GERMANY: The German publisher of gay travel information and guidebooks, Spartacus, released its annual Gay Travel Index with a detailed ranking of 202 (+5 countries) countries worldwide and their LGBTQ+ and gay-friendliness.
SWEDEN: Get ready for World Pride 2021! Together with the Danish capital Copenhagen, Malmö will be co-hosting the biggest LGBTQ+ celebration the city has ever seen. In 2019, we were lucky to attend the 25th anniversary of Malmö Pride. In 2020, we decided to go on a second trip to Malmö… We caught up with five queer locals who took us to their favorite spots and shared their thoughts on LGBTQ+ life (in Malmö). For the first time in history, World Pride will be co-hosted by two different cities in two different countries. Connecting both cities, the Öresund bridge has made the queer relationship between Malmö and Copenhagen stronger than (ever) before. We want to know how and when queer people found their place in Malmö.
You might remember our first trip last summer where we attended Malmö Pride and toured around the Southern part of Sweden, Scania. This year, we are going back to see even more of Malmö especially the preparations for World Pride 2021 together with Copenhagen. Well, out of this idea developed a plan to see more of central Europe. The idea for a staycation 2020 was born. After our road trip to Sweden, we will make our way over the Baltic Sea to Germany by ferry in order to start our one-month road “Best of LGBTQ+ Germany”. Join us on our gay couple road trip and summer staycation adventure through a Couple of Men‘s eyes!
ITALY: “Sicily? You? Really?”. This was the reaction I got from many friends and coworkers that found out about my plans to visit the Italian island. Having gotten fatigues of my usual escapes to Sitges, Gran Canaria, and the like – the very notion of visiting a place not littered with rainbow flags and men wearing Speedos came across as strange yet exciting. While I obviously love those places for what they are, for once, I was yearning for subtlety and authenticity.
Our Top 10 list of the best queer movies in 2021 selected for the Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival Roze Filmdagen 2021. Already for 25 years, the biggest Dutch LGBTQ+ film festival is inviting the LGBTQ+ community to see the best, the most popular, and the newest LGBTQ+ movies, shorts, and documentaries. To make sure, you won’t miss any of the great queer movies, shorts, and films from Brazil to Argentina, from Italy to Israel, or from the USA to Iraq, we teamed up with festival director Werner Borkes to select some of the best movies about queer people, love, families and different generations from around the world. In 2021, the LGBTQ Film Festival in Amsterdam will celebrate its 24th-anniversary featuring movies like the Italian movie “Bitter Years”, the US-American film “Cowboys” and the movie “Kojin” from Iraq.
Already for 25 years, the biggest Dutch LGBTQ+ film festival is inviting the LGBTQ+ community to see the best, the most popular, and the newest LGBTQ+ movies, shorts, and documentaries. To make sure, you won’t miss any of the great movies, shorts, and films from Germany to Vietnam, from Cyprus to Greece, or from the USA to Sweden, we teamed up with festival director Werner Borkes to select some of the best movies about gay men, love, families and different generations from around the world.
Amsterdam Frozen Canals: Our best photos and video of Amsterdam’s frozen canals with ice-skaters on the Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht. – Our home city Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Stunning old buildings along the canals, biker friendly for locals and tourists and, especially during really cold winter days, a winter wonderland for photographers and ice skaters. Ice skaters? Yes, you read correctly. The Netherlands is a country full of rivers, canals, lakes, and any other kind of waterways. Traditionally, the best way to use them during the cold winters in the past was to go on skates and sleighs using the ice as a street.
SWEDEN: Is there a gay sauna in Malmö, you might ask? Not exactly. Although many of the local gays consider the Ribersborgs Kallbadhus is THE gay hotspot of the Swedish city – to see and to be seen, and maybe even more, of course. With the monthly event “Queer Kallis”, the traditional house from the late 19th century is finally opening up to the whole LGBTQ+ community, including trans and non-binary sauna fans.
NETHERLANDS: Gay men enjoy a significant amount of social acceptance and freedom in the capital city of the Netherlands – but it has come at the loss of many places and institutions that used to give this city its distinctive gay edges. Nevertheless, there are many places in Amsterdam that still embody the original spirit of the 80s and 90s, and offer experiences that are unique to Amsterdam as a destination. Meeting guys in Amsterdam isn’t hard – but in some places, it’s easier than in others, especially when you’re trying to get laid.
A Dutch Winter Day Amsterdam Netherlands – The unexpected happened: Finally, after three Winters without almost any snow Amsterdam turned into a winter wonderland. Big snowflakes falling down from the sky covering Dutch bikes, Grachten boats and the beautiful Grachten houses of Amsterdam Jordaan with beautiful white fresh snow. There is nothing better than to jump in our winter clothes, snap the camera and walk through the capital of the Netherlands on a Winter Day in February. We decided to take a walking tour along the Bloemgracht of the Dutch capital towards the famous Westerkerk close by the Anna-Frank House and Homo Monument. On our way back we stopped at Bilderdijk Park to have a small lunch snack at one of our favorite restaurants of Amsterdam “De Liefde” (The Love). We enjoyed the beautiful view of playing dogs, happy people, and falling snowflakes while tasting delicious vegetarian lentil soup for Daan and salmon bread for Karl. Join us on our tour through the winter wonderland of Amsterdam and see the beauty of the Dutch capital through a couple of men’s eyes.