Algarvean Daze

Get Out Of This One, Madam Mayor

2011-12-08T11:14:00.010Z

Sometimes things go amiss in the Algarve.

The Mayor of Silves Câmara and her cronies regularly deny any responsibility for what goes on in the county, be it bad roads, Dale Farm-ish encampments of camper-vans on public land or corruption within the administration.

Try as they may, they will find it difficult (although I'm certain they will attempt) to distance themselves in the matter of the quality of the domestic water running from our taps over the last 48 hours (and repetitively in the past), supplied by and billed for by the Câmara.

Maybe their campaign motto could be "We washed our hands. It's not our fault they didn't come clean"

Travel Tip: General Strike Thursday 24 November

2011-11-23T00:05:00.003Z

The anticipated general strike planned for Thursday 24 November will cause travel chaos. If you have travel plans for Thursday contact your travel operator or airline to confirm the impact on your flights.

"ANA, Portuguese Airports, advises all passengers with flights scheduled between 10pm on Wednesday and midnight Friday, departing from any Portuguese airport, to contact your airline or travel agent before departing for the airport, to check the state of your flight."

Casting The First Stone

2011-11-22T01:00:00.007Z

Ever since it was announced that Iceland, the UK frozen food chain, would be opening a store in the Algarve I have followed, on the many forums aimed at expats, the frequently heated debate about the desirability of such a commercial endeavour. While I will not be a frequent shopper I will be an occasional one, in the same manner that I occasionally shop at a number of different Algarve establishments. OK, that's my position. But now about the furore.

There is a small but extremely vocal group of people who would like to restrict my choice, your choice, our choice of where we shop because they can not understand why people who have relocated their homes, their families, their lives to the Algarve would want to maintain ties to the UK and it's produce. These proponents in the 'Buy Portuguese' camp seem to have cut their dietary ties with Blighty, and while I have a degree of empathy with their argument to buy locally, the hypocrisy latent in their arguments leaves me cold.

If integration into the local community is paramount to this band of naysayers, why are they posting, in English, on expat forums aimed at non-Portuguese? Have all of these pro-Portugal opponents of free choice taken up official residency and converted their driving licences? And forgive me if I'm wrong, but are they, by any chance, watching UK television via Sky, Freesat and the internet?

If the philosophy of Iceland's detractors is that of 'When In Rome, do as the Romans do', surely their credibility would be enhanced if they said so in Italian.

What Rhymes With Banker?

2011-11-16T01:00:00.005Z

This is not my tale. The events chronicled here happened not to me, but to a friend. I have no doubt as to the veracity of his account, so I pass it on to you without reservation.

My friend, we'll call him Dave, found himself in a situation where he could no longer use his bank card because it had expired. Never having encountered this before, as the bank had always posted his new card in a timely manner, he visited his local branch of a bank we'll call - since we have to call it something - Millennium BCP.

The conversation then goes something like this -

Dave: I haven't received my replacement card.

MBCP: We posted it to you but it was returned here as undeliverable.

Dave: What address did you send the card to?

MBCP: To your house, of course.

Dave: But I don't receive post at my house. I have a post office box. You send my statements to it.

MBCP: We don't send cards to post office boxes. We only send them to where you live.

Dave: Ok, if the card was returned to you here, may I have it now please?

MBCP: No, we always cancel all returned cards. We'll have to apply for a new card.

Dave: Where will it be sent?

MBCP: To your house.

Dave: I told you I can't receive post at my house. Why can't you send it to my post office box?

MBCP: (Exasperated response) - Because ... you ... don't ... live ... in ... the ... post ... office ...

Dave: (After a period of incredulous silence) - OK, have the card delivered here to the bank, and I'll collect it here.

MBCP: We can't do that.

Dave: Why?

MBCP: Because ... you ... don't ... live ... in ... the ... bank ...

Fast forward a couple of weeks. Dave returns to his local branch and closes his accounts, as his new bank has sent his bank cards to his post office box. When the manager overhears him closing his accounts Dave is offered the facility to receive his cards at the branch.

A most magnanimous offer, one which he however declines.

DIY, Algarve Style

2011-11-10T01:00:00.003Z

This is not a recent phenomenon. My first encounter was a few years ago when I sent an anonymous email to a well established - but according to the management, struggling - Algarve tourist resort where I have a managed property. This email asked what was to me, a simple question about rates and facilities. When, after more than a week, I received a reply, I was advised that the information I required could be found on their website. That was it. No direct answer to my direct question.

More recently I have have been interested in multiple items that were advertised in private sales on a number of the good Algarve expat forums. Good descriptions, good prices - but where are the goods available to be seen? A direct question to the sellers, one that would allow me to determine whether it was viable for me to travel from my Central Algarve home to: Vale de Telha, to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, to Odeceixe, to Alcoutim? Where are the goods located? Simples! The typical response received from the sellers required me to phone, to email, to send private messages in order to be advised of the location.

In some of the cases where items were being sold, the reason for selling was a failed commercial venture. Commercial ventures that relied on the general public for success. Is it any wonder that such ventures failed, if the response provided to customers' queries was anywhere akin to that which was provided during the everything must go sale?

Is it just me, or does anyone else share my frustration in having to beg sellers, commercial or private, for information that may ultimately end up in my putting money in their hands?

I'm tired of doing other peoples' work. An email answer that provides ONLY a link to a website (a response without a thank you for your enquiry, we'll get back to you ASAP but in the meantime why not look at our website, etc) will not get my custom.

'The customer is an interruption of our days' work' may be your motto, Mr Businessman. It's not mine. So please respond quickly to my emails asking the location of your Going Out Of Business sale.

Algarve Rain

2011-11-04T01:00:00.010Z

With the arrival of fairly consistent rain, which is genuinely now needed in the Algarve, I now have more time to ruminate about - what else - the weather. Not, however, statistics about hours of sun, minimum and maximum temperatures and frequency and depth of autumn rainfalls. No, my thoughts about rain lean toward what rain delivers, not what rain is.

The onset of rain provides many chances for reflection, and not just in the puddles. Some of my observations, in no particular order, are -

- The ability to find the leak in the roof that needed to be repaired before the rainy season arrived, but which was elusive during the dry season due to lack of, uh, rain.

- The bizarre set of circumstances surrounding umbrellas. Umbrellas which are rarely in the same location as their owners when rain commences, umbrellas which, if in the possession of their owners, are only infrequently required due to their ability to cause rain to fall elsewhere when in their owners' possession. Umbrellas which, if in possession as mentioned above, will frequently be abandoned when their owner departs, leading to the situation first alluded to.

- Pets love rain, and this love affair bubbles over into their relationship with their owners. When your dog or cat feels good about themselves due to an extended frolic in the showers, their greatest desire is to share their enthusiasm by entering into lap-snuggle mode.

- A sudden shower will immediately identify to the driver which of the windscreen wipers has perished in the summer sun and needs replacing. This is normally, but not always, the driver's side one.

- 'Brain Training' on your Nintendo DS is not required provided thunderstorms are sufficient in their ferocity. Your ability to navigate through your home in the total darkness occasioned by a night-time, storm-induced power cut, to the location of the candles and matches, will provide the necessary cerebral massage. The massage of your shins after their encounter with the coffee table will further assist your grey cells in their Pavlovian ability to remember small things. Like the location of the coffee table.

With rain-induced benefits such as these, why would we ever want a return to sunshine? That's rhetorical, by the way...

Cafévourite: Il Cappuccino Café Restaurant

2011-10-29T04:00:00.000+01:00

I can not believe that after only one visit I feel inclined to add Il Cappuccino to the Algarvean Daze list of Cafévourites. But here it is, our second cafévourite.

For some months now friends of ours have been suggesting that we join them for a meal at an Albufeira eatery where, they insisted, a tasty three course meal with wine and coffee was on offer for the less-than-princely sum of 6.50€. Eventually we could no longer dodge the invites, so earlier this week six of us - four 'regulars' and we two neophytes - descended on Il Cappuccino.

I can say without much hesitation that I don't normally rate Formica and flourescents as being the height of restaurant chic. Had I stumbled upon this place I would have walked straight past, not straight in. However, as our friends had booked a table (In a café?? My mind boggled!) it would have been a bit churlish to walk away at the last minute.

I'm so pleased we didn't do that runner! Firstly, we went to the only table already laid for six (in fact, the only table laid) where were greeted by the owner, Nelson, who ascertained our drinks order. A good, prioritised start. Then he advised us of the specials of the day and gave us time to ponder the menu. Our friends then told us that for the set price we could have either the daily options or chose from the menu. No tourist menu, no yesterday's overstocks, but al a carte at a fixed price.

The food was plentiful and tasty, the wine, albeit of the jug variety, abundant and drinkable, the service efficient and Nelson and his wife Gabriella, the most convivial of hosts. How long they will be able to continue to produce a board of fare at such a price is anybody's guess.

Locating Il Cappuccino is not that hard, from the worms roundabout head north 50 metres to the next roundabout (Pingo Doce), turn right, follow the road past the library (on your left) 100 metres. Il Cappuccino is on the right. Google Earth puts it here - 37.096144 -8.230702

A final word - if you plan on dining after 8pm, make a booking. Within 30-45 minutes of our arrival there was not a table to be had. It seems like quite a few people like value for money!

The Hidden Side Of Retirement Planning

2011-10-23T02:23:00.005+01:00

Aren't you lucky? If I've heard those words once I've heard them more times than the remaining hairs on my head. The reference is, however erroneous, about our retiring to the Algarve.

First, luck had nothing to do with it. We didn't win the lottery, nor did we derive any sort of windfall from the untimely demise of some unknown reclusive relative with a mattress stuffed full of thousand dollar/pound/euro notes. Second, retirement, early or not, comes with it's own baggage.

Yes, we were prepared for the physical aspects of professional unemployment. Our home in the sun was unencumbered by loans, it was furnished, we had transport and we had an income stream capable of allowing us a lifestyle at least akin to that which we were used to during our working lives. And we had time.

Endless hours of time. Time which used to frequently be spent apart, due to the nature of our jobs. Time which now juxtaposes us 24/7. This was the unplanned entry in our financial model. What do you do, what do you say to your partner during the eighteen daily waking hours that you now have at you disposal? When we worked, we exchanged our stories in the evenings or, depending on travel for work, only at weekends. The time allotted to our sharing of events was proportionate to what we actually had to say.

Now we are together almost every waking moment, and managing this closeness is probably the hardest work we have ever done. However, counsel on how best to survive the emotional aspects of shared retirement has fortunately already been written, not by me, but by Kahlil Gibran.

"...let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow."

Damn, I wish I would have put that variable into my retirement planning!

Tempus Fugit

2011-10-17T01:00:00.005+01:00

A few years ago we had flyscreens installed to shelter us from the annual Algarve autumn onslaught of the annoying little beasties. I'm pleased to say that this was a total success, and our home is now a wonderful fly-free zone. That should mean that I'm no longer bothered by the malevolent moscas, but this hasn't been the reality this weekend.

During the previous week we had a neighbouring olive tree pruned, one close to our kitchen wall with branches draped over our kitchen roof. This work also exposed the kitchen wall, a wall that hasn't seen paint for ages. So, with an exposed wall in need of paint, good weather, paint, rollers and brushes in the shed - I headed out with the best of intentions to tackle what should have been a quick job. I didn't count on the flies.

As soon as I had wedged myself between the wall and the trunk of the olive tree, someone, somewhere sounded the call to arms for every able-bodied fly to muster and prepare for attack.

Ill prepared, wearing shorts and a t-shirt and armed only with a paint-laden roller, I fought a losing battle. With each passing minute I swatted madly with brushes and rollers, resulting in very little paint applied to the wall, gallons on myself, with only the occasional bugger sent to oblivion. Fighting the annoying little blighters turned the time which should have passed quickly into one that which dragged endlessly on.

I think I now know what is implied by the phrase 'time flies'.

Happy Anniversary

2011-10-11T01:00:00.000+01:00

This one snuck up on me - as of this month it's been ten years since we moved to the Algarve. The upside must be that in spite of the upheaval we have managed to slot ourselves into the country, and to some extent it's customs, the downside may just have something to do with being ten years older.

There has been much written lately about expats abandoning the 'dream' and returning 'home'. If we wanted, we wouldn't, we couldn't do that, as Portugal, the Algarve, is now home. We never really had a dream, but we did have a plan. When we left the UK (not my country of birth) we pretty much cut our ties and now I'm not sure that we could afford to get back on the property ladder, to live there. It may not be as cheap to live in Portugal as it once was, but I really do believe that all told, Portugal is still less expensive than the UK.

We are still working to the weekly budget we set ten years ago, and in fact have not increased the total amount. Yes, the way that money was allocated has changed, with more on dining out and less on groceries, but the bottom line remains the same. In respect of annual expenditure, we still feel that we are ahead on rates, TV and heating, but maybe paying a bit more for insurance and communications. But the scales are still tipped in our favour.

Will we stay in Portugal forever? I don't know. But I do know that it's unlikely we'll be going back to any place we have already lived before. So Happy Anniversary to us, and to all the other expats who see the benefit of riding out the storm. Parabéns!

Incomplete By Design

2011-10-05T01:00:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I took down the shade sail that has for the last few months provided our kitchen patio welcome respite from the Algarve's endless summer sunshine. Although the installation and removal of our canvas canopy is an annual event, I am still amazed when suddenly I regain the ability, upon exiting the kitchen, to see the sky, the vapour trail of planes still conveying visitors to and fro from Faro and stars, the amazing amount of stars visible in an Algarve sky when there are no streetlights within hundreds of metres.

The return into the light is both physical and symbolic. Just as the physical barrier between ourselves and the firmament has now been removed, our personal, invisible ceiling on how we plan our time and what tasks and activities we feel comfortable in taking on has likewise disolved. Unlike the summer, when remedial work is routinely postponed so as not to conflict with the need to socialise, to be accommodating toward friends & visitors, there is now nothing stopping me, no restrictions.

Except, of course, my penchant toward laziness!

The Lazy Approach To Blogging

2011-09-29T10:46:00.004+01:00

I have lost all track of time. By yesterday at the latest I should have penned the blog entry for today. No, I allowed events to entice me into spending far too much time with friends, selfishly ignoring my readers. Even now, I'm rushing into this because I'm about to exit the computer for another Algarvean lunch.

So, I'm taking the easy way out. Having had a look at what archived Algarvean Daze blogs get read the most, I thought I'd re-introduce some of them here for the benefit of those of you who may not have been following me from the start. Hopefully these articles will be of some interest to you.

Forced To Drink By The Police

The Return Of The Mosquito In Moccasins

TGIF - Algarve Style

Corn Flaked

Dem Ol' Airline Trashed My Luggage Again Blues

Cul-de-Sac

OK, that's my easy way out. I'm now off to meet friends for that lunch I mentioned. Até logo!

Weekender

2011-09-23T01:00:00.003+01:00

When we first moved to the Algarve a decade ago, weekends were frequently taken up with long drives through the mountains or to western coastal areas not so popular with visitors. My significant other half, a quite accomplished photographer, would punctuate what I desired to be non-stop travel with request after request to stop, go back, park and wait while a diminutive wildflower or a vista disappearing into infinity was (as if nature needed this) immortalised.

VKB 2011

Then fuel became more expensive, our circle of friends grew and weekends ceased to be cause to venture into the hinterlands. The time reserved for exploration had become time utilised in socialising, in partaking and imbibing, often in amounts far greater than those deemed sensible. Nature had to take a back seat, and that in a car that wasn't going anywhere.

Things are going to change. Our plan is to get back into discovering much more of the country we have adopted, and sharing some of those discoveries here. The car is fuelled and ready to depart for roads never travelled under our stewardship. Autumn awaits us, and it would be churlish not to heed its call. So, we're off, returning hopefully with new stories, images and insights.

That's assuming the social secretary has nothing else planned for the weekend!

Summer Departs, Autumn Leaves

2011-09-17T01:00:00.002+01:00

Less traffic, parking spaces closer to our destination, shorter queues in the supermarkets. Favourite waiters at frequented restaurants missing in action, off finally on their well deserved breaks. 'Stock Out' end of season sales where merchants get that final seasonal burst of income required to keep them ticking over until the next influx of visitors. All indications that summer is drawing to a close.

Temperatures moderating, less of a gap between the highs and lows, a bit less light, a few cloudy hours creeping into some of the days - Autumn is approaching.

I enjoy the changing of the seasons, but there is something I find lacking in the Algarvean cycle. With the exception of our almond trees, there is little indication of senescence, of leaves dying and trees going into dormancy. The colour, the reds, yellows and browns, the harbinger of the colder (OK, in Algarve, cooler) weather that will eventually become winter is noticeable in it's absence. And this displeases my sense of what Autumn is - or rather should be. Would I, however, live anywhere else just in order to experience that which I find missing, would I abandon the Algarve for the Perthsire highlands of Scotland or leafy Vermont, both resplendent in Autumn?

Not for all the leaves in the forest.

Câmara Antiga

2011-09-11T01:00:00.004+01:00

As some of you know (as ALL of you should know) Algarvean Daze publishes current Algarve events under the auspices of it's sister site, Algarvean Daze on Facebook. Hint: If you didn't already know, you do now, and there's no excuse not to regularly visit!

A lot of the information that we publish has it's source in the official websites of the various councils which govern the Algarve, websites which cater for the social and cultural needs of the population as well as the daily administrative bureaucracy. And herein lies the problem. We at Algarvean Daze use social networking sites to collect the council information that we ultimately dispense, but some of the Algarve Concelhos do not - in 2011 - link to social networking sites. This means that the events they support are only known to those who visit the individual, official site of each council - at times quite a time-consuming task.

So, to the Presidents of Albufeira, Castro Marim, Lagos, Lagoa, Monchique, Olhão, São Brás de Alportel and Vila do Bispo Concelhos - get your act together. You spend time and scarce money to put on events for the people, then hide this information away from the wider population. Wake up!

We can't help you if you don't/won't help yourselves! And we would really like to help you.

Why-Fi?

2011-09-05T01:00:00.001+01:00

Believe me, I had absolutely no intention of setting up another blog/website any time in the near future. Then some friends with an iPad rented a villa nearby and although they had enquired about internet access before making the booking, found themselves with a landlord-provided dongle and no USB port on the iPad which would have allowed the consummation of machine and web. To compound matters, the only solution I could suggest involved my home WiFi network and one bar I occasionally frequent.

Even a quick search online didn't resolve the problem. Local information was a bit rough and decidedly sketchy, and sites that provided slicker presentation didn't really cater too much for the Algarve region of Portugal. So I decided to do it myself.

I have no idea what the finished product will look like, but for the time being, information which is being collected is being presented simply at AlgarveWiFi.info.

But, it's not just about me providing information. You can help me help you. If you have an Algarvean business that offers free WiFi, or if you use a business in the Algarve that offers free WiFi, contact us HERE. Share the information with me, and I'll share the information with the Algarve. That's what the web is all about!

The Iceman Cometh

2011-08-30T01:00:00.003+01:00

A few years ago, when I bought my first ice-making machine, I thought I was being clever. Best price in Algarve, 329€, best price in Spain, 169€. So I went to Spain. Twice. Once, to find that El Corte Ingles didn't regularly stock the machines, and once, a week later to collect the ordered equipment.

When, after 18 months it ceased to function, I made the decision not to make the additional two trips required to have it repaired under warranty, and it's subsequent collection , but consigned it instead to the Portuguese recycling system. By this time prices had fallen in Portugal, so a replacement was procured for 150€, from Radio Popular.

Fast forward almost two years. The machine, as it's predecessor did, dies. One year and three hundred and sixty-three days into the two year warranty period. Picture a very rapid trip back to Radio Popular.

Radio Popular was crewed, on that day, by a staff of one. After an extended conversation (not for here, the unexpurgated version is best kept for anecdotal drivel over the dinner table) I was informed that as the machine came from China, and would have to be returned there to be fixed, Radio Popular would not accept it for repair under the warranty. No way.

Just as I was about to execute my rant program, the assistant explained that as they couldn't/wouldn't repair the unit, I could have money back as a store credit. Her tone was that of a parent teaching a young child about some previously unencountered event, as she answered my question of 'How much credit?' by stating I would receive credit for the full purchase price.

As I was about to purchase a new washing machine from Radio Popular, it did not take me long to realise that this was probably as good as it gets. Two years free use of the machine, and as Radio Popular didn't have any in stock, I popped across the street to Makro, found a bigger, better one, and netting off all the costs, paid a 10€ premium for the new icemaker. Which now comes with a two year warranty.

I wonder, should this new one die near the end of it's warranty, will Makro be as customer-friendly as Radio Popular was?

Algarvation

2011-08-24T01:00:00.001+01:00

Most things about the Algarve please me, and I've written often about them. To provide Ying to my Yang however, here are a few things, in reverse order, that annoy the holy bejesus out of me.

10. Expats who arrive without any real money, or a plan, then blame Portugal when it all goes ass-over-tits. Expats who arrive with more money than I did.

9. Visitors who forget that roads are for cars. Walking slowly, 6 abreast should be reserved for anti-A22 demonstrations, not seaside resorts.

8. Portuguese family reunions held in supermarket aisles. Tourist family meetings, held in the supermarket cereal aisle, to determine if the box with the rooster logo really is Corn Flakes. Their attempts to read the box just to make sure. Abandoned, sideways trolleys. Supermarkets.

7. Portuguese people who insist in responding to my attempts at speaking the language, in English.

6. English people who automatically assume that ALL Portuguese speak English, or that shouting somehow aids comprehension.

5. Paying 12€ for a bottle of Real Lavrador house wine. Paying 12€ for ANY bottle of house wine.

4. Restaurants that do not sell domestic bottled beer.

3. Loss of Sky TV during a rainstorm.

2. The (mainly) Portuguese people who will not neuter their animals but instead dump the unwanted litters into the garbage bins.

1. The state of the road between Algoz and SB Messines, Estradas de Portugal for not resurfacing it, the mayor of Silves (Ola, Sra Soares!) for not pressuring Estradas de Portugal into resurfacing it and the mid-road cavern that tore a thumb-sized hole in my tyre last week.

Right, I'm off now to buy a tyre. Até logo.

The A22 Dilemma

2011-08-18T01:00:00.006+01:00

Asking friends, the universal answer to the question "In the pre-A22 days, would you have paid to get out of one of the frequent traffic jams to which the EN125 was so prone?" was a resounding and emphatic "YES!". So what has changed? It doesn't appear that the now almost unanimous opposition to turning the A22 into a toll road is one of cost.

Maybe it's the bizarre way that the tolls are to be collected, the ill-thought use of technology simply because the technology exists? Maybe it's the abject confusion that visitors to the Algarve will find themselves subjected? Maybe it's the bureaucratic nightmare that people renting cars will need to suffer? Maybe it's the inconvenience that real Post Office users will experience once the CTT becomes the payment terminal that should have been a tool booth from the inception?

Maybe it's all of the above?

If tolls are imposed on the A22, in the manner proposed, the ensuing chaos and frustration can only work against the Algarve in it's position of the chosen holiday destination for tens of thousands of money-spending guests.

Prior to this debacle, I had always thought of A 22 as a small calibre firearm. Without a doubt. I am now certain that the A22 is well and truly, a smoking gun.

Cafévourite: O'Grady's 12 Bar

2011-08-12T01:00:00.009+01:00

If you didn't already know it existed, you would never have found O'Grady's 12 Bar. And that would have been an opportunity missed.

O'Grady's 12 Bar is one of those places that is as difficult to categorise as it is to find. Is it a restaurant? No. Does it serve food? Yes. At times. Is it a bar? Yes, but more than just a bar. O'Grady's 12 Bar is a venue. This is a place you visit, not just for the drink, but for the event.

The event may be, in reality, an event. Live music is the heart and soul of this hidden-away gem. Many times weekly, but normally Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, live music is accompanied by good, simple BBQ food, very reasonably priced. And if the music isn't being provided by visiting artists, the owners, accomplished musicians Kevin and Jackie O'Grady, will be the entertaining you, either indoors, among the musical memorabilia, or al-fresco, beneath massive rubber and pepper trees - depending on the weather.

O'Grady's 12 Bar is located a few kilometres off of the Silves - Algoz road, on the Agroturismo site at Quinta da Figueirinha. Google Earth tells me that this is 37°11'9.60"N 8°24'20.54"W, which is probably close enough. In any case, following the Agroturismo signs will get you there. And if you like what you see when you arrive, I won't object to you buying me a beer or two in thanks for the introduction!

UPDATE: O'Grady's 12 Bar offers it's patrons free WiFi

Cafévourites

2011-08-06T01:00:00.004+01:00

A few years ago Algarvean Daze introduced the concept of Bestaurants, Algarve restaurants which offered good food, reasonably priced, with great views or ambience. These have been reviewed on Algarvean Daze, with Google Earth links provided to their locations. Some of these reviews still, years on, take place in our top seven most popular weekly views.

Moving on from that, to eateries less salubrious, we will soon be regularly adding our reviews of venues where the view may not be great, but the food, service and price qualify the establishments for inclusion in our list of Cafévourites.

Watch this space. We don't think you'll be disappointed.

Self-Inflicted Injuries

2011-07-31T01:00:00.001+01:00

I recently read that Algarve accommodation bookings were up 42% on last year. This is great news, particularly if your income is in some way dependent on tourism. On the other side of the coin, however, in my chatting to restaurant owners, takings are down, or at best equal to last year.

Self-catering a holiday is really no more expensive than being at home. At home one shops, prepares and eats. The cost of the ingredients is not a lot different, wherever you may be. Supermarkets benefit, restaurants suffer. It makes sense. But is it sensible?

A holiday should be a holiday. For everybody. Cooking shouldn't be a necessity when abroad, relaxation should.

So, is self-catering killing the restaurant trade? No. The restaurant trade is creating the self-catering mentality. Food along the coast is normally 2-3 times more expensive than equivalent food eaten north of the A22. Markups on house wine at the seaside is frequently 6-8-10 times the real cost of the bottle. This is unsustainable, the proof being the recognised lack of restaurant business in tourist areas.

It is time for restaurateurs to wake up and recognise their worst enemy. Themselves.

Last-Minute Bargain

2011-07-25T10:42:00.003+01:00

Friends of ours have had a last-minute cancellation on their stunning townhouse, located at Vale do Milho, in Carvoeiro. Rather than allow it to sit unoccupied during the best part of the Algarve summer season, they have heavily discounted the rental for the period between 4pm on Saturday 30th July to 11am Saturday 6th August.

Full details about the property and contact information can be found HERE

The Pushmi-Pullyu Effect

2011-07-25T01:00:00.001+01:00

In reading the various discussion forums aimed at Portugal and the Algarve, I've noticed trends developing that weren't apparent or that I missed in years past. People contemplating the move to Portugal now seem to be taking a more cautious approach and are spending time in rented accommodation prior to buying property.

In many cases, unswayed by the lure of a property market definitely biased toward the buyer, many potential new residents are trying the water before cutting their ties with their home countries. This must be a good thing, as the other side to this story is the increasing number of ex-pats who, unable to earn an income equivalent to that 'at home', are now trying to sell and return to their roots.

Portugal is a great place to live, but one still has to be able to afford to live here. A bit of research, and restraint, will pay dividends. And cheap property will probably be here for a year or two.

Tom Tom Too Much

2011-07-19T01:00:00.002+01:00

For years I've toyed with the idea of getting that ideal automotive toy, Sat Nav. A couple of things have always put me off. Price, and price.

First, the price of the Sat Nav unit, and second, the price of the map updates. Both of those impediments have now been removed.

Using a netbook PC, in my case running Ubuntu instead of Windoze, with TangoGPS software, I can utilise maps from many different sources, including Google Maps and Google Earth. Maps from the Open Street Map project are frequently more up to date than anything available as a paid download from the Sat Nav suppliers. Data collected from using this type of GPS system can be uploaded by anyone to keep the maps current.

Considering the number of unidentified roads snaking through the Algarve, using the Google Earth overlays makes finding obscure locations far easier than just using a 2D map - a map which may not even have knowledge of the tracks visible on a satellite image.

The cost? Ubuntu - Free. TangoGPS - Free. Open Street Map & Google Maps - Free. In addition to a netbook PC, the only additional cost is an USB GPS dongle. Cost? €15.

I can just about afford that!

If Ryanair Rented Villas

2011-07-13T10:25:00.004+01:00

Just like restaurants that charge €12 for a €2 bottle of house wine - because they can, I find the actions of some villa owners equally despicable.

Some recent browsing, comparing villa prices, has thrown up a disturbing trend. Villas renting at a £1000 peak-season premium, compared to their economy rates, seem to be adopting the attitude of no-frills airlines. As if the extra £1000 weekly income weren't enough, some owners are slapping on a surcharge of £100-200 per week for air conditioning.

What next? Charges to use the pool? To use the BBQ? To watch TV? To park your car? In an economic climate where people are increasingly money conscious, wouldn't it be better to give apparent value for money by stating an all-inclusive price, rather that extorting additional amounts for goods and services which are already effectively paid for in the rental premium?

Phoenix

2011-07-12T11:26:00.003+01:00

Like the mythical bird, rising from the ashes, I hope to re-initiate Algarvean Daze in the style I had originally intended. More personal insight, less current affairs. I got a bit carried away with 'what's happening' and forgot about 'what's good'.

My goal is not to publish frequently, but to publish regularly. Will I be successful? The future will be my judge.

Algarvean Daze Sponsors Information Websites

2010-02-12T11:03:00.002Z

Algarvean Daze is pleased to announce it's alliance with a number of Algarve-focused information websites.

These currently include the Online Petition site aimed at facilitating the repair of the EN264, the Algoz - Messines road, an informative site about the Red Palm Weevil, the pest which is systematically destroying Canary Palms across Europe and the Algarve, and a real-time Golf Information webpage which displays news items about golf and golf related issues, but with an Algarve bias.

Additional websites will likely be added to this list, but always with the Algarve at the forefront. We hope that you find the information supplied by these partner pages helpful and informative.

Too Many Sad Endings

2010-02-03T12:02:00.005Z

I've just recently heard that SOS Algarve Animals: Quintinha dos Animais at Goldra is to close down by the end of May. This imprints a large question mark upon the lives of the many cats and dogs who have been abandoned, rescued by SOS Algarve Animals, and now again face an unknown and potentially undesirable fate.

You can help. Why not visit the website and read the blog? There you will find information about what's still needed between now and closure, along with pictures of some of the animals waiting to be re-homed.

Maria de Lourdes Ingle set up her animal sanctuary in the hills above Loule in Goldra back in 1999. The land, some 7000 square metres, was originally bought by her in 1985 to develop in to villas. However, Lourdes, who was living in England at that time, frequently returned to her native Algarve. Each time she returned, the more distressed she was by the sheer number of cats and dogs roaming the streets, some starving, some diseased, all neglected and scavenging for survival amongst the rubbish bins. Some, of course, were feral, others family pets that the family no longer wanted.

Sadly, with the closure of the sanctuary, all this must now end. Maria has cared for over a decade. Now it's our turn.

Algarve Events 2010

2010-01-24T11:48:00.033Z

The list below is a summary of a variety of events taking place in the Algarve during 2010.

As and when more information becomes available about any individual event, we will make a separate posting with those details and links directly to those articles will be available from here.

January

Too late now - just woke up from 2009 - I'll do better next year!

February

6-7 February
SkySurf Pro Tour - Portimao Municipal Aerodrome (Alvor)

13-21 February
Carnival Week - Venues across the Algarve - Loule, Albufeira, Portimao

17-21 February
Tour of the Algarve Cycle Race

March

7 March
33rd IAAF Almond Blossom Cross Country Race - Albufeira

24 March...

Vilamoura Equestrian Tour 2010 - Centro Hípico e Desportivo de Vilamoura

26-28 March
WSBK - World Superbike Championship - Euromillions Round - Autodromo do Algarve

April

1-4 April
Portimao Trophy Windsurfing Championships

...18 April

Vilamoura Equestrian Tour 2010 - Centro Hípico e Desportivo de Vilamoura

May

14-16 May
Portuguese Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

21-23 May
Superstars - International Ferrari Challenge - Formula 3000 - Autodromo do Algarve

27-30 May
Vodafone Rally de Portugal

June

5-6 June
International Algarve Fair - Fatacil - Lagoa

July

2-4 July
World Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

16-18 July - Le Mans Series - Historic Group C Racing - Autodromo do Algarve

August

September

17-19 September
FIA-GT World Championship - British Formula 4 - Autodromo do Algarve

October

15-17 October
Algarve Historic Festival - Historic F1 Racing - Autodromo do Algarve

November

13-14 November
Portuguese Touring Car Championship - Autodromo do Algarve

December

REMEMBER - This summary will be updated throughout the year - Check back regularly!

Crimes Against Tourists. And Residents.

2010-01-18T18:54:00.007Z

Assault and battery, extortion, break-ins, theft, highway robbery and murder. Just a few of the crimes commited against motorists using the EN264 road between Algoz and Sao Bartolomeu de Messines in the concelho (county) of Silves, in the Algarve.

Anyone using the road between Algoz and Messines knows how their vehicles have been assaulted by the unmaintained roadway, how their cars have been battered into a state often requiring expensive remedial maintenance. Visitors hiring cars know about the way that car-rental companies extort money to hedge their position against the many irreparably damaged tyres that festoon cars which have had the mis-fortune to use this 'road'.

Broken suspensions are frequent, stealing away from car owners the longevity of service that they expect when purchasing a new vehicle. The cost of this is not borne by the council or the state. The real cost of using this public road is paid by the motorists, the residents, the visitors, the taxpayers.

Will it take death on this road, a municipal homicide, to cause the local government officials to act on behalf of the people who elected them to serve?

Support the action against these crimes - WWW.EN264.INFO

A New Year, A New Cause

2010-01-02T14:33:00.004Z

First and foremost, a very Happy New Year to all readers of Algarvean Daze. Thank you for your support in 2009. I will try to be a bit more active during 2010, a bit more consistent with my blogs.

My first posting this year is in the form of an appeal. I need the help of each of you, and of all of your friends.

The road, the EN264 between Sao Bartolomeu de Messines and Algoz, is a deathtrap. Successive terms of government by Isabel Soares as head of the Camara Municipal de Silves have done nothing to remedy the situation, in actual fact, the condition of the road has deteriorated under the stewardship of Mrs Soares.

Now that she has been re-elected, all impetus for action has been effectively removed. She can again coast until the next election.

To help keep her attention focused on the issues which affect her constituents and visitors, Algarvean Daze has launched an online appeal in the form of an e-petition, which will hopefully garner enough support to cause her to take heed and to take action.

Please support our endeavour by signing the petition. You may do so directly by clicking HERE, or visit the Boulevard Isabel Soares WEBSITE or the Boulevard Isabel Soares BLOG.

And please pass this quest for action along to all your friends. If you blog, add a link, if you use social network sites such as Twitter or Facebook, please make a posting. Write to the newspapers and ask for their support. We will all benefit from unified action.

Again, Happy New Year and hopefully, in respect of the EN 264, this appeal will not need to be repeated in 2011.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2009-12-17T10:48:00.007Z

For the second noticeable time, my good lady wife (GLW) has missed out on feeling the earth move beneath her feet. Or, as it was in the early hours of the morning, her back.

The first earthquake I ever experienced - and she failed to - was probably about two years ago. GLW was at the local market, and crushed amongst the throngs of shoppers and pickpockets, she missed noticing the brief figure of eight motion that the ground beneath her feet made.

Last night, blissfully asleep, she missed again. My first thought was that an unscheduled train passed by, but it was just a little too quick and a little too 'shakey'. When I concluded that it must have been a terremoto, I attempted to validate this by using the incredibly good meteo.pt website's seismology section. As access was impossible, I went back to bed convinced that GLW had missed another opportunity.

This morning, when I was able to get onto the website, confirmation of the magnitude 6.0 earthquake off the coast of Sagres was there, along with detail of the additional twenty tremors which occurred between 1:43 and 11:29.

Life is never dull in the Algarve.

Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag

2009-12-09T20:13:00.013Z

Pardon the pun. Sometimes things that are particularly close to me cause me to get a bit carried away. Case in point, the Gala Dinner & Dance that will held on Sunday 13 December 2009 at the Hotel Paraiso de Albufeira, located, strangely enough, in Albufeira.

I don't often wax lyrical about events such as these, but this charity event is being co-sponsored by AGA, the Amigos dos GATOS do Algarve, along with two other animal charities. The work that these charities do is often thankless, and frequently unknown. I will do my best to right this wrong.

Before you dismiss this as of no interest to your good selves, hear me out. This is the best WIN - WIN situation you may find this year. OK, let's assume you are a cat lover, as I am. There is little you wouldn't do to help ease the plight of stray and abandoned moggies here in the Algarve. We enjoy a reasonable standard of life here, why shouldn't our furry friends?

OR, let's assume that you are a cat hater. This is right up your street. The AGA runs programs aimed at providing an environment where feral and stray cats are caught, neutered and released back into their environments.

From the perspective of the cat lover, this affords a better life to the cats living wild, and for the cat haters, this means a reduction in the number of cats who have the audacity to approach you while you are sitting in one of Algarve's numerous restaurants.

So, regardless if you couldn't be without cats or if you can't abide cats, here's your chance to champion your own cause. Tickets for the Buffet Dinner and Dance at the Hotel Paraiso de Albufeira are on sale at the AGA charity shop in Montechorro at €27.50, or will be available on the night at the venue.

For more information, or to reserve tickets, have a quick chat with Lesley on +351 96 241 4584 or email her at normington@live.co.uk

St Nicholas Day

2009-12-06T11:21:00.008Z

It's 6 December, the sun cannot seem to make up it's mind, it's cool enough outdoors to ensure that we have a fire indoors later, lunch today will not be eaten al-fresco. And today is St Nicholas Day, the day we put up the Christmas decorations.

The Algarve has fallen in line with the rest of the 'civilised' countries in it's ability to promote one commercial season as soon as the previous season's extraction of lucre has drawn to an end. Christmas begins when Halloween ends. As Christmas ends, St Valentine's will begin. This is very unfortunate progress indeed. This is not the Algarve I want. C'est la vie. Or, I suppose I should say, ao vida.

These conspiracies to part me from my money will not overshadow my enjoyment of what Christmas is to me. Although I am not a religious person, it is a religious holiday. And, as such should always remain a religious holiday. I will never subscribe to the theory that it should be watered down to a 'Winter Holiday', regardless of how many persons of various non-Christian faiths it offends. I do not care that the traditional Christmas fare of roast fowl may offend Vegetarians. I so do not care that the iconic imagery of Christmas Trees, Mangers, Angels and Wisemen upsets the fundamentalists who deem such as akin to worshiping idols.

For those of you who may feel targeted by this rant, I will not say 'Get a life'. You already have a life. Let other people enjoy theirs. Merry Christmas.

Cul-de-Sac

2009-12-01T10:21:00.007Z

Sitting at a favourite venue, one already popularised here on Algarvean Daze in the posting 'Forced To Drink By The Police', our afternoon relaxation and social intercourse was rather rudely interrupted by the sound of an approaching siren.

This is unusual in our tiny part of the Algarve, as rarely do emergency vehicles feel the need to loudly announce their presence. Located as we were, in a quiet, verdant part of the Quinta da Larga Vista, the decibel level grew until it eliminated any chance of reasonable conversation.

When the antiquated, noisy diesel Transit Van turned off the 'main' road onto a side road, my initial thought was that it was getting well and truly out of the way of what turned out to be a police car. This was partially correct. It was not only trying to get out of the way of the police, it was attempting to elude the police. Not quite power-sliding around the corner, the van with it's side door open and people struggling to remain inside, was being pursued by the police so closely that it appeared that the predator vehicle was being towed along.

Eventually out of sight and sound, conversation turned to the futility of the situation from the van occupants' perception. Preventing a police car from overtaking on a narrow, windy road should not have been difficult. Getting to the other end of the road, some kilometers away, without expecting to be greeted by more police was probably folly in the extreme. It's only heresay, but I've been told you can't outrun a Motorola.

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T19:12:00.002Z

I wrote this some years ago - if you've already seen it I apologise
_______________________________

The evil spectres roam the land
Beyond control and out of hand
You cannot run, you cannot hide
Their morbid lusts won't be denied

They watch you coming from afar
They always know just where you are
So warn your children as they play
That they should always keep away

From those who cloak themselves in black
Boldly waiting to attack
Their easy prey, the fatted hen
For they will get you in the end

No place is safe, no place secure
No place to run, there is no cure
Your time will come, and be aware
You will be caught up in their snare

Where plaintive cries, ever louder
Get lost in the smell of powder
And pagan customs of the years
Magnify your deepest fears

Of men possessed of secret words
In chambers dark where pleas are heard
For judgement to be swift and kind
So great is the spell they bind

That the mystique must be maintained
(While from you the blood is drained)
Their evil practice never ending
Heed this message that I'm sending

Defend youself against this foe
(Even though you really know
That should you win you will still lose)
Your life is there for them to use

So bar the windors, lock the doors
From Lawyers and Solicitors
Who laugh while listening to your screams
So Trick or Treat, and have sweet dreams

Happy Halloween!

Upcoming Event: MamaMaratona 2009

2009-10-06T20:53:00.007+01:00

Avoiding the puns is not going to be easy...

Algarvean Daze does what it can to keep you abreast of current events in the Algarve. There is no more worthy event that we are proud to make you aware of than that of the annual MamaMaratona.

Now in it's 9th year, at 10am on October 25, 2009, hundreds, if not thousands of serious and not-so-serious runners and walkers will take to the streets of Portimão in aid of breast cancer support. Opting for either a 5km or 8km course, participants from Tavira to Titicaca will be running for life to raise awareness and money for breast cancer related causes across the Algarve.

Seriously, do something for breast cancer awareness. Got boobs? Got moobs? Got an attitude? Got a conscience? Join in the fun, participation will only set you back €7. Details and registration forms are available at the official MamaMaratona website, HERE. Don't feel like joining in? Then come along to Parque de Feiras e Exposições de Portimão and support the runners.

Up-to-date breast cancer news HERE.

Another Holiday

2009-10-05T11:01:00.004+01:00

Not a holiday, as in going on vacation, but a public holiday, a bank holiday.

We have decided that it would be churlish not to pay homage to all the countries that have had an influence in our lives, and the best way would to be to observe the public holidays in the spirit intended.

As I am American, my significant other half is British and we live in Portugal, we find that we are forced to immerse ourselves in the national holidays of three different societies. There are obvious drawbacks in doing so, for example on days of communal events such as Christmas and New Years, where we are obliged to party three times harder and to a rolling time zone which extends the day well beyond 24 hours, thus avoiding any offense to any one or more host countries.

Today, in Portugal, is Implantação da República (Republic Day). It commemorates the proclamation of the Portuguese First Republic in 1910.

And my proclamation? Off to the beach for lunch!

Upcoming Event: Rouxinol Presents Paulo Viegas

2009-09-28T10:04:00.013+01:00

Sunday October 4 2009 sees the Portimao guitarist Paulo Viegas returning to Restaurant Rouxinol at Caldas de Monchique.

Regular followers of Algarvean Daze will know what fans we are of Restaurant Rouxinol, having previously given it Bestaurant Status for the location, quality of service and great food. In keeping with Stefan's tradition of excellence, Stefan is pleased to welcome Paulo Viegas back to perform another afternoon of great guitar classics from the 60s onward.

Music starts at 2pm, and for those wishing to dine it is highly recommended that you book now, on 282 913 975.

Read what we had to say about Rouxinol HERE

A Cry For Help

2009-09-08T08:39:00.004+01:00

This is a special Algarvean Daze public service announcement of the selfish type.

The Algarve restaurant referred to in the blog entry below, O Foral, is prospering and now needs to take on additional waiting staff.

Applicants must be bi-lingual and have their own transport.

If this is you, or you know someone who could do the biz, CLICK HERE

My future dining experiences at O Foral thank you in advance!

The Return Of The Prodigal

2009-08-16T19:49:00.011+01:00

I'm not going to go into details, but yes, it's been a long time since I put finger to keyboard. Now I'm back. But I'm not the prodigal referred to in the title.

A restaurant we really enjoyed visiting went belly-up in February, just before I was about to bestow Algarvean Daze Bestaurant status upon it. Possibly had I done so sooner, it would still be under the same ownership. And operating. But I didn't, and it isn't. However, all may not be lost.

A new, enterprising restauratuer has picked up where the previous one failed. Hopefully he will not repeat the mistakes but will build on the successes. He has a capital interest in making it work. I want my idyllic venue back on the agenda.

After I have had a chance (multiple chances) to revisit and re-evaluate, the restaurant will again be put in the queue for gaining Bestaurant status. Hopefully it will succeed.

For those whose curiosity has been piqued, the restaurant is O Foral in Larga Vista, located in the forested area between Algoz, Messines and Paderne. Bestaurant status will ensure a proper Google Earth entry on Algarvean Daze. In the meantime try and find it yourself - and hopefully you will be as pleased as we are about the return of the prodigal restaurant.

Upcoming Event: Le Mans 1000km do Algarve

2009-07-24T13:53:00.010+01:00

Three days of racing excitement commence on Friday 31 July 2009 at the Autodromo do Algarve (Algarve Motor Park) near Portimao.

The main event, the 1000km Le Mans Series night race starts at 19:15 on Saturday and continues until around 1:15 on Sunday morning.

Test and qualifying sessions for all classes take place on Thursday, with open sessions on Friday. On Saturday, prior to the main race, the Seat Super Copa, Superstars, CER, Radical European Masters, Formula Renault 3.5 and Formula Le Mans classes take to the track.

Sunday finishes the weekend with the final races in the Seat Super Copa Leon, Superstars, Radical European Masters and Formula Le Mans classes.

Algarve Motor Park | More details, in Portuguese

For information about other events occurring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Flora: New Perspectives And Newbiscus

2009-07-21T12:37:00.006+01:00

With our friend, a recent visitor, safely deposited at Faro airport, we returned home to begin anew the process of recovery from a week of excess. Reflecting on the things that went well and the things that we could have done better, we naturally were pleased to recall the things that impressed our guest the most.

What we have begun to take for granted easily stood out when pointed out to us by our temporary family member. It is still cheaper to live in Portugal than the UK. Not just day to day items, but those little occasional expenses that tap into our reserves. Our friend decided an appropriate gift would be some unusual plants for our garden, and having chosen quite a few, was amazed at how little the total cost was. We can only take her word for it, but she believes that to have purchased the same plants (had they been available) in the UK would have cost her at least four times the amount here, and the plants wouldn't have been as large. So Portugal scores another point, and we've been again reminded to count our blessings.

And for our most welcome friend, who was very impressed with the Newbiscus we bought last year, here's a current photo. Thankfully, the sixty-plus buds haven't all become 25cm blooms together!

Upcoming Event: 15th Loulé Jazz Festival

2009-07-17T20:47:00.013+01:00

The second part of the Allgarve jazz season, the 15th Loulé Jazz Festival, commences on 18 July 2009.

18 July, 10 pm, Loulé
Francesco Caffiso Quartet
Cerca do Convento
Tickets: Casa da Cultura de Loulé | Map

25 July, 10 pm, Loulé
Al di Meola World Sinfonia
Monumento Duarte Pacheco
Tickets: Casa da Cultura de Loulé | Map

26 July, 10 pm, Loulé
Chick Corea and Gary Burton - Duets
Monumento Duarte Pacheco
Tickets & FNAC, Worten and Agências Abreu & at the venue only on the day of the concert (unless sold out) | Map

1 August, 10 pm, Loulé
Mário Laginha Trio
Cerca do Convento
Tickets: Casa da Cultura de Loulé | Map

Dem Ol' Airline Trashed My Luggage Again Blues

2009-07-12T00:05:00.006+01:00

Not really the truth, as I haven't flown recently. But with the peak holiday season approaching, it goes without saying that someone's luggage, and because of it, possibly a holiday, will end up being destroyed.

What I'm about to suggest that you have a look at is not directly related to the Algarve. It does hold relevance however, to both the occasional attitude of some airline personnel and to the likelihood of gaining compensation for your damaged possessions, entrusted for safe keeping to your chosen carrier.

While the gentleman involved did finally manage to gain some satisfaction from United Airlines, the lengths he had to go to - and fortunately was able to go to - were extreme.

The bottom line is that if you can make enough of a nuisance of yourself, all is possible. Watch how the Sons of Maxwell, a band fronted by Dave Carroll, used the power of the internet and a song they wrote called United Breaks Guitars to bring United Airlines down to earth.

And, as the mere sound of this song will for years to come bestow abject terror in the hearts of airline officials everywhere, learn the chorus - just in case you need it at the carousel!

Upcoming Event: Windsurfing Proam 2009, 2nd Algarve Stage

2009-07-09T20:04:00.006+01:00

The second Algarvean stage of the three stage Spanish and Portuguese Windsurfing Federations 2009 Portuguese calendar takes place on 18 and 19 July at Meia Praia, Lagos.

Again, Slalom and Long Distance events make up the card for this two day (Saturday & Sunday) event.

The event is open to all windsurfing enthusiasts, both professionals and amateurs alike.

More details from the PROAM website.

The third stage takes place in August. More details closer to the event.

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Overtaken By Events

2009-07-06T13:08:00.007+01:00

Where has the time gone? I'm now at least a couple of days behind on posting to Algarvean Daze, I still haven't caught up with the ever increasing glut of emails that sit, taunting me, unanswered, and in some cases, unread. I'm sliding into the abyss.

It would be so easy to blame my lethargy on sleepless nights, facilitated by the rapid growth of our new kitten, Chere Khan, who, along with her rapidly growing teeth and irretractable claws, now refuses to be contained anywhere other than where we are. If she is not attached to my leg she is attached to my arm. I look as if I was dragged via a stampeding stallion through a bramble patch. And back again. Not a pretty sight.

Or, I could blame our friends, some old and some new, whose company and beverages I enjoy far too much for my own good. I could blame the Algarve restaurants and their owners for always affording us such good food and good atmosphere. I could blame the Algarve weather for ensuring that late into the evening there was no incentive to return indoors and begin my scribbles anew.

Yes, there's a lot of things I could use as excuses for being a little bit too laid back. But no excuses - I came to the Algarve to chill out. That's what I'm doing, and so far I think I'm making a pretty good job of it.

Upcoming Event: 28th Faro International Motorcycle Weekend

2009-07-01T12:33:00.007+01:00

The weekend of 16-19 July 2009 sees the convergence of tens of thousands of motorcyclists on the site near Faro, Algarve. Always a spectacular sight to behold, the 28th gathering will undoubtedly live up to it's reputation as one of the best summer events in the Algarve.

The admission price includes an official bag which contains a T-shirt, rally badge, sticker, a different surprise gift each year, coupons for free meals, coupons to give you the opportunity of entering the draw for both a brand new motorcycle and a free week in Daytona.

Bands and artists confirmed at the time of writing this were Europe, Children of the Damned, Hora Zulu, David Fonseca, Tara Perdida, Loquillo, St Dominic's Gospel Choir, and Fatal Smile.

Plug 37 01'28.00''N, 7 58'38.00''W into your GPS or use the maps link below.

Information | Maps

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Holidays Up In Smoke?

2009-06-27T14:47:00.009+01:00

As if logic needed to apply to having a holiday in the Algarve, my politically incorrect thoughts today revolve around the cost benefit that is available to UK smokers visiting for a week in the sun.

Firstly, I neither condone nor disapprove of your decision to smoke. That's up to you. I don't smoke. I used to smoke. I've been in both camps. However, if you do smoke, you could use the money to be saved by buying cigarettes in Portugal to offset the cost of your holiday here. As an example, and based on prices confirmed within the last week - A carton (200) of Silk Cut purchased in the UK cost £55. The same amount bought in the Algarve was €38.50. At the time the exchange rate was running at about €1.15 to £1.00, but for simplicity sake I'll use €1.10 to £1.00.

£55 would buy you just over €60, which would in turn buy you 311 cigarettes. More than 50% extra for the same amount of money. So lets say that you smoke 20 cigarettes per day. The daily saving on smoking those 20, were they bought in the Algarve, would be £2.15. In a week, £15, a month £60, 6 months £360.

A quick check of the Thomas Cook website showed that even in late July, a self catering apartment in Albufeira could be rented for seven days for under £400. This means that a light smoker could have flights and holiday accommodation in the Algarve paid for based on the savings gained by buying their smokes here. 20 cartons of cigarettes, more than a 6 month supply based on 20 per day, will weigh about 20 kilos, but if more than one of you is traveling and the weight is divided you should be able to pack the swimsuit and take back the goods without worrying about overweight luggage.

The choice is yours. If you're going to continue to smoke, why not do it in a way that at least gives your family a holiday they can remember you by?

Upcoming Event: Allgarve Jazz 09

2009-06-24T00:05:00.011+01:00

The long awaited season of jazz commences at the end of June, with jazz in the Algarve heard at venues across the region. Allgarve 09 brings together a diverse selection of jazz and big band performances, cool enough to take on the hot summer nights.

30 June, 10 pm, Faro
Chico Pinheiro and Brad Mehldau with Fleurine and Luciana Alves
Teatro das Figuras
Horta das Figuras, Estrada Nacional 125, Faro
Tickets - At the concert venue | Information | Map

10 July, 10 pm, Lagoa
Esperanza Spalding
Sítio das Fontes
Tickets and at FNAC, Worten and Agências Abreu | Map

11 July, 10 pm, Portimão
Madeleine Peyroux
TEMPO - Teatro Municipal de Portimão,
Tickets and at FNAC, Worten and Agências Abreu and at the concert venue | Information

16 July, 10 pm, Lagoa-Portimão
Glenn Miller Orchestra
Centro de Congressos do Arade
Lagoa-Portimão
Tickets1 Tickets2 and at FNAC, Worten and Agências Abreu and at the concert venue | Information | Map

17 July, 9:30 pm, Portimão
Branford Marsalis and Metropolitan Orchestra of Lisbon
TEMPO - Teatro Municipal de Portimão
Tickets - at the concert venue | Information | Map

These events make up the first half of the Allgarve Jazz Season. The Loule Jazz Festival keeps the ball rolling, with details soon to be published.

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Upcoming Event: International CSI 3* Showjumping at Vilamoura

2009-06-21T00:05:00.006+01:00

Following on from the Concurso de Saltos Internacional 4**** event of the previous week at Portimao, the Centro Hípico de Vilamoura, located in Estalagem da Cegonha, will host a CSI 3*** Showjumping event on 26, 27 and 28 June 2009.

This elite equestrian event continues to remain elite, with valid information as difficult to come by as a clear round. Faults abound with details which should be available on the Equi Events website, but which are hidden neatly away behind some boring web failure message.

The main Federação Equestre Portuguesa website is functioning, but provides little information without going to the abovementioned, unhelpful link.

The Centro Hípico de Vilamoura website at least has contact details listed, which may be of use in gaining further information.

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Corn Flaked

2009-06-19T00:05:00.005+01:00

The season has now commenced. Although some tourist establishments are still preaching doom and gloom, a business report published a few days ago stated that hotel occupancy in the Algarve was, for the previous week, running at 80%. That's not too bad for a recession.

As more people arrive and migrate toward the coast, we will now migrate more toward the north side of the 125. The visitors don't need to be tripping over us in Modelo. And vice versa.

Shopping is a pastime I can agreeably do without. So to be obligated to share the necessary time in a supermarket with ANYBODY else other than my shopping partner and the checkout staff really gets right up my nose. It's not just the crowds. It's the action of the crowds.

As an example - these two blurred images were shamelessly nicked from the websites of Kelloggs UK and Kelloggs Portugal. They are different. They are written in two different languages. But really, people, is it necessary to have a family conference in the cereal aisle, with Mom, Dad, 2.4 children, associated pushchairs and an askew trolley to decide if this is what you normally have for breakfast?

The company name is the same. The rooster is the same. 'Corn Flakes' are the same words in both languages. You do not read Portuguese. Turning the box over, examining all sides, passing it from parent to child and back again will not facilitate your decision making process. You belong on the beach. You do not want to spend your holiday in a grocery store. PUT the box in your abandonned, sideways cart and move along. If your first instinct tells you that the product is the same, go with it.

And PLEASE, do not get out the calculator and determine the cost difference before you make the decision to buy. Even if it's double what you would normally pay, buy it. Failure to buy the product you know requires you reading the cartons of products you have never heard of!

Keep it simple. You're on holiday. You're worth it, regardless of the cost! And I'm trying to get to the Cheerios!

Catastrophe

2009-06-16T00:05:00.008+01:00

When I wrote some time ago about our Portuguese neighbour's cat being likely to present us with a litter of fur-squirm, this was done based upon the fact that as it was the neighbour's cat, should she drop multiple bundles of joy somewhere in my shed, I could ultimately devolve responsibility for the furry felines, and pass the parcel back to the neighbour. As it happened, the anticipated event never took place, albeit not for the lack of trying on behalf of the aforementioned kitty. Twice she has now aborted part-term, so maybe it will turn out that she never does become a problem of the type I wrote about.

Not all cats fare equally. Recently, a friend took pity on five kittens, unceremoniously dumped on the day of their birth, and has lovingly and successfully hand-reared the entire litter from wet, blind, scrambling fur into a sibling menagerie of home-seeking purr-fur.

They are now at the age where they are ready to adopt new humans. Reluctant as my friend may be, she needs now to allow them to grace the homes and lives of others. At the time of writing this, it appears that two of the five are already spoken for. The remaining three are here now for you. It's a sad fact of Algarvean life that animals are so frequently abandoned at birth. The sanctuaries, normally so willing to assist in situation such as this, are currently unable to provide temporary shelter, and my friend finds herself in a position where she really must find proper homes for the kitties, and soon.

You can help. Maybe you want to share your love with a new pet. Maybe you know someone else who would happily take on a new lodger. However it pans out, please help us help the little guys. Drop an email to kittens@algarveandaze.com and help us re-home the remaining furballs.

C'mon, look at the picture. How can you say no?

Upcoming Event: Kite Masters World Tour & Kiteboard Course Racing World Tour 2009

2009-06-14T00:05:00.002+01:00

Praia de Alvor, Portimao plays host again to the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA) Kite Masters World Tour 2009, commencing on Wednesday, June 24. Sixteen world class freestyle riders and four top Portuguese kiteboarders will compete in the freestyle events.

In addition to those freestyle events, the third annual Kiteboard Course Racing World Tour 2009 will showcase the best kiteboard racers taking part in a series of events designed to take kiteboard racing to the extreme, with a variety of course formats.

Activities continue through Sunday, June 28. The full race schedule and registration details are available HERE.

For information about other events occurring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

The Ever-So-Excellent Algarvean Daze Around The World In 24 Hours Challenge

2009-06-12T00:05:00.007+01:00

Today I thought that I would ask the readers of Algarvean Daze to help me in a small test. It's an easy test, there are no questions to answer, you can't fail the test unless you don't participate and you will help spread the Algarvean Daze message throughout the world. And it will all happen in a marathon 24 hours.

There is no real blog entry today, no story, no upcoming event. But, if you need your daily fix before you proceed, why not read about another Algarve Friday, a previous Friday HERE, then when you're done come back and help me out.

OK. What I want to do is see how many new people can be welcomed into the Algarvean Daze family in a single 24 hour period. I have started by publishing this at just after midnight my time (GMT) and will stop counting at midnight tomorrow.

Your part in all of this is simple. Send the link to this page (see below for a suggested email that already contains a short link to this page) to two friends, and ask, beg, plead and implore them to read the entry and then immediately if not sooner, to send the link to two of their friends, and so on down the line. At the stroke of midnight on Saturday their local time, stop. No more emails.

Hopefully, after 24 hours my blog ramblings will have reached new readers - a fact that will make it all seem worthwile for me and my RSI! In return, I will soon after (Saturday, probably after a good night's sleep) make everybody aware of how many people read the blog, and from which countries. And each of you can live long and peaceful lives, knowing that you have helped me with my quest to preach the Algarve gospel to the widest possible audience.

The final thing I would ask of you is be selective in the two friends that you send this to. They really should be the sort of people who are likely to participate willingly and enthusiastically in such unbridled tomfoolery.

NOTE to email users - Please send a fresh email to your two friends, not one simply forwarding the previous one. Nobody pays any real attention to emails that start FW Fw fw.... If you can't think of what to say, feel free to copy this -

Hi Firstfriend and Secondfriend
I'm sending you this as a part of a 24 hour world tour of the internet on behalf of Algarvean Daze. All I'm asking is that you quickly have a look here - http://tinyurl.com/lw4bdh - and then do what I'm doing right now. You'll understand when you read it. If you get this on or after Saturday 11 June 2009, ignore all this silliness and have a great day!

NOTE to Twitter users - You can equally participate via Twitter using the #followfriday hashtag, using something like this - @firstfriend @secondfriend - Read this as soon as you possibly can! Really! - http://tinyurl.com/lw4bdh #followfriday

My thanx to all of you, both for reading this far, and if you have forwarded the message, for your active participation. Obrigado!

Upcoming Event: Lagoa Jazz Festival 2009

2009-06-10T00:05:00.002+01:00

June 19, 20 and 21 2009 sees the seventh annual Lagoa Jazz Festival return to the Sitio das Fontes in Estombar, near Lagoa.

Starting nightly at 21:30, Friday sees the Jeremy Pelt Quintet on stage, Saturday Louis Winsberg's Jaleo and Sunday, Portugal's OGRE.

More details about Lagoa Jazz 2009, from the Camara Lagoa website HERE (Portuguese)

For information about other events occurring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Óbidos and Óbidon'ts - Part Three

2009-06-08T00:05:00.003+01:00

Climbing for the final time, up the hill to the pousada, it was almost impossible to imagine that just a few hours previous, this pavement had been awash with tourists swarming over the wares displayed in the gift shops, chatting noisily, and in the case of the planeload of Japanese visitors we encountered, clicking repetitively and animatedly at things both stationary and human. Now deserted, it felt as if we were walking through alien territory, a feeling enhanced by the glow of amber lighting upon whitewashed houses, shops and churches. The drizzle of but a few hours before had not yet dried on the calcada, making the vertical trek as treacherous as it was eerie.

Settling in for the last time in our 'rooms' at the pousada, we became aware of a distant droning sound, a sound we attributed to housekeeping machinery, possibly a washing machine or dishwasher. However, as the night dragged on the sound never ceased, never even altered in pitch as one might expect of a machine cycling through it's cleansing rituals. If this unwelcome interloper was preventing our night's sleep, surely it must be doing likewise to our neighbours in the adjoining suite.

Pondering on that fact, we then realised that while we had quite easily heard sounds from the adjoining room on the previous night, tonight there was no obvious sound of human occupancy. When this thought was twinned with what happened next, we knew we had found the source of the unwanted noise.

My other half had climbed down from our loft to use the toilet, and when she switched on the lights, the extractor fan burst into it's song, in complete and unwavering harmony with the other unseen but definitely heard musician.

A 3am phone call to reception ascertained that the neighbouring room was in fact unoccupied. Our request to have someone check the room was agreed to immediately and in under a minute the sound of the machine was joined by the sound of feet scurrying across the parapets. The groan of a door opening was instantly improved upon by the cessation of the drone. The door closed, the footsteps faded into the distance, we fell asleep...

...to be awoken by the return of pousada staff, this time in multiples, to examine the scene of the crime and to hold lively discussions, seemingly about the events which led to our complaining about the noise in the first place. The interesting fact which came to light, both figuratively and physically, was that the thin wall which had been erected to divide what may have been a reasonable sized suite in to two monks cells had ceiling-high air bricks for ventilation - between the two rooms. Turning the light on in one room cast a cozy glow in the other. Sound, working to the same physics, acted similarly.

So as to not be entirely negative about our days at the Pousada do Óbidos, let me conclude our journey, and it's tales, by saying that our final breakfast, served al fresco at a table high on the castle walls, overlooking the walled city of Óbidos was almost worth the difficulties we encountered at this particular venue.

Watching the city come to life, the morning clouds begin to burn off, replaced by breezy sunlight, sitting at a crisp linen draped table at the top of a castle, wrapped snugly in plush complimentary robes is an experience I can recommend without reservation. Even it it means having to do it at the Castelo do Óbidos.
_____________________________________
Other Stops Along Our Journey
Óbidos and Óbidon'ts - Part Two
Óbidos and Óbidon'ts - Part One
Whine By The Case
Seven Days Without Pizza Makes One Weak
Some Like It Hot

Upcoming Event: Festival Med June 24 - 28 2009

2009-06-06T11:50:00.008+01:00

For the sixth year Loule will host the Festival MED, for 5 days between 24 June and 28 June 2009.

Joining Ojos de Brujo and Bajofondo at this year’s edition of one of the most highly-regarded World Music festivals to be held in Portugal will be names such as Orquestra Buena Vista Social Club ®, La Notte Della Taranta featuring Stewart Copeland and Horace Andy & Dub Asante.

Multiple stages will provide non-stop entertainment.

Official Festival MED website HERE

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

When Only Second-Best Will Do

2009-06-03T23:46:00.008+01:00

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, I scratched together enough to make ends meet, selling musical equipment. At the top end of our keyboard range sat the musician's temple of excelence, the Hammond Organ.

The biggest single obstacle I had to overcome in selling against other brands was the fact that the people selling those pretenders would insist that their product was far superior to any other in the marketplace. Including mine. OK, you would expect them to say this, and if they were working for me I would sack them if they didn't say it. But not everybody could be correct, and as they weren't selling the product I was, they were sadly mistaken.

The best tool I had in selling around other's misguided zeal was to ask the potential purchaser to enquire of competing salesmen as to which brand was second best. This rarely failed to gain universal almost-ran status for my product, and frequently clinched the deal on my behalf. Nobody agreed which was the best, but all were in agreement about which was a close runner-up.

Now, before you think that I've lost the Algarve plot, let me tell you about a website I found recently. Called Best Benidorm Holidays, the site exists to sell holidays in, would you believe, Benidorm. As Benidorm is not in the Algarve, or even Portugal, why do I mention it here?

Because at the time of writing this, 9 out of 10 comments made on the Benidorm website were about the quality of the holidays in the Algarve, particularly Albufeira.

So back to my Hammond Organ analogy. If the Algarve can play second-fiddle to sufficient Benidorm-type websites, we can forget about bookings being 30% down. And as for Benidorm, we will see a third series on ITV, later this year!

One Of Life's Mysteries Explained

2009-06-02T00:05:00.001+01:00

Picture this. You're on holiday in the Algarve. You don't speak Portuguese. You're driving a rental car that is low on petrol. You see a petrol station ahead, with queues on either sides of the pumps. Cars behind you are also signaling to enter the station. You now need to pull in and get into the queue that will put the pump adjacent to the filler cap. But which side is it on?

You stop short of joining either queue. The car behind edges forward impatiently. You strain to look in the wing mirrors to see if the filler cap is visible. It isn't. You struggle against the seat belt to try to twist yourself out of the window to see if you can see the cap. You can't. The driver behind you has had enough, he veers rapidly around you shouting something that may either be advice about which side your filler cap is on, or a reference to your parentage. He now pushes in front of you. Your blood pressure begins to rise. Somewhere in your cranial cavity there is an artery with a very thin wall. Deciding enough is enough, it expands, balloon-like, then...

You wake up in the recovery room, muttering incoherently, without the use of one side of your body. And why? Because you were not aware of the hidden secret of one of life's mysteries. For years, neurosurgeons have successfully lobbied to prevent the widespread distribution of the information I am about to give you, freely, without even an iota of anticipation of being remembered in your will.

Look at the petrol gauge. See the tiny little pump? While the pump gives a pretty good indication that this gauge is about fuel, not water, this is not it's prime function. See the hose coming out of the pump? It might be on the right of the pump, or on the left. Is this just artistic licence on the part of the pump-icon designer? NO!

The secret is secret no longer. The filler cap is on the same side as the hose!

Pass this unto each successive generation. You will be held in high esteem and your wisdom will be revered. And I take back what I said about being remembered in your will!

The Algarvean Daze Twitter For Dummies Primer Part Three

2009-05-31T00:05:00.002+01:00

Not really a part of Twitter, but a very useful add-on nevertheless. Twibes gathers together on a single page, groups of tweets related to a single subject.

Let's say that you have a particular interest in a subject, for the sake of this example, we'll assume the Algarve. Going to www.twibes.com and searching for 'Algarve' would return a result of two twibes, one related to the Algarve, one related to Algarve Golf. Just to humour me, let's forget the golf and go to the twibe with the greater number of members - 'Algarve'.

Once the twibe details have loaded you will see pictorial list of all the Twitterers who have joined the twibe, and beneath, a list of tweets that are only displayed if they contain one or more of the predefined keywords that the administration of the twibe has designated as being relevant to the core reason the twibe exists. In the case of the 'Algarve' twibe these words are Algarve and Algarvean.

Whenever a twibe member makes a tweet, in Twitter, that contains one of these words, the tweet will be reproduced on the twibe page after a short delay. This restricts the potential number of tweets you may need to read to only ones that are of interest to the twibe and you.

Once you are aware of the existence of a twibe you can go there directly by adding the twibe name in the url like this - www.twibes.com/algarve

To view the contents of a twibe you only need to go there. To contribute to a twibe you need to have a twitter account, and once signed in to your twitter account, go to twibes a click the JOIN button on the right. This will automatically create a tweet in your twitter account that when you send, will create your membership within the twibe. If a twibe that is of interest to you does not exist, you may create one which will be linked to your Twitter account. More details about this are on the twibes main page.

This ends my life as an educator. I'll now go back to writing about the Algarve, and you can read all about it here, or in the Algarve twibe. Thanx for following.

Check And Double Czech

2009-05-29T00:05:00.001+01:00

A little bit of knowledge is not always a dangerous thing, as a friend of ours, in the Algarve for three months to 'test the water' before possibly making a permanent move here, recently found out.

Unfamiliar with those wonderful pieces of metal so prone to ripping holes in one's pockets, the centimos (and 1 and 2 Euro coins), she did not scrutinise too closely the change she was given for some small purchases made in one of a number of beachside shops and cafes she recently visited. It was only when she subsequently tried to spend the alien lucre that she was made aware that the strangely silver coins were nothing to do with the good old Euro and it's diminutive offspring.

Closer inspection of the dodgy doubloons revealed them to be from the Czech Republic - not really a member country of the Eurozone.

While the message here is cautionary - always check your change - the irony of this particular situation is that our friend, who for many years has lived in the UK, is by birth, Czechoslovakian.

Upcoming Event: Windsurfing Proam 2009, 1st Algarve Stage

2009-05-26T00:05:00.008+01:00

The first Algarvean stage of the three stage Spanish and Portuguese Windsurfing Federations 2009 Portuguese calendar takes place on 13 and 14 June at Praia de Alvor, Portimão.

Slalom and Long Distance events make up the card for this two day (Saturday & Sunday) event.

The event is open to all windsurfing enthusiasts, both professionals and amateurs alike.

More details from the PROAM website.

The second and third stages take place in July and August. More details closer to the time.

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

The Algarvean Daze Twitter For Dummies Primer Part Two

2009-05-24T00:05:00.003+01:00

If, after reading Part One, you're still interested, there may be a possibility that you went to twitter.com and created an account for yourself. If you aren't interested, or you haven't created an account, why not go to BLIP.fm and listen to some music chosen specially for you. The rest of you, however, can do that later.

The page that you want to be on when you have signed in is your Twitter HOME page (if you're uncertain, click on HOME in the menu bar at the top right). This is the page that you send tweets from, using the box at the top of the page. If you remember from last week, a tweet starting with a '@' is sent to a named person and is visible to all looking at your homepage, a tweet starting without a '@' is visible to all but sent to nobody in particular.

In the right column of your HOME page there is a search box. If you want to follow people who tweet things that you are interested in, this is the place to start. OK, let's say that you are interested in things people may tweet about the Algarve. Search for 'Algarve', and when the list of tweets appears, should you see one that interests you click on the Twitterer's name at the beginning of the tweet. This will open a copy of that particular person's home page so that you can see more of what they have written. If you think that you would like to see future tweets from this person, automatically, click on the FOLLOW button just beneath the user's avatar at the top of their list of tweets. That's it, you're now a follower and any posts made by that person will show up in your HOME page soon after posting. After clicking on the FOLLOW button you will still be looking at that persons home page. Just click on HOME, in the menu at the top of the page, and you'll return to your own HOME page.

Once you're back on your own HOME page, look at the numbers just under your username, which is at the top of the right column. These numbers show how many people you are automatically following, how many people are following your tweets, and how many tweets you have made, in total.

As people begin to see what you have posted, some will begin to follow you. Depending on how the menu options SETTINGS/NOTICES are configured, you may receive an email each time someone new starts following you. When this happens, you may wish to look at their home page and if they look interesting, follow them in return.

Finally, to get back to the page that you use to post tweets and to see what posts have been made which include you, click on HOME in the menu at the top of the page. To see your account as others see it, click on PROFILE on the top menu, or if you're already on the home page, clicking on the your username beneath the menu will also show your PROFILE page.

Details about who you follow, who follows you and how many tweets you have made are shown slightly differently, depending which page you are viewing.

There are two additional functions in the right column that you should be aware of, first is the one that starts @(your user name). Clicking on this takes you to a list of tweets that were sent directly to you, by someone using the '@' prefix to your username. The other is Direct Messages, which are messages sent ONLY to you and not visible even in your homepage. Viewing and sending these is done by clicking on the Direct Messages link.

Next week I'll have a look at Twibes, not a part of Twitter but a complimentary application that allows people with an interest in a specific subject to view tweets relating ONLY to that subject.

If you got the bug and want more, now, visit the Twitter Help pages, HERE.

Bestaurant: Kalu Beach Bar, Praia Grande, Ferragudo

2009-05-22T00:05:00.006+01:00

If your idea of Algarve beach bars is in tune with the recent, local municipal thinking that all seaside establishments should be soulless and conformist, you will not be impressed with Kalu.

If however, you enjoy a warm welcome, great snacks, a view to die for in a bar typical of what Portuguese beach bars used to be - and all at prices that don't make you worry too much about the exchange rate, head to Kalu Beach Bar on Praia Grande at Ferragudo.

With a menu that has strong Dutch overtones, you will be hard pushed to narrow your choice down to a single item - nor should you! We have found that the best way to make the most of what's on offer is to order a number of dishes and then share them among the group. And I say group, because once you find Kalu (not an easy thing, first time) you will want to impress your friends by introducing them to this Algarvean oasis.

Heading down the stairs to the beach at Praia Grande, the easiest way to find Kalu is to go straight, all the way to the boardwalk, turn left and follow your nose until your feet hit the sand. Turn left again and head from the beach to the verdant hideaway that is Kalu. There is another, shorter way in, but that two minutes extra walk will set you up nicely for an icy cold beer.

Wilma, Arnaud, Ad and Chico make even the first time visitor feel as if they've been visiting for years. And after trying Kalu once, that is what you will surely wish to do.

Find Kalu Beach Bar using Google Earth

UPDATE: Kalu Beach Bar is now an Algarve WiFi hotspot

Óbidos and Óbidon'ts - Part Two

2009-05-20T00:05:00.011+01:00

Bar Ibn Errik Rex

As I alluded to in Part One, while we were waiting for the Pousada to get our room ready, we wandered off into Óbidos, looking for brief respite from our journey. We found it at a bar called Ibn Errik Rex. An unusual name for a bar, not very Portuguese sounding. Well, that's correct. But, after some research I have found that the name is less of a name and more of a title. The first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso I, was known by this Muslim name, respectfully, by the Moors.

So what does all this have to do with our time in Óbidos? Not a lot. But it does have a lot to do with the decor of the bar that we adopted, and by the time we had to return to the Algarve, seemingly had adopted us.

The Moorish influence was unmistakable, if not over the top. Starkly rendered Moorish scenes decorated the walls, along with the mandatory bric-a-brac harking back to a time more noble, but at the same time more aggressive. The only thing really out of Moorish context were the thousands of miniature bottles which made up most of the ceiling.

The table that became 'ours' was in the corner, from where we could see all that was happening on the street and in the bar. People came in waves. The bar was empty on our arrival, then would suddenly fill to capacity as visitors arrived en masse to partake of the obligatory Ginja in a tiny chocolate cup, then would equally as rapidly empty, leaving only us and the owner. This was repeated frequently during our multiple visits.

Having spent the afternoon there, we had no real intention of returning until possibly later that evening for a nightcap, but with a couple of recommended restaurants closed, and with our not really wanting a big meal anyway, the lure of the only menu item at the bar was too much. Linguiça assada, flaming at the table, Sao Jorge cheese from the Azores and fresh bread, €15 for two people.

During one of the populated waves, a couple entered and finding no place to sit, were about to leave when we offered them half of our table. They accepted, and we then spent a very pleasant hour talking about their, and our, travels through Portugal. They, like us, had set out that evening looking for food, and like us, opted for the only item on the menu, even though they were unfamiliar with this means of cooking sausages. Their eyes widened, as did the eyes of the entire restaurant, looking in amazement at the sight of flames leaping toward the myriad liquor bottles which hung above our heads, when the owner dropped a match into the bowl of aguadente and sausages he had placed in the center of our table. And, if our new-found friends were to be believed, enjoyed it both as an experience and as a substantial and tasty snack.

In addition to sharing our table with Erik and Rose, we shared it with the ghost of the bar, a phantasm gliding down steep alley stairs, a spectre that bore an amazing resemblance to my partner, but a few years ago, except for the fact that my good lady hadn't, and still hasn't, yet gone over to the other side.

We ended our first night in lengthy, English conversation with the owner's son. We did return the next evening, late and for a nightcap, but this time only the father was working. This night also ended with us chatting, but as now all communication was in Portuguese, it was undoubtedly slightly less subtle and took considerably longer.

That the elder gentleman took the time to speak with we transients, between the aforementioned waves of other visitors, did make a positive impression on us. After the shaky start at the Pousada, the town of Óbidos - or at least the people at Bar Ibn Errik Rex, had begun to win us over.
_____________________________________
Other Stops Along Our Journey
Óbidos and Óbidon'ts - Part One
Whine By The Case
Seven Days Without Pizza Makes One Weak
Some Like It Hot

Upcoming Event: CSI 4* International Showjumping 19-21 June 2009

2009-05-18T00:05:00.005+01:00

This June in the Algarve, Portugal, will see International Show Jumping with prize money of over €160,000. Spread across 9 events, the three days of show jumping will take place on the 19th-21st June 2009.

This Concurso de Saltos Internacional 4**** (CSI 4*) equestrian event is sponsored by the Centro Hípico de Belmonte at Portimao, the Portimao Camara, the Internation Riding Federation (FEI) and the Portuguese Riding Federation (EFF).

The Centro Hípico Belmonte is located at Poço Seco, Portimao

For more information visit the Centro Hipico Belmonte website. A map to the venue is available HERE

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

The Algarvean Daze Twitter For Dummies Primer Part 1

2009-05-16T02:17:00.013+01:00

I could have called this something really catchy, like the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which would have really helped my search engine placement, or something more descriptive like the Twitter, the Tweet and the Twibe, which may have only confused you. In the end (at the beginning, actually) I opted for a title which does exactly what it says.

As a savvy internet user, there's a good chance that you are already in one of three Twitter camps. If you belong to the first, you already use and love Twitter. If that's the case, stop now, count the flags or read the ads or leave a comment on another entry - there's nothing about to be said that you don't already know. And if you are a member of the second group you already know about and loathe Twitter. In this case, recommendations given to the first group also apply.

If however, you are ignorant of Twitter, or have only heard of it and are a wee bit Twitter-curious, read on.

You may have noticed there is a 'Follow me on Twitter' icon at the bottom of the left column of Algarvean Daze, like the one just here. It is there for your future use, but for now we want to open Twitter without closing Algarvean Daze, so you can switch between the two. Get ready, and after you CLICK HERE and have a look around, come back. (For what it's worth, getting to Twitter all on you own can be done by going to twitter.com/xxxxxxxx, where xxxxxxxx is the name of the Twitter user you want to see - like twitter.com/algarveandaze. Using simply twitter.com takes you to the logon page, which is handy if you're a user and want to log on.)

The page that was displayed simply showed a list of short sentences. Each sentence is called a 'Tweet'. If the Tweet simply started as a normal sentence would, ie without any funny characters, that's a message I wrote for all to read. At times it will have a link embedded within it to take you somewhere else, and at time it will simply be a statement.

If the sentence started with a '@', that's a message I've written to send to a specific Twitter user, as well as displaying it in my list of non-targeted posts. That's it. Really. Well as far as we'll go right now - this has been about seeing things I've written - in a few days we'll look at how you use Twitter to receive information, that is, how to use Twitter to 'follow' other Twitter users, and how other users 'follow' you. We'll see how multiple Twitterers can pool their information in groups ('Twibes') that target special interests - like the Algarve!

And the rationale is?

It's a bit like those letters that get included with Christmas cards, only a lot more topical. In the Christmas letter you will have the really newsworthy stuff, the hatches, the matches and the dispatches, but rarely do you have a sentence about how funny Joe looked when the nozzle came off of the hose and soaked his new shoes. Unlike fine wine, a seven month old story about Joe's sodden footware really doesn't improve with age. With Twitter, you post a single entry about a single event, sometimes the people who follow you will respond, sometimes they'll just laugh, or cry, or despair. The important thing is that you didn't wait until Christmas.

Óbidos And Óbidon'ts - Part One

2009-05-14T00:05:00.015+01:00

With the wine stashed securely away in the boot of the car, we say goodbye to Palmela and head to the other side of Lisbon, north to Óbidos. The journey through Lisbon is fairly unremarkable, except for the fact that the directions we are following, kindly provided by Pousadas of Portugal, tell us to follow the A8 to Torres Vedras. This is a minor but annoying inconsistency, as the signposting to the A8 makes no mention of Torres Vedras. As a driver, I was working on the assumption that most roads go in two directions, therefore if I continued on I would ultimately find a second A8 junction, this one heralding our required direction. Wrong. After one set of roadworks, an unscheduled stop, map consultation, and a return journey through the roadworks we eventually found ourselves at the first, incorrectly (for our benefit) identified A8 junction. Nao faz mal. We were back on track.

On arriving at Óbidos we wound our way through the narrow streets, climbing higher until we reached the Castle. Parking amazingly close, we lugged the cases (I now know why they call it luggage!) up to reception, to be told that our room would not be ready until 2 o'clock (it was 1:10). Why not leave our cases and go wander in the village for an hour, asked the receptionist? Well, I sure wasn't going to take my flippin' cases with me! Yeah, OK, and off we go to kill an hour.

Coming out of the castle grounds and heading down the main street we shortly came across a dark, empty bar. Perfect. Ensconced in seats looking out at the throngs of tourists, with cold beers in our hands, we could chill for an hour before returning to the Pousada.

Two or three beers later, we make the return ascent to our intended home of the next few days, only to be told that the room is still not ready, even though it's now 2:30. Strike One. With nothing really to do, we hover, look in the lounge and the bar (with no staff, else we would have had another drink) then my significant other half queries the staff about the misleading Lisbon directions. "Oh, the road in Lisbon isn't signposted to Torres Vedras" is the reply. Uh, yes, we knew that now. The directions provided to help us arrive and spend money are wrong. That's two strikes.

Eventually the good news is given - the room is ready. We are led through the lounge, through the still unmanned bar, up the stairs, down the corridor, onto the parapets, across the wall to the tower which we will now call home. Through an impressive door into a mini-foyer, ours is one of two suites occupying the tower.

Suite. Sweet? Hardly.

The room was a strip wide enough for a sofa against the wall to face the flat screen television which was sitting on the mini-bar on the opposing wall, with just enough room to walk between. (God only knows what they did before flat screens, as a normal TV would have jutted way too far toward the sofa to allow passage.) The bar/TV was tucked away under the narrow wooden stairs which rose to the mezzanine bedroom, which itself was just wide enough to accommodate the standard sized bed, with some walking room at the sides. At the far end of the lower room was the bathroom, replete with a genuine Wimpey Starter Homes 3/4 size bath. What ultimate luxury! The only natural light and ventilation came from the single archer's arrow-slit window and the door if left open. Eyes having finally adjusted to the light, and with the aide of every medievally dim low energy lighting appliance we could locate and power-up, we could see that this room must have taken the maid all of 23 minutes to prepare for our arrival, allowing time for her coffee break.

Strike three!
________________
...to be continued

Upcoming Event: The Unibet Open Algarve 2009 Poker Tournament

2009-05-12T00:05:00.003+01:00

Taking place from Thursday 14 May through Sunday 17 May 2009 at the Casino Vilamoura, the Unibet Open Algarve Poker Tournament will see up to 440 players competing for an estimated €660,000 prize pot.

Competition in this no limit, Texas Hold'em competition starts each day at 3pm.

More info about the Unibet Open European Tournaments is available HERE

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Whine By The Case

2009-05-11T00:05:00.003+01:00

We are the only people in the beach bar. It's still early, just a bit past noon, but we got to the Sado estuary more quickly than we anticipated. Maybe it was because this time we had a rough idea of where we were going, but forgot to take that into account when we set off. The first time we visited here it was an accident of location - we had been out for hours, saw the bar across the bay and drove until we found it - but now we are seasoned, albeit early, travellers.

It had rained earlier, and the tables and chairs were still wet. The owner looks at us as if we are mad, as the pendulous clouds on the horizon are drifting in our direction. Nevertheless, he procures a towel from somewhere, wipes everything down and takes our drinks order. After a while, and another drink, we are still dry on the outside and starting to get hungry. So, toasties and bifanas ordered, we notice that the bottle of wine is an Adega de Pegões, without doubt our favourite economy tipple.

Using the 'Rotas dos Vinhos' map we had earlier nicked from the Pousada, and the information available on the bottle label, we determined that the co-operative was within reasonable driving distance. Now on a mission, lunch was an interruption of our intended days work. We had to get moving. We had to get saving.

When we arrived at Santo Isidro de Pegões, we knew we were at the right place. There was just something about the roundabout in the centre of the village that gave us a clue.

Onward now, in the direction conveniently indicated by a sign for the Cooperativa Agrícola de Santo Isidro de Pegões. Better still, and not too far away, another sign stating Venda ao Público. Yes. We were about to buy, buy big, and buy cheap.

The first indication that our intention of filling the car with crates of inexpensive vinho may have been misguided came when we pulled into the car park. Not a single car, not a moped, not even a shopping wheelie thing abandoned outside the door. Nada, bar a cat asleep on the doorstep. Inside, all manner of Pegões wines were on display, beckoning, tempting us to provide a good home. Fat chance of that ever happening!

Wines were priced at 5% to 10% MORE than we would pay in Modelo, and that was BEFORE the 12% IVA still to be added. Unhappy is a word that springs to mind, but one which really failed to convey my emotions at the moment.

Not wishing to write off the entire experience as a bad interruption of a good lunch, we found some wines with which we were not familiar. We decided that as we had come this far it would be a tad bit churlish to leave without purchasing anything. We decided on a few to try, conveyed our choice to the girl in attendance in the shop and then waited while she went through the process of having to create four copies of multiple invoices for each of the different wines selected, my name mis-spelled consistantly on each document. Why we needed two copies was beyond my comprehension.

The sting in the tail was diminished slightly, when the clerk explained to us that in the cases of six bottles, we were in fact only paying for five. One bottle was a bonus, a gift, a bountiful offering set out to appease our annoyance. The effect of this benevolence was to bring the cost per bottle down to about what we would pay in a supermarket.

So, we had cut short our lunch and laze by the beach, driven an hour with the prospect of another hour's return journey, only to end up paying exactly what we would pay at home for the same tipple.

Taking a pragmatic approach to the entire experience, I guess that our propping-up of the Santo Isidro economy will ultimately ripple down to the inhabitants. And to the maintenance of that roundabout.

Upcoming Event: International Algarve Fair 2009

2009-05-10T00:05:00.001+01:00

Saturday May 30 and Sunday 31 May will see the International Algarve Fair returning to the FATACIL fair ground in Lagoa.

Among the attractions will be the popular Motor Show and for the first time at the fair, a Dog Show. Music will be provided by the Ecuadorian Musical Group and Country & Western singer JJ Johns.

Also new to the fair this year will be the three times daily International Algarve Fair parade.

Pizza, Surinamese food and Indian meals will compete with offerings like wraps and salads, chicken piri piri and chips, a hog roast, tapas dishes, & vegetarian delicacies.

The fair will open at 11am on both days.

At the time of writing this, the official website existed, but unfortunately had very limited functionality. (It didn't work...)

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Seven Days Without Pizza Makes One Weak

2009-05-08T00:05:00.006+01:00

Probably because I ate so much pizza in the 80s and 90s I really don't think of going out for one on any sort of regular basis. I knew before we got to Palmela, however, that we would be going out for pizza, as there is a pizzeria between Palmela and Setubal that my good lady believes to be the best pizza anywhere in the universe, with the thinnest crust physically possible while still managing to remain watertight enough to keep the sauce from bleeding through and onto one's lap.

So, after the obligatory, overpriced drinks in the Pousada bar, we mentioned to Fernanda, the Pousada receptionist who has become a dear friend, that we were off that evening to relish the pizza that was only available at Chico's. "No", said our friend, we didn't want to do that, because there was a new pizzeria that had opened in Palmela, within walking distance, one where the food equalled or bettered that at Chico's.

Directions were provided, all we had to do was go out of the castle, down to the church, then up behind the firemen's quarters, then down a street from which we could get to the street wherein resided the restaurant. It couldn't be easier, particularly as it was just behind our friend's apartment. Possibly easy for her, but as we had never been to her apartment, maybe not quite so easy for us. We set off 'a pé', and after meticulously following the instruction, found ourselves needing to ask directions.

The woman we approached as she was loading her shopping into her car probably didn't mean to exhibit such tangible fear. I suppose that the twilight emergence of two estrangeiros muttering quasi-incoherent Portuguese may have just taken her slightly by surprise. Once she regained her composure, she did seem to understand our need for directions, and after telling us that what we needed to do was go up to the church, then down behind the firemen's quarters, then up a street from which we could get to the street wherein resided the restaurant. Simple. We extended our gratitude and were pleased to notice, as we continued our quest, that the colour was beginning to return to her face.

Fast forward five minutes. Maybe we should have gone around the church, then avoided the firemen's quarters, taken the underpass and bought a SatNav when they were on sale at Lidl. As we were standing at a crossroads, looking in all directions for something that might be masquerading as a pizza place, a car pulled up alongside us. As my knowledge of Portuguese is sufficiently lacking, I would guess that the instruction to "get in the car" lacked a suitably perceived degree of menace.

As well it should have, as this was not the Pousada Police, about to 'disappear' us for failing to leave a sizable gratuity in the bar, no, this was the woman we terrified with our questions about pizza. On her way home now, seemingly aware of our on-going plight and obviously exasperated at our lack of understanding, rather than go through it all again it appeared she had drawn the conclusion that it would be easier if she just drove us to the restaurant.

As all of her shopping was on the front seat, she motioned for us to sit in the back, seemingly fearless of what mayhem a rear-seat passenger might be able to cause to a front-seat driver. What mayhem indeed.

Then, just when she thought that she had done her good deed for the day, and had done so without sustaining any serious injury at the hands of the Back-seat Basher, the stark realisation dawned that while we had finally arrived at our intended venue, we did so on their closing day.

Our request to be let out of the car fell on deaf ears. Speeding away from the dark restaurant, she weaved her way through the narrow streets, out of sight of the church, away from the firemen's quarters, then up, down and over any number of lanes and alleys until she finally delivered us to a pizzeria that was open.

...while enjoying our meal (Not as good as Chico's) we couldn't help but wonder if two foreigners wandering the dusky streets of a British town centre would be afforded the same courtesy as we were by this lone middle-aged Portuguese woman? I would like to think yes - but then, I always have been a dreamer.

Swine Flu Reaches Portugal

2009-05-06T11:33:00.007+01:00

The Irish Evening Echo has reported that the first case of H1N1 Swine Flu has been detected in Portugal. The 30 year old woman who had recently been on holiday in Mexico is now being kept in isolation at her home.

The three most important things that can be done to minimise the spread of the disease are -

Wash Your Hands. Use soap and warm water, rub together vigorously for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Always wash hands before touching/eating food, after using the bathroom, taking out the trash, changing a nappy, handling money or playing with a pet.

Cover Your Cough/Sneeze. Many diseases are spread through droplets from coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue and be sure to throw away immediately and wash hands. No tissue available, sneeze/cough into the crook of your elbow, not your hand.

Avoid Close Contact. If you are sick with flu-like symptoms stay away from others. Do not go to school or work. If you need medical treatment, try to use a mask so you can avoid affecting other people.

Upcoming Event: Portimao Air Festival

2009-05-05T00:05:00.002+01:00

At the time of writing this there is very little official information about the Portimao Air Festival, due to be held in the Algarve on 23 and 24 May, 2009. Information such is currently available indicates the event will take place at the same venue as last year, the Zona Ribeirinha de Portimão.

More details about the air show, when they become available, should be accessible on the AeroPress website and from the Portimao Camara.

For information about other events occuring in the Algarve, CLICK HERE

Some Like It Hot

2009-05-02T11:35:00.016+01:00

Working along the lines of 'there's nothing wrong with a little deviation now and then', or anything similar that was probably vocalised at some time by the Marquis de Sade, I will take this opportunity to deviate from my normal scribblings about things Algarvean to move slightly north.

Commencing our journey in the footsteps of one taken a year ago, we headed off to spend a few days around our base at the Pousada in Palmela. Although not really a lengthy journey, time and needs dictated that it may be prudent to insert a mid-day stop along the way. We slipped off of the IC1 at Alcácer do Sal, having decided to have a light lunch at one of the many cafes which line the river in this picturesque town.

The only parking space we could find was almost at the very end of the river road. As many cafes facing the shore were closed (it was a Monday), and feeling an ever escalating desire to inspect the local plumbing facilities, we stopped at the first restaurant that exhibited every possibility of being an establishment that would cater to the culinary cravings of travelers such as ourselves - the restaurateur's nightmare, patrons who buy a beer and a toastie in order to justify using the loo.

Greeted by the owner brandishing two large hard-bound volumes, we asked for the lista de snacks, rather than the ementa de refeições. The offended gentleman then adopted the quiet patronising approach that a weary adult takes with a child who refuses to comprehend dealing with the simplest of tasks, opened the menu for my perusal, pointing to the catagories of entradas, peixe, aves, carne and sobremesas, explaining that this was his only menu.

My next action could not have been more comically timed or more inappropriate. Across the top of the menu's first page was a masthead stating in inch-high, gilded letters, 'SNACK BAR'. Pointing to this typographical tyranny only resulted in our host abandoning us to the menus as he retreated into the restaurant.

By now we had decided that as I had seen Bacalhau à Brás (one of my favourite Portuguese dishes) on the board in front of the establishment, and my significant other half was agreeable to an omelette entrada as a main course - and as both of us were bursting, we would stay.

Once we had regained the attention of our host and given our orders, we noticed a slight change in his demeanor. When the food was delivered some of the frostiness had thawed, to the point that during the delivery of the obligatory 'bom appetito', he rested his hand on my shoulder.

As I had not been sensible enough to immediately ask for that without which Bacalhau à Brás cannot be eaten - piri-piri - I requested some and was given a jar of obviously home-made sauce. Asking if this was a molhe picante caseiro, and being assured that it was and of it's pedigree, our waiter now departed the table having bestowed upon my back a hearty slap and another 'bom appetito'.

As our time in the restaurant progressed, each returning visit of our host culminated in more back-slapping and an ever increasing amount of chatter. By the time we left we were being treated like old friends. (By that I mean long-standing friends, not friends who were approaching 100.)

Why the change in attitude within a 90 minute span? Maybe because we decided to spend money. Maybe because we took the time to try to communicate in Portuguese. Or maybe because I know a bloody good homemade piri-piri sauce when I see one, and am not backward in coming forward in singing it's praises. Or just maybe a bit of 'all of the above'.

Upcoming Event: World Series of Snooker

2009-04-29T00:30:00.002+01:00

The Pavilhão Portimão Arena, in Portimão, will host the Grand Final of the World Series of Snooker commencing the 8th of May 2009 and ending on the 10th of May. This is the first toe in the water for Portugal and the Algarve, welcoming two time World Champion John Higgins and at least 8 of the top 12 snooker players in the world. For more information CLICK HERE

Upcoming Event: Motocross MX3 World & EMX2 European Championship Races

2009-04-26T04:45:00.003+01:00

The Cortelha International Circuit at Cortelha, Loule, will see World Class 500cc MX3 Motocross riders, and the top 125cc EMX2 racers take to the dirt on Saturday 2nd May and Sunday 3rd May 2009. Practice and qualifying sessions will take place between 08:30 and 17:30 on Saturday, with races scheduled for the same times on Sunday. Maps to the circuit and more details are available HERE

Freedom Day, 25 de Abril

2009-04-25T11:44:00.009+01:00

I've always known where Portugal was. I just never knew what it was.

As a child, a baby-boomer growing up in America, I had a wooden jigsaw puzzle which was a map of the post-war world. Portugal was the long skinny European piece closest to the States. And it was purple.

Even when I first visited Europe in 1972 I really didn't know what Portugal was, other than an exporter of a wine called Mateus Rose. It got no better when I moved to the UK in the late 70s. It wasn't until I visited the Algarve in the 80s that I began to understand what Portugal was all about.

In my politically sheltered world I missed the struggle of the Portuguese people to throw off the shackles of the Salazar regime. The fact that they did so without massive civil unrest, and managed to cope with the social upheaval of the 'retornados' - exiles from the newly liberated African colonies - attests to the strength of character that is the Portuguese. That strength is exemplified on a daily basis as the natives are forced to deal with estrangeiros such as myself, and do so most obligingly.

I can not imagine life under a dictator, although the bureaucratic remnants that still linger give a bit of a hint. That the Portuguese people so successfully moved on from that legacy to become the welcoming hosts that they are today may be overlooked by many, as I did their struggle to become liberated.

The Portuguese today celebrate 35 years of freedom, freedom such as I have always taken for granted. I would just like to convey my respect for the people, their determination and their country.

Thank you for allowing me the freedom to share your country, your heritage, your lives. Although I can't explain it, I think I may just be beginning to understand your concept of 'saudade'.

Utter Confusion

2009-04-24T12:49:00.009+01:00

So the morning of our friends' arrival dawned. This will be the first time we have seen Bill and Ruthellen in 32 years. This will be the first time they have been to Portugal. This will be the first time they have flown outside of the Continental US of A.

We awaken to leaden skies and horizontal Algarvean rain. While I am signing on to the ANA Faro Arrivals website, my significant other half is checking her inbox. Yes, an email about our visitors, but not from them. Their son has written to say that their flight from Newark has been delayed for technical reasons.

My validation of the flight times confirms this, as their takeoff was delayed for six hours. Now, thinks I, this is not going to do a lot in facilitating an easy connection in Lisbon, for the final stint to the tropical rain-drenched Algarve.

As we have confirmed online via Newark ATC that their plane is actually airborne, we now verify that there are three further flights from Lisbon to Faro later in the day, so there should be no problem in them getting a connection. A quick check (by attempting to book seats online) shows that the first flight with seats is at 20:30, some eleven hours after they were due to arrive.

The possibility existed, however, that the reason we couldn't see free seats on the earlier 16:30 flight was that the airlines had already allocated those seats to the delayed incoming American flight. Our only real option was to go to the airport in time for the earliest flight, and if necessary, wait.

When we arrived at Faro we went to the TAP desk, explained the dilemma and asked if they could confirm that all connecting passengers who were ticketed through to Faro would be on the next flight, or if not, on which of the two remaining flights. "Not possible" said the TAP representative, as the airlines would not divulge details of the passenger list. Further explanations such as we offered that we were only wanting to know which flight the delinquent voyagers would be on, not the detailed passenger list itself ultimately and surprisingly led to the question of "what is their name?".Our relief turned to amazement after much key-tapping, when we were advised that not only were our friends not booked on the next connecting flight, they were in fact not booked on any TAP flight.

Resigned to the likelihood of a long evening as we would meet each incoming flight - on the hope that our visitors were traveling under assumed names - we were reunited when the first of the possible connections disgorged it's weary occupants, a flight which TAP assured us did not contain our friends.

I wonder who TAP thought was occupying their seats?

Algarve Blog Week 2009

2009-04-17T00:30:00.002+01:00

If you've been following Algarvean Daze you will know that we are soon to be playing host to friends from America whom we haven't seen for more than 30 years. As much as I would like to be sharing my time between those friends and you, my loyal readers, (all three of you) I am afraid that the presence of my physical amigos will take precedence over that of my cyber-chums. Sorry.

However, so as not to leave you deprived of Algarve-related articles of interest while I am away reminiscing and imbibing at international level, I have gathered together a few other blogs that you may want to look at while you wait for the glorious return of Algarvean Daze. Seven of them, one per day of my anticipated absence. Or all at once, if you're insatiable!

For whats happening in the Algarve, have a look at Algarve Buzz and Algarve Holiday: More Than Just 'Sun, Sea & Sand'.

My Country Home views the Algarvean life from a native's perspective, while Walking SW Portugal will take you out and about 'a pé'.

You don't need to be a photographer to enjoy the verbal pictures at Exposing The Algarve, and for the gourmets among you a visit to Portuguese Menu will go down a treat.

But my favourite among the lot has to be my good friend Stu, whose writing at Permaculture in the Algarve might be considered to border upon the bizarre, if it weren't for the fact that he always dilutes his spoken opinions before committing them to Arial 12pt and pushing the 'publish' button.

See you all back here in a week or so. Or sooner if thirty years of nostalgia turns out not to be what I remembered.

What A Difference A Day Makes

2009-04-14T19:14:00.009+01:00

After more than 30 years apart, we will this week be reunited with the couple who were our best friends when we were first married. At the time we were almost inseparable, even to the point that at one time three of the four of us worked together. We spent evenings together playing games and laying down the groundwork for cirrhosis and dementia. We watched as their daughter grew up, and congratulated them on the birth of their first son. When times got rough we pooled our resources and just got on with life.

Then, after ten years, we left America and shortly after they moved to another state. We lost touch. For three decades we heard nothing from them, they heard nothing of us. Our lives, our careers, became hectic, new friends emerged, and after a time, our old friends became but fond memories.

After years of rat-racing, and having decided to take up a new profession, that of being Professionally Unemployed, I took some of my now excessive leisure time and started using the net to try to locate our missing mates. To make the excruciatingly long story a bit shorter, we found them. Shorter still, this week they fly into Faro.

So, naturally, we have been running around like blue-assed flies getting ready for their arrival on Thursday. All of the things that should have been done weeks or months ago when we were first aware of their impending arrival have now been neatly packaged into a few days of total chaos - no wasting of time here! Having ascertained that all tasks should be completed within minutes of our departing for the airport, we today realised that our friends fly in on Friday, not the Thursday that had been targeted. Oops. So now we have another full 24 hours to complete the tidying-up exercise. All the pressure is off. We can relax. Panic over.

I think I'll have a lie-in tomorrow and go to the beach for lunch.

Resurrection

2009-04-11T03:09:00.014+01:00

Sometimes it seems as if all of our Algarvean Daze entries are event driven. I'm not complaining, the occasional spontaneous happening lends itself quite nicely to scribbling down a word or two!

On the other hand, while focusing on the exceptional, often we miss the commonplace but nevertheless worthy passing of time and life. Today, I happily bring myself back to the mundane, the ordinary, the unexceptional cycle.

My garden has begun to bloom, to blossom, to really reward me for the time initially taken to clear the rubble, to dig the holes, to source - often through trial and error - the plants that now have no doubts about what their purpose in life may be.

The colour has crept in without any fanfare. The plants which suffered so badly during the frosts last winter and were pretty much written off as dead, have now begun to sprout the tiniest specks of green. Even the Newbiscus Mauvelous, which we were certain had long since passed it's sell by date, is giving every indication that it wishes to stay and bloom another day.

All of this has happened without my intervention, almost without my knowledge. Now, when I open my bedroom shutters each morning, I am confronted with nature's coat of many colours. And as coats go, it's one that fits very nicely.

Red

2009-04-08T09:49:00.014+01:00

I never have been able to give a cat a single name. An official name yes, but then I always end up bestowing a nickname upon the critter. (If the truth be known, all animals could probably be given the same name - 'Food'. It's amazing how they all respond to this name being called!) In our case, we named him 'Red' because of his colouring, but he soon became my 'Ruddy Buddy'.

About the time our neighbour's cat came into season, Red appeared. Visits were sporadic at first, but as the days passed he became a more frequent visitor. For more than a month now every morning Red has been ready to start the day content with a breakfast made up of our other two's leftovers. And leftovers were always the intent - nothing more. Hah!

As the days progressed Red not only decided to spend more time with us, he also decided that provided we kept feeding him more and better titbits he would grace us with his presence more frequently. This familiarity growing, to the extent that home to Red has become a chair in our outdoor living room, a nest so comfortable that sleep in there could only be interrupted by the sounds of stirrings around the kitchen, ultimately resulting in another day's pequeno almoco.

With his non-existent knowledge of English, it fell upon us to translate his increasingly frequent conversations. 'Miau' became feed me, 'miau miau' became FEED ME, 'miau miau miau' became FEED ME NOW!

Never scared by our approach or by visiting friends, Red showed all the docile signs of having at one time being someone else's pet. Well, not any more. He adopted us. He even purred for me a few days ago. Mind you, I was in the process of feeding him!

After much discussion about whether we should allow Red into the inner circle, last night we took the decision that Red should join our others in full house privileges. So today, the plans are for trip to the vets for worming, jabs, and a general once-over, as we were concerned that even with his constant eating he was gaining no weight.

But this morning Red did not appear on the patio at breakfast time. We found him eternally sleeping on the chair he came to know as home. My Ruddy Buddy was gone.

Although we never heard his last words. I would like to think that they just may have been 'meow'.

It's A New Dawn, It's A New Day

2009-04-04T21:36:00.010+01:00

Not being a particularly early riser, I'm certain that there are many occasions when the Algarve sunrise is as spectacular as the Algarve sunset. I just don't see many of them.

From what I have experienced watching the Sol Nascente, it doesn't last long. So when I recently caught an early morning glimpse of spectacular promise of a glorious day, I grabbed my camera and rushed onto the deck to try to capture the emotion as an image. The colours of dawn were already receding when I got into a position to snap the skyline, and although the colourful vista was on the wane, I was still pleased to be able to capture some of nature's splendour.

Putting it into perspective, I was witnessing the birth of an almost new season, a new month, warmer weather, lighter evenings - all successfully conspiring to drive away the lethargy of the past few months.

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and as Nina Simone would so eloquently say on my behalf, "I'm feeling good".

Rally de Portugal - Route Maps For All Stages

2009-03-30T14:00:00.012+01:00

The Vodaphone Rally de Portugal festivities kick off on Thursday April 2 at Estadio Algarvio, with a special 2.2 km stage.

Day 1 (Friday, April 3) of the Rally sees the action kick off for real, with stages at Ourique (23km), Silves (22km), Malhao (22km), ending the day with a shakedown stage near Vale Judeu

Day 2 (Saturday, April 4) sees the action at Santa Clara (23km), then Almodovar (27km), ending at Vascao (23km)

The third and final day (Sunday, April 5) takes Loule (22km) and Sao Bras (16km) into view, ending back at Estadio Algarvio

Full details of the rally can be had from the official Rally de Portugal website.

Reasons To Live In Portugal - Part 2

2009-03-29T00:11:00.003Z

It's just about now that the UK Council Tax kicks itself into life for the current year. I've just gone onto the council website to see what I would have been paying for my small 2 bed, 1 bath, 300 year old detached cottage on a small plot of land in Buckinghamshire. Keeping it simple, I'll call it £1750.

Looking at the cost of our 2 bed , 1 bath, 150 year old coastal apartment on the Isle of Wight, the cost would be £950, although I will admit that the local council did agree to give us a 10% discount when we were using the apartment as a second home.

Then I am forced to look at the cost to us in Portugal. Accepting that the exchange rate is now, for all intents and purposes 1 to 1, the cost here is £750. Even allowing for the 10% discount we got on the cheapest bill, that is still a saving of over £100 on the least valuable property we owned in the UK.

Hardly worth comparing, and certainly not a reason to abandon the UK, one could deduce.

True, except, for the £750 paid here, I am satisfying my civil indebtedness on a small 2 bed, 2 bath, casa antiga on a small plot of land, much akin to the cottage in Bucks. Oh, yes, and a further two apartments on the coast.

If I were to extend the cost of the two apartments in line with the IoW costs and discounts, I would be paying £950 plus £855, add the £1750 of the similar inland cottages, and arrrive at a total of £3555 for what I pay £750 here. A net saving of more than £2800, annually.

Is that any kind of reason to prefer Portugal? You're damn right it is!

More: Reasons, Part 1

TGIF - Algarve Style

2009-03-27T00:30:00.000Z

Let me preface my remarks by saying that I'm a late riser.

It's 7am and the mobile on the bedside table (it is NEVER is on the bedside table) has just made a rude noise. Responding to my other half's question, I say that it was just a text message coming in. I roll over and fall back asleep, just in time for the musical nuisance to burst again into life, albeit this time expectedly.

It's now 8am and I had set the alarm, as today we are expecting early morning visitors to complete the installation of the flyscreens. So that's it, now I'm awake. "That text message that came in was probably the screen man cancelling", says the OH. "That was my alarm" says I. Ascertaining that the reference made was to the first interruption of a good night's sleep, I look at the phone to find a message from the installer, begging off due to illness at home. Damn, I hate it when I'm wrong before I even get out of bed!

So, now we're up, with the intention of returning to bed as soon as the cats are fed.

First things first - check to see if the water which stopped flowing yesterday has returned. No, it hasn't.
Now feed the cats. This means ours, and the vagabond that now regularly visits, looking for handouts. The hairy hobo first, so as to attempt to keep it out of the kitchen while ours are fed. Nanoseconds after putting it's plate down on the patio the plate is empty and the furball is in the kitchen with it's head in our cat's plate. The elder of ours accepts this bemusedly, while the younger, who has been removed three times from the countertop, is crawling up the winerack. The source of it's interest is soon located as a bird flies across the kitchen, disappearing into a pantry.

The kitchen door open, so that the bird can fly out, is now an open invitation for the stray to yet again return to our cats' breakfast. The bird flies wildly from the pantry, not out the open door, but now into the lounge, with the young one in hot pursuit.

In the meantime, the PC which I switched on first thing is locked in death throes with my email server, as there is a corrupt email preventing the download cycle from completing and deleting the posts from the server. With each fresh attempt at receiving, the entire cache of email is again downloaded, then the system times out and 5 minutes later another full tranche of mail arrives, numbering now in the hundreds.

The interloping cat is now asleep on the patio, our little one has lost - or lost interest in - the bird. We still have no water. The screens will not be installed. My computer has just retrieved another parcel of redundant emails. It's 9:30 and I should still be in bed.

T.G.I.F.

Oh, To Bee In The Algarve Now That Spring Is Here

2009-03-25T00:30:00.006Z

I had absolutely no intention to follow up from my Mosquitos posting with anything else to do with flying critters, but as nature will frequently have it, there is a sting in the tail of my good intentions.

It's mid morning, and as we haven't seen one of the neighbourhood cats who regularly graces our kitchen patio each morning in anticipation of a handout of our cats' yesterday's leftovers, we went to the shed just to check that he hadn't been locked in as has happened in the past.

Approaching the door, sounds could be heard from inside, but not quite the meow that was expected. Upon opening the door my initial thought was akin to that of Pandora setting free all the bad things previously contained. However, in our case it was not the high-voltage buzz of evil, but the sound of bees.

Millions of bees may be an exaggeration, thousands a possibility, hundreds a certainty. Who's counting?

The bees, now no longer forced to enter and exit by some small, hidden orifice immediately moved into a defensive position occupying the doorway, a position they defended throughout the day.

As evening drew closer I had to muster the courage to advance upon this foe, as there was no potable water in the house and my liquid cache was on the other side of that buzzing portal. Showing no fear (hah!) I casually walked through the sentinels, picked up a 4-pack of water bottles, glanced up to the ceiling, to the two grapefruit sized clusters of writhing pollinators, turned and definitely got the hell out of Dodge!

Pleas for information and assistance, posted on multiple local forums, resulted in many and varied suggestions, some relating to the elimination of my visitors, others warning me of the dangers to future human existence should I do something so reckless as to attempt to eliminate my problem by 'eliminating' my problem. It was never my intention to perform an act of insecticide, nay, in true NIMBY style I simply wanted the problem to be owned by someone else, somewhere else.

Well, now it seems that someone else does own the problem. One day on from our playing host to our many buzzy buddies, they have all gone.

I can only hope that their new landlord treats them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

The Return Of The Mosquito In Moccasins

2009-03-22T00:01:00.004Z

It's starting. For the last few days, lying awake in the early hours, I could hear them taunting me. Maybe I'm over-reacting to the situation. Possibly it was only one of them taunting me.

The pattern was consistent, and easily identifiable. Akin to a car desperately in need of a tune up, the sound - commencing in the distance and barely discernible - grew louder and closer. A sound made up of alphabetic Ns and Zs, something like nnnzznznnznnnzzz - then the interjection of a silent pause, like an engine mis-firing, then the sequence repeated but this time closer, louder, more ominous.

Eventually, the sound descended toward my face and emitted a doppler-shift change in tone as it rushed past close enough for me to feel on my cheek, the wind generated by it's unseen wings. (Maybe the Chaos Theory has some credence? Sorry, I digress!) I take my hand, already poised in anticipation of the attack, swat violently, making contact with my cheek and seemingly the invisible, nocturnal interloper. I can now go to sleep.

Or can I? Ten minutes elapses, I begin to nod. Then the sound, the mis-firing consonants, returns. Closer again, this time with the intent of dining in my ear. Slap! Silence, barring the self-inflicted ringing, returns. Success.

Wrong. The sequence is repeated at ten minute intervals for the next two hours. If I weren't so lazy, or so confident that I really did send the pest to oblivion during my last attempt at securing a dominant position on the food chain, I would get up and put the bug machine on. But no, I lie there and remain on the defensive, and do so until I eventually drift off.

I awake with an itchy knuckle, a slight puffy redness begging to be scratched. OK, I lost. But something really confuses me. While I could hear, on every occasion, the waxing attack, at no time did I ever hear the waning retreat. Never 'nzzznnzn, oops, you almost got me, nzzznnzn, I'm outta here, nzzznnzn'. Not a word, nothing, nada, zero, zip.

The conclusion I have been forced to draw is that the humble mosquito has learned much from the stealthy native American Indian, wears 3 pairs of minuscule moccasins upon it's diminutive feet so as not to be heard as it sneaks away 'a pé' to confuse it's prey and to plan it's next foray.

And just in case you think I'm one tube of 1% hydrocortisone cream short of relief, I'd really like to hear your explanation!

Sunny Side Down and Out? Never!

2009-03-18T03:09:00.013Z

If you haven't read the recent BBC News Magazine article, Sunny Side Down, click HERE and have a look before you read any further. Done that? OK, we'll carry on.

Doom and gloom merchants abound whenever things get a bit doomish and gloomish. That's only natural. But in the midst of this impending meltdown there may just be some tunnel light that isn't the train headed straight towards us.

Yes, it rained. The most in 15 years. But the reservoirs aren't yet full, so as far as I'm concerned it can rain some more. Everybody else's apartments and villas may be rotting away under black coats of mildew, but ours isn't. Other Algarve residents may have been shivering, but we weren't. Income derived from UK investments has dwindled, but for those living within their means this is an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.

Some of the economic difficulties we have witnessed businesses and restaurants experiencing were those borne out of a strong pound and greed. Yes, the pound is no longer strong, but the greed remains. It may have been acceptable to charge near-on €20 in a restaurant for a €4 bottle of wine a year ago (Not to me, but maybe to others). This attitude must now change. Prices which were artificially high due to hedging against the strong pound must now be rationalised. Driving the customers away because they now won't pay inflated prices benefits nobody.

Look at the restaurants that cater for the Portuguese, one of the poorest paid nationalities in Europe. These establishments are heaving with natives. Why? Because they offer value for money. The owners are not attempting to extort money from their patrons under the guise of trendy chic. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. Some fatal injuries are self inflicted.

For me, I'd rather be here where my property and car taxes are substantially less than in the UK, where my heating bill is substantially less than the UK, where my TV licence is... You get the picture (pun intended).

The sun is beginning to shine again. And that's not subject to economic fluctuations.

Fire On The Mountain

2009-03-13T00:30:00.004Z

Not the classic song by The Marshall Tucker Band, but rather the possibility that exists with the arrival of warmer, drier weather.

We didn't see the firefighting helicopter the first time that it flew over, but when a second journey took a route which went directly over our heads it was very difficult to miss. So difficult to miss that a camera pointed skyward caught it as it rushed out of sight. As majestic - and noisy - as the machine was, what it represents is far more sinister. A summer where the ever present threat of forest fires will, or should, be always somewhere in our conscious minds. Too much damage has been done in the past to allow a repetition in the future.

Preaching has never been the intention of my blog entries, but I think on this occasion it's justifiable.

Fire kills.

It really doesn't matter whether a fire starts accidentally or is intentionally lit, the result is the same. Damage and death.

Hopefully the helicopter we saw was on a training flight. The Algarve needs to be prepared. But please, everyone, be that little bit more careful so that the next time I see this great yellow bird it will again be in readiness, not in anger.

And so not to end on such a sombre note, click the link to enjoy the acceptable side of Fire On The Mountain.

Bestaurant: Rouxinol at Caldas de Monchique

2009-03-08T00:30:00.003Z

How many people, I wonder, take the time to visit Caldas de Monchique and never bother to cross the road to see what's on the other side?

The next time you are in the area, follow the road a little further than the turn into Caldas (heading in the direction of Monchique) and just as the last house in Caldas is on your left - the horizontal striped one - look right. You've just found Rouxinol.

We've known about Rouxinol for years because our good friend Carlos, of Carlos's Restaurant in Aylesbury, was chef there many moons ago. But for some unknown reason we never visited there until last year, just before the restaurant closed for Christmas. We were pleasantly surprised that the menu was not totally Algarvean/Portuguese, but had a quite a cosmopolitan feel (or should I say taste). This, obviously due to the influence of the owners, Stefan and Lisa Ljung, who have run restaurants in the Caribbean, Morocco, West Africa and the Canaries. The meals at Rouxinol are not the cheapest you'll find in the Algarve, but the food and service help you draw the conclusion that this is not a restaurant that you want to save for special occassions.

As Stefan is proud to state "Life is uncertain - eat dessert first". And if you like raspberries, you may just want to take Stefan at his word.

It's Better To Light One Candle Than To Curse The Darkness...

2009-03-03T18:56:00.008Z

...But it's a hell of a lot more expensive!

A few months ago our esquentador (water heater to mere mortals) decided to embark on a go slow. As it had been in situ for more than ten years I opted to replace, rather than repair. This in itself was a silly move, as the problem was not with the appliance but was discovered to be a partially blocked pipe running from the WH to the tap. Naturally this was not discovered until the new one was in place and functioning equally as poorly as the original, necessitating my removal of the WH and repeated flushing and back flushing of the tubular trap.

So now the new one is in place and works fine - as would the old one had I just cleaned the pipes. But that's just the preface.

Having decided that we would buy a unit without a pilot light, one that ignites electronically when the water is turned on, eventually I came around to trying to calculate what savings may be derived by only flaming-on when required.

Three times I recalculated the benefit, and the results were the same every time (NOTE: I'm not saying they are correct, only that they are consistent). Not having a pilot light burning saves seven (7) tanks of gas a year. That's a payback on the WH in one and a half years!

All this advice about switching off items on standby may just be true. And for seven tanks of fuel annually I'll learn to curse the darkness.

Happiness Is A Warm Puppy. Or Kitty. Or Budgie...

2009-02-26T17:34:00.009Z

One of the few drawbacks to living in the Algarve is pets. Not the act of owning pets, thats no problem, but what to do with those furry friends when travel and holidays becken.

When we lived in England we had a great friend and neighbour who popped in twice a day to look after our crew. We would not impose on our neighbours here however, as they are simply that - neighbours. And after a bad experience many years ago at a cattery where our little bitty buddies came home covered in fleas we have not used similar facilities since.

A couple of years ago, when taking our first holiday since moving to the Algarve, we eventually found a couple to housesit. Not only did they look after our moggies, the garden benefited from far more attention than we would probably have lavished upon it. It was great to return home to find everything in order.

I have to say I found the experience of using housesitters quite easy, compared to the difficulty we had in trying to FIND a housesitter. The ones we knew of were already booked, some that were recommended were unwilling to travel to us for the short period we were to be away. It took a lot of perseverance to eventually locate one who could tend to our needs.

Avoiding a repetition of this tedium in the future has caused us to put together a directory of housesitters so that availibility for any period of vacancy can be checked by a single group text to all involved. It works for us, and it could work for you.

If you need a housesitter, go to ALGARVE HOUSE SITTERS and contact us.

It doesn't get much easier than that.

It's An Ill Wind That Blows No Good

2009-02-21T00:30:00.002Z

Back in the late 90s, prior to our becoming professionally unemployed, taking a break away from it all was easy. Go to the apartment on the Isle of Wight. Go to the cottage in the Algarve. Now it's a little different. Since we now live permanently in that little Algarvean cottage, and have sold the island apartment, where do we go?

The underlying theme of this blog tends to be all things Algarvean. So logically we should be looking for that little getaway venue here in the Algarve. So much for logic. In a repeat of an internal break last year, we will be returning this Spring to Palmela and then going on for a few days to see what Obidos has to offer. While there we will be looking for another property, possibly a character property, maybe coastal, maybe mountain-ish. Why don't we stay in the Algarve? Other than the fact that we already own property here, it's because northern property is comparatively cheap. And cheap is good.

Recent properties we have viewed on-line have included a semi-ruin, much like the one we converted into our home, at €35k, a pair of renovated cottages, a 1 bed and a 2 bed, both for €80k and a completely renovated hilltop windmill at €89k.

With property prices like this, it really doesn't matter whichever way the economic wind is currently blowing.

Planned Parenthood

2009-02-16T00:30:00.002Z

Cats. We love cats. We've had them all our lives. When we were splitting our time between the UK and Portugal, our cats traveled with us. They are a part of the family.

Well, that family is growing. Our neighbours have the cutest little girl-cat they call Kika. We didn't know that name when we named her Petalinha, or Petal for short. Every morning she is sitting outside our kitchen door. We feed her any food our two have left from the previous day, and this offering is always gratefully and hungrily accepted. Every day she and Calvos, our youngest, chase each other up the jacaranda tree and across the deck, stalk mice in the orchard, and when she tires of her games with Cal, she sneaks back into the house to see what fresh food is waiting.

And the problem is...? The problem is that our Portuguese neighbours have not had her spayed. When she recently came into season, she spent all her time here, screeching, and not even the bemused, platonic attentions (ours have been neutered) of our two would shut her up. Finally, a stray provided the service she required, and after a few days where Cal would have nothing to do with her, they are again best of friends.

So now the countdown clock is running. We are dreading her deciding that our shed or outdoor living room is a great place to give birth. Our Portuguese is not proficient enough to hold a delicate conversation with her owners about their responsibilities, let alone the need for them to spend their meager income on having her spayed. We would pay, but they are proud and wouldn't accept our offer, I'm sure. So the clock continues to run, she continues to spend more time here, and the little furry twinkles in her Tom's eye continue to grow within her.

Does anyone want a cuddly little kitten?

Golf Holiday - Expenses Paid

2009-02-11T13:50:00.006Z

The Bill Goff Sunshine Challenge offers golfers the chance to compete in the Algarve, on a week's golf holiday worth £650.

Regional winners of UK competitions sponsored by a number of sports related publications will be flown to the Algarve where they will compete in the event, which takes place in November. The closing date for entries is 30 April 2009.

Rules and details of the sponsors are available at the Sunshine Challenge website.

Asleep At The Donkey

2009-02-06T17:08:00.009Z

It was one of those Kodak moments when, as events would have it, there was no Kodak around even though I have attached a photo - just to give you an idea.

On the road to Alte, as we were headed out for a lunch during one of the increasingly rare moments of dry sunlight, we came upon our gentleman gypsy.

An elderly traveler, dressed in black, with his donkey and cart, headed toward Messines doesn't normally attract more than my passing attention. He was different, however. There was a demeanor about his posture as he guided his ass along the road, totally oblivious to oncoming and overtaking vehicular traffic.

As we went past him the reason for his malaise became apparent. Whether through fatigue or an early medronho-laden lunch, he was asleep. Gently swaying, slack reins wrapped around his hands, he was oblivious as the world hurtled by and his animal continued to plod along, possibly following an oft traveled route.

When we retired to Portugal a part of the reason was to learn how to unwind. We still have a long way to go.