One thing I loved about my trip to Sonoma Wine Country was seeing the vineyards during leaf changing season. I’d flown up from Los Angeles, the evergreen city with palm trees and summer weather even in December, and a short 90-minute flight later I found myself in fall weather again, just like in Seattle six weeks earlier.
I’d never seen grapevines with changing leaves – I am not sure I even knew they were changing colors! – and loved the bright red and yellow colors in each winery I visited and every vineyard I passed in my car.
The wine tastings I did were fantastic, too – at the Korbel Winery for example, where I sampled California champagnes, or Virginia Dare Winery, recently purchased by Francis Ford Coppola. I got to tour the wineries and see the entire production line from wine making to corking and labeling the bottles which was incredible, got to sample wines that aren’t available anywhere but directly at the winery, and learned so much about wine in those few short days that I feel inclined to do some further studying now.
By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls
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Stockholm is one of the world’s best cities for gay people, according to a new ranking. LGBTQ travel site GayCities collected more than 23,000 votes from its members and named Stockholm as the winner in the Up-And-Coming category.
“Sweden has always been a the forefront of the LGBTQ rights movement, so we are proud to provide Stockholm with the Up-And-Coming award in the Best of GayCities2016,” Tim Winfred, director of marketing at Q Digital which is behind GayCities, told The Local.
The Swedish city was picked ahead of US hubs Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Richmond and Buffalo.
Cibeles Palace in Madrid is a lovely, neo-classical structure to admire when you’re from afar. In the afternoon, when the sun is setting, the facade is bathe in shimmering gold. From dawn to dusk, the palace is a thing of beauty in Madrid’s downtown core. Every time I passed by here last summer, this colossal architecture didn’t fail to make me stop and take a shot.
Don’t just stare at its facade. Go inside and up the terrace to see the the 360 degrees view of Madrid. But, don’t expect a spectacular view from up there. Just like any other building around here, this is not tall enough to see the whole city panorama.
From any angle outside, Cibeles Palace is a very photogenic edifice. In front of the palace is the Cibeles Fountain with a goddess sitting on a chariot being pulled by two massive lions. The view from above isn’t really impressive (because it’s not that tall) but it’s still worth checking out.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Welcome to Monte Placido Vacation Rentals. This tropical hilltop paradise is a secure gated residence comprised of 6 individual rental homes. Each home offers breathtaking views of the ocean, the forested mountains and the coconut groves below.
Our elevated location offers constant soothing breezes and very few mosquitos. The homes have fully equipped kitchens to do your own cooking or a personal chef can be provided (maid and linen service included). Each home is especially designed with a verandah for privacy from neighbors. The homes are airy and spacious, comfortable for both inside and outside living.
Monte Placido Vacation Rentals’ tropical and botanical gardens are busting with an explosion of colorful flowers. Enjoy the infinity pool virtually cascading into the sea with its cabana and barbecue. From our pastoral setting we are just a short 15 minute drive from bustling and fun Las Terrenas with its beach bars and restaurants, late night Latin dancing galore.
We are located in Samana Province on the North East of the Island. It is still is a very well-kept secret with its pristine and undeveloped beaches, reefs, waterfalls, hiking, bird watching whales and more. SHIVA’S CAVE is our yoga retreat center that can also welcome Latin dance camps, special events and wedding parties up to 25 guests (see our website). Full catering for events/groups or a hired chef for a special individual lunch or dinner are optional and on request (inquire).
We offer complimentary continental breakfast on the 1st day. The owners live on site and they are always available to help out with every little detail and make sure that their guests enjoy their getaway.
Last year, during my 3 months long trip around Southeast Asia, I visited the Capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
In all honesty, while the rest of Malaysia is definitely beautiful and full of charm (you have already read about my love for Pulau Langkawi, where I spent New Year’s eve 2016), Kuala Lumpur was not my favorite city. Maybe it is my fault, but I could not find the real soul of the city. Although there is one thing that impressed me very much: the way the Malay Capital celebrates the happiest time of the year, the most gay feast of them all, Christmas.
In December, the whole city of Kuala Lumpur is in full swing for Christmas celebrations: a joyous triumph of lights, trees beautifully decorated, buzzing shopping malls full of Santa Clauses… the Malays know how to throw a big party in honor of Xmas! Even the gigantic airport of Kuala Lumpur, KLIA2, was full of decorations where even the Peanuts were invited to participate to this gay feast!
Looking for gay friendly Uruguay hotels?
Well look no further – ’cause after 2 weeks travelling around this super gay friendly country, we’ve come up with our 10 best gay friendly hotels to stay in Uruguay:
GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN MONTEVIDEO
#1 Sofitel Carrasco
Description: overlooking the Rambla beachfront, this glamorous former casino palace was built in 1821. It boasts a mix of French classic architecture with a modern twist. Check out the Philip Starks horse lamps in the grand, impressive lobby. Their suites offer amazing views over the Rio Del Plata, and have 2 huge walk-in showers. The indoor swimming pool and spa are particularly inviting after a day cruising down the Rambla.
We celebrate our 8 years anniversary in a few months. Each year we always make a point of doing something special to celebrate, usually going somewhere exotic and of course, romantic.
Our most memorable anniversary will always be our first year, when we visited Venice as this was our first trip abroad together. Of course Venice is a place you will instantly fall in love with, even if like us you visit out of season in February.
When it comes down romance generally, gay Italy is the ideal destination. We’ve travelled around the country before, but only Venice we’ve been to as a couple. We’ve teamed up with Quality Villas Hotels to showcase our 5 bucket list romantic activities to experience as a couple in Italy.
This past week was one of the busiest travel weeks since returning from Italy in September – I admit it, I am exhausted. After a long weekend in L.A. (where I was amazed by the still oh-so sunny and warm weather!) I flew up to Santa Rosa in Sonoma Wine Country for a week of wine, art, good food and hiking.
One of the highlights of the week was an afternoon spent hiking in the Armstrong Redwoods. The Redwoods are home to the tallest trees in the world, which live to be 500-1,000 years old, grow to a diameter of 12-16 feet, and stand from 200-250 feet tall. Walking through the forest where these imposing structures were towering over me, with moss-covered trunks of fallen trees on the ground, made me feel like I had entered some fairy tale world.
I wouldn’t have been surprised had a fairy appeared in front of me, asking me to make a wish. Because of the height of the trees, barely any sun rays make their way through the branches, keeping the forest darker and in deeper shade than most other forests I’ve hiked through, which only added to the mystic aura.
Tens of thousands gathered at Copacabana beach on Sunday to celebrate the 21st Rio Pride Parade.
Organizers said this year’s parade was focusing on passing legislation in Brazil that would allow adults to legally change their gender on identity documents and eliminate bureaucracy involved in gender confirmation surgery, reports the Associated Press.
They called on the public health system (SUS) and private health plans to pay for hormonal therapy and surgery.
It’s official: the travel Instagram selfie is the new postcard. Kind of.
Each month, we’re delving into the photo-sharing website for intimate glimpses into the lives and loves of LGBTI travelers.
Tag us in your photos with #gaystartravel and you might be featured next week. And to follow Gay Star Travel on Instagram, click