Passport’s
Forum for Letters, Comments, Information & Anecdotes
Curious
Traveler
WHAT’S COOKING?
Our best friends (who are straight) came back last
month from a cooking vacation in France and have not stopped
raving. They attended classes, prepared authentic dishes,
and were taught the secrets of the trade by talented chefs.
We are die-hard foodies and want to take a similar trip,
but desire a GLBT-friendly experience. Do you have any
advice?
—Max & Luka, Nashua, NH
Editor: Travel to idyllic Aix-en-Provence
where gay chef Marc Héracle (marc.heracle@net-up.com)
teaches you the magic of Provençal cookery in
his Les Cuisines du Sud program (http://www.epiculinary.com).
Lessons take place in the chef’s own 17th-century
farmhouse. If you prefer lemongrass to lavender, think
of cooking lessons in exotic Chiang Mai, Thailand. Purple
Dragon (http://www.purpledrag.com)
offers gay and lesbian tours of Southeast Asia, and
its A Taste of Thailand trip (http://www.purpledrag.com/thailand/ataste.htm)
provides hands-on exposure to local flavor. Should you
choose to stay in the good old U.S. of A, consider a
trip to charming Savannah, Georgia and attend the cooking
school at the gay-friendly Mansion on Forsyth Park (http://www.mansiononforsythpark.com).
Their restored Victorian is home to the 700 Kitchen,
where you can choose from classes such as “Baking
and Confectionary,” “Holiday Hoopla!”
and “World Explorer.” Even better, bring a
group of friends and enjoy your own version of “Iron
Chef” with 700’s Culinary Challenge.
MONUMENTAL
I’ve seen news reports about a new monument
that will be unveiled soon in Berlin, but where else
in the world are there monuments honoring GLBT people?
Every urban area seems to have statues and sculptures
and plaques dedicated to just about everyone else, but
what about us?
—Nathaniel, via the Internet
Editor: They may not be ubiquitous,
but monuments to the GLBT community do exist. In a small
park on Christopher Street, across from the famed Stonewall
Inn, New York City’s Gay Liberation Monument (http://www.nycgovparks.org)
honors the struggle for GLBT rights with a quartet of
George Segal sculptures—a pair of men and a pair
of women. Another tribute to acceptance and sexual diversity
can be found in Uruguay, of all places: A rose-colored
granite triangle was unveiled in Montevideo in 2005,
and according to activists, is the only GLBT monument
in Latin America. Most of the world’s GLBT monuments
are to be found in Europe, and more specifically, in
Germany. Many of these are in turn dedicated to the
GLBT citizens who lost their lives in Nazi concentration
camps. Pay tribute at the Frankfurt Angel memorial (http://www.frankfurter-engel.de)
or at the various plaques that are scattered throughout
the country: in Nollendorfplatz in Berlin, in the city
of Brandenburg, or in the Dachau concentration camp.
This year, Berlin will indeed be unveiling a new, multi-media
monument near the Brandenburg Gate to honor LGBT Holocaust
victims. To learn more while in the German capital,
you might also consider a visit to the gay museum, Schwules
Museum (http://www.schwulesmuseum.de).
Notable World War II GLBT monuments outside of Germany
are located in San Francisco (Pink Triangle Park, http://www.pinktrianglepark.net),
and most famously, in Amsterdam (Homomonument, http://www.homomonument.com).
CANINE COMPANION
I will be traveling to various urban destinations
in the US with my dog, Otto, and I want to know if I’ll
be able to take him with me on the trains and buses.
—Irene, Madison, WI
Editor: America is a dog-loving
country and that means that public transportation systems
from coast to coast have had to consider travelers like
Otto. The result is that many will accommodate him,
although policies are not the same across the board.
In San Francisco, dogs are allowed on cable cars, buses,
and trains during the week from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. and
from 7 P.M. to 5 A.M. On weekends, dogs are permitted
all day. They must be carried in closed containers,
however, and owners will have to pay an extra fare.
Take a look at http://www.sfmta.com.
Boston’s public transportation system, known as
the T (http://www.mbta.com),
allows leashed dogs on board during off-peak hours and
small dogs in carriers at all other times. New York’s
MTA (http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us)
also allows small dogs in carriers on its subways and
buses. In Seattle, both small and large dogs are allowed
on streetcars and buses, but owners will have to pay
double to bring on a larger pal. Check out http://transit.metrokc.gov.
A great resource on traveling with dogs— via public
transportation or otherwise—as well as information
on dog-friendly hotels and destinations can be found
at http://www.dogfriendly.com.
CANARY ISLAND WELCOME
We will be traveling to Gran Canaria soon and wanted
to know if there is a lesbian venue there, now that
the First Lady has closed?
—S.H., via the Internet
Editor: Lesbians visiting this
Spanish island will be happy to learn that Jackie Denton
and her partner Carol have opened a wonderful place
in the gay-popular Yumbo area. Four years ago, they
moved to Gran Canaria and loved it so much that they
were married there in 2007. Today, their corner of the
Yumbo, Jackie’s Bar (http://jackiesbar.gaycitymap.com),
is the area’s only lesbian venue. It’s small,
but worth checking out, and even though boys are spoiled
for choices in the Yumbo, they’re welcome here
as well.
[Published:
May, 2008]
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