Mexico City’s Teotihuacan Pyramids – Keep Calm and Wander

Teotihuacan Pyramids - Keep Calm and Wander

The massive Teotihuacan Pyramids lie 40 kilometers outside Mexico City. Two of its biggest pyramids here are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The former, however, is bigger than the latter. It doesn’t matter which one you explore first – but in our case, we chose the Sun Pyramid first.

How to Get to Teotihuacan Pyramids

There are three ways to get to Teotihuacan Pyramids. The easiest one is via a one-day tour that your hotel/hostel organized. This is what we did because we liked the tour itinerary that included Palacio de Ituberde, Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, and a local handicraft (you don’t have to buy). Our last stop was the Pyramids, of course, and we were allowed to stay there close to 4 hours on our own! There was no planning and sweat on our part. TripAdvisor has some recommended tours.

The other way to get there is to take a taxi if you can afford it. This is the quickest way to get there but nothing educational happens on the road. Unless, of course, you will hire a private car with the tour guide as your driver, too. 

It is also possible to get to Teotihuacan by public transport. All you have to do is take a metro (line 5) and get off at Terminal Central del Norte. From there, buy your ticket and find the bus that says, “Piramides.” The bus will drop you off at Gate 1. Buy your ticket before you enter or else you’ll regret going back. It’s a long way from here to the Pyramids. So, pack water, a hat, and sunscreen! If you choose this mode of going there, make sure to start early.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Mexico City Gay Travel Resources

Berlin’s Charlottenburg Palace – Keep Calm and Wander

Berlin's Charlottenburg Palace - Keep Calm and Wander

There is no doubt that Charlottenburg Palace is the most splendid in Berlin. I’m not sure how many palaces the city has, but if there’s one palace that you must go in, this should be it.

The Baroque and Rococo facade of the palace tells of its former glory. Its history dates back to the Hohenzollern Family, a royal dynasty. Built towards the end of the 17th century, Charlottenburg Palace and its surrounding area were named after the first Queen, Sophie Charlotte, the first consort of Prussia.

Charlotte was a voracious lover of the arts. The “Court of the Muses” inside the palace hosted philosophers, poets, musicians, and other artists.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Germany Gay Travel Resources

Slovakia’s President Lives Here – Keep Calm and Wander

Slovakia's President Lives Here - Keep Calm and Wander

The President of Slovakia lives here – at the Grassalkovich Palace in Bratislava. I was surprised that the surroundings were not heavily-guarded with Presidential guardians. It was early June when I was there – and boy, it was quiet!

As you can see in the photos below, I was the only tourist roaming around. It’s so different from Presidential residences I’ve been to – like the White House in the USA, 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Canada, or at 10 Downing Street in London.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Pnyx Hill in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

Pnyx Hill in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

Pnyx Hill in Athens is not your ordinary hill. It may just be another hill in the city but this was once where citizens congregate to talk about and vote on issues that mattered to them. 

Yes, democracy was born here! When power was transferred to the people, they held assemblies here to discuss reforms.

The hill is overlooking the ancient Agora, once a thriving center for business and commerce of ancient Athens. The Parthenon or the Acropolis is very visible at a far distance. It’s only less than a mile.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Walking Gay Vienna – Keep Calm and Wander

Walking Gay Vienna - Keep Calm and Wander

Here’s my own walking tour of gay Vienna – using the map I picked up at the tourism office at the train station. If you are arriving by train, don’t forget to drop by the tourism office and ask what you could do for a day or three in the city. The nice lady recommended and handed me a map of a two-hour walking tour. She patiently answered my questions and even gave a few coupons I could use. But, of course, I didn’t depend on the map alone. I had help from Google maps, too. 😉

I recommend that before you embark on your own walking tour, make sure to find these places in order. It will save you time, especially if you are not good at reading maps – like me. 😀

Vienna State Opera House

There is no better place to start my walking tour but here on a Saturday morning. This is not just a historical Rennaissance building, but this is the center of Austrian arts. Waltz originated in Vienna and world-renowned composers, like Mozart and Beethoven, found their homes here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vienna Gay Travel Resources

Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion is where you should spend your sunset viewing outside Athens. It takes an hour to get there by bus from the Greek capital, but it’s all worth the hassle. 

Homer, the well-known Greek writer, was the first one to record Sounion in “The Odyssey” as the “sacred cape of the Athenians.” 

Herodotus, Aristophanes, Sophocles, and Thucydides all mentioned the Temple of Poseidon in their stories and poetries. 

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Guadalajara Frescoes – Keep Calm and Wander

Guadalajara Frescoes - Keep Calm and Wander

These frescoes at the Government Palace in Guadalajara (Mexico) are some of the best I’ve seen. Well, I haven’t seen many, but I could name the Top 3 frescoes that blew my mind away. They’re the ones that made me dumbfounded while staring at their magnificent details. They are: Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement”, Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry Murals” and José Clemente Orozco’s “The People and Its Leaders.”

Guadalajara Frescoes

One of the most noticeable details of José Clemente Orozco’s fresco is his dark interpretation of the revolution. While Diego Rivera saw the revolution as a good thing, Orozco saw it in a different way. This particular mural will leave you speechless. The more you stare at it, the more it gets creepy. At least, that’s what I felt.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Guadalajara Gay Travel Resources

Seven Great Places in New Orleans (Outside the French Quarter) – Keep Calm and Wander

Image credit: Anne Ganucheau

It’s hard to think about New Orleans without immediately conjuring images of the French Quarter in your mind. The Big Easy’s historic hub is picture-perfect: Creole-style buildings railed with ornate iron balconies line the streets while roving jazz bands and happy party-goers join in a colorful parade of humanity.

It sounds like a great place to visit, and it is. But Louisiana’s largest city shouldn’t be defined by the 422 acres comprising the French Quarter. 

To show love for the Big Easy’s underhyped hot spots, here’s a look at 7 Great Places in New Orleans – outside the French Quarter – that you should check out the next time you visit. 

Great Places in New Orleans – Audubon Park

You’re committing a grave injustice if you don’t visit lush Audubon Park while in New Orleans. One of the most unique green spaces in the country, the park is filled with hundred-year-old oak trees, expansive lagoons, and beautifully dripping strands of Spanish moss.   

While the scenery is breathtaking—you could easily spend an entire day just relaxing in nature here—John James Audubon’s namesake park offers awesome activities for recreation-seekers.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

New Orleans Gay Travel Resources

China’s Leaning Tower – Keep Calm and Wander

China's Leaning Tower - Keep Calm and Wander

The Yunyansi Pagoda on Tiger Hill in Suzhou is China’s Leaning Tower of Pisa. Well, you won’t really notice it if you’re not standing on the right side below the tower.

I went there with no idea that this was a leaning pagoda. I gradually noticed it as I went around the structure. The photos below don’t really give justice, but you’ve got to see it yourself if you’re intrigued.

The pagoda is sitting on Tiger Hill, a tourist attraction in Suzhou. There are a few hills in the area with other interesting sites to visit. However, the leaning Yunyansi Pagoda is the most visited one.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

China Gay Travel Resources

Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower – Keep Calm and Wander

Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower - Keep Calm and Wander

The Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower was once the tallest building in China – from 1994-2007. Then, it was later eclipsed by the modern Shanghai World Financial Center. 

Today, the tower is the 5th tallest in the world.

A friend of mine once told me that his Shanghainese friend told him that the tower resembles that of twin dragons playing with pearls.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

China Gay Travel Resources