Greetings from the tiny island nation of Provincetown, Mass. Provincetown is the town that theme weekends built. Thematically, we have already cycled through Film Festival, Portuguese Festival, Circuit Party/Fourth of July, and Bear Week. Of course while famous for our separatist-crowd-pleasing theme weeks, we have also been cycling through many other phases.
Florally, we have cycled through crocus, daffodils, tulips, lilac, wisteria, iris, rose, day lily, and hydrangea. Maritimely speaking, if seal-shark-orca is a food chain cycle, we are in its jaws. Heartbreakingly, we have cycled through the caterpillar-pupa-gypsy moth life cycle. In spring, caterpillars defoliated wide swaths of mid-Atlantic and Cape trees. Naturalists blame the devastation on the lack of moisture that is essential to grow a caterpillar-killing fungus. Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort blames it on Hillary Clinton.
Last week’s theme was Girlsplash! And yes, the organizers trademarked the exclamation point before poor Jeb! even thought of it.
By Kate Clinton – Full Story at wbl
Provincetown Gay Travel Resources
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As my plane touched down in Budapest and taxied into the gate, I stood up to stretch my legs and opened Tinder on my iPhone. My eyes were burning from lack of sleep and Kindle fatigue. I had bags to wrangle. But this was important. I opened the settings and changed my search criteria from “women and men” to just “women.”
As I waited for my overstuffed backpack to shoot out of the luggage turnstile, I hopped on the spotty WiFi to assess my options. I swiped right on a Raquel Welch look-alike and on a resident physician whose mischievous grin intrigued me.
At home in California’s Bay Area, I date women and men. However, when I travel overseas, I stick to women. I love men, but they can be a liability — one I’m not willing to risk when I’m on my own in a foreign place where I don’t know the subtle cultural cues, where I can’t call my best friend to come pick me up if things go awry.
I know men who are incredibly trustworthy, with whom I feel safe and that my boundaries are respected. But unfortunately, there a lot of men who don’t have that same reverence for a woman’s “no.” This can happen with female partners, too. But with men, I have had my boundaries crossed or feared violence on many more occasions.
After a week by the sea, I made my way up to London, deciding that I can’t leave England without at least a quick pit stop in my former adopted hometown.
Summer was in full swing when I arrived in Friday (a rare thing for London!) and I spontaneously decided to take some time off work and spend my Saturday like most other people this weekend, and like I used to spend so many of my London weekends: in the park (with a run though Hyde Park in the morning and a picnic in Kensington Gardens in the afternoon, where I snapped the picture above), with a bit of shopping (the madness that is Oxford Street seems less crazy when you’ve been away for a while) and last but not least: with a visit to the West End, where I saw Guys & Dolls, currently starring Rebel Wilson, who always makes me laugh, and it wasn’t any different in this musical.
I decided instead of boring you with yet another Polaroid from Berlin, I’d wait another day and share a photo of the place where I’m spending the bigger part of this week: Brighton, England!
When I came here for Brighton Pride last summer, I sure didn’t think I’d be back less than a year later, but as so often… I just never know where my travels take me2 (Remember how I ended up in the Amazon in March? Yeah, I had no intentions to go there either..).
Until last week I had no idea that I’d be hanging out at the beach in Brighton today, but I sure won’t complain about this! Apparently, summer and sunshine only arrived in Britain this past weekend, and I got to enjoy the most beautiful summer day on England’s south coast today.
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.
A little over an hour by air from New York City is Portland, Maine, a charming and picturesque port city with a concentrated population of over 60,000 residents. Flying in you might be dazzled—if it’s summer—by the sapphire blue water and emerald green vegetation. Once you land and make your way to the historic center you will marvel at the lovely examples of architecture that survived four terrible fires and a couple of terrible battles, which earned the city its seal of a phoenix rising from the ashes, and its motto “Resurgam” or “Rise again.”
Indeed, Portland is a survivor and has reinvented itself numerous times. Located on a peninsula in Casco Bay on the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean, it was originally inhabited by Indians, and then settled by white men as a site of trading and fishing. It grew into a bustling port and commercial center, reached by both rail and by sea, once icebreakers were invented for Canadian exports. Today, the prettiest—and certainly the most touristy—part of town is arguably the Old Port, which is still a commercial center, selling everything from nautical mementos to souvenirs to fresh local fish; and the vibrant and pleasant Arts District, which follows Congress Street through the city center. Only a couple of laneways and cobblestone streets down near the piers speak of the city’s rough-and-tumble past, and even they do so delightfully. Finance, petroleum, and tourism form the backbone of the city’s economy now, and the tourism is especially welcoming of LGBT travelers and hipsters.
I visited for Pride, on June 10-19, and was thoroughly charmed by the city and its people, as well as this great event, which had plenty on for lesbians, including spoken word poet Andrea Gibson and DJ Mary Mac. I mingled with the local lesbians, two of whom have transplanted themselves here because they were charmed by the place too! Kim Chesterfield, who works with the local Pride organization, came to Maine in 1992 to work at a summer camp. “I fell in love with my first partner and with Portland… I just never left,” she says.
I spent the first few days of the month in New York before flying to Germany, where I feel like I haven’t stopped moving since arriving. I spent most of my time in Berlin since getting here, but I left in between and also visited family and friends in Leipzig and Erfurt.
I feel like I’ve done so many things this month that it’s hard to believe I fit them all into only 30 days.
I started with hitting up some of my favorite places in New York City, where I enjoyed the beautiful summer weather with runs in prospect park and Central Park, bike rides through Brooklyn, a street art tour of Bushwick, and all my favorite foods.
In Berlin, I welcomed my first visitor from NYC (the second one is due to arrive tomorrow morning!), which was of course the perfect opportunity to show off all the spots that I think make Berlin special, like the remaining part of the Berlin Wall, now filled with street art and murals, Tempelhof, previously an airport, now a massive urban park, the Turkish Market in Maybachufer, Mauerpark for the Sunday flea market and karaoke, Sonnenallee with its many cheap middle eastern eateries, Kreuzberg with its street art and quirky cafes. While this first visit was focused on seeing as much of Berlin as possible, I think my second time showing friends around will be more about going out, exploring Berlin’s nightlife and craft brew scene.
In between my trips to Berlin, I spent time with my nephew, I surprised friends in my hometown (this was an unplanned visit after all – two months ago I was still expecting to spend the whole summer in New York), I took my nieces to the lake, took my beloved Odie (my sister’s dog) on runs through the fields, enjoyed cooking and wine sessions with my sister-in-law and spoiled my family by cooking and baking for them.
I spent nearly a month in Austin and I’ve already mentioned in my monthly round-up that I’ve got a huge crush on Texas’ quirky capital – who knew that a city in Texas of all places could sweep me off my feet the way that Austin did. I’ve done a fair amount of traveling in the U.S. during the past 6 years, including numerous road trips that brought me to dozens of U.S. cities – but I don’t think I’ve ever declared that I am so enamored with a place that I could see myself live there – that has always been NYC’s prerogative. But I think I might want to make an exception for Austin. Why? Well, let me share 33 of the things that I love about Austin…
Photo by Sydney Coatsworth[/caption]
For more than 5 decades, Cuba has been the much lusted after – but unattainable – American vacation. Oh the torture to be so close to those glorious beaches, to a plucky, passionate nation that remains rooted in the 50’s with antique cars and slicked back hairdos. Despite being ruled by a dictator and ostracized by their closest neighbor, they opened their arms to the world and thrived.
Although Americans have been allowed access to Cuba since 2011 through licensed tour operators, the recent lift of the embargo has hearts aflutter. But let’s be honest, it’s going to be a while yet before the average American can jet down for an inexpensive, quickie vacation, though things look good for more open American Cuba travel by the end of 2016. Some travel experts predict it will be 2-4 years before the tourism infrastructure in Cuba matures enough to support American vacationers en mass.
While you’re waiting for Cuba to ready herself for you, take a few moments to look – really look – at Cuba as a vacation destination. Cuba is home to a smorgasbord of unspoiled beaches, warm climate and passionate, hot-blooded culture, remember – but it’s still a very poor country and it’s had no exposure to American tourists for more than 50 years. Be prepared for some old-world practices.
After our