Five Things You Didn't Know About Gran Canaria – Nomadic Boys

Nomadic Boys - Gran Canaria When we told our friends we were going to Gran Canaria for a summer break, the reaction went along the lines of… “You’d better return with plenty of STDs otherwise it NEVER happened!” OR: “Oh yeah Gran Canaria… one of my mates came back absolutely RUINED – literally: he got pissed with a few blokes he met in the sand dunes and ended up spending the entire night there!” Gran Canaria certainly has a fierce reputation and is hugely popular with the gay boy party crowd. And for good reason: Maspaloma Pride is one of Europe’s largest annual gay events. The beach near the sand dunes of Playa del Ingles is THE place to hang out during the day and then it’s on to the infamous Yumbo Centre in the evening – a shopping mall gay playground filled with bars, clubs and Clone Zone type shops. However, there is a completely different side to the island, begging to be discovered. Most will base themselves in Playa del Ingles and not make it past Yumbo or the sand dunes. So here’s our 5 things you didn’t know about Gran Canaria to inspire you to venture out beyond the pink Playa Del Ingles bubble.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Canary Islands Gay Travel Resources

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Love Lock Madness in Cologne – Globetrotter Girls

Cologne locks It feels like I’ve been all over the place this week: Berlin, then Dusseldorf, and now in Cologne, where I am spending the weekend. My three days in Cologne were definitely my favorite part of the week – my last two days in Berlin and also in Dusseldorf, it was mostly about work, but I tried to take some time off this weekend to find out if I still loved Cologne as much as I did fifteen years ago. Cologne and I have a special history: I visited the city for the first time with my girlfriends when I was 15 and was instantly mesmerized by the multi-cultural, vibrant city. What a difference from my sleepy hometown it was! I decided right there and then that I was going to move to Cologne one day, and a few more visits during my last couple of years in high school reaffirmed my love for the city, which is why I ended up enrolling in the University Of Cologne in 2000. I had to leave unexpectedly after only two years, but always thought I’d come back one day – possibly to live there. But life had other plans for me and I never returned – until now, that is. As so many cities, Cologne has changed considerably since I lived here, and I had the best time this weekend rediscovering the place I called home all those years ago. With a good friend in tow and perfect summer weather, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect time here – from food markets to bike rides along the Rhine River to a night out in Cologne’s thriving LGBT bar scene, I loved every second of it.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Germany Gay Travel Resources

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Five Best Beaches in Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria With its year-round temperate weather, there’s never a bad time to visit the gayest Canary Island of them all: Gran Canaria. Known around the world for its rugged landscape and the friendliness of its locals, the destination – which covers a landmass of just 1,560km squared – is most famed for its paradise-like beaches. Here, we look at five of the best – from the gay beach on the doorstep of the island’s most buzzing town, Maspalomas, to the secluded nude beaches favoured by locals… Playa de Montana Arena Its name translates to ‘Sand Mountain’ because of the large mound overlooking it, offering unrivalled privacy and isolation. It draws a varied crowd and is favoured by many local LGTBIs living in the south. About half the people who go to this beach sunbathe in the nude.

By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News

Canary Islands Gay Travel Resources

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Villa Gasparini – Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast in Dolo, Italy

Villa Gasparini Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay: Villa Gasparini is a fully renovated historic building has 15 exquisitely finished rooms, furnished following 6 different themes, from classic Venetian to ethno-chic style, that represent the masculine / feminine duality and the juxtaposition of opposites. We are close to the art cities of Veneto, thefamous Venetian Villas, Padua, Treviso and countless large and smallgems that we will be pleased to suggest. All of our rooms are equipped with free wi-fi, LCD tv, safe, minibar and air-conditioning.

See the Villa Gasparini Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in Veneto, Italy

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Cycling Through Berlin – Globetrotter Girls

Cycling Through Berlin After our amazing first weekend in Berlin, we continued our adventures with more street art, more German breakfasts, my visitor’s (and my!) first ever curry wurst (this was the first time I found a vegetarian curry wurst), sunsets over Tempelhof airport (one of my favorite places in the city), and an epic 20 mile bike ride through Berlin. The city is so enormously big that is impossible to explore it on foot, and since it is a really bike-friendly city with plenty of bike lanes, bikes are a great way too see Berlin. Tiergarten alone (Berlin’s version of Central Park) is big enough to spend half a day there  (or longer) walking along the trails. We were blessed with beautiful summer weather, cycled from Alexanderplatz to Brandenburg Gate to Victory Column on one of Berlin’s main boulevards, along the canals, and all over Tempelhof which is another one of those places that is too big to be explored on foot. We did get our fair share of walking in this week, however, with the free history walking tour (I mention this tour in my quick guide to Berlin with a few other must-do activities) during which our guide brought us to the iconic Berlin landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, the Berlin Wall(again!) and the beautiful Gendarmenmarkt Square.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Germany Gay Travel Resources

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In Love With Iceland

Iceland I’ve fallen for this island nation, and I’ve fallen hard. My first visit in 2009 has resulted in two subsequent visits, and I can’t help but dream about a return. I am not the only one. Iceland’s charms have long bewitched travelers. From the first Norse explorers who settled upon the land in the North Atlantic and built a society to the Americans who were stationed here during World War II and never returned back to America, the island beckons. An Off-Broadway play by Drew Larimore titled Out of Iceland, which starred openly lesbian singer/comedienne Lea DeLaria, also noted this magical draw Iceland has on visitors. The protagonists find themselves both mysteriously pulled to Iceland’s center. Larimore explains the island’s magnetism with Iceland’s colorful folklore including the people’s wide-spread belief in hidden people, trolls, and elves–some can’t help but think that maybe there is something bigger than us that attracts us to the land of fire and ice. It’s not just magical hidden people that bring visitors to Iceland, the men and women here have been known to hold special powers as well, or more likely overpowering charisma. A visit reveals ex-pats living all over Reykjavik. Manny S. originally visited from Chicago, but ultimately stayed for an attractive job and an equally attractive man. “I was first interested in Iceland because of the music scene. Many of my favorite bands came from this tiny country, so I decided to come for the Iceland Airwaves music festival. I loved everything about Iceland on my first trip here!” he says. “In the following year, I returned to Iceland twice to drive around the country and meet more people.” Sitting next to him, his partner Pall grabs his leg to get his attention. “Little did I know that I would soon meet the man who would become my husband and am still happily living in Reykjavik after eight years,” the two smile at one another. They aren’t the only ones; it’s easy to see mixed-national couples all over. Just look for the couples speaking English. It’s easier for the Icelandic partner to just speak English as Icelandic is notoriously hard to learn and converse in (though Manny has picked it up after eight years). What was once a not-so-easy-to-get-to destination, the country is now embracing its mid-Atlantic location by attracting large numbers of tourists from both North America and Europe. IcelandAir has increased its service from the United States and Canada, and last year opened up a new direct service from Denver.

By Joseph Pedro – Full Story at Passport

Iceland Gay Travel Resources

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The Berlin Wall – Globetrotter Girls

Berlin Wall Hello from Berlin! Just like New York, Berlin now feels like home to me. I spent enough time in the city over the past few years to know my way around, to navigate the comprehensive transportation network (buses, trams, overground trains, underground trains) without getting lost, I have favorite coffee shops and even a co-working space here. And this time, I even found the way to my AirBnb apartment without a map after my Google Maps app stopped working. I’d almost say that after New York, Berlin feels like my second home now. And just like last summer, I proudly showed off this awesome city to a visitor – my first of two visitors from NYC! And this one is joining me for the fourth time this year, which I am stoked about! We must have walked at least 20 miles all over Berlin this weekend, exploring my favorite neighborhoods, devouring traditional German breakfasts, strolling over weekend flea markets and taking in German history at the Berlin Wall. And the best way to learn about Berlin’s complicated history? In combination with some street art! A walk along the East Side Gallery, Germany’s longest still standing piece of the Berlin wall, nearly a mile long (1.3km) was of course the highlight for two street art lovers, and traveling with a fellow photographer also meant playing with our cameras a little more than I’ve been doing on recent trips, and I was excited to pursue a little Polaroid project that I had been wanting to do for a while – you’re getting a little sneak peek here.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Germany Gay Travel Resources

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Pula, Croatia

Pula Croatia With direct flights from London direct to Pula, summer is the perfect time to discover the Istria peninsula in northern Croatia. Istria is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea – just a short journey across the water from Venice in northern Italy. The name of this region is derived from the Histri tribe – one of the Illyrian tribes that inhabited the Balkans and parts of the Italian peninsula around the 4th century BC. The Romans described the Histri as pirates, and eventually conquered them in 177 BC. The most obvious legacy left by the Romans is the massive amphitheatre in Pula – one of the largest Roman arenas still standing – but there are a wealth of archaeological points of interest to explore in this region. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, this region repeatedly changed hands as the fortunes of the various powers waxed and waned – the Goths, the Avars, the Lombardis, and the Venetians to name a few. In more recent times, Istria has been controlled by the Habsburgs of Austria, Napoleon, and the fascist Italian government of the 1920s.

By Gareth – Full Story at Gay Star News

Croatia Gay Travel Resources

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Berlin's Parliament Dome – Globetrotter Girls

Dani - Berlin Parliament After a few short days with my family, I returned to Berlin on Thursday for six days – and to welcome two special visitors from New York! I have to admit that I am slightly exhausted after sightseeing for days, but I love showing people around this giant urban sprawl that can be overwhelming and hard to grasp for first time visitors. We wandered the tree-lined streets of Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, shopped at the Sunday flea market in Mauerpark and listened to people from all over the world belt out their favorite songs in front of 1,000 people at Bearpit Karaoke. We watched an epic sunset from Berlin’s coolest rooftop bar, Klunkerkranich (which even made it in the NYT, as a must-go spot in 36 hours in Berlin) and strolled along the canals. I also managed to get us tickets to visit the Reichstag dome on Saturday, which I hadn’t done in three years – tickets are hard to get during the summer months, probably because they’re free. Sadly I couldn’t get them for my first visitors a couple of weeks ago, so the happier I was that I was able to show these two Berlin’s best 360 degrees views.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

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Bad Weather Everywhere – Dolly Travels

Venice storm - DollyDid you think I have forgotten how to write? I have not forgotten; however, I have been distracted. Venice, with all its antique charms, also had some weather problems that made sightseeing a bit difficult. Venice is indeed charming, especially when the sun is shining on those red tile roofs and illuminating the white buildings, making them shine. But wait. Do you see that black cloud coming in from the west? That cloud means trouble. We carried umbrellas with us at all times. One never know when the rains might come, and when they do come , they can be spectacular. My tour group of last year can attest to that. Last year, we were in Murano when the black cloud appeared over the lagoon. We got onto the vaporetto for the trip back across the lagoon as quickly as we could. While on the boat, the rain came down in buckets. At times, we could hardly see the lagoon. That was pretty scary. This year, Frank and I did not encounter such a magnificent display of rainfall, but we did get wet and then cold. It was surprising how fast the temperature would plummet. We could be warm, enjoying our gelato and within a half hour we would be wet, chilled, looking for a restaurant that had hot soup. We did get to see most of the places on our agenda. We were scheduled to leave Venice on Saturday and go to the Dolomites. Unfortunately, for us, rain and thunderstorms, more cold weather was predicted for that area, so we cancelled those plans. For me, that was the most disappointing part of our entire trip. I love going to the Dolomites, especially the Alpe di Suissi area, which was our destination. I did not, however, want to spend all our time in the hotel. I could not bear to be in the Dolomites and not be able to walk on these trails. That would be torture to me. With all the weather problems in northern Italy, we decided to go back to Rome. It is warm and sunny here, and Rome is Frank’s favorite city. I wanted to go back to Florence, but it was raining there, also. Italy’s weather problems are mild compared to what we see is happening in other places in Europe. Paris has been flooded by the River Seine overflowing its banks; there is reported flooding in Bavaria, a rock concert was cancelled after 47 people were injured by lightning. Outside of Europe, I saw on the news that some places in Australia were suffering from major flooding. So here we are, in Rome again. Frank and I took a long walk up the Via Veneto this morning. When we got back to the hotel, Frank said he had had enough walking for the day, so I went to some of my favorite places by myself: the Spanish Steps (closed for repairs), Piazza Barberini, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon area (Pantheon was closed), Trevi Fountain. I threw another coin into the fountain to ensure that I will return. I can only hope and pray that this global warming and the subsequent disasters will not continue. We were fortunate that we only had to endure some rain and some cold. I am thankful for that. More adventures await us. We just have to be patient and flexible. Until next time, Arriverderci, Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

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