ambiance – but the food was amazing. We had the BBQ chicken, and then I enjoyed the bread pudding with a creamy rum sauce. Put this place on your agenda for your next trip. Country Club Plaza is well worth a look, if only for the amazing architecture and a few stand-out stores.

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Early Morning in the Medina in Fes – Keep Calm and Wander

Alain - Medina in Fes The moment I entered the medina in Fes, I was met with a lot of annoyances. A simple “thank you” with a smile didn’t work, so I ignored the scammers and hawkers. The first scammer told me that the hostel I’ve booked had already been closed a week ago. He then recommended me a very nice one for a cheaper price. The second scammer pretended to be helpful by showing me the way to my hostel, but I was very quick to tell him nicely that I’d be fine to find the hostel on my own. We had a little argument until he realized that I wasn’t going to let him win. He looked at me like he could crush me in one blow. The medinas in Morocco almost have the same thing to offer. They awaken your five senses in all corners along potholed alleys and narrow main streets.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Morocco Gay Travel Resources

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Seattle's Seward Park – Globetrotter Girls

Seward Park Even though I am already on my quick unplanned stopover in Los Angeles as I type this, I wanted to share one of my favorite running & hiking spots in Seattle with you, which I was lucky enough to get to see in the sun again before it started raining for the last couple of days of my stay (thanks for the wet goodbye, Seattle!). One of my favorite things about Seattle is the fact that you’re never far from water. No matter if it was Puget Sound to the West (which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) or Lake Union between northern Downtown and Fremont, or Lake Washington to the East – there’s water everywhere. I even got to check out Greenlake in northern Seattle during my last week in town, which has a great running trail around the lake, but I missed out on the Burke-Gilman Trail along Lake Washington my friends had recommended to me – I guess I’ll have to return to Seattle at some point (but preferably in the summer).

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

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