The Hanging Church in Cairo – Keep Calm and Wander

Hanging Church

You might have heard of the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” but you’ve never heard of the Hanging Church in Cairo. The former was one of the 7 Wonders of the World, while the latter once the seat of papacy of the Orthodox Church. This tiny church is known for its apparitions where Mary appeared to Pope Abraham.

Why Hanging Church?

The Church is built over two Roman towers called Babylon Fortress. However today, you won’t be able to see much of the tower since the land surface has risen to some 6 meters. The towers were covered with logs of palm trees with layer of stones that served as the ground/foundation of the church.

To reach the church, you have to pass through 29 steps. Thus, it once earned the monicker as the ‘Staircase Church.”

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Egypt Gay Travel Resources

Bellatrix – Castletownbere, Ireland

Bellatrix - Castletownbere, Ireland

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Welcome to Bellatrix, a women-only B&B in the village of Castletownbere in West Cork. We’re in a beautiful part of Southwestern Ireland, on the amazing Beara Peninsula.

We welcome women from all over the world – come stay with us amid stunning natural beauty and meet other women, share new ideas, or sit back and relax in the peaceful solitude of our stunning coast.

We welcome women from all walks of life – young or old, active or happily retired. All will enjoy a home away from home under Ireland’s bright stars, and our lovely, mature gardens close-by the historic fishing town of Castletownbere.

We’re just 15 minutes by foot through a small forest from a sheltered cove, Traneen, where you’ll find playful seals – a great place to swim in the summertime. There are also a number of other walking trails for you to explore.

Bellatrix is an eco-friendly bed and breakfast – we use a solar water heater for our showers, and we offer great local produce in season from our own organic gardens. We’re also wheelchair accessible.

Each of our guest rooms is unique, personally decorated by your hosts. Two of our rooms share a bathroom, and we also offer a three bed guest room for women traveling together.

Each room offers comfortable bedding – after a good night’s sleep, wake up with us and have a wonderful buffet breakfast. We can also provide a hearty Irish Breakfast upon request. On a chilly or rainy day, you can also just relax in front of our wood-burning stove with a good book or watch a movie from our DVD library. In the sun room, you can play ping pong with your partner or some of our other guests.

Bellatrix Bed & Breakfast offers wonderful garden views as well as a panoramic vista of the Miskish mountains.

The Beara Peninsula is a place of great natural beauty – be sure to allow yourself enough time to explore the area thoroughly – we suggest a week (although you may never want to leave!). There are so many things to do here, including:

  • Whale Watching: Many varieties of whales and dolphins inhabit the waters off the Beara Peninsula.
  • Dzogchen Beara Retreat Centre: visit this Tibetan Buddist Retreat Center, just 3 miles away.
  • Horseback riding: Take a packed lunch and explore the area on horseback with our friend, Cathy
  • Stone Circles: Historic stone circles and standing stones back from 1500 to 500 B.C.
  • Golfing: 3 first-class courses within an hour from our front door.
  • The Islands: Take a daytrip to Bere Island or Dursey Island.

There are so many other options – we’ll be happy to help you plan your adventures. But no matter what your plans, you’ll be sure to enjoy your stay at Bellatrix, an Irish B&B for women.

See the Bellatrix Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in Ireland

 

A New York Sunset – Globetrotter Girls

New York Sunset

Another busy week is coming to an end! This week, I’ve had the pleasure to add ‘serious’ room hunting to my to-do-list (as opposed to ‘casual’ room hunting the week before).

Had I not challenged myself to daily runs this month, I don’t think I’d seen much of the city in the past seven days, but these four miles a day allowed me to remember that I am in my favorite city in the world. I deliberately chose scenic running routes this week to remind me in what a stunning city I live: Bridge runs over the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge, the Prospect Park loop, and runs through some of my favorite picturesque neighborhoods, like Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy, with their beautiful brownstones.

I had to pinch myself sometimes, thinking to myself ‘I can’t believe I am living here now‘, and indulged in reading a few of my first posts about my love for New York, and how I’d been trying to figure out to spend more time here ever since my first full summer in 2014. First my extended visa, now permanent residency.. sometimes I still can’t believe that this is really happening. I’ll be reminiscing some more about how I got here in my Life Lately round-up.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

New York City Gay Travel Resources

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Citadel of Qaitbay – Keep Calm and Wander

Citadel of Qaitbay - Alain

Do you know that the Citadel of Qaitbay stands on the site where the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria once was? That lighthouse wasn’t just an ordinary structure to beacon seafarers but it’s one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. The tower was also the tallest structure in the world for many centuries. It was destroyed by three strong earthquakes between AD 956 to 1323. Today, parts of the ruins of the ancient lighthouse are scattered around the Citadel by the Mamluks.

It’s very easy to get to Qaitbay Citadel. Just go to the corniche and and look on your left. At a far distance, you’ll see the fort with a waving Egyptian flag. You can reach it on foot for 30 minutes. If walking isn’t your thing, flag down a white taxi van and tell the driver to drop you off at Citadel. Pay EGP5.

The fort can be best explored following this route I trod. And oh, these photos will give you a hint on capturing the best angle of the fort.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wandrt

Egypt Gay Travel Resources