Travelers with sufficient financial resources must be sure to visit two places that trigger unique emotions, especially for gays.  They can be discovered within two magnificent cities, each on a different continent.

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s, indeed the world’s great cities.  Its beauty is partly due to the concentric circles of tranquil canals that ring the center of commerce and culture.  Like nearly all features of Amsterdam, the canals are lovely but also serve a important purposes.

Within the city–and an important part of the city–is the unique Homomonument, Amsterdam’s tribute to gay people.  The street level, horizontal monument is made up of three large pink granite triangles, harkening to the pink cloth triangles worn by gays in the Nazi concentration camps of the 1930s and 1940’s.  While the triangles imposed by the Nazis were meant to imply a shameful identity, the granite triangle of Amsterdam speak of the memory of the dark past, the struggles of current times and the guarded hopes of a future of greater respect and dignity for all people who have minority sexual orientations.  At various times of the year, the Homomonument serves as a meeting point for gays and straights, residents and tourists to gather for pay tribute, to share sad memories and to celebrate solidarity.

Washington, D.C., the capital city of the U.S., lies several thousand miles to the west of Amsterdam.  Most travelers to Washington spend the bulk of the time near the National Mall, the center of the tourist district.  The Mall is marked at one end by the Capitol building with the Lincoln Memorial at the other.  In between are the main museums of the Smithsonian, the White House, the Washington Monument and several war memorials.

Only across a street and a few steps from the Mall is an essential stop for every visitor to the city, especially enthusiasts of gay tourism is the Holocaust Memorial and Museum.  The museum is a moving tribute to all the people who were victimized by the Nazi apparatus of bigotry.  Quite understandably, the horrors of the imprisoned and executed Jews is highlighted, because they comprised the largest number of the victims.

Many groups are remembered in this architecturally impressive building.  Among the other victims of Nazi terror who are recognized are Gypsies and gays.  At this location a gay man will feel the shivers looking at the actual pink triangles sewn onto the shirts of our distant brothers and sisters.  When joined in our minds with the pink granite triangles of the Homomonument, we may feel moved to invoke yet again the traditional promises inspired by the horrors of past persecution to never forget and to promise ourselves and future generations, “Never again!”

These days more and more people are searching for new vacation spots which afford something completely unique or, at least something alternative to the usual few weeks on a beach. During these difficult times, often called the credit crunch, many families are, sadly realizing that they have far less money for buying a holiday and are, annoyingly, forced into shaving corners to save cash. A way of doing this is to seek out cheaper destinations. The article below introduces the reader to Birmingham, a city in the United Kingdom. With the dollar and euro so strong against the English pound guest houses and hotels in Birmingham are far cheaper than in previous years.

You will find the city of Birmingham in the county of England known as the West Midlands  and the city’s residents are referred to as being “Brummies”. Birmingham’s accent sounds typically northern English and it is tricky to follow what is being discussed a problem which is made worse if if you are new to such accents. Happily the majority of folk from Birminham are helpful, polite and kind and do their very best to explain so if the need arises do not hesitate to engage in conversation about directions and help or guidance in choosing  Birmingham bed and breakfast.

The city has  a superb collection of places to visit and things to do including a few interesting galleries and museums, for example the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Thinktank, a new museum in the Eastside. Birmingham also possesses a stunning number of square miles of open spaces and parks, the largest being Sutton Park having 2,400 acres making it the largest urban nature reserve in the whole of the UK and Europe.

The city features a varied and vibrant night scene with an excellent choice of restaurants, cafes, wine bars, bars and nightclubs. You will discover some of the most popular in one of Birmingham’s squares, Victoria Square, Chamberlain Square, Centenary Square, St Martin’s Square, Rotunda Square, the historic Old Square at Corporation Street and the Gas Street Basin. Gas Street Basin is the hub of the city’s canal system. Birmingham has roughly 32 miles of canals with between eight canals which were made during the eighteenth century and remained in industrial use nearly until the end of the twentieth century. Today the Gas Street Basin has been regenerated and is now a rather good tourist attraction.

As an alternative to bed and breakfast why not ponder hiring Birmingham apartments. If you If you are currently planning a Birmingham vacation you should know that Birmingham International Airport is roughly 8 miles away from the center of the city just off the A45 and near the M42 (junction 6). You will easily find a respectable number of hotels and guest houses not too far from the airport.