Berlin, A pink pillow city!

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Early in the morning, I landed at Tegel airport. Pink Pillow Hotels and Visit Berlin invited us for one of the biggest gay events in Europe: the 40th edition of CSD. I was thrilled to visit this vibrant city and his LGBTQ life!

The Pink Pillow Hotels

VisitBerlin and Berlin’s hotels want to make the city an even more attractive destination for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people. They’re collaborating in setting new standards for hotel hospitality with the “Pink Pillow Berlin Collection”. It is a way of bringing together hotels that believe with all their heart that all guests should be welcomed exactly as they are!

The hotels in the ‘Pink Pillow Berlin Collection’ welcome gay and lesbian guests with professional and relaxed service. All participating hotels have signed that all guests are treated with the same courtesy, dignity, and respect. To contributing actively in a social project, to create a work environment of respect and tolerance, to offer their guests information about the LGBTI scene and participate in visit Berlin’s semi-annual LGBTI information days.

Scandic Berlin Kurfürsterdamm and HENRI hotel had invited us to explore the benefits of the Pink Pillow hotels and of course the city of Berlin! Both hotels are close to the biggest Gay area. The rooms are spacious, the breakfast is delicious and in Scandic, you can enjoy a great wellness and Gym. But the most important thing: the staff. They helped us in every way. Loved the place!

https://buchen.visitberlin.de/visitBerlinPinkPillow/ukv?lang=de&reset=1

Berlin’s kitchen

A simple snack, an easy lunch or a fancy dinner. Berlin is a city of cultural food for every budget. There is one place where you can find the food and drinks of all these cultures: ‘Bikini Berlin’. Awaiting hungry guests is an innovative food experience with a perfect, vibrant mix of 13 international eateries: Italian, Mexican, fusion, cocktails, Israeli food, tapas and sweet. Choose your budget, pick up your meal and enjoy.

https://www.bikiniberlin.de/en/kantini/

For a real cultural lunch, try ‘Kanaan’. Kanaan is a vegan-vegetarian and Israeli-Palestinian culinary brand that was established by Oz Ben David, 35, an Israeli entrepreneur and marketing businessman and Jalil Debit, 34, a Palestinian Arab descendent of the Samir family that own the famous “Humos Samir“ in Israel and Palestine. Kannan offers gourmet and end with products such as organic tahini, a variety of salads, their baked goods and pieces of bread, spices, olive oil and much more. I’m not a culinary specialist, but I tasted a delicious kitchen I never tasted before. By good weather, you can enjoy the delicious food outside and have a look at the beautiful setting and neighborhood of the restaurant. I placed it on my ‘come back-list’ to try the other food on the menu.

https://www.kanaan-berlin.de/en

When u have a bigger budget to spend, try the ‘restaurant Faubourg‘, next to the Sofitel hotel.  They serve the real French kitchen. Mostly I’m not a big fan of this kitchen because of the small portions… but this restaurant changed my mind. In a beautiful setting, I had a delicious dinner. So, in for a romantic dinner? Well, this is the place to be.

http://lefaubourg.berlin/de/

CSD on the Spree

As Belgian and Antwerp gay guy I have melancholic thoughts about ‘Navigaytion’, the party on the water. 10 boats with DJs and party people on the river.

So, I was excited about the Berlin version: ‘CSD on the spree’. 16 boats were ready to take off with enthusiastic party people… like me. Two hours on the river with all the ingredients: a party boat, lot of party people, alcohol, a great DJ who played the real party music, a theme by every boat  (Berlin Pride, Visit Berlin, the fetish boat, dikes, and divas,…) and colorful pompoms. And at the end of the tour… an afterparty! It was nice to see how the Berliners enjoyed the fun from the many bridges and streetside. A perfect start of CSD.

http://www.csd-auf-der-spree.de/en/

40y CSD: 50y of stonewall

On Saturday we could enjoy one of the biggest prides of  Europe… CSD Berlin. The first impression: whole Berlin had the rainbow in their hearts: children, parents, shops, party people. For one day, Berlin was LGBTQ.

In 2019 we celebrate 50y of stonewall. The place in NY where the fight for our rights begun.  After the usual speeches, it was time to start the parade. And what a fun! Even when u not like parades… you were sucked into the enthusiasm and atmosphere. Hours of walking, hours of watching to color full people, celebrating with the Berliners in the street.

The parade ended on the ‘Brandenburger Tor’. We could enjoy the speeches, the great artists or just take a snack or a drink. Meat, fish or vegetarian… everyone found his or her snack.

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Gay Berlin

Many LGBTQ people love to party or having a nice drink with friends. But where to go in this amazing city with his big choice of bars, gay-friendly restaurants, and shops? I asked it Henrik Tidefjärd. He is a Swede with Russian and Finnish blood who loves the nightlife of Berlin. With his experience of many years living in the Queer city, he is for sure the specialist in giving tips.

Berlin has 4 different areas. Every area has his kind of crowd. Here is a small guide to know where u have to be.

West Berlin or Shöneberg Berlin is ‘the cliché gay scene’. Many commercial bars, darkrooms, gay-friendly restaurants, and fashion shops. You find there a more older crowd and also the fetish scene.

Prenzlauer Berg is the place for the hipsters and bohemian chic with also bars, café’s and restaurants.

Friedrichshain is the place for the alternative people: party, not so clean places gay bars and clubs. But still with dark rooms.

Kreuzberg and Neu Köln is a little bit special. You find the bars next to Turkish places. But not in an aggressive way. Everyone lives together in a respectful way. This area has a more international crowd.

Still looking at a good gay map, you can find it in your Pink Pillow hotel, at the Visit Berlin info desk or in one of the gay bars. Like to know the Queer scene with a good guide? ’Berlinagenten’ has his own Queer tour of 3 hours. Henrik will show you the best places in this city. Take a look on the website for other tours like culinary, lifestyle and cultural tours.

http://berlinagenten.com

https://www.visitberlin.de/en/lgbti-gay

How to visit Berlin?

Berlin is an amazing city and you need many days for just seeing a little part of the city. Are you looking for a cultural trip, finding some amusement or look for child-friendly places, the office of ‘Visit Berlin’ will give you good advice.
But the city is big… very big! So buy the Berlin welcome card. With this card, you can enjoy the trams, buses and the U Bahn without an extra cost for the days you are there (even at night you can go back to your hotel). With the city guide, you have different discounts on f.e. tours, musea, and restaurants.
A short time in Berlin? Then take the hop on-hop off bus: easy and quick to see the places you always wanted to see.
After 3 days of fun, I took my plane back to Belgium… and for the first time, I took my agenda. With a smile on my face, I thought… Berlin Ich Liebe Dich!

https://www.visitberlin.de/en

Beyond the Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon’s hotspots!

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Let’s go back to Saturday 13 may 2017. Portugal wins the biggest music festival of the world for the first time. The whole country gets crazy! Portuguese people just love music and the Eurovision Song Contest and they love to show that to the rest of the world.

In May 2018 Lisbon will be the center of the world for 3 days.  The city where thousands of fans will be. Time to see Lisbon’s hotspots, taste the great Portuguese food and enjoy the friendliness of the Portuguese people.

Fly to… the Eurovision Song Contest 2018

TAP, the national airline of Portugal is the best way to enjoy the Portuguese friendliness. Enjoy a comfortable flight to Lisbon and get a snack on board with a good glass of wine or watch a movie on long haul flights. This, all with the Portuguese smile of the crew.

https://www.flytap.com

Enjoy a good stay in Lisbon

If you stay the full week of the contest, you need a good bed.  Lisbon has a staying for every budget. You can easily find a great hotel close to Lisbon’s hotspots.  If you like luxury for a good price, A good choice will be the 5 star Altis Avenida Hotel. After a long walk in the city, you can enjoy a nice room, a good dinner or enjoy the wellness in the Altis Grand hotel.

http://www.altishotels.com

But why not stay at the Late Birds hotel. This all male Gay urban resort lies between the two gay areas of Lisbon.  The Late Birds Lisbon is housed in a completely restored, late-18th century building with twelve very comfortable climate-controlled rooms, lounge, beautiful garden and UV-treated swimming pool. It’s an oasis after a long day of visiting the city. Regarding nightlife, the guesthouse is less than a 10 minute-walk from all gay venues (Bars, Clubs and Saunas) and the most famous and typical restaurants of Bairro Alto, Chiado, Principe Real, Santos and Cais do Sodré.

http://www.thelatebirdslisbon.com/the-late-birds.html

For the real fans who want to enjoy the atmosphere of the Eurovision song contest, stay at Myriad hotel. This beautiful hotel, close to the water, is at walking distance of the big concert hall. For sure, you will meet a lot of artists in this hotel.

http://hotel-rn.com/hw/a419339/index.htm?lbl=ggl

Walk, walk and walk

The best way to enjoy the city and the many quarters is by foot. But wear good walking shoes. The streets of Lisbon go up and down and do not forget to count the many stairs of the city. But if you get tired, make a stop for a snack or a drink. For the short timers, just take one of the old fashion trams. They bring you to all the places you like.

What you see is what you get: the hotspots

If you stay a whole week, go visit the city. Lisbon has great things to offer.  You maybe decide to stay some more days after the contest. Let’s start with some interesting museums.

MNAA, the ‘Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga’ is the main museum. It’s housing the most relevant public collection from the 12th till the 19th century: painting, sculpture, silver, gold and jewelry. Take your time, because you need several hours to enjoy all of this. And take a look to the beautiful architecture of the building. It’s amazing.

http://www.museudearteantiga.pt/

Next stop is the ‘Museu da Agua’. It manages and promotes a group of buildings and monuments built in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. They mark an important period in the history of Lisbon’s water supply. You can follow a ‘museum route’ or make an underground walk with a guide. It’s magnificent and special.

http://www.epal.pt/EPAL/menu/museu-da-%C3%A1gua/apresenta%C3%A7%C3%A3o/hist%C3%B3ria

Lisbon Story center is a space dedicated to the city of Lisbon that combines knowledge and technology. It offers a 60-minute journey through time travelling across 20 centuries of history of the capital, from its foundation to the present day. A must to see.

https://lisboastorycentre.pt/

International Lisbon

Love the Brooklyn Bridge? Then visit the ‘Ponte 25 de Abril’. It was built by the American Bridge Company, which constructed the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, but not the Golden Gate.  With a total length of 2,277 m, it is the 32nd largest suspension bridge in the world. Until 1974, the bridge was named ‘Salazar Bridge’. The name ‘Ponte 25 de Abril’ commemorates the Carnation Revolution. You can get in ‘Pilar 7’ and visit the open view point. You not only can see the traffic of the city, but imagine that you are in Rio. Enjoy the big ‘Jesus Christ statue’.  But in the first place experience an amazing view from the platform.

https://www.visitlisboa.com/pilar-7-bridge-experience

Lisbon is an example for the world how to use ugly walls of buildings. They just make art of it with amazing street art. Buy the guide of all the pieces and enjoy magnificent paintings through the whole city. Some of them are from ‘Berdalo II’ and were used in a street art festival.  You need at least 2 days to see them all.

http://www.bordaloii.com/

Trendy Lisbon

Lisbon has many points of view like ‘Pilar 7’. For the Eurovision song contest fans, go lunch at ‘Myriad hotel’ and then take ‘Telecabine Lisboa’. It brings you to ‘the Park of Nations’, the latest area of Lisbon. You have an amazing view of Lisbon and the concert hall. Maybe you will spot one of the artists of the Eurovision song contest.

https://www.telecabinelisboa.pt/epages/2060-120119.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/2060-120119/Categories

At the end of the ride, you can visit ‘Oceanario de Lisboa’. It’s an example how an aquarium should be. The amazing central aquarium, that symbolizes the Global Ocean, hosts about a hundred species from four oceans. Surrounding this big aquarium, four marine habitats create the illusion that there is only one and single ocean. You see corals, sharks, penguins, sea otters and the most beautiful fish of the world. Take your time between the rehearsals because you surely need several hours to visit this place.

https://www.oceanario.pt/en

But the trendiest place is for sure ‘LX Factory’. Take an old factory site and transform it to the best place to visit: it hosts a Hostal, bars, trendy shops and restaurants. You still see the remains of the old factory. They used them in the different locations. The many rooms of the factory are used for small companies. I loved this place and worth a visit!

http://www.lxfactory.com/EN/welcome/

After a long day walking, take one of the old trams in the city to see the hotspots on an easy way. A special way to visit trendy Lisbon is by ‘Tuk Tuk’. They are Eco and bring you to one of the new trendy breweries of the city.

Enjoy the food of Lisbon

Lisbon has many places to eat and depending on your budget, you will enjoy the Portuguese specialties.

Use the app of ‘the Late Birds hotel’ and find the best cantinas of Lisbon. These restaurants for small budgets give you delicious meals in the places where people of Lisbon go eat themselves.

At the ‘Terreiro do Paço square’, the main square of Lisbon, you find ‘Can the Can’. This beautiful place with terrace offers you great food and an amazing view. It’s a typically Mediterranean cuisine, one defined by the use of natural, healthy ingredients as made the most of of Mediterranean peoples for more than 5,000 years.

The dishes are so healthy because they are based on a combination of fresh vegetables with quality canned fish, a product, rich in Omega 3 oils and without the need of preservatives.

But they do not just serve conserves. They use the best conserves within a concept of Mediterranean gastronomy. They elevate the conserves we use to the level of exclusive gastronomic products, at the same time as innovating in their recipes, joining fresh ingredients and placing a premium on quality of preparation and presentation.

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If you like to try the great gastronomy, then visit the restaurants of Chef Jose Avillez. He stands out for his enterprising spirit and his willingness to always go one step further. He has several restaurants in Lisbon like ‘Belcanto’, ‘Bairro do Avillez’, ‘Mini Bar’, ‘Cantina Peruana’, ‘Cantinho do Avillez’, ‘Café Lisboa’ and ‘Pizzaria Lisboa’.

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‘The Palacio Chiado’ is an elegant palace built in 1781 with beautiful architecture. In one place you have several restaurants and bars. You can order from all of them: meat, fish, and sushi. The architecture of the building is amazing! So enjoy during your dinner.

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But Lisbon’s national product is ‘Pastel de Nata’. It’s a Portuguese egg tart pastry. Taste it and for sure you will love it.

For lunch, try the Portuguese tapas: ‘Petiscos’. The best place is close to Altis Avenida Hotel.

Gay Lisbon

The gay life is divided in 2 parts. One with the LGBT friendly bars and terraces. The other one for the bars, discos and cruising places. Again, take the app of ‘Late Birds’ and know the best places to go.   But first take a nap after a day of walking. The fun starts late in the weekend. So enjoy the city and make new friends. You surely come back!

https://www.travelgayeurope.com/destination/gay-portugal/gay-lisbon/

So, let the best win the Eurovision Song Contest and come back to see more of this great city… with TAP of course!

https://www.visitlisboa.com/

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Celebrity, a cruise with a heart for LGBT’s

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October 2017, Touristicogay goes aboard the Celebrity Reflection. The next 11 days we will visit beautiful cities in the Mediterranean and notice the gay friendliness of this cruise agency.

The ship and the cabins

Celebrity Reflection is a Solstice-class cruise ship and with more than 3000 guests on board it’s a floating city. One of the goals of Celebrity is affordable luxury… and they show that with the big X in their logo.

We recommend taking at least a cabin with a balcony. Enjoy the sunset or drink a glass of wine when  you reaches one of the beautiful destinations. When you take the upgrade to the concierge class or suite class, the crew spoils you every day with snacks, drinks and special events like a sail away on the helicopter deck…. an incredible experience.

The cabins and bathroom are spacious, the beds comfortable and the sheets and pillows are blessed to sleep. Your personal attendant cleans your room 2 times a day and helps you with a smile when you have a question.

The restaurants

We only eat in the complimentary restaurants: buffet and main restaurant. The buffet restaurant is very spacious and a lot of different kitchens you can try. We were a little bit worried that after 11 days, we always would taste the same food, but the crew tried to bring every day something new. You also have different food stations… so no long queues.

The breakfast was varied and also here, many choices like eggs of your liking. They also had a healthy breakfast on the terrace.

The main restaurant is still with a first and second seating. If you are solstice class or higher, you can chose… but a reservation is necessary. Every day you have a new menu and we tried many of them. But many guests on the ship are American, the food too…

European’s have a different taste and sometimes you get crazy combinations like a shrimp cocktail with ketchup. In Europe we also have different kind of pastries and the European food was not always made like we know it. Is that bad? No, and the waiter will surely listen to the way you like your food on the plate. The same problem you will find in the buffet. Some European dishes are made the American way, so sometimes we had a strange taste.

If you like something special, just take one of the specialty restaurants. You get offers almost every day in your room.

If you’re staying up late, other companies serve food 24 hour, here only untill 1 am. So be sure you eat enough before partying.

The bars and entertainment

Celebrity is a modern luxury company, so no water slides here or big parties. Relaxing on the pool, enjoy the hot tub or the sauna, read a book or take a drink on the bar with live music. That’s why you go with Celebrity. We (and many other guests) liked the Martini bar (with an ice bar) where the Asian boys entertained the guest every evening with great cocktail shows. Loved it!

The most dance events took place on the floor of the grand foyer: special dance shows, parties, etc. The party goers can party at the sky lounge with a great dj and the theater is the place to be for wild entertainment.

Celebrity is not a party company, but despite that we had great shows in the theater and they even had their own productions. But… do not think you can party till 4 am. You are sailing with older guests, the bars close at 2am at the latest.. (maybe different during the summer holidays).

Every day you get a newsletter with the program of the day. Also here, you are not on a party ship. You find enough to do while at sea, but its smaller than for example on Royal Caribbean.

The LGBT friendliness on the cruise

Celebrity is mentioned as one of the most gay friendly cruise agencies in the world. LGBT people choose this kind of cruise because they do not like the big party cruises like ‘Atlantis’. They like to meet other LGBT people on the ship and enjoy a nice time either alone, with their partner or a group.

On the first day Celebrity organizes a LGBT social hour at the main bar. They announce it in the daily newspaper. The other days of the cruise you can find the LGBT social hours on the message board at guest relations. For sure, it’s a good idea of organizing this event to meet other LGBT people on the cruise… but the main bar is so crowded at that time that you not can socialize with other LGBT guests. You do not even know who is gay or not. Other cruise companies organize this event the first day with a member of the staff. Not everyone is so assertive to talk to strangers. A staff member can break the ice.

The gay-friendly destinations

But you chose this company for the destinations. And in this cruise many LGBT friendly  cities to visit. We make a selection of it.

Spain has been known as a gay-friendly country. In our program was the beautiful city of  Barcelona with an overnight stay. During the day you can enjoy the beauty of the city with the Ramblas, Sagrada Familia and the delicious food. But in the evening the city is known for its huge and vibrant gay life. Barcelona, a city that never sleeps!

A famous destination is Nice at the Côte d’Azur. You arrive at Villefrance. With the bus or the train you can visit the beautiful city in less than 30 min. Take a walk in the shopping street  before you enjoy the hot weather at the beach and its nice boulevard. But before you leave to the ship go visit the tourist office and ask for the gay map. The next time you are in Nice you will definitely visit the vibrant gay life of this city. Also visit their website for the latest events.

Malaga has been known as one of the most beautiful cultural cities in Spain. For the short time you are there visit the house of Picasso and make a walk on the promenade. The next time you come back just take the metro and in 30 min you are in Torremolinos. This beach city has an amazing gay life and 2 gay beaches.

When you arrive in Cartagena take a tour to Murcia. The historical city is fascinating and known for its Casino and Cathedral. But try to come back for the nightlife. Many LGBT’s visit the city for the gay life.

Ibiza is a vibrant island during summer. When you are a party animal, come back! After summer you better take a tour to see more of the cultural part of this island.

Celebrity or Royal Caribbean?

Many people ask me which company is the best: Royal Caribbean or Celebrity? First, they are both LGBT friendly and Royal has been chosen as the most gay friendly cruise agency of 2016.

But it all depends what you like on your cruise. For partying, water slides, shows, big entertainment and a younger crowd Royal Caribbean is the number one cruise. They even have the biggest cruise ships in their fleet. But if you like a little bit more luxury, a long stay at the destinations and a great kitchen then Celebrity is the cruise for you.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/

 

Torremolinos, Malaga’s gay hotspot!

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Ask a gay guy to mention a beach in Spain to party.. and they will most likely answer: Playa Del Ingles at Gran Canaria with its gay beach, Yumbo Centre, parties and hot guys… However, Last year I discovered Torremolinos. And I was surprised about the huge gay life over there. So, could it be a substitute for Gran Canaria? Let’s find out.

Take a plane to the beautiful city of Malaga, then take the metro and 1 hour later you ‘re lounging at the hotel’s swimming pool. But what are the pros and con’s of this beach city?

What to eat and where to stay

Torremolinos is famous for its huge hotels on the beach, but you can also find smaller places to stay at. If you prefer your hotel to be catered exclusively to the gay community, we can give you 2 options: Hotel Rituals and Hostal Guadalupe. Both places are close to the beach and the party locations.

Like Playa Del Ingles, you can find many fast-food restaurants, but Torremolinos and Malaga have great restaurants where you can eat Spanish food at a reasonable price. Also try the restaurant of Hostal Guadalupe: there you can have a 3-course meal with a drink for a great price… and it has to be said: it’s delicious.

The beach

Torremolinos hosts 2 gay beaches. Between them you find Eden beach bar with a nice terrace. On the boulevard you find a fancy place: El Gato lounge. But…the beach is less party minded then the one on Playa del Ingles: a bar, chairs and a beach… and no dunes for cruising. But nonetheless it all makes for a good place to enjoy the nice men and the great weather.

Let’s Party!

Playa Del Ingles has Yumbo center, Torremolinos La Nogalera. A huge place with many bars, discos, restaurants, shops and even a sauna. The most bars are modern and many have cruising areas. So start your evening at NA with a cocktail and then visit the happy hour of Free Eagle. That last bar has a free entrance and is a great place for fetish people. Then visit Men’s bar, Vida, Eden Copas and the best gay cocktail bar: La Bohemia.

The most bars and discos have cruising places, but you can also visit one of the many sex- and fetish clubs or one of the three gay saunas in the city (some of them have a lot of cute rent boys). Make sure to visit Querell, The Factory, Apolo sauna and sauna Atlas.

The discos start late. Aqua club has a nice bar with terrace and the disco (with cruising) is almost every day open. But on saturday everyone visits Centuryon! It’s a large disco, very beautiful and great music… When you leave this great disco…. it probably  will already light outside and time for breakfast!

The pros and contras

Why you should go to Torremolinos and why to Playa del Ingles?

Torremolinos has a huge and modern gay life, 2 beaches, nice restaurants, cheap drinks and you are close to many cultural cities like Malaga or Granada. But the weather is seasonal, and younger guys will visit the place in the weekend.

For the good weather you have to visit Playa Del Ingles. You can visit it the whole year around. Also the gay life is vibrant and the gay beach is more party minded. However, the bars are older, there are no cultural cities and the flights are more expensive.

But whatever your preferences, you are bound to have an unforgettable gay holiday at the beach.

Torremolinos

 

 

 

 

 

Roze Zaterdag Den Bosch: Iedereen Roze en een weerzien met Elof De Neve

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Elk jaar kiest Nederland zijn Roze stad. Een heel jaar lang bereiden zij een uniek weekend voor met alle aspecten van een Pink Pride: cultuur, begrip, emancipatie, informatie en vooral veel feesten. Dit jaar waren ’s Hertogenbosch en Oss de gaststeden… en wij waren erbij!

’s Hertogenbosch of kortweg Den Bosch is de hoofdstad van de provincie Noord-Brabant. Tilburg is slechts 20 minuten rijden met de trein. Al vrij snel ontdekten we waarom deze stad zo bekend is bij shoppers. Het centrum is één groot winkelparadijs met kleine en grote straten. Shopaholics vinden hier zeker hun ding.

Roze Zaterdag draait om emancipatie, begrip, respect en samenhorigheid en dat viel onmiddellijk op als je de stad binnenreed. In elke wijk kleurden regenboogvlaggen de straten en huizen, inwoners liepen er met roze handtassen en de roze hoedjes en boa’s gingen als zoete broodjes over de toonbank. Het was duidelijk dat Den Bosch en Oss gay-friendly steden zijn waar je aanvaard wordt door elke inwoner.

Cultuur, info en vooral veel sfeer

Naast een roze kerkdienst en een cultuurroute kon de bezoeker zich vergapen aan een kleine canalpride waaraan verschillende doelgroepen deelnamen… zelfs de politie in uniform! In het park kon je kuieren langs de vele en diverse infostands en op het plein stond een podium met dans, zang en veel sfeer (Of lag dat aan de heerlijke frietjes en het biertje?). Ook de jongeren hadden hun eigen plek met een silent disco.  Op de markt stroomden ’s avonds stadsgenoten toe voor musical, dans, nationale en internationale sterren. De inwoners van Den Bosch lieten een heel weekend zien dat ze konden feesten en voor 1 weekend de roze stad van Nederland vormden.

Gay bar ‘Janika’

Zoals in vele steden verdwijnt er heel wat gayhoreca in Den Bosch. De stad telt nog slechts één gaybar: Janika. Een kleine, leuke bar waar kitsch troef is: oude Nederlandse platenhoezen aan de muur, een bar met luchters in de vorm van ananassen en twee fantastische barmannen maakten het plaatje compleet. Wat maakt de bar dan zo speciaal? De sfeer! Door de boxen galden de ene Nederlandse schlager na de andere. Wij stonden bijna op de tafels! Een avond leuke fun beleven? Dan is deze bar jouw plek!

https://www.facebook.com/Gaycafejanika/

Danse Le Duc: een weerzien met Elof de Neve

Een paar keer per jaar kan je feesten op Danse Le Duc, een partyconcept in Den Bosch met twee zalen, leuke muziek, mooie mensen en als headliner: Elof de Neve. Voor de Belgische bezoekers een leuk weerzien met de ex-resident dj van Red and Blue in Antwerpen. Dance Le Duc is jouw plek als je gewoon een leuke party wil beleven!

https://www.facebook.com/DanseLeDuc/

Den Bosch: een simpelweg leuke stad!

Den Bosch is naast een gay-friendly city gewoon een leuke stad om te vertoeven met leuke winkels, restaurantjes, bars en party’s. Je bent er vanuit Vlaanderen in 2 uur met de trein en met een weekendbiljet betaal je nog geen 30 euro!

https://www.bezoekdenbosch.nl/nl

Colombia, unmasking the prejudices

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Touristicogay was 3 weeks in Colombia and visited 4 cities: Bogota, Cali, Medellin and Cartagena. We had 2 goals: are the prejudices true and how gay is Colombia? In Europe many people think Colombia is still dangerous and everyone offers you drugs. But is that true?

We arrived at the airport after a flight of 12 hours. Many airline companies start with flights to Bogota, also KLM and Lufthansa in Europe. Outside you choose the official taxi, like in every country.

BOGOTA

Bogota is a huge city and not so warm as other cities, so warm clothes in the evening are necessary. We stayed in Hostel Pink, a gay venue in Chapinero very close to all the gaybars and discos. Reny and his team offer you a nice basic room with a breakfast for you and your partner.

http://www.hostelpink.com

For the touristic part you must be in the historical town. This beautiful part of the city offers you the gold museum and an old town that you can visit with a free tour offered by Bogota’s touristic office. Also visit the monastery on the mountain. You can take a train or a cable. Enjoy the view on the mountain. It is amazing!

If you want to visit the city,grab a taxi. It is the cheapest and most easy way to get around. Bogota has a bus system, the TransMilenio, but no one understands the system and it is dangerous. First Safety tip: NEVER stop a taxi on the street. Use the app on your mobile phone or ask the hotel to call one. The most clubs have their own people to bring you save to your hotel again.

The food is really cheap in Bogota: whatever your taste, you can go around for less than10 euro. The international restaurants are more expensive.

The gay life in Bogota is remarkable: bars, disco, sauna, sex clubs… you find it in the whole city. Babylon is a nice gay sauna that you can compare with a European sauna. Dark club is a weekend cruising venue with lots of action. But on Thursday go to El Mozo Club. This venue has 2 floors, great music and is packed with cute guys. I loved it! On Friday and especially on Saturday everyone goes to Theatron. This gay palace is the largest gay disco in Latin America. Behind those walls you find 10 discos. Remixes, dance, regeaton,… every place has its own style of music. On the square, people listen to live music and eat a snack. At the entrance you pay 15 dollar where you get a cup that you can refill from 21h till 2h with alcohol. More than 6000 people visit this place every weekend.

http://www.elmozoclub.com

https://www.portaltheatron.co

CALI

After visiting a crowded city like Bogota, Cali is a welcome respite. Also the temperature is better than Bogota, and taking a taxi is safer. Here you can take a taxi on the street in all safety.

We stayed at Hostal Dona Sol. John and his partner have a beautiful and quiet place where you can enjoy the swimming pool, the nice room and in the morning John serves you a delicious breakfast. In the past he had a restaurant, so every morning he suprises you with a delicious meal.

http://hostaldonasol.wix.com

Go visit the historical city and if you have time, go visit the zoo. Its one of the most beautiful in Latin America. At the touristic office in the historical center you get a map with faces. Those faces show you which areas are safe for tourists. So keep those warnings in mind.

The gay life starts here on Thursday. From Sunday till Wednesday you find 1 bar open, a gay salsa bar and some saunas. Cali Club is the most European gay sauna with nice facilities, but Phisicus 21 club definitely hosts the hottest guys.

MEDELLIN

Medellin won the price of most innovating city and you can see why: its modern, nice center has a great (and safe) metro system and a beautiful ecological park.

We stayed at 61 Prado, a European hotel in Medellin, close to the metro. The rooms are superb and the food in the restaurant is delicious. You really need to try the Colombian food there. Again here, do not take a taxi on the street, but use the app on your mobile phone.

http://www.61prado.com

The metro system in Medellin is cheap, good and safe for tourists. It brings you to the center of the city where you can make nice walks. Bogota is bigger, but Medellin is more modern in every way. At the end of the metro you can take a cable train that brings you in 30 min to a beautiful ecological park. You can eat something there, make walks or bike tours and have a wonderful view over the city.

The gay life here is different from other cities. They have open gay bars where everyone starts their evening with a cocktail on the street. Then you go to one of the gay discos. You can choose between a salsa and electronic/Latin music one. The music is nice, the drinks cheap and the boys are hot! I loved Medellin.

JOR: Colombian Fashion for gays

Everyone in Europe knows ES and Andrew Christian, but Colombia has its own fashion designer: Javier Ortega. He is the proud owner of JOR: exclusive underwear and swimwear. I had an interview with Javier. His fashion is more colorful than other ones, more Colombian, but nice! You can find a JOR store in Medellin or buy it online and who knows maybe in the future buy it in shops in Europe. I loved it!

http://www.jor.com.co

CARTAGENA

The last city is Colombia’s beach city. It has 2 areas: the historical town and the hotel part. First I did not like it. It was not Colombia for me, but you start to love this city.

I stayed in Casa el Carretero, a gay-friendly guesthouse with nice rooms, a small swimming pool and a good breakfast. Very close you find plenty of cheap restaurants where you can eat for under 10 euro.

http://www.casaelcarretero.com

You can do everything on foot if you stay in the historical part. If you stay in the hotel part, you need a taxi. Discuss the price with the taxi driver, as here they do not use a meter.

Everyday you can have a free walking tour in Cartagena. You just have to pay a tip. For that you get a great tour of 2h with professional guides. Go to the many tourist information points for the details.

http://freetourcartagena.com.co/us

Cartagena is a beach town, so enjoy the good weather and for gays, there is a gay friendly part at the end of the beach. Ask the way to gays and you will definitely find it!

The gay life in Cartagena is very small. They have 1 gay bar: Le Petit and in the weekend 2 gay clubs. But what a great atmosphere at the gay bar: I loved the music, the drinks and if you like muscled guys… Cartagena is definitely your place! Remember that many guys are rent boys!

https://www.facebook.com/LEPETITCLUBDISCOTECA

THE PREJUDICES

My first goal was to look to all the prejudices. Is Colombia dangerous? Yes, but if you follow the rules of the city it arguably is one of the safest countries to travel in. Flying from to city is possible with AVIANCA, an excellent company.

Is Colombia still a drug country? Of course… but in those 3 weeks, just 2 guys offered me drugs, and the police check non-stop.

Is Colombia gay? Oh yes! It is one of the up-and-coming gay countries. You find bars, clubs, sauna, sex clubs and the hottest Latin guys… and this all at cheap European prices.

Colombia stepped into the future of tourism. More information? Click on the websites for the hotels or go to www.touristicogay.be and listen to the interviews i had with Edison from Theatron, El Mozo Club, Javier from JOR and Rubén Egea, a gay activist. Watch the movies of Theatron, Dona Sol and JOR’s exciting fashion!

 

 

The Late Birds Lisbon, an oasis in the city

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A visit at Lisbon is a must do: small streets, good food, a beach, culture and nice people. At the end of the day u can relax in The Late Birds Lisbon, the All Male Gay Urban Resort.

Lisbon has many things to offer for the tourist and the gay tourist. The two gay neighborhoods have a gay sauna, nice bars, discos, shops and restaurants. Before midnight the bars are empty, so after a busy day at the beach or the city, u like to rest and then is The Late Birds a blessing in the city.

The Late Birds

The Late Birds lies between the 2 gay parts and is a real oasis. The rooms are very spacious with a beautiful balcony. Ask for the different prices.

Carlos and his friendly staff is available 24h and provides you with all the information you need. But the best part is the beautiful garden with swimming pool. There you can rest while you enjoy one of the great cocktails.

In the early evening all the guests join together for a cocktail or a wine at the bar before they go dinner or party. After the party you can enjoy a fantastic breakfast. For the late birds its even available at 14h.

The App

U can take a map to find all the gay venues or try the great app of the guesthouse. Download it easily from the Android or Apple store. You can find a route with the best LGBT spots in Lisbon, the best cantinas, the best restaurants, the museums, gay beaches, best shopping places and much more. On a map u see the places and in the city u not need internet, because the map works offline. Its surely a plus for this guesthouse.

http://www.thelatebirdslisbon.com

Lisbon Tours

If you like to visit the city with a small group of LGBT people, you can surely choose for Lisbon tours. The tour is very personal and professional. They also organise tours to the gay beach. But you have to be quick, its very popular!

http://www.lisbonbeach.com

Touristicogay was on board of NCL EPIC: one of the most gayfriendly cruiseship

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Touristicogay was aboard on one of the most beautiful ships of NCL: Epic. With more than 4000 passengers it is one of the largest and most beautiful ships of the fleet. We left in Barcelona and visited Pompeii, Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and Palma de Mallorca. The cruise lasted 8 days. Here our report and assessment.

Freestyle cruising

Norwegian is known for its freestyle concept. Granted, we were a little afraid of it, but this is unjustified. With freestyle you are going to eat when you want and with whom you will. You have many restaurants next to the buffet restaurant which are included in the price: the outdoor buffet, 2 a la carte restaurants, an Asian restaurant, a noodle bar and an Irish pub (where you can eat 24 hours a day). In very few cases, you had to wait a little, but this was easily solved by giving a beeper to the guests. Also in the buffet restaurant, the crowds were limited and by the many food stations was mostly a little row. Each cruise line must have to import this concept!

The cabin

We had chosen for a balcony cabin. Many people complain about the small cabins and that is not unjustified. You have little space to you to dress up, but you can ask yourself the question how much time you spend there on such a big ship. NCL is also specialized in single cabins. Thereby you pay less than other cruise lines. Decision: a little more privacy, but it was not really disturbing.

The food

With the freestyle concept you can eat where and when you want. The buffet restaurant has a wide choice and the meals were varied and delicious. The only flaw was that many dishes there were served lukewarm. Those who like to eat a la carte could visit Manhattan Room and Taste. It was amazing! Every day you had a different menu and plenty of choices.

Also the Asian restaurant and Irish pub had delicious meals. People who love noodles, will be disappointed walking outside the noodle restaurant. The plates were to easy. If u like more variety in your choices you can always choose for a specialty restaurant: French, Italian, Brazilian,..

U have a wide variety of bars and everyone is mostly quickly served anywhere. The choice and presentation of the cocktails was less than other companies. Despite your drinks package you need to sign each of the receipts. It frustrated many guests.

The shows

NCL excels in their shows. Most cruise lines make own productions, NCL chooses for international shows and artists. Priscilla Queen of the Desert is an award winning musical. Onboard you saw the full broadway production and it was just amazing: what a show!! Burn the floor was also a great production with a fantastic decor … by far amazing. You felt if you were in a Broadway theater. The fact that u had to reserve your places, was a good choice of NCL.

In the Cavern Club (reconstructed to the original bar from Liverpool) you could watch a performance of the Epic Beatles. I am no Beatle fan, but it was by far one of the most professional cover groups.: top entertainment. But also Soulsatisfaction was purely top. An American group with motown and soul in its purest form.
In the spiegeltent you could enjoy a delicious dinner while watching the performance of Cirque Dreams & Dinner. You felt at times in a close setting of cirque du soleil. It was a stunning and unique spectacle.

But also the other groups, musicians, etc. who played everywhere on board were of the highest level. In short, if you like professional entertainment and you would like to pay more for this, be sure to choose NCL … and many passengers shared that same opinion.

Activities on board

Epic has a lot of animation on board: swimming pools, whirlpools, sports fields, bowling alleys, sport fields, a gym and supper water slides. For the gamblers among us you have one of the largest casinos aboard a cruise ship and you could enjoy the spa area.
Epic also have an entertainment team on Board for the necessary activities during the day and evening. While Epic scores high with its international shows, it lacks quality in their own animation team. The team was little to be seen during the day (out of a faint line dance by the pool) and they organized shows where I had a HI-DE-HI feeling (the American serie about a summer camp). This works with American tourists, but not with European customers. They like a higher standard of animation on board a ship.
The disco was the place to be in the evening hours, but they could not convince. They even managed to screw up the most parties by a bad DJ. There was often even more crew on the dance floor than customers.

NCL surely needs to work on a more professional entertainment staff that has more contact with the guests. Its unprofessional when they all go sit in the back with cocktails and party on their own while there are still guests. Even the macho behavior of certain team members of the entertainment team bothered me enormously (and other guests).

The excursions

Despite the high excursion prices they are very well organized and you get value for your money. Both in Pompeii as in Florence we had very professional guides. If you decided to go on your own, you got very good information on board. Its a shame that the day before they gave no information about the destination. Other cruise companies have this as an activity in their program. By NCL you had to read it on a screen.
The Crew

as a guest we felled ourselves at home on the ship. Epic is a week your home and then you expect your crew to be friendly and personal. That feeling we had here for sure: with the cabin steward, in the restaurant and at the bar. The crew did their job with pleasure and many guests told me to have a good feeling aboard.

One of the most gayfriendly cruises

On Board were a lot of gaypeople: couples and singles. They choose sometimes for a normal cruise rather than a gaycruise. With the musical Priscilla, queen of the dessert, NCL programmed one of the gayest musicals on earth. Many other shows had their gaymoments too: Burn the floor, Cirque@dreams, … and also the crew were very gayfriendly.

The most surprising was the daily official activity of a meeting in the bar for all the LGBT guests on board of the ship. The cruise director told me that its organized on every ship of NCL. Thank you NCL for the gayfriendly touch. Despite the good organization of gaycruises, some people like to do other cruises too. And as an LGBT member we like to feel us at home and meet other LGBT guests to have dinner together, do an excursion or party on board. This makes NCL one of the most gayfriendly cruise agencies. We hope other cruise agencies program this too.

Decision.

Who likes entertainment and international shows during his cruise should definitely choose for NCL. They are by far the best in the market. Also the freestyle principle is a bulls eye. This would have to be organized by other cruise companies. They score less on the personal entertainment and their smaller cabins. NCL is by far one of the most gayfriendly cruise companies.

But would I consider a next cruise by NCL? For sure! NCL is professional, gayfriendly and if you take the small flaws, you get definitely value for money.

With Air Berlin to New York and Washington

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New York, famous for his statue of Liberty, Times Square,… and Washington for his White House and Capitol.
Touristicogay went to the Big Apple and Washington to see the best (and sometimes special) spots and the best gaybars in town. We fly with Air Berlin from Dusseldorf Airport. It was an amazing trip!

The easiest way to reach the airport of Dusseldorf is by train: take a Thalys and the ICE and you are there in just 3h from Antwerp or Brussels. Every 20 min you have a comfortable train from the main train station in Dusseldorf.

The airport surprises you: its modern with a lot of facilities: bars, shops,…..
Everyone hates a long check-in. With Air Berlin it goes fast and friendly. It just took me 15 min. Air Berlin flies on a regional airport, but is surely not a low cost company. You have much space on the economy seats and your own entertainment programs. A screen broken? They just come replace it. The staff is very friendly and the food was one of the best catering services I had on an airplane. In just 7 hours you are in the Big Apple. But first we fly further to Washington…

Washington

You can reach the city by plane from JFK. There are different companies who fly directly to the city.
We stayed at Palomar hotel, one of the Kimpton hotels. Its central in the gay area and popular by Europeans. At the corner you have a Tube station. We stayed in a nice suite with bathroom and soft beds. The hotel has a 24 hour gym and a swimming pool. During the week you can enjoy a free winetasting and socialize with the other guests. The breakfast can be taken in the restaurant for a small extra price. You can choose between continental and American Breakfast. It was just delicious.

http://www.hotelpalomar-dc.com

Washington is a green city. You can reach every part easily with the metro. Our first stop was the air and space museum. It gives you the history of the space program till the space shuttle and the history of the airplanes in US. They have many free tours. Try to catch one. We had an engineer of the past space program. He could tell us many stories.

But Washington is famous for the White House and the Capitol. Make your reservation for the White House in progress, but do not expect too much. You just see 5 rooms and no pictures allowed. After just 30 min you stay again on the street. A tour in the Capitol is very interesting. For that go to the visitors center. You will be placed in a group and get a free guide. You visit the main rooms, the library and the parliament. And its all free. But there is much more to see. If you like museums, you will find many on the mall, the green spot of Washington.

For shopping, take a free bus to the outlet shopping store outside of Washington. Its a big shopping mall with more than 200 outlet stores. Take a whole day and many credit cards, because its really cheap here.

Washington has a nice gaylife. You find discos, a Latin and black gaybar, stripper bars and a nice gay sauna. Here the bars close early, and they have many happy hours. But the sauna is open 24 hours. Just take the free magazine in one of the bars and you know where to go. And.. they serve Belgian beer!!

On Sunday, gays go brunch. You can do that at Agora restaurant. You pay 30 dollar and can choose for 2h from the map: small diches with different eggs, salads, toast and yoghurt. This all with champagne or cocktails as much as you want. Not a better way to start your Sunday! Up to New York…..

http://agoradc.net

New York

The best way to go from Washington to New York is by train: comfortable and easy… and free Wi-Fi!!!

We stayed in Colonial House Inn, in the nice neighborhood of Chelsea. Its a gay friendly B&B and Tony and his staff helps you with everything. You can book a nice room with shared bathroom or a suite with private bathroom. The breakfast is just delicious with own baked bagels, eggs, orange juice, yoghurt and fresh fruit. In the summer, you can sit on the rooftop.

http://www.colonialhouseinn.com

You can take the Metro to reach the the different areas of New York, but its a nice walking city. We walked a whole day and saw many places that you will miss when you take the metro. Go visit Time Square, museum, statue of Liberty and the other famous buildings and attractions. But do not forget to go to the new museum of 9/11. Its a nice spot where you can think one moment of all the victims of that day. And of course on Sunday you must visit Central Park: every New Yorker does the same.

If you book a tour chose for the Harlem Gospel tour on Sunday or Wednesday or the Brooklyn tour. We took the Harlem gospel tour with a guide. She can tell you many stories about this neighborhood and ends with a Gospel church visit of 1 hour.

The gay life in New York is huge: sports bars, disco, parties, strip bars, lounges. Every bar has happy hours from 4pm till 9pm. But not forget to visit the stonewall inn. At this gay bar, our freedom started in the 60s. For the rest: take a free copy of the magazine and look to the parties (and the hot bartenders) of that week.

Conclusion: Washington is nice, green city… New York an amazing one. If you like service, quality and friendly staff… then choose for Air Berlin. I do it again next time!

http://www.airberlin.com