The beautiful West Sweden, with Gothenburg as its gateway, is emerging as a hotspot for all things food. It’s gaining an international culinary reputation as the foodie capital of Scandinavia because of its passionate local producers, imaginative chefs and bounty of organic, natural produce.
The west coast’s shellfish, in particular its lobster and oysters, are among the best in the world. Visitors can partake in hands-on trips to learn about the West Coast’s seafood, joining local fishermen for unforgettable catch-and-cook experiences.
Further inland, the forests also provide a variety of game. Other districts are known for producing fine cheeses. Meanwhile, the fertile agricultural land is ideal for growing fresh produce and raising animals in the best organic tradition.
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Minca wasn’t in my original travel plans for Colombia, but as we were leaving Cartagena for Santa Marta, one of my Instagram followers remarked that I had to visit Minca. I had never even heard of Minca but a quick Google search revealed that it was a small mountain village close to Santa Marta. The pictures looked lovely, travelers were talking about waterfall hikes, good vegetarian food, local coffee farms, and a giant hammock with mountain views – that’s all we needed to hear to convince us to make the detour. Plus: Cooler temperatures would be welcome after Santa Marta, which seemed to be even hotter and more humid than Cartagena.
The ride to Minca was quick – within an hour of driving up a winding mountain road we found ourselves in the village, and within another hour, we had explored it entirely – yes, that’s how small it is.
The chillier weather that had been mentioned was an illusion: it was still 86 degrees! We did the only sensible thing: we grabbed our swimsuits and started the hike to the first of two waterfalls I wanted to visit, both of which were within walking distance of the village (but in different directions).
Steak is big business in Argentina. There’s more cows than people here and as a result the Argentinians have made steak a work of art.
There’s plenty of excellent parillas to enjoy some of the best steaks in the country, particularly in Buenos Aires, but we also wanted to take back this little souvenir with us.
Chimi churri is a popular Argentinian parsley based sauce to accompany a nicely prepared steak. We’ve included a quick easy recipe for it here.
The meat we used was matambre, which is a very thin cut of beef taken between the skin and ribs of the cow, like flank steak. Other personal favourites include bife de chorizo (sirloin) and ojo de bife (rib eye).
Our recipe for Argentinian steak with chimi churri involved baking the meat for around 1 hour and served with potatoes and vegetables cooked with it.
Summer may be officially ending but the fun is just beginning in Provincetown. The historically gay and lesbian mecca on the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, has enjoyed a beautiful and rainbow-festooned summer, including appearances from legendary LGBT performers, and even a visit by Hillary Clinton and Cher. And now it’s gearing up for even more femme-forward festivities! Aside from the general pleasure of strolling Commercial Street hand-in-hand with your love, there are some big events to put in your calendar.
The 32nd Annual Women’s Week In Provincetown is now the longest-running women’s cultural festival in the country. This year the Festival runs from October 7 through October 16. Mary Lambert and Our Lady J round up the lineup of superstars who will perform in a benefit concert for Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund, which aims to alleviate LGBT youth homelessness. The closing night concert will be followed by an exclusive Rainbow Party and is one of several events produced by the Women Innkeepers of Provincetown.
The entire Women’s Week will be a star-studded celebration of culture and community with Kate Clinton, Lily Tomlin, Karen Williams, Vickie Shaw, Julie Goldman, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Poppy Champlin, Jennie McNulty, Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher, Cris Williamson, Susan Werner, Suede, Zoe Lewis, Laura Zucker, and more performing. Sporty dykes are not left out, with events that include pickup basketball, an annual golf tournament, and Kate Clinton’s always-riotous Touch Football Classic.
I don’t know why, but I always seem to forget just how much I like California. My last visit wasn’t even that long ago – I spent a few days in Santa Monica last spring – but I’d forgotten again that every time I am here, I have an amazing time.
While I despise driving in L.A. (the massive highways and the traffic are just too much for me), I love driving along the coast. And so it was easy to pick the highlight of my time here (so far): a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway into Orange County. I drove the entire length of the PCH in 2010, starting in San Francisco, all the way down to San Diego, and to this day it is one of my favorite drives in the U.S.. I was stoked that I got to drive a stretch of it again last week.
When I drove the PCH the first time, I had just started blogging, and didn’t travel with a ‘blogger mind’ yet, meaning I wasn’t looking for scenic spots to stop at to take pictures, cute shops and cafes to recommend to my readers, or take the ridiculous amount of photos I am taking these days (because, you never know what you might need fifty different shots of seagulls for).
Calling all our North American based readers…drop everything, put on your best British accent and read on!
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Welcome to Palm Springs’ Finest gay place to stay…Casa Ocotillo, a luxury vacation accommodation for gay men in a 1934 Mexican Hacienda tucked away behind gates on over one-half acre of lushly landscaped grounds. Nestled at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains in old Palm Springs, this property offers you all of the best features for your Palm Springs vacation.
From the moment that you arrive, you’ll realize that you have entered a special place that you can call “home” while visiting Palm Springs. This gated compound offers you the ultimate in luxury and privacy. The wonderful grounds will envelope you in an oasis setting with lush tropical plantings, gardens and even a citrus grove where you can pick your own morning fruit (when in season). The spectacular mountain views are breathtakingly beautiful as the mountains soar thousands of feet above you.
Each suite has been uniquely designed to provide you a warm, welcoming hospitality. The wonderful Hacienda style setting makes Casa Ocotillo the perfect place to invite the out-of-doors into your living space and fully enjoy the beautiful climate.
Our guests experience unparalleled resort-like accommodations and services designed especially for gay men in a personal hideaway you can call your very own. This is truly your own private resort in the desert, away from the hustle and bustle, and yet minutes from the excitement of downtown Palm Springs.
Uniquely decorated Bungalows & Suites individually designed with your personal comfort and privacy in mind
I loved Cartagena, but phew, that city was hot! To escape the heat, we decided to head further east along the coast. We had heard glorious tales about breathtaking Caribbean beaches – exactly what we needed to cool off.
One place that came up over and over again in travel guides and on blogs was Tayrona National Park, one of Colombia’s most popular national parks. The park stretches along the Caribbean coast and into the foothills of the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, covering 12,000 hectares of land and 3,000 hectares of sea.
Tayrona has several beaches, but is also famous for its wildlife and jungle hikes, including a full-day hike to El Pueblito, the ruins of a small historic village similar to the nearby ‘Lost City’ (which is the five day trek through the jungle that I set off on a few days later).
Last week, you were able to watch as cute locals explored that gay scene of London. The week before, it was Tel Aviv.
This week, we’re crashing Berlin, the biggest city in Germany, with this super informative video tour from in-the-know Berliners.
It explores iconic nightspots popular with those who call the city home, including Sharon Stonewall Bar, GMF and HAFEN.