J. Scott Coatsworth 
The Roman ruins of Volubilis is a testament that the area was once a progressive city that held power and might. The imposing pillars and arches show grandeur of Roman architectural style. The ruins are reminders that the Romans were there, settled, conquered it – and vanished.
By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander
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We just recently got back from a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. We’d never been there before – it’s a beautiful city, with some great surprises in store for the traveler.
The first of these we’re sharing is the World War I Museum. It sits on a grassy hillside in the middle of midtown, an impressive structure topped by a beautiful tower and a pair of giant sphinxes.
I’ll admit, I don’t know much about World War I. I’m sure I learned about it back in high school, but boy is there a lot to learn and see.
The museum has a number of parts – the main museum, accessed from the southern side of the structure, is a museum in the round, with several films to show you what life was like at the time, and many galleries leading you through the war year by year.
As you enter, you see a glass bridge over a muddy field filled with poppies – an eerie sight – especially when you find out that there are 9,000 of them, and that each one represents 1,000 soldiers who died during the war.
It turns out that poppies are one of the only things that will grow on a battlefield, because they thrive on the minerals in bones and explosives.
There are also big guns, military vehicles, scale models of airplanes, and tons and tons of war paraphernalia.
Outside, there are two additional galleries, and the tower itself, which you can enter and climb to the top via elevator for some amazing views of Kansas City.
There’s also another gallery below ground that shows the war from the German point of view.
One of the things I learned (or relearned) – the US entered the war in 1917 after the British discovered a cable (message) to Mexico from Germany, encouraging Mexico to attack the US if the US entered the war, and promising to give Mexico the states if Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
It never came to pass, and in fact gave the President the impetus to bring the country into the war.
But my childhood could have been quite a bit different.
This is an amazing museum. You can spend a whole day here if you want, but allow at least 2-3 hours to explore.
Marmaris is a natural deep water harbour. Ferries link the Turkish mainland at Marmaris with the Greek Island of Rhodes. This is also an excellent starting point for a cruise east to Fethiye.
Marmaris is now a very lively tourist town with many bars, restaurants and hotels. Perhaps you might spend a couple of days there before boarding? The change in atmosphere and environment will be striking!
Marmaris
Marmaris may have lost some of its natural beauty because of its rapid development but there are still a few things to see as you start your Marmaris Fethiye Gulet Cruise.
Cruises are full board with fresh local produce at every meal. You may try to catch dinner one day because there are plenty of fish in the sea.
If you are unlucky you will not go hungry with the captain likely to BBQ lamb, chicken or both instead.
As you head east you will immediately be struck by the natural beauty of the coastline. There are many coves and certainly two points of real interest very quickly.
Sarigerme a little way on has a nice beach but with the independence of your own boat you can drop anchor in any of the small coves en route.
While you are still on board there are a few places to see before exploring Fethiye on land later. One of those places is Tersane Island which was home to Greeks before the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. It has been uninhabited ever since though there are some tourist facilities manned during the summer. It is a chance to explore and have a final swim during your cruise.
Incidentally a more famous Greek settlement is nearby; Kayakoy was abandoned at the same time. It is a popular tourist destination and restaurants cater for visitors from Fethiye which is perhaps 20 minutes’ away. That is a place to see at the end of your memorable cruise.
Once you have taken a cruise like this you are likely to want to do another in the future. There are several popular routes just waiting for you to book.
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Let’s be honest, we’ve all dreamt of making the most fabulous entrance into work. This week, at least Londoners will see that dream come true, as they can drop the Tube or buse and take unicorn cabs to work instead.
Yes, you read that right. Gay Rainbow Unicorn-drawn carriages. Taking you to work. Thats a fabulous entrance if we’ve ever seen one.
And it’s as fabulous(ly gay) as it sounds: two horses, decked with rainbow manes and horns, draw a white coach, complete with rainbow pattern on the side.
By Stefanie Gerdes – Full Story at Gay Star News
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I had such a great time on the beautiful island of Gili Air! I enjoyed spending my day just doing just what I like to do the most, which is chillaxing 🙂
This is how my typical day on the island looked like. As soon as I woke up, after a refreshing calm night sleep, some fresh water on my face, just a bit of fruit to break the night fast, I was out for a good 1 hour jogging around the island before the heat hit too strongly (the island is very small, so in less than one hour you have been running all around it). Soon after, a refreshing shower in my open air shower overlooking the ocean! a super powered breakfast soon after; a refreshing dip into the ocean; relaxing on the beach; plenty of coffee and fresh fruits during the day; drinks at sunset (on the sunset beach of course!); beautiful dinners with fresh fish; and more drinks and good music after dinner.
This is life, isnt it? I was not lucky with the weather: I visited in December, when the Monsoon storms hit very strongly the area, so I did not enjoy very much the underwater life. I did some snorkeling, but in all honesty I did not have much luck!
By Sergio Scardia – Full Story at The Scruffy Italian Traveler
Indonesia Gay Travel Resources
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It’s been a while since I last spent an entire month in only one place but in October, I sat still: I spent the entire month in Seattle! Except for a few visits to Tacoma, I didn’t leave the city limits. That doesn’t mean it was a boring month though: In the past four weeks, I explored as much of Seattle’s many neighborhoods as possible.
October was interesting, to say the least. From not knowing at all where to go after Seattle, to making awesome travel plans, only to have them fall through two days before my scheduled departure from Seattle. I am going to be honest here: October has been somewhat of a difficult and challenging month – more lowlights than I’m happy about, but I guess that’s all part of the journey. The still (!) ongoing issues with my website caused me tears, grey hair and me almost giving up on this little website, but instead I pushed through and it looks like all web-related issues are finally resolved (I changed to a different hosting plan because the site had outgrown my previous one).
Luckily, Seattle has been equally as rewarding as challenging – it was my first time here and I had been looking forward to exploring the Pacific Northwest for a while. However, the weather gods weren’t on my side this month. The weather was miserable for most of October. On Friday I heard on the news that it was the wettest October since the beginning of weather recordings. Often, my sightseeing and exploring plans were rained out. I had forgotten how much this can influence my mood – and not in a good way. It reminded me a lot of the dreadful fall weather I’d endured for four years while living in the UK – a good reminder why I left London in 2010.
By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls
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One year ago, gay actor-director extraordinaire Xavier Dolan shot Adele’s Hello video just outside his native Montreal. The world watched transfixed as our still-heartbroken heroine, wrapped in faux-fur, emoted amid rolling hills, epic maples and twirling leaves.
The clip was a love letter to Canadian autumn. And yet, almost paradoxically, it was filmed in black and white. Don’t get me started. Similarly, standing atop Montreal’s imposing Mount Royal in fall, exploring the picturesque Parc du Mont-Royal thereon, is your chance to channel your inner-Adele in rich, explosive technicolor.
Yes, the surrounding countryside provides the perfect playground for foliage followers. But gay Montreal – home to 1.65 million, the largest in the Quebec province and the second-largest French-speaking city worldwide after Paris – is the natural start to such an adventure.
By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News
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‘Remember to breathe,’ I tell myself, as the helicopter pilot’s voice rings through my ears, my body judders and 1,172 glittering high rise buildings unfold before me. The Chicago Helicopter Experience is shredding my nerves, but it’s also highlighting just how magnificent this 2.7 million-person city truly is.
Grandiose skyscrapers pierce a skyline at once jagged and curiously neat – a result of meticulous urban planning after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Behind me, the staggering Lake Michigan disappears into the night like an ocean.
Like the lake, gay Chicago – Obama’s hometown – is huge; the largest in Illinois. The state capital of Springfield – the former hometown of Abraham Lincoln – is a three-hour drive away, and home to just 117,000. The view is exhilarating, expansive, absurd, and in my book, about as glamorously cosmopolitan as America gets.
By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News
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Ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful doors of Morocco!
On my first few hours in Marrakech, I noticed the old, repainted, renovated, run-down and pretty doors of the city. Their charming designs delighted me so I took a lot of photos until I became obsessed. There was even a time when all I was looking for were doors, doors, doors!
However, the most interesting ones I saw were at Chefchaouen, nicknamed as “The Blue City.” They’re just not lovely but they’re very photogenic, too! You can’t resist taking a shot when passing them. If ever I’d have a house of my own in the future, I’d certainly design one of my doors like one of these pretty doors of Morocco below.
By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander
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Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Benn Conger Inn Bed and Breakfast sits high above the village of Groton, New York, in the heart of the Finger Lakes area.
The Inn was built in the early twenties, and was state Senator Benn Conger’s private home. During the roaring twenties, the home became a haven Dutch Schultz, a well-known bootlegger and racketeer. Come stay with us, and experience hospitality fit for a king-pin.
The Benn Conger Inn was built in the Colonial Revival style, and featues a Victorian-style cottage next door. The property was renovated in 2001, giving us a total of ten guestrooms.
The Benn Conger Inn is a great place to relax in front of a warm fire, soak in a hot tub, or curl up in our livrary with a good book.
You can also wander our 20 acre grounds, over rolling hills, through flower gardens, and along a bubbling brook and beaver pond. If you’re lucky, you might see a blue heron. Then soak in the sunset from your own large, secluded porch or our traditional gazebo.
Our Finger Lakes Bed and Breakfast is just fifteen minutes from Ithaca and thirty five minutes from Syracuse. We’re a great place to use as a home base when exlporing the Finger Lakes region – you can hike, ride a bike, go out on horse-back, golf, play tennis, ski, hunt, fish, and much more.
If you’re coming to the Finger Lakes area for business, romance, or just traveling through, we’ll offer American hospitality with the ambiance of an English Country Inn.
Come stay with us at Benn Conger Inn the next time you take a trip to the Finger Lakes and Central New York state.
See the Benn Conger Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here
Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in the Finger Lakes Region
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