Travel and Leisure – Blog Scoop

Cologne is often referred to as the ‘gay Mecca’ in Germany. In fact, gay travel to Cologne is going to be really big this year because from 31 July to 7 August, the Gay Games will be held. The city is gearing up for the event which will not only feature sports, but there will be many other festivities such as parades, fairs and cultural events.

The Gay Games is the biggest sporting event for LGBT athletes, musicians and artists. People of any sexual orientation are welcome to participate in all disciplines. Originally known as the Gay Olympics when it started in 1982 in San Francisco, the event aims to promote participation, inclusion and personal success in sport.

It is the biggest sporting occasion for LGBT athletes, musicians, singers and artists. Any athlete can participate, regardless of his or her sexual orientation. When the first event was held in San Francisco in 1982 it was named the Gay Olympics. The aims and aspirations are to foster participation, sporting success, and inclusion.

In the past, the games have been hosted in San Francisco, Sydney, New York and Amsterdam. There will be 34 disciplines ranging from track and field events, to volleyball, soccer, weight-lifting, wrestling, chess and bowling. Anyone planning to visit Cologne over this period is advised to book as soon as possible.

Singers and bands from many countries will feature in a singing and instrumental festival. Prior to the opening ceremony, a huge marathon, the Rainbow Run, will have traveled through every continent. Athletes will proudly carry the Rainbow flag to the ceremony. The marathon will honor those who died of AIDS.

Cologne is the oldest city in Germany. It is situated on the banks of the imposing Rhine River. It is always bustling with visitors who want to experience its vibrant, rich culture. The locals are helpful, friendly and jovial. The city has a large number of gay bars, restaurants, and clubs.

There are lots of exciting tourist attractions and events for gay visitors. You can take a hike to majestic castles, or compete in a women-only motorcycle event. Take a tour that exposes gay history from the 1800s up to 1969. Cologne’s famous carnival, the Rhenish Extravaganza, features many attractions, art displays, lectures and parties.

The local Koln Service Center will welcome you with an exclusive Pink WelcomeCard which will entitle you to free public transport and discounts for opera shows, theater tickets, river cruises, and museums. You will also qualify for discounts at a number of gay shops, saunas, bars and clubs. The city is certainly gearing up for gay travel to Cologne this year.

Perhaps you’ve heard about Garmisch-Partenkirchen, perhaps you haven’t. It’s in Bavaria in the South of Germany, near the Austrian border.

This is one of Germany’s most beautiful areas. The surrounding mountains are sometimes so beautiful that it literally takes your breath away. The highest peak in the German Alps – the Zugspitse – towers over the town. There are also numerous lakes and rivers in the area.

If you are here for skiing, you won’t be alone. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of the most popular ski resorts in the whole of Germany. There are many skiing opportunities for everyone, from beginners to advanced. You can buy good quality new or used alpine skiing equipment in town.

Getting to the various ski slopes is not a problem either. There’s a large variety of cable cars and ski lifts. There’s even a train that takes you to a station very close to the top of the Zugspitse. From here it’s a short cable car ride to the top – where you will find not only stunning vistas and ski slopes, but also an atmospheric little coffee shop.

There are an abundance of hotels and guest houses in town to cater for the annual tourist influx. If you prefer a quieter spot, there’s also a number of options available in many of the surrounding towns and villages.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, you will no doubt run into the many beautiful Christmas markets you will find all over town. Here you can buy everything from a black sport watch to gluhwein, the delightful spicy wine from the area that is served hot.

Nightlife in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is as warm and inviting as their famous hot wine. There are more than one cozy little restaurant where you can listen to live music. There’s just a very special ambiance to a place where you can sip gluhwein while listening to the gentle sounds of someone playing a ibanez electric guitar in the background.

The area around Garmisch is equally picturesque and interesting. Not far from here you will find the beautiful, centuries old town of Oberammergau where the world renowned passion play takes place every ten years. The whole town is involved in the production of this nativity play and they start practicing years before the next play. The play has been produced every ten years since it was staged for the first time in 1632, to thank God for saving the town from the Black Plague. When you walk through the streets, you will notice that every second building carries frescoes depicting nativity scenes.

Driving through the south of Germany in December one will no doubt encounter long lines of cars heading for the numerous ski resorts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Most of them have skiing equipment attached to the roof racks. They are in the fortunate situation to be on their way to a ski holiday in the Alps.

Skiing is one of the most exciting sports of all. There’s little that beats the shear thrill of belting down a steep incline with the wind rushing past you and you know it’s only your skills that prevent you from serious injury. But there’s more to skiing than adrenalin. There are not many sports giving you the chance to be so absolutely at one with nature. To be surrounded by snow-capped peaks all day and feel the snow crushing beneath your feet.

Something that every serious skier should invest in is decent quality alpine skiing equipment. Not only is this a prerequisite if you want to become a good skier, but it could also save your life one day. Bad equipment is simply not a good investment. If you don’t want to spend so much money, then rent good equipment instead of buying bad quality equipment.

A ski holiday is about much more than skiing though. It is about meeting people, making friends and reliving every day’s adventures with your new friends. All the well-known resorts like Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Zermatt and St Moritz have a lively nightlife too. You will find a large number of cute little pubs and restaurants where you can discuss the day’s events over a glass of port or German gluhwein.

Sometimes it will be impossible to ski due to bad weather. Make sure to pack something that can help keep you busy on days like that. Ebook readers are getting very popular nowadays, while old-time favorites like board games and musical instruments remain as popular as ever for providing some quality family time during quiet days.

If you are an amateur musician and you stay in one of those lovely little log cabins that you get in many of these Alpine resorts, you could spend many evenings playing your favorite instrument. For some reason guitar music goes very well with the whole Alpine environment, so why not bring your epiphone electric guitar and turn a quiet, rainy day into one that’s filled with music?

As the days go you will slowly feel the stress of an office job receding into the distance, until one day you will suddenly realize that you can now sleep without sleeping tablets. That you are not as irritable as before. That you have both the time and the inclination to listen to other people’s stories. This is what a holiday in the great outdoors can do for you…

When you drive from Munich in Germany, through the Bavarian Alps on your way to the Austrian border, you pass through one of the most stunningly beautiful towns in the whole of Germany – Garmisch Partenkirchen.

It’s situated in one of Germany’s most scenic area. The mountain peaks surrounding the town has such an immense beauty that you sometimes have to pinch yourself to make sure this is all real. The Zugspitse, the crown prince of the German Alps, towers over Garmisch like a huge guardian angle of made of rock. Very close to town you will also find another natural wonder, the stunning gorge of Partnachklamm.

If you came here to ski, you are only of of thousands who do so every year, since Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a very popular ski town. There are skiing opportunities for skiers of all levels – from those who need beginner’s lessons to advanced skiers. Top quality alpine skiing equipment can be bought or rented in town.

As befits a town with such a large number of skiing opportunities, there’s a huge selection of cable cars and ski lifts in the area. You can even take a train to a location very close to the top of the Zugspitse, form where it’s only a 5 minute cable car ride to the top. Here you will not only find stunning views and numerous ski slopes, but also a very cute little coffee shop.

There are an abundance of hotels and guest houses in town to cater for the annual tourist influx. If you prefer a quieter spot, there’s also a number of options available in many of the surrounding towns and villages.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, you will no doubt run into the many beautiful Christmas markets you will find all over town. Here you can buy everything from a black sport watch to gluhwein, the delightful spicy wine from the area that is served hot.

Nightlife in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is as warm and inviting as their famous hot wine. There are more than one cozy little restaurant where you can listen to live music. There’s just a very special ambiance to a place where you can sip gluhwein while listening to the gentle sounds of someone playing a ibanez electric guitar in the background.

The surrounding countryside, towns and villages are also very interesting and colorful. About 30km from Garmisch-Partenkirchen you will find the historical town of Oberammergau, where the world famous passion play has taken place every ten years since 1632 – when God delivered the town from the Black Plague. Virtually everyone in town is involved in some way or another with the play and practicing starts years before the next play. All over town you will see colorful murals portraying nativity scenes.

Germany is famous because of its capacity to reinvent itself. It has done it several times during the history, and after the reunification in 1990, Germany has born again. An entire quarter is built in Hamburg on the ruins of a harbor, in Dresden the dome of Frauenkirche is as astounding as ever, and Berlin is more open minded and creative than ever.

Greece is a country everybody will find charming. Those who are looking for cultural relaxation can visit museums and ruins, while hedonists who only care about their tan can sunbathe at the beach. Light and air are clear, floral aromas are carried by the wind, and the best thing about all is the combination of ouzo and octopus.

El Salvador is an overlooked country: those who travel in that area of South America usually choose Guatemala and Costa Rica, because of the persisting stories about the civil war and gang violence in El Salvador. In fact the civil war ended long ago, while the stories about gang violence are true. The thing is, gangs target only each other, and never involve tourists. While it has many beautiful landscapes, El Salvador doesn’t have as many natural reservations as Guatemala and Costa Rica. But the good thing is, if you visit El Salvador, you can have all the forests, alpine lakes and volcanoes, because it is not very likely you will meet another traveler.

Malaysia is an island of peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia. There are no floods or political turmoil, roads are excellent, transportation is good and hotels are of international standard. The best thing in Malaysia that it lets you explore problem free the exciting culture of Southeast Asia. And it is not a very expensive country, either.

Morocco is an unforgettable mix of Berber and Arab, Muslim and secular, Mediterranean and African world. The country is in touch with the latest technology, and can see how the Middle East is portrayed by western news channels and internet. Morocco is just as concerned with violent threats as westerners do. Most Moroccans are occupied with their daily lives, and see the tourism industry as the future of their country, therefore every visitor will be treated with hospitality.

Nepal had a lot of troubles in the last decade, but in 2008 it seems everything came to a resting point: the rebels started to govern, the kingdom became a republic and the king became a civilian. The fall of monarchy means peace for Nepal. This is really good news for tourists.

New Zealand has a rented place in every tourism top list because it has everything a traveler could want: spectacular landscapes from rainforests to glaciers, geothermal springs and volcanic plains. There is lots of wildlife, the maori culture is as attractive as ever, and the food and drink is also fine.

Portugal today consists of two different worlds. This is a land with great tradition with saints-day festivals, ancient vineyards and medieval villages. On the other hand, modern lifestyle is spreading rapidly, old city centers are filled once again with life by a new wave of boutiques, cafes and art galleries.

Suriname is undoubtedly the smallest, most diverse and most interesting country in South America. Inhabitants are descendants of Chinese, Javanese and Indian workers, West African slaves, indigenous Amerindians and Lebanese, Jewish and Dutch settlers. This may sound as the perfect recipe of civil war: wrong, all these people live together peacefully.

Isabella Olsen is a travel writer who has toured major destinations worldwide, including many European countries by car. Tolearn more about car hire worldwide, visit www.zencarhire.com