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START OFF PLUS

Susi Rogol-Goodkind, EDITOR

+351 965 581 831 | susi@rogol-goodkind.com

C O N T A C T S MARTIN GOODKIND

KIM COLLEY

Publisher +351 963 146 398 martin@algarveplusmagazine.com

Art Director +44 (0)7973 426196 dk.colley@btinternet.com

(COST OF CALLS AT YOUR MOBILE PROVIDER’S RATE)

Vale Telheiro 94, 8100-334 Loulé. Printed by Jorge Fernandes Ldª AlgarvePLUS is published monthly. 6,500 copies are made available through a hand-picked distribution network from Tavira to Porches, Almancil, the Golden Triangle, Loulé, São Brás, Santa Bárbara and Silves. Copyright 2026. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any written material or illustration in any form for any purpose other than short extracts for agreed review purposes, is strictly forbidden. AlgarvePLUS does not accept liability for loss or damage to any materials submitted for publication, or claims made by advertisers. The views expressed by interviewees or contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or AlgarvePLUS. algarveplusmagazine.com

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l ALGARVE P L U S

We are still in autumn – late autumn – here on the Algarve, but November heralds the run into winter, with temperatures dipping to 19°C in the day and dropping to a chilly 10°C to 12°C at night. It’s woolly gloves time. And socks. And fluffy slippers. And candles around the house. And the sweeping up of crunchy leaves. And having a brolly close at hand, just in case... It’s also time to start filling the diary with dates because there is so much going on in the last months of the year, from vibrant regional festivals to product-rich seasonal fairs, and big-time music events to a wealth of sports experiences. And think of those great dining options as chefs get busy creating new dishes in preparation for Christmas and New Year celebrations. We Algarveans don’t curl up with a hot water bottle and a sudoku challenge just because the days are shorter and the air has a bit of a chill. No – we are out there filling our days and evenings with the sort of activities that don’t work in the heat of summer. So more walking, hiking, cycling, running, exercise classes, adventuring to new places, discovering different regions, meeting and exchanging ideas with new people. Camera in hand, curiosity waiting to be fulfilled, and different memories to be made each and every day. In this issue of AlgarvePLUS (I know I always say this, but it is the best one ever) we have spread our wings and taken flight into the world of politics, into property purchase challenges, into new business opportunities, into destinations that may be new to you, into charities that will benefit from your help. We are here to introduce you to more of the features that make Portugal, and the Algarve especially, the best place to be. Enjoy the cool.

Welcome

ESTABLISHED FOR OVER 20 YEARS IN THE ALGARVE

JUST A FEW OF THE GALLERY ARTISTS

The very best place in the Algarve to find contemporary and decorative art, fine ceramics and so much more.

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Another one destined to be a winter favourite. Turtleneck, long sleeves and ribbed cuffs. It’s long and lean, made in Portugal, 80% wool. And hurray, hurray, you can machine wash it, gently of course. By Lanidor. €79.90. lanidor.com

F R O N T COV E R : Colour all around. Leaves in many shades – some natural, others not.

IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, EMAIL susi@rogol-goodkind.com

ALGARVE P L U S

Hand-crafted and handfinished cutlery from the Domo Matt Collection of Vista Alegre is produced in stainless steel of the highest quality (18% chromium and 10% nickel – resists rust and holds polish), and hand-finished with 24k matte gold. All knives are tempered, preserving their cutting power. Available in sets of 16, 24 and 130 pieces. micucci.store/pt/

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NEW THINGS PLUS

ALGARVE P L U S

Give a taste of the Algarve with Burros da Cerveja’s craft beer gift pack. Inspired by the real donkeys of Alte, Clara blonde ale and Baltazar brown ale celebrate local character and flavour. Created by some of the best micro-brewers in the Algarve, Burros da Cerveja was founded by Clair McNamara, who lives in Alte and owns a rescue donkey, Clara, who inspired the brand. Discover the beers in selected bars in Loulé and Alte, and online. burrosdacerveja.pt

When designing a kid’s room, the first question you may ask yourself is: “How can I turn this space into a play area where my child will have tons of fun?” First, decide on the theme and then look for furniture designs that will fit it. Circu’s Bonbon is a lightweight upholstered chair with a wide base – comfortable and ergonomic. There are lots of colours to choose from, too. circu.net

Gone fishing, and come up with a real charmer, hook, line and sinker. Hand carved, and measuring 35x25cm, this tribal wooden fish from Minangkabau is in the swim of things at Côrte-Real in Paderne. corterealarte.com

Scarves are cool – much needed when the weather itself is – especially if you layer them together, introducing different colours and textures. These, by Inti, are hand knitted in the softest baby alpaca wool. €120–€140, from Martina in Loulé. martina-loule.com

NEW THINGS PLUS

#KOZIICARE

#KOZIILOVE

TAVIRA | OLHÃO | LAGOS KOZIISHOP.COM

Lighten up. Love this Nebo Table Lamp by Luxxu, perfect in any contemporary environment, from the home office to the bedroom. The base is gleaming Carrara marble, and the diagonal frames are softly shining gold-plated brass. 59x14cm, and 52cm high. luxxu.net

When Paula Pinto of Alamaya Deco moved from Almancil to Montijo, we Algarveans were so sad – she’d been dressing our homes and accessorizing our style of dress for years with treasures she had found on her travels. But her new store, in the Setúbal region, is just glorious and the perfect reason to take time out. Just make sure to leave plenty of room in the car as you’ll need space for all those irresistible buys. alamayadeco.com

CMY

Salted caramel candle, from the newest collection at Zara Home. It smells divine. €22.99. zarahome.com

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Ladybird collection, fine Swiss watchmaker Blancpain pays tribute to the 1956 Ladybird Bullet, which represented a milestone in the history of horology, as it featured the world’s smallest round mechanical movement. The latest model, Lady B, is in stainless steel or 18K red gold and has an interchangeable double-wrap leather strap in a choice of seven colours. Wear it like a piece of jewellery. Available at Boutique dos Relógios. blancpain.com

HELPING PLUS

Arm in Arm F O R M A N Y P E O P L E I N T H E A L G A R V E , M E E T I N G E V E R Y DAY N E E D S R E M A I N S A C H A L L E N G E . AC C O R D I N G TO T H E L AT E S T DATA F R O M P O R T U G A L ’ S N AT I O N A L S TAT I S T I C S I N S T I T U T E ( I N E ) , 1 7.1 % O F A L G A R V E R E S I D E N T S A R E AT R I S K O F P OV E R T Y O R S O C I A L E XC L U S I O N . YO U C A N M A K E A D I F F E R E N C E

HE MEASURE used to track material deprivation includes such basics as being able to afford a nutritious meal, replace worn-out furniture and buy clothing when needed. Across the Algarve, numerous local organisations work to address these needs. One indication of the scale is Banco Alimentar do Algarve, which in 2025 provided food assistance to 26,104 people through 130 organisations. Other groups offer everything from clothing and household appliances to help following an emergency, as well as fulfilling practical needs that arise for various different reasons. In addition to individuals in need, support organisations also need assistance. The bombeiros are among those who depend on community support. They respond to road accidents and rescues and play an important part in the country’s pre-hospital emergency medical system, including ambulance services. The bombeiros receive varied public funding, including support from national and municipal government, but maintaining vehicles and ambulances and purchasing equipment, protective clothing and everyday operational supplies involves substantial expense; donations and fundraising therefore provide additional resources. Supporting the bombeiros was the original purpose of the Arm in Arm charity, founded in the Algarve in 2018, which has since expanded its work to help other groups and individuals in need. “We do not ever give cash,” explains volunteer Val. “Instead, Arm in Arm provides practical help according to what is needed. This can include food parcels and clothing, as well as furniture and larger household items such as washing machines and refrigerators. Items may be new or second-hand.” The circumstances that bring people to Arm in Arm vary considerably. Some have lost their homes and possessions in wildfires. Others may be working but find that their salaries are not sufficient to cover their living costs. Those with children who have additional needs can face expenses that add pressure on household finances. Recent projects illustrate the range of assistance. Arm in Arm contributed €8,000 towards equipping a

The circumstances that bring people to Arm in Arm vary. Some have lost their homes in wildfires; others find that their salaries do not cover their living costs.

ALGARVE P L U S

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bombeiros ambulance and regularly provides firefighters with bottled water, cereal bars and clothing needed while fighting fires. The charity has also supplied 15 new beds and bedding to a children’s home in Portimão, paid €1,000 for school equipment and contributed €500 towards a solar system for a man living in a rural area without electricity or running water. All of this work is carried out by volunteers. “We could not function as a charity without the selfless and enthusiastic dedication of the volunteers,” says Val. No volunteers are paid, and the organisation describes its approach with a simple phrase: “We are ordinary people helping people in need.” Arm in Arm has recently moved to larger shop premises in São Bartolomeu de Messines. The shop sells donated items to generate funds for the charity’s work, while providing another way for people to support the organisation by donating saleable goods. In addition, Arm in Arm operates a charity barn at Roosters Bar Restaurant in Messines and holds monthly tabletop sales there; supporters can also donate eligible containers from Portugal’s deposit-return scheme, with the refunds providing another source of income. With the larger shop comes a need for more volunteers. Arm in Arm hopes that additional help could eventually allow it to open seven days a week. The charity welcomes donations, large or small, as well as saleable items in good condition. People can support its work by shopping at the Messines shop, visiting the charity barn or tabletop sales, or donating eligible containers. The results can be measured in what those activities fund. So far in 2026, Arm in Arm says it has raised €46,000 for good causes. Eight years after beginning as a way to support the Algarve’s bombeiros, its work now ranges from emergency services to household necessities, children’s equipment and practical assistance for people facing difficult circumstances. Get involved. You can make a difference... and you will be glad you did. To learn more or to donate to Arm in Arm, please visit its website at arminarmalgarve.com or find the charity on Facebook.

E L I S A B E T H L E O N A R D T: 9 2 4 0 4 2 2 0 6 / E : e l i s a b e t h @ vo l u n t e e r i n g . p t / vo l u n t e e r i n g . p t

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DARYL GABIN

ALGARVE P L U S

QUERENÇA meets its very rich new neighbour

DARYL GABIN

VISIT PLUS

W H AT H A P P E N S W H E N A V I L L A G E T H AT H A S B E E N Q U I E T LY M I N D I N G I T S O W N B U S I N E S S F O R C E N T U R I E S W A K E S U P T O F I N D A € 2 6 0 M I L L I O N F I V E - S TA R R E S O R T O N I T S D O O R S T E P ? T H AT W A S T H E Q U E S T I O N R AT T L I N G A R O U N D M Y H E A D A S I T U R N E D O F F T H E R O A D N O R T H O F L O U L É , R O U G H LY H A L F W AY T O S A L I R , A N D W O U N D M Y W AY U P I N T O T H E H I L L S T O W A R D S Q U E R E N Ç A

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R E C E N T LY I F O U N D M Y S E L F D O I N G S O M E T H I N G I H A D N ’ T D O N E F O R A W H I L E : T R AV E L L I N G A L O N E . A F T E R Y E A R S O F F I L M I N G F O R A L G A R V E A D D I C T S , I WA S H E A D I N G N O R T H O N A M I S S I O N T H AT W O U L D E V E N T U A L LY TA K E M E T O P O R T O . B U T B E F O R E T H E C I T Y O F B R I D G E S A N D P O R T W I N E , T H E R E WA S S O M E W H E R E T H AT H A D

Wo rd s: N I C K R O B I N S O N , A L G A R V E A D D I C T S

DARYL GABIN

Q U I E T LY S AT O N M Y L I S T F O R Y E A R S : V I A N A D O C A S T E L O

VISIT PLUS

HIS WAS video number 12 in my mission to film 50 Algarve towns, a project that could quite easily turn into 100 if I’m not careful. Anyone who has seen my planning skills in action will know that’s not an idle threat. This time there were two places on the list, because just before you reach Querença you pass the turnoff to the brand-new Ombria Resort, and honestly, you can’t talk about one without the other anymore. On the map they’re a few minutes apart. In every other way they’re on different planets. Getting there is easiest by car. The airport is about 30 minutes away and so is Falésia Beach, which surprises people who assume this is the back of beyond. If you’re feeling creative there’s bus 27, which leaves Loulé for Salir twice a day and takes 25 to 30 minutes. Twice a day, mind you. Miss it and you’ll have plenty of time to admire the scenery.

DARYL GABIN

ALGARVE P L U S

The whole village of Querença revolves around its square, with the 16thcentury church standing at the top end, whitewashed and unbothered, looking down over a couple of cafés, a restaurant and a few parked cars. Today the square had been invaded by a convoy of buggy tours, a dusty, goggled crew who had pulled in for a coffee break. They knocked back their bicas, fired up the engines and tore off back into the valleys, leaving a haze of red dust settling over the tables. Then the engines faded down the valley, the dust settled, and the square went back to doing what it does best: absolutely nothing in a hurry. Now, how old is Querença? This is where it gets fun, because depending on who you ask, and sometimes depending on which sentence of my own video you’re listening to, it’s 800 years old, 1,000 years old or nearly 3,500. To be honest, they’re all sort of true. As a continuously settled village, it goes back at least 700 to 800 years. But the roots run far deeper. Recent research turned up Roman road markers showing the ancient routes passed through here and on up towards Alcaria, so this little hilltop was on the Roman road map long before anyone laid the church’s first stone. Add the Moorish centuries that followed, and the

DARYL GABIN

So, Querença first

Ombria sits in 150 hectares of the hillside which, up to a couple of years ago, was just that – a vast open space with glorious views in every direction. Today the resort boasts enough restaurants and bars to keep residents in one place, the once-rugged land has been trimmed and tailored, and millions more are still to be spent on adding the next layer of polish

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prehistoric folk who were wandering these hills long before either, and you’re comfortably past 2,500 years of people living on this spot. As always, the age of a place depends a lot on who’s doing the counting and what they’re hoping you’ll believe. I’ve popped a link to a very good blog post about the Roman roads in the video description, if you fancy falling down that rabbit hole. Querença might be sleepy, but it knows how to throw a party. In January the Festa do Chouriço packs the square with hundreds of people warding off the winter chill with red wine, chouriço spitting over the flames and bread pulled piping hot from the wood oven. In April it’s the Festa do Folar, a celebration of the sweet Easter bread that, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit, I dream about all year long. It’s October as I write this and I’m already counting the months. Silly Nick. There’s a summer festival too, with music, dancing, eating and drinking late into the night. These festivals are the glue in villages like this: grannies, grandkids home from Lisbon, farmers, foreigners who’ve moved in, all squeezed onto the same long tables. I ducked into Café Dona Rosa, which sits right next door to Restaurante de Querença, for a coffee. Restaurante de Querença is a place I have history with. About 20 years ago I had lunch there and the only option was the prato do dia, with a choice of two or three dishes, usually meat or fish. You got the couvert of bread, carrots, garlic and olives, then your main, a dessert, one glass of wine or beer, and a coffee to finish. All for €6. I can still remember paying and thinking I’d been undercharged. You can still find pratos do dia around here, but expect €12 to €15 these days. Inflation hits the hills, too; it just hits them a bit more gently than the coast.

On to the new Then I drove back down the hill and into another world. Welcome to Ombria: 141 five-star suites and residences spread across 150 hectares of Algarve hills, with an 18-hole golf course, about a dozen pools, a spa, family spaces and six bars and restaurants. They’ve planted more than 700 oak trees and restored the rivers running through the property, which I’ll give them real credit for. Rather than flattening the hills and rolling out a carpet of lawn, someone has thought hard about making it look like it belongs here. By the time it’s finished, pencilled in for late 2030, the bill will come to roughly €260 million. And the whole place is designed around a village square vibe, which made me chuckle, because there’s a genuine village square five minutes up the road that has been doing that job for free for about 500 years. Here’s the good news for the rest of us: all six restaurants are open to the public. There’s Ombria Kitchen, the all-day restaurant; Casa & Fora, a sports-bar-style bar and terrace overlooking the golf; Solua, which runs from sunset to starlight with cocktails and Portuguese small plates; Salpico, the laid-back pool bar; and Bellvino, a rooftop wine bar pouring regional wines alongside serving local

VISIT PLUS

You can’t compare Querença with Ombria. They may be a stone’s throw apart, up in the hills north of Loulé, but they have nothing in common. One is old and sleepy and full of stories; the other is, a few years in, making itself and its purpose known to a very different audience

cheeses, olive oils and platters of tasty charcuterie. We settled into Café Central for coffee and homemade chocolates, and I’m not too proud to say I went back for seconds. Everything in Ombria is polished, quiet and beautifully put together. You can hear the sprinklers ticking over the fairways and the clink of cups on the terrace. It’s lovely. It’s also priced accordingly, so go in knowing that.

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Food for thought We circled back to Querença for lunch, back into real, everyday Portugal, and bumped into Daniela, who has recently arrived from South Africa and might end up editing some of our videos. Howzit, Daniela! Our first lunch spot was closed for its summer holiday, which is a very Algarve thing to happen in August and September. Local tip: a lot of the family-run inland restaurants shut for a few weeks at the end of summer, so phone ahead or have a plan B. Ours was simple. We trudged back up the hill to Restaurante de Querença with Ralph, a local resident who agreed to join us and give me his honest take on the neighbourhood. What followed was a proper Portuguese lunch. The couvert came first, then one big plate of javali – wild boar that falls apart under your fork – a big plate of espetada, veal skewers served with salad, and a plate of pork in a mushroom and cream sauce that I would happily eat every day of the week. Two glasses of red, a bottle of water, and two desserts, one of them the doce da casa, the house dessert, which every restaurant in Portugal makes slightly differently and every one of them swears is the original. We played a little game guessing what the bill would come to. I’m not going to tell you here. Have a guess yourself, then go and watch the video to see how close you got. I’ll just say that the coast could learn a thing or two. Ralph has lived in Querença for four and a half years, and I asked him straight out what he thinks of Ombria. He didn’t dodge it. “There’s a controversial discussion with local people,” he said. The resort opened about two years ago, and he isn’t sure how much access the locals really have. He’d like to see it open up more to the community, maybe with special discounts for residents, because the prices are pretty high. When I said it’s clearly aimed at international visitors rather than locals, he nodded and put it better than I could: “Here is true Portugal, the true Algarve, with local people and beautiful nature. Ombria is an enclave, a world on its own for those who love golf and luxury.” The very first restaurant Ralph visited when he arrived here was the one we were sitting in, and he’s been coming back ever since. For everyday eating, he told me, there’s a snack bar down the hill where his local friends go, and you’ll pay €12 to €15 a head for a full prato do dia with wine, water and coffee. I asked him how he’s settled in, and his answer was refreshingly honest: it takes time. He’s helped it along by hosting concerts in the amphitheatre at his house, where up to 150 people, locals and foreigners alike, come together for an evening of music and forging new friendships. That’s integration done properly, if you ask me. Not waiting to be invited, but setting the table yourself.

Quiet stuff And what is there to do around here? Not a great deal, and that’s exactly why people come. Shopping means a trip into Loulé, or the Spar in Salir for the basics. The rest of the time it’s hiking, biking, and a silence you forget about after a summer on the coast. Ralph called it a very quiet rural place, and he meant it as the highest compliment. So here’s my verdict. Querença costs you time and gives you peace.

Ombria costs you money and gives you polish. One is thousands of years in the making, the other popped up in a handful of years with a quarter of a billion euros behind it, and they’re built for completely different people. I don’t think one has to lose for the other to win. If Ombria opens its doors a little wider to the village on its doorstep, it could be a good neighbour. If it doesn’t, Querença will carry on exactly as it has through Romans, Moors and everyone since, with a glass of red and a plate of javali. My advice? Have coffee and chocolates at Ombria, then drive five minutes up the hill and have lunch in Querença. Best of both worlds, and you’ll still have change for a folar. If you’d like to see the whole day, including that lunch bill, the full video is on the Algarve Addicts YouTube channel in my Algarve Unlocked playlist. And if this corner of the hills has got under your skin, whether you fancy a villa at Ombria or a stone cottage in Querença, we can help you find one through algarveaddicts.com. Town number 13 is next. Only 38 to go. Or maybe 87.

Pulp Mia Work B&W | Acrylic and mixed media on canvas | 130 cm x 97 cm

www.artcatto.com

Portugal: who runs it? C A N YO U N A M E T H E M A I N P O R T U G U E S E P O L I T I C A L PA R T I E S ? D O YO U K N OW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRIME M I N I S T E R ? O R T H AT, E V E N W I T H O U T A P O R T U G U E S E P A S S P O R T, Y O U M AY H AV E T H E R I G H T T O V O T E I N L O C A L E L E C T I O N S ? F O L L O W O U R G U I D E T O T H E PA R T I E S , T H E E L E C T I O N S A N D M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E

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OU LIVE IN Portugal. You pay taxes here, use the roads, maybe have children at school, complain sometimes about bureaucracy and probably have an opinion about what your local council should – or should not – be focusing on. Portuguese politics can look complicated from outside. But in fact, the basic system is not so difficult. And understanding it helps to understand better the country you have chosen to call home.

Who is who, and what they control Portugal is a semi-presidential republic. The President of the Republic is the Head of State; the Prime Minister is the head of the Government. They have different functions and take office in different ways.

The President is directly elected by Portuguese voters for a five-year term. Our current President is António José Seguro, who took office in March 2026. The President does not run hospitals, decide taxes or choose how much money to spend on a new railway. That is the work of the Government. But he does appoint the Prime Minister, taking into consideration the election results. He promulgates legislation, can veto legislation, can ask for constitutional review and, under the conditions established by our Constitution, can dissolve Parliament and call elections. The Prime Minister, on the other hand, is the one who runs the Government. At present it is Luís Montenegro, leader of the Social Democratic Party, PSD. And here we find what first puzzles foreigners: despite the name, the Social Democratic Party is not what one would expect; it is, in fact, a centre-right party. Welcome to Portuguese politics.

POLITICS PLUS

THE PARTIES For many years, two parties dominated Portuguese politics: PSD and PS. Today the situation is much more fragmented. PSD – Partido Social Democrata PSD is a centre-right party. In general, it defends a social-market economy, private initiative and economic competitiveness, together with the welfare state and public health and education systems. It is led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.

INICIATIVA LIBERAL – IL An economically liberal party. It defends lower taxes, more competition, individual choice and a smaller role for the State in important parts of the economy.

Parliament Our national Parliament is called the Assembleia da República, or Assembly of the Republic. It meets in the Palácio de São Bento, in Lisbon. There are 230 Members of Parliament, who we call deputados. Normally, a parliamentary term is four years, although elections can happen earlier. Unlike the British system, the Portuguese system does not the Portuguese system does not use individual winner-takes-all constituencies in parliamentary elections. The voter chooses a party list, and not an individual candidate. Seats are then distributed according to the votes received, using a proportional system and the d’Hondt method. There are 230 MPs, which means 116 seats are an absolute majority. But you do not need 116 MPs to form a Government. Portugal can have a Government with an absolute majority, a coalition or a minority Government that has to find support in Parliament. So, having the most votes, forming a Government and having a majority in Parliament are not always the same thing.

LIVRE A party of the left, it combines progressive policies with environmentalism, European integration and human rights. PCP – Partido Comunista Português One of the oldest communist parties in Europe, it has a historic connection with organised labour and also played an important role in the resistance to the dictatorship. It defends a strong public sector and more intervention by the State in the economy. CDS-PP On the democratic centre-right/ right, it has participated in different governments together with PSD. BLOCO DE ESQUERDA – BE On the left, with a strong focus on labour rights, public services, inequality and progressive social causes. PAN – People–Animals–Nature A progressive political party focused on animal rights, environmental protection, and social justice. JPP – Together for the People At first a regional movement in Madeira, it later reached the national Parliament.

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CHEGA Created in 2019 and led by André Ventura, Chega has grown quickly. It is described as a right-wing populist or radical-right party and has focused strongly on subjects such as immigration, crime, corruption, welfare policies and criticism of the political establishment.

PS – Partido Socialista The Socialist Party is the traditional party of the centre-left. PS and PSD have alternated in Government for most of our democratic period. Some of its important figures have been Mário Soares, António Guterres and, recently, António Costa.

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And what about your Câmara? For many people, the political decisions that affect their normal life most are not made in Lisbon; they are made locally. Portugal has two main levels of local government: municipalities (municípios) and parishes (freguesias). The Câmara Municipal – the municipal council – is the executive body of the municipality. It deals with many things that we see every day: planning, local roads, public spaces, waste, housing policies, culture, sport and many other local services. In addition, there is the Assembleia Municipal, which has deliberative and scrutiny functions. Then, below the municipality we have the freguesia, with its own assembly and executive, the Junta de Freguesia. When we have local elections, you receive three ballot papers: one for the Câmara Municipal, one for the Assembleia Municipal and another for the Assembleia de Freguesia. So you are not simply voting for ‘the mayor’.

CAN FOREIGNERS VOTE? Now we arrive at probably the most interesting question for the readers of AlgarvePLUS. Yes – many foreign residents can vote in Portuguese local elections. And this includes British citizens. The exact rules depend on nationality, residence status and, in some situations, the number of years that the person has legally lived in Portugal. Citizens of European Union countries living in Portugal have local electoral rights. Portugal also gives these rights to citizens of some other countries, based on reciprocity agreements. After Brexit, arrangements between Portugal and the UK maintained the possibility of participation in local elections for British residents who meet the legal conditions. But there is one very important word: registration. For foreign residents who are not

automatically registered, living in Portugal is not enough. Registration is made through the electoral registration commission at the Junta de Freguesia of your registered residence, with the necessary documents. So, if you want to vote, my advice is simple: do not wait for election day to find out if you can. And there is another fact that surprises many people: foreign residents who meet the conditions can, in certain circumstances, be candidates in Portuguese local elections. Participation in the community can go much further than paying taxes or going to a residents’ meeting.

Does a foreign vote really make a difference? Yes, it can – and particularly here in the Algarve. Local elections are decided municipality by municipality. Sometimes, relatively small changes in turnout can influence the distribution of seats in a Câmara Municipal or Assembleia Municipal. And foreign residents represent an important part of the population in several

NAMES YOU SHOULD KNOW MÁRIO SOARES was one of the most important personalities of Portuguese democracy and of Portugal’s European path. FRANCISCO SÁ CARNEIRO was a central figure in the creation of the democratic centre-right. His political career ended suddenly when he died in an air crash in 1980. ÁLVARO CUNHAL, the historic Communist leader, spent years in prison and exile during the dictatorship and became one of the main political figures after the revolution. RAMALHO EANES, a military officer who became President, had an important role in the consolidation of our democracy. CAVACO SILVA was Prime Minister for ten years and, later, President for another ten. More recent Portuguese politics has been marked by names such as António Guterres, Durão Barroso, José Sócrates, Pedro Passos Coelho, António Costa and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Different parties, very different ideas and different moments of our history.

Cristóvão Norte is a Member of the Portuguese Parliament and the leader of PSD Algarve

SO, SHOULD YOU CARE? If Portugal is where you spend two weeks of holidays every summer, maybe Portuguese politics can remain something happening in the background. But if you live here, I think the answer is different. Politics influences what can be built next to your house, local taxes, roads, public spaces, housing, water, tourism and planning. National politics decides questions about taxation, healthcare, education, immigration, pensions, employment and the general direction of the country itself. You do not need to become an expert in Parliament. You do not need to join a political party. And you certainly do not need to agree with your neighbours. But democracy works better when the people affected by decisions understand who is making them – and participate in their structure. For the many thousands of international residents here, Portugal is no longer simply the country where they have a property or choose to spend their holidays. If Portugal is home, then understanding how it works and taking part in its civic life is a good place to start, and have a say.

To understand Portuguese politics, there is one date you need to know: 25 April 1974. Portugal lived for decades under an authoritarian regime, the Estado Novo, mainly associated with António de Oliveira Salazar. Political freedoms were limited, there was censorship, political opposition was repressed and Portugal was involved in colonial wars in Africa. On 25 April 1974, the Armed Forces Movement ended the regime in what became known as the Carnation Revolution. Following on from this came an intense period of political and social change. Our present Constitution was approved in 1976 and democratic elections became the normal way of deciding political power. Many of the political parties we have today in Portugal were created, recreated or legalised around this period. This also explains why some names and political traditions in Portugal can look a little strange to someone arriving here from another country with different systems.

Why 25 April matters

1 The President is not the head of the Government. 2 The Prime Minister is not directly elected in parliamentary elections. 3 In parliamentary elections, you vote for a party list, not directly for your local MP. 4 The party with the most votes does not automatically have an absolute majority. 5 PSD means Social Democratic Party but is centre-right. 6 And your Câmara can sometimes have more influence on your daily life than many of the debates you see happening in the national Parliament.

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municipalities of the Algarve. Politics is also mathematics. A community that lives permanently in a municipality but does not participate in its political life will naturally have less electoral influence than its real presence in the population. Voting does not mean that politicians will agree with you. Of course not. But it does mean that your voice is part of the democratic decision.

Six things to remember

POLITICS PLUS

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FOOD PLUS

THE COURTYARD, Boliqueime Y E S , E AT I N G O U T S I D E I S W E AT H E R D E P E N D E N T N O W A N D I N T H E M O N T H S A H E A D, B U T T H E R E I S O N E P L AC E W H E R E YO U ’ L L R I S K T H E C O O L I N O R D E R T O E N J O Y I N C R E D I B L E , I N T I M AT E S U R R O U N D I N G S A N D G R E AT F O O D . J O A N A K AT YA D I S C O V E R E D T H E C O U R T YA R D , T U C K E D AWAY I N A S M A L L S T R E E T I N B O L I Q U E I M E , A N D I S H A P P Y T O W R A P U P WA R M F O R A N O T H E R S P E C I A L L U N C H

LEVEN, a lovely seven-bedroom boutique hotel in Boliqueime, was taken over in August 2024 by the current owners, who have also had a restaurant in Pointe Noire, Congo, for 25 years. The Courtyard, Eleven’s charming outdoor patio, was there for guests to breakfast and lunch, and for outsiders who recognised a gem. And a gem it truly is. The sun filters through a canopy of olive tree branches; the walls carry a tilework by artist Meinke Flesseman; water runs gently from a small fountain into a narrow walled pool. It is easy to spot those on their first visit because of their expression of sheer delight as they look around, wide-eyed and captivated by their surroundings. The Courtyard is

something unexpected. Now let’s talk about the food... The kitchen team is led by Sonia, the chef, and Gail sous-chef. These two are really the heart of the Courtyard kitchen. Their menu, carefully considered and perfectly presented, includes contemporary interpretations of Portuguese dishes, introducing different ingredient partnerships. Sonia’s signature starters, the Algarve fig carpaccio with burrata and ham, and the pear carpaccio with pecorino and honey, are the introduction to a splendid eating experience. A tournedos steak is served with mashed potatoes and a choice of sauces – truffle cream, porcini mushrooms and cream or Azeitão cheese – a big leap away from the usual steak and chips offering that most restaurants serve up. There are pork cheeks, as tender as can

FOOD International, with Italian references and Portuguese highlights

DECOR This is special and cannot fail to enchant. The setting is outside.

€ PRICE €28–€40 pp including drinks

be, and fish choices include a pretty sensational composition of sea bass fillet dressed with a luscious mango and ginger sauce. New dishes are added to the menu throughout the season depending on ingredients available, but the real favourites stay there. The Courtyard kitchen works with a variety of suppliers including specialists for Italian products: its fish and vegetables come from markets in Quarteira and Loulé, and while bread is bought in fresh each morning, everything else is prepared by the team in-house. For desserts, the homemade tiramisu is probably top of the charts. The pavlova is the most spectacular visually, while the fig and walnut ice cream is certainly the most original in terms of flavour – that alone guarantees a return visit! And if you want something light for lunch, the Caesar salad is highly recommended. When the weather gets cooler, guests are provided with blankets and outdoor heating will keep you comfortable. What a great way to spend those early winter days! And if you are thinking about a small event – like a wedding or an anniversary – it is absolutely worth checking out what The Courtyard team can do to make it a truly memorable experience.

T H E C O U R T YA R D, R u a D r. J u i z J o ã o G o m e s P a u l o T: 9 6 7 1 8 9 2 0 2 / E : e n q u i r y @ e l e v e n b o l i q u e i m e . c o m / W : c o u r t y a r d . e l e v e n b o l i q u e i m e . c o m O P E N (w e a t h e r p e r m i t t i n g ) : W e d n e s d a y t o S u n d a y, 0 9 h 3 0 – 1 5 h 0 0 (a n d d i n n e r w h e n p o s s i b l e)

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Table talk

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CREATING A HERITAGE PLUS

F L O R D E C A R M I M B Y F I L I PA D E C A S T R O F E I J Ó I S A N E W P O R T U G U E S E B R A N D DESIGNED FOR THE HOME . THIS IS A STORY OF HANDMADE PORCEL AIN TA B L E W A R E , T E X T I L E S A N D S I LV E R W A R E T H AT A R E M E A N T T O C R E AT E M E M O R I E S O F T H E P A S T A N D T H E P R E S E N T , A N D B E T H E F O U N D AT I O N F O R T H E F U T U R E

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Every collection within the Flor de Carmim brand makes a special statement. That every group of products is produced by hand-picked Portuguese specialists adds to the story and authenticity of the label

OME OBJECTS are made to stay. They sit quietly in our homes, witnessing ordinary mornings and long lunches, celebrations and conversations, departures and returns. They acquire the marks of being constantly used; they absorb the atmosphere of the house and, sometimes, they even become a legacy passed between generations – a part of a family’s history. It is this idea – of objects that survive the test of time – that lies at the heart of Flor de Carmim, a Portuguese brand for the table and the home, recently created by Filipa de Castro Feijó and based on the conviction that the things we live with should be worth keeping, and worth passing on. As Filipa tells us, its story did not begin with a lifelong dream of founding a brand. At least, not in the conventional sense. It began with a restlessness. After years spent building brands and living abroad – Madrid, London, Dublin – Filipa became increasingly aware of a paradox: Portugal has an extraordinary richness of craftsmanship, materials and traditions, yet much of what was being

made with such care remained largely unseen beyond the country’s borders. The idea that would eventually become Flor de Carmim emerged around a table – always the table! – during a conversation about objects that accompany people through life – pieces that move between homes and across the years and eventually find themselves in the hands of someone who may not know where they came from but instinctively recognises something of their own story in them. That evening, the idea became something more than a business plan. It became a conviction: that it was possible to create objects capable of carrying time; objects that could inhabit life without interrupting it; objects designed, from the beginning, to last. Turning that intuition into a brand, however, required considerably more than inspiration.

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CREATING A HERITAGE PLUS

The dream is simple: that 30 years from now someone is setting the table with a Flor de Carmim piece that belonged to their grandmother. Filipa spent months looking for the right people to help her make it happen. She knocked on doors, travelled, listened and searched. It took around six months to find the partners who could translate her vision into something real.

At the heart of it Everything in Flor de Carmim is produced here in Portugal, across different regions of the country, with each craft connected as closely as possible to the place where its knowledge and tradition are still alive. The porcelain in the collection is drawn and decorated by hand; the beautiful linens are painted or embroidered individually; the silver passes through the hands of a talented silversmith. Behind every piece is not simply a technique, but a history of knowledge passed from one pair of hands to another. For Flor de Carmim, preserving that knowledge is not an exercise in nostalgia. It is, unquestionably, an economic and cultural responsibility. Traditional crafts survive when there is meaningful work for the people who practise them, when their expertise is recognised and when there is a contemporary reason for those skills to continue. This is the most compelling aspect of the brand: its ambition is not to reproduce the past, but to reinterpret it, re-create it, and in doing so prepare it for the future.

The driving force Filipa, the woman behind that ambition, brings a unique vision to the project. Her professional career spans around three decades in international retail. After studying International Business Administration in London and beginning her career at the European Commission in Brussels, she worked in retail, branding, merchandising and team management. Much of that career was spent at Sonae, working with brands including Zippy, SportZone and MO, with further experience at Parfois and Primark. It was an education in scale, markets, product and consumer behaviour and in understanding not only what people want, but why. Flor de Carmim takes that knowledge and turns it inward. Here, the object is not simply a product. It is the meeting point between design, craftsmanship, culture and use. Even the name suggests a tension between opposites. There is no actual carmine flower in nature. The name was invented in order to bring together two contrasting ideas: the fragility of a flower and the intensity of a deep red pigment. That duality runs through the whole Flor de Carmim brand. Delicate embroidery meets the solidity of silver. Porcelain, apparently fragile, becomes something designed for everyday life. Traditional references are translated into contemporary pieces. The result is neither strictly nostalgic nor overtly modern. It occupies a quieter territory in between.

The composition of the brand Porcelain is the heart of the collection, followed by two families of linen – hand-painted and hand-embroidered – as well as silver, fragrance and objects for the home. The brand also includes the Antiquário, a curated selection of antique pieces chosen individually in partnership with Antique, by Luísa Lencastre. There is, too, House of Tailor, the bespoke ‘arm’ of the brand. Created for private clients, hospitality and interior projects, it begins not with a catalogue but with a conversation. From there, the pieces are developed. It is an approach that feels increasingly rare in a world of immediate choices and endless options. Flor de Carmim prefers curation to abundance. Its collections are deliberately limited. At present, there are three main ones – Ivy over Blue Tiles, Jacarandá and Fleur d’Or – alongside Timeless, the white porcelain line. Each collection is conceived as a complete table set, with porcelain and linens forming a coherent visual language rather than a collection of unrelated objects. The inspiration is unmistakably Portuguese, but never literal. Ivy over Blue Tiles takes on the familiar language of the ‘azulejos’ and the organic movement of ivy growing across it. Jacarandá looks to the trees that transform Portuguese streets into clouds of lilac each spring. Fleur d’Or turns to the olive tree, one of the most evocative Portuguese symbols – connected to olive oil, bread, food and the act of sharing. The Timeless collection goes in a different direction. Its white porcelain erases decoration and allows form, proportion and material to speak for themselves. Together, all the names create a portrait of Portugal that is less about stereotypes and more about what real people need. Flor de Carmim is not interested in turning Portuguese heritage into an aesthetic. It is interested in translating what is genuinely Portuguese into objects that can live comfortably in contemporary homes anywhere in the world.

FOUR SEASONS

Q U I N TA D O L A G O

MID N MIS IGHT SIO N An e xcl A cla usive di nn ssiﬁe d aff er. air.

TOP SECRET: New Year’s Eve Plans

Looking ahead As for the future, Filipa is not in a rush: “In the short term, my ambition is for the brand to be respected, in Portugal and abroad, by people who value pieces that tell a story. I would like my pieces to be part of the table of many families and/or hotels that I admire. For the long term, the dream is simple: that 30 years from now someone is setting the table with a Flor de Carmim piece that belonged to his/her grandmother. A brand is built with the same time and care as the most exquisite piece.” Flordecarmim .com

SCAN TO ACCESS THE BRIEFING

The name is Fairways, Four Seasons Fairways.

@fourseasonsfairways Av. André Jordan 37, Quinta do Lago

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THE HIBERNATION HIDEAWAY Wo rd s: E M M A C A M P U S / D E S I G N E S C A P E S P O R T U G A L

I ’ VE DECIDE D TO DE F Y TH E USUAL F A N TA S Y T H AT C O M E S W I T H A W I N T E R H O L I D AY. I D O N ’ T W A N T TO ESCAPE TO SOMEWHERE WA R M E R O R P L A N A FA R F L U N G T R I P, B U T I N S T E A D , T U C K M Y S E L F AW AY F R O M T H E W O R L D SOMEWHERE QUIETER, WHERE M Y D AY S C A N B E D I C TAT E D B Y D AY L I G H T R AT H E R T H A N A D I A R Y

HIDEAWAYS PLUS

Opposite page, top left and right: Terramay brings together farming, gastronomy and a commitment to restoring the surrounding ecosystem. Take to the waters there for a special experience; below: Relax at The Other Side. This page, above and right: The Black-Wood Cabins in Comporta. Below: The Red Cabin in Melides, the perfect getaway for two in search of quiet and time to share

S WE REACH the final months of the year, I’ve decided I’m done with planning, with making decisions and dividing my attention. Messages arrive before I’ve finished answering the last ones, work follows me home, and even my holidays have become exercises in optimisation – we research the best restaurants, map out the most photogenic corners and document the experience as we go (first-world problems, right?!). Enough. It’s time to retreat from the world to recharge my social battery, ready to dive back in for the festive celebrations at the end of the year. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the type of hideaway that makes it easier for me to disconnect. A place that gives me a reason to put the phone away and pay attention to the world immediately around me. Of course, my mind initially went to remote, luxurious (and currently unattainable!) hotels, with endless facilities, wellness programmes and curated nature experiences available to each guest. But I slowly realised that the times when I have felt most relaxed over the past few years have actually been when I’ve stayed somewhere not luxurious, highly designed, or à la mode, but somewhere simple, or even when I’ve gone camping. Enter the cabin. Sure, a cabin is a slight upgrade from a tent, but a cabin holiday is not necessarily about doing nothing. In fact, it can involve doing rather more than a conventional hotel stay: gathering firewood, lighting a log burner, preparing dinner from scratch, walking through the landscape or taking a bracing dip in cold water.

I find great pleasure in the small rituals: an alfresco shower, the warmth of a sauna after a cold day outside, a meal prepared together and a fire that needs tending. There is also the opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones without the usual interruptions. Conversations become longer, meals stretch into the evening and, with little phone reception or Wi-Fi, nobody is half-present behind a screen. Even the things that go wrong live on as fond memories. There is a scientific concept that helps explain this desire: Attention Restoration Theory. Developed by environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, it proposes that natural environments can help replenish directed attention, the effortful concentration we rely on to work, make decisions and navigate the constant demands of modern life. Natural surroundings offer what the researchers describe as soft fascination: experiences that hold our attention without demanding much effort. After a long walk in the woods or an afternoon by a lake, the mind can feel considerably less crowded than it might after a day doomscrolling beside the pool of a luxurious hotel with Starlink. Portugal, with its pine forests, cork oak landscapes, wild Atlantic coastline and expansive inland reservoirs, is obviously the perfect backdrop for this kind of escape. And so these are my picks for spending winter not chasing the sun, but reconnecting with nature and giving our minds a little room to breathe.

HIDEAWAYS PLUS

The concept is refreshingly minimal: a bed, a bathtub and a close connection to nature. The architecture makes a statement without overwhelming the landscape, while the compact scale encourages guests to spend more time outdoors. In winter, the forest becomes the main attraction, with the scent of the pines, the texture of the ground beneath your feet and the shifting light offering a welcome alternative to the constant stimulation of screens.

3. THE RED CABIN Melides

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Created through a collaboration between Portuguese clothing and lifestyle label +351 and Hiide Cabins, The Red Cabin gives the traditional cabin a playful, design-conscious twist. Set on a ridge above the coastline in Melides, it looks towards the Atlantic, with cork forest and open countryside providing a natural buffer. Bold reds and ambers take their cues from the setting sun, while Portuguese design pieces bring personality to the compact interior. Designed for two, the cabin encourages guests to disconnect from digital distractions and rediscover the pleasure of analogue pastimes. There is little room for unnecessary complication, which is precisely the point. Days can be spent walking the coast, noticing the shifting light or simply sitting outside with a book, before retreating indoors as evening falls. It’s currently at the top of my wishlist.

1. THE OTHER SIDE Algarve

The Other Side sits in the wilder reaches of the Algarve and Alentejo border, where rolling hills, cork oak woodland and the expansive waters of the Santa Clara Reservoir create a landscape that feels wonderfully removed from everyday life. In winter, the countryside turns earthy and green, the reservoir becomes a vast, reflective presence and the skies seem to stretch on indefinitely. Our stay here with friends was the ideal setting for ‘attention restoration’. We lolled on the dock, pottered about on the tiny boat, and read books as clouds moved across the water. Without the constant pull of a screen, these small details began to hold our attention, making it easier to settle into the rhythm of the place (especially after gin and tonics under a full moon).

2. THE BLACKWOOD CABINS Comporta

The quartet of architecturally renowned black-wood cabins offers a beautiful example of design that works with its surroundings rather than competing with them. Created by Lisbon-based Studio 3a, the cabins take inspiration from traditional Portuguese fishermen’s huts, with dark timber exteriors that sit quietly among the pines, contrasting with pale trunks, sandy ground and filtered light.

This page, top: The delight that is The Other Side, by the Santa Clara Reservoir where the Algarve meets the Alentejo; above and right: Cabana Azul that sits contentedly on a beach of Costa da Caparica, along the western coast of the district of Setúbal

4. CABANA AZUL Costa da Caparica

We tend to associate beach holidays with heat, swimming and long afternoons in the sun, but the Atlantic has another personality, one that is often at its most compelling in winter. At Cabana Azul, on the sandy shores of Costa da Caparica, the beach is not simply somewhere to visit. It is the view, the atmosphere and the reason to stay – it is currently my most requested stay through Design Escapes – I get hundreds of emails about it each week. The area’s traditional wooden beach dwellings, known as palheiros, have roots in local fishing communities. Their simple structures were shaped by practical needs and proximity to the sea, long before contemporary coastal design became a language of its own. Cabana Azul offers a softer interpretation of that barefoot sensibility, with whites, creams, natural textures and rustic rattan. Sliding doors open the living space towards the ocean, allowing the beach to become part of the house. Sleeping up to eight guests, it looks ideal for a group of friends or family looking to exchange the usual holiday routine for something more relaxed. Winter brings its own pleasures: fewer people on the sand, dramatic Atlantic weather and long afternoons indoors. A walk along the shore followed by a communal dinner becomes an experience in itself, particularly when everyone gets involved in preparing the meal. After all, attention restoration is not only about solitude. Sharing uninterrupted time with people we love can be just as valuable, especially when conversation flows and is no longer competing with the distraction of a phone.

5. TERRAMAY Alqueva

Some places appeal because of their architecture, while others draw us in through the landscape, the people behind them or the way they make us think differently about everyday life. Terramay, in the Alentejo near the Alqueva, belongs to the latter category. Thomas, one of our favourite clients at our restaurant austa, founded Terramay around a vision of regenerative agriculture and sustainable food production. The project brings together farming, gastronomy and a commitment to restoring the surrounding ecosystem. It

feels like a natural fit for a slower winter escape, where the landscape is not simply a backdrop to be admired from a terrace, but a living system connected to the food we eat and the work required to produce it. There is something grounding about cooking when you know where your ingredients come from. Washing vegetables, chopping herbs and tending a pot on the stove are small, ordinary tasks that encourage us to be present. The Alentejo’s winter landscape invites the same attentiveness, with open skies, olive trees and rolling countryside offering a welcome change from the visual noise of daily life. Meanwhile, a meal prepared slowly can become the focal point of an evening, rather than something squeezed between other plans.

MAKING A CHOICE Perhaps the most interesting thing about these escapes is that they offer a different relationship with our own attention. We have become accustomed to filling every spare moment: a queue becomes an opportunity to check notifications, a quiet afternoon invites us to reach for our phones, and even a holiday can become another stream of information to consume. The difficulty is not simply that we are busy, but that we rarely allow ourselves to be absorbed by one thing at a time. I want to convince you that a cabin offers an alternative. It gives us reasons to engage with the physical world, whether gathering wood, lighting a fire, preparing dinner, walking through the landscape or warming up after time outside. These small tasks are not inconveniences to be eliminated, but part of the pleasure itself. Perhaps that is what we are really looking for when we seek out a winter hideaway: not simply a break from work or a change of scenery, but a chance to recover some of the mental space that everyday life steadily consumes. So this winter, I’ll be resisting the urge to chase the sun. I’ll find a cabin, pack a few books and bathe in the sound of the woods outside my windows. I’ll go outside, even when it is cold; walk in the rain, take a bracing dip in the lake or simply sit beside the fire and watch the light fade. This winter I’ll be giving myself permission to do less, to notice more and let the landscape do the rest.

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WHEN THE LABEL STEALS THE SHOW

B E F O R E W E TA S T E A W I N E , W E S E E I T . A N D I N P O R T U G A L , S O M E B O T T L E S M A K E S U R E W E TA K E A S E C O N D L O O K — W I T H L A B E L S T H AT T U R N A R T , H I S T O R Y, H U M O U R A N D I M A G I N AT I O N I N T O S O M E T H I N G YO U C A N H O L D I N YO U R H A N D

1. ART ON THE BOTTLE

Quanta Terra Íris Imagine a huge five-litre bottle of wine – and then imagine an artist treating it like a canvas. For a special edition of Quanta Terra Íris, Portuguese street artist Vhils worked directly onto the glass, creating intense, graphic lines inspired by the human gaze. The result is somewhere between a wine bottle and a piece of contemporary art. Only 250 bottles were produced, and each one was signed and numbered. Because the artwork is applied individually, every bottle is effectively unique. It is the kind of bottle that could easily become the star of a dinner table, and that’s before anyone has poured the first glass. irisvhils.quantaterradouro.com/ Sandeman Beat If traditional Port labels make you think of elegant typography, historic cellars and serious-looking gentlemen, Sandeman Beat is here to shake things up. Created with a younger audience in mind, its colourful illustrations take inspiration from the Beat generation and the Douro landscape. Look closely and you’ll find vineyards, foxes, pianos, oranges, ladybirds, drums, grapes and even

lizards. It is busy, bright and wonderfully unexpected: rather than quietly blending into a wine shelf, Sandeman Beat seems to say: Look at me! sandeman.com/port-wine/white/sandeman-beatwhite-2020/

VdG – Vasco da Gama This is one bottle that certainly knows who it is. The VdG wines from Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira Cuba e Alvito put Vasco da Gama front and centre. The famous Portuguese explorer is not just a historical reference here – his face becomes the visual identity of the wine. The design combines his portrait with maritime and Portuguese cultural references, creating a modern interpretation of a very old story. There is also a strong local connection. Vasco da Gama became the first Count of Vidigueira in the 16th century, so his presence on a wine from the region is rather more than a decorative choice; it is history, geography and a very recognisable face – all wrapped around a bottle. adegavidigueira.pt/vdg-do-alentejo-para-omundo/ Cabeça do Pote Some wine labels tell you what the wine is. Cabeça do Pote introduces you to the characters instead. Created for Mateus & Sequeira Vinhos, the collection features colourful human figures with expressive faces and very different personalities. Each character has a name and its own little story, making the bottles feel almost like members of a quirky family. The idea also plays with the traditional Portuguese pote – the three-legged cooking pot – while bringing in themes of family, generations and everyday life. Even the wooden presentation boxes continue the character concept. The result is friendly, humorous and wonderfully human. You might not know anything about the wine yet, but you already feel as if you’ve met someone. macreativeagency.com/pt/portfolio/ detalhes/cabeca-de-pote_1411/

2. WINES WITH PERSONALITY

ET’S BE honest: we’ve all done it. We’ve picked up a bottle because the label caught our eye. A beautiful label obviously cannot make a bad wine good, but it can do something important – it can make us stop, look twice, and wonder: “What’s the story here?” Portuguese wine producers seem to have plenty of answers. And when it comes to their labels they don’t all try to look elegant, traditional or serious. Some are artistic. Some are colourful. Some introduce us to characters or play with technology. From bottles that look like tiny works of art to designs that make us smile, these are ten Portuguese wines showing that sometimes the fun really does begin before the cork comes out.

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WINE PLUS

3. LABELS THAT BREAK THE RULES

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Rin-Tin-Tin Rin-Tin-Tin was created with a younger, urban and socially connected audience in mind – and its visual identity makes that very clear. Forget quiet, conventional wine packaging: the style employed uses energetic colours, strong contrasts and a bold graphic language designed to stand out immediately. The whole idea is to challenge the familiar image of wine and make the bottle feel more contemporary, dynamic and approachable. And it certainly got noticed. In the 2026 Mutante Awards Design at Wine, Rin-Tin-Tin picked up several awards, including the Special Irreverence prize. grapesandhops.co.uk/products/rin-tin-tin-white-winevinho-verde-doc-arinto-loureiro-trajadura-2024-11-5-abv TAU! TAU! takes a different route to breaking the rules: why have one label when you can have a completely new one every year? This small wine-and-art project from Barcelos brings together wine and contemporary artists. Each edition features a different artist, a new bottle and an original label. Among the artists involved are Hugo Oliveira, Rita Laranja and, for the 2023 edition, Catarina Real and Gonçalo Duarte. The result is a collection that never settles into one visual identity. It feels less like buying the same wine again and more like discovering the next instalment of an art project. tauthings.com/

4. DEMANDING ATTENTION

Destemido Destemido, from Casa Ermelinda Freitas, takes this idea to another level. Created in collaboration with artist and designer Olga Noronha, the label is inspired by jewellery, contemporary design and Portuguese filigree. Rather than looking like something simply stuck onto a bottle, it has a sculptural, almost jewel-like quality. The 2025 edition was produced as a numbered collection and created as a tribute to Manuel João de Freitas, an important figure in the history of the winery. destemido.ermelindafreitas.pt/

Defio & Carlos Raposo And then there is a wine label you can actually touch. Defio, created with winemaker Carlos Raposo, uses burel – a traditional Portuguese wool fabric – instead of paper. The wool comes from indigenous Serra da Estrela sheep and is worked by hand. The label is water-resistant and can be removed and reused, giving the bottle a tactile quality that is completely different from the usual. It is also a lovely meeting of two Portuguese worlds: wine and traditional craftsmanship. One look tells you this is not an ordinary label. One touch confirms it. tourinto.pt/product/defio-carlos-raposo-vinhas-velhasbranco/

5. LABELS MADE FOR FUN

Quevedo Truques Truques looks as though it has escaped from a vintage circus poster. The design takes inspiration from circus and magic, using expressive typography, playful compositions and a sense of movement and surprise. The three wines in the collection each have their own visual personality, while still feeling part of the same colourful world. It is theatrical without being over the top, and playful without looking childish. The design was awarded Gold in the 2026 Graphis Packaging Awards – proof that having fun and looking fabulous can work perfectly well together. packagingoftheworld.com/2025/09/quevedo-truques.html Poças Trava-Línguas Finally, we have a wine label that comes with its own little challenge. Poças Trava-Línguas – literally ‘tongue twister’ – turns Portuguese and other local tongue twisters into illustrations. Different editions have been created with different artists, giving each bottle its own visual interpretation. And there is more. An augmented-reality app brings the labels to life, turning the bottle into something you can interact with rather than simply look at. The idea is wonderfully simple: look at the label, discover the tongue twister – and see if you can actually say it. Suddenly, choosing a bottle becomes a game. pocas.pt/products/trava-linguas-collection?_pos=1&_ sid=3223ba864&_ss=r

W H AT S TA R T E D I N 2 0 2 2 A S A R E L AT I V E LY S M A L L W E E K E N D D E VOT E D TO T H E M O D E R N A R C H I T E C T U R E O F FA R O H A S G R O W N I N T O A T H R E E - D AY E V E N T T H I S M O N T H T H AT E X T E N D S T O O L H Ã O A N D T H E TAV I R A A R E A

Wo rd s: W I L L K O H L E N

INSIDE FARO’S

WEEKEND

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P h o t o g r a p h y : T H E M O D E R N I S T F A R O A N D AY M E R I C W A R M É J A N V I L L E

MODERNIST

ARCHITECTURE PLUS

HRISTOPHE AND Angélique de Oliveira came to Portugal from France in 2018. Christophe has Portuguese roots, and after falling in love with Faro an architectural walk with Christophe. It also they opened The Modernist in 2021, a remarkable introduced me to people who have since become hotel housed in a 1970s building designed by familiar faces every year. We meet, greet each other Portuguese architect Joel Santana. and exchange stories. My friend Paulo Pedro, an The idea behind the hotel, renovated by architect from Lisbon who grew up in Portimão, is Studio PAr, was simple but powerful: to create another regular. somewhere to sleep, eat, drink and, above all, experience architecture. But the project went further. As part of the hotel’s identity, 2023: From the city to the beach Christophe and Angélique wanted to A year later, the programme had expanded. One of the create an architectural event inspired partly by the Modernism most memorable evenings was a party at Hotel Aeromar Week in California’s Palm Springs. on Ilha de Faro, complete with a 1970s theme and guests in costume. There was also a large British delegation from the Twentieth Century Society, following a detailed article 2022: The first Modernist Weekend was born about the weekend in The Guardian. They were delighted The main venue was the former Fábrica da Cerveja, the old to discover Aeromar, designed by Manuel Gomes da Costa, brewery on the edge of Faro’s historic centre. It was an because the building itself is an important part of the island’s appropriate setting: an industrial building occasionally used for architectural history. cultural events. There were exhibitions by artists including That year I also walked across Ilha de Faro with Richard Walker Richard Walker and Sander Patelski and photographer for the first time. It was a revelation. Most people come to the island Michel Figuet, architects, artists, gallery owners and for the beach. You can sit in the sand, drink a glass of chilled white architecture enthusiasts came together. Sander had wine at Café do Zé and watch the beach life go by, believing you are just added three buildings by Manuel Gomes da Costa simply at another Algarve holiday destination. to his collection of modernist posters. We discovered Richard makes you look again. Suddenly the beach houses become that we had both lived and studied in Maastricht, and architecture: modernist villas composed of cubic volumes, terraces and soon found ourselves talking about architecture, pergolas, cobogós and carefully designed responses to sun, wind and modernism and our shared connection with the city. light. The wonderful thing about these walks is that you keep thinking For a moment, the world felt very small. you have already seen everything. Then someone says: “Look at that.” It That weekend resulted in my first film about happens again and again. And gradually it becomes clear that the story is not only about Gomes da Costa. It is about a period in which Faro changed

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Opposite page, top: Christophe and Angélique de Oliveira, founders and organisers of the annual Modernist Weekend initiative. Main picture: Museu Zer0 in Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo. This page, left: Rua de O Algarve 20, Olhão; above: 31 Avenida Poente, Faro

ALGARVE P L U S

ARCHITECTURE PLUS

Above: top left, clockwise: Vivenda Estrelita, Olhão; Universidade do Algarve, Campus da Penha, Faro; the Museu Zer0, presenting digital art in a building that has arisen from the former Cooperativa Agricola. Opposite page: Modernist Weekend walks are shared by so many, there to learn and to enjoy

Fernandes of Studio PAr. The transformation into an urban hotel won an Algarve architecture award for Heritage and Rehabilitation and later a national award. Meanwhile, my own research into Manuel Gomes da 2024: Gomes da Costa gets a face Costa has developed into a book, The Architecture of In 2024, my Dutch friend architect Ed Vliegen came to the Modernist Manuel Gomes da Costa in Faro & More. It presents 34 Weekend in Faro for the first time. He wanted to see as much as possible, projects from his oeuvre. I know their stories, sometimes so we joined several tours. One of the highlights was the Edifício their residents, and increasingly the reasons why they look Tridente, one of Gomes da Costa’s major urban projects. Dominating the way they do. Just before the presentation of my book at Avenida 5 de Outubro, it is impossible to miss: large, geometric and Gama Rama Gallery, I received an email from Daniel Farinha, self-confident. It also shows that the architect was designing for a Gomes da Costa’s eldest grandson. He wanted a copy of the growing city. book for himself and his mother, the architect’s daughter. And then there was our little architectural pilgrimage. Ed wanted to Suddenly, my research is connected not only with the buildings, see Álvaro Siza Vieira’s Capela do Monte, the Pritzker Prize winner’s but with the family of the man who designed them. only chapel in the Algarve. Architect and friend Jacob Bakker joined us, and on the way we made a detour to a villa in Almancil by Eduardo Souto de Moura, Portugal’s other Pritzker Prize-winning 2026: Three cities, one architectural story architect. That is exactly what makes a weekend like this so And now there is the fifth edition – a milestone worth celebrating. enjoyable. You start with a programme, but you never quite know Something fundamental has changed. The Modernist Weekend is no where you will end up. longer confined to Faro. For the first time, Olhão and the area around Tavira are part of the programme. The organisers describe it neatly: three cities, three days, one architectural story. 2025: More discoveries For me, the inclusion of Olhão is particularly significant. I have been By 2025, the Modernist Weekend had become something living there for years and have developed my own tours and research of a yearly celebration of discovery for me. I joined a around its architecture. landscape tour with my partner, starting at the iconic At first sight Faro and Olhão seem very different. Faro has a more Jardim da Alameda João de Deus and ending at the urban post-war modernism, with villas, apartment ensembles and many gardens of the University of Algarve’s Penha campus. buildings by Gomes da Costa, while Olhão has its famous Cubist townscape, I also visited Casa 1923, an Art Nouveau building especially in the old fishing neighbourhoods of Barreta and Levante: white, renovated by Faro-born architect Vânia Brito from a relatively small provincial town into a modern city, with new housing, apartment buildings, infrastructure and a different way of life.

The buildings you normally cannot enter If I had to give one reason to attend the Modernist Weekend, however, it would be the open houses. Casa Gago, built in 1955 for Alfredo Gago Rosa, is one of

The Modernist Weekend takes place on 6, 7 and 8 November 2026 in Faro, Olhão and the Tavira area. Visit themodernistweekend.com for details.

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the most important examples. With pilotis, large areas of glass, a flat roof and cubic houses with flat roofs arranged in an almost a protective second skin of open concrete blocks, it reveals the international labyrinthine pattern. Later, modern architects influences within Gomes da Costa’s work. This year visitors can see both added their own architectural language along apartments, including one that has retained many of its original 1950s elements. Avenida da República and on the expanding edges Other highlights include a number of familiar landmarks encountered on of the town. the architectural walks: Casa Verde, The Modernist, Edifício Tridente, and This contrast makes the new programme especially Edifício Chelsea. And, of course, Ilha de Faro returns, with Richard Walker’s interesting. Richard Walker will lead a tour in Olhão, From Bauhaus to Beach House, placing the Algarve’s beach architecture and the tour concludes with two unmissable moments within a wider international modernist story. at Fábrica de Olhão: a visit to Boomcubist, Richard Walker’s art exhibition inspired by Olhão’s unique architectural character, and the opportunity to purchase a More than a weekend signed copy of his book Faro Modernism. There is also a wider cultural question behind all this. Faro once hoped The question is no longer simply: where are Faro’s to become European Capital of Culture 2027. The city did not reach modernist buildings? It becomes: how did modernism develop the final shortlist; Évora as eventually selected. Modernist heritage across the Algarve? That is a bigger story. formed an important part of Faro’s cultural ambitions, and for several The other new destination is equally fascinating. In Santa years the municipality was involved in the Modernist Weekend. Catarina da Fonte do Bispo, in the municipality of Tavira, Political priorities change, however, and the municipality has stands a former agricultural cooperative designed by Manuel since stepped back from its role as co-organiser. That makes Gomes da Costa, with a remarkable collection of grain silos. For initiatives such as the Modernist Weekend even more important. years I wondered whether the building would ever find a new Architectural heritage needs people to keep looking at it, talking purpose. It finally has. The former Cooperativa Agrícola has been about it and making it visible. And perhaps this is especially true transformed into Museu Zer0, a museum of digital art. What makes in Olhão, where there now seems to be growing political interest the project particularly interesting is that the existing architecture in the city’s architectural heritage. remains an essential part of the new use. Recently, Olhão’s mayor Ricardo Calé, looking through Richard I was able to visit the building during the transformation and later Walker’s Faro Modernism, recognised one of Gomes da Costa’s attended its opening. In the darkness, projections and sound filled the projects. “I know that architect,” he said. “He designed my spaces beneath the old silos. Moving images were projected across the parents’ house.” It turned out to be one of three villas on the walls: it felt as if the future had temporarily taken over a building from edge of Olhão. His family had lived in Vivenda Maria Helena. the past. It is exactly the kind of combination that allows the Modernist The Modernist Weekend could hardly have found a Weekend to grow: architecture, adaptive reuse, art and heritage becoming better reminder of what architecture can mean: not simply part of the same story. buildings, but part of a city’s collective memory.

An aerial perspective U N I Q U E A N D D R E A M L I K E , T H E P A I N T I N G S B Y A N D R E A G I O VA N N I N I P I C T U R E T H E S E A S H O R E F R O M A N O V E R H E A D P E R S P E C T I V E . T H E S E A B E D , T H E W AT E R ’ S E D G E , THE OUTLINE OF LIGHTHOUSES AND THEIR EXTENDING BEAMS, S HADOWS AR E VI E WE D A S I F FRO M ABOVE

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Wo rd s: C A R O L Y N K A I N

F I S H I N G B O AT S A N D

detailed pictures, known as neovedutismo, is an artistic style influenced by the Renaissance period. Andrea is an expert, having developed his skill during a career teaching stage design and ‘sceneography’ in his native Italy. The Veduta Movement has its origins in the 17th century when artists were challenging themselves to produce accurate, detailed and objective topographical depictions. These pictures of cities, architectural monuments and ruins were required as high-end souvenirs for wealthy visitors conducting their way around Italy on the Grand Tour. An exact view, known as veduta essatta, often large in scale, would be much admired when shown at home. Canaletto, who was a master of the genre, captured the architecture of Venice with scientific precision. Panini did something similar with Rome.

Fantasy matches

Using a more creative approach, sometimes the buildings were rearranged to produce a fictional scene such as Canaletto’s drawing of St. Peter’s in Rome floating above the Doge’s Palace in Venice. These fantasies, known as capriccio, are nearer to the detailed compositions produced today by Andrea Giovannini and other so-called veduta artists. The new renaissance has been renamed neovedutismo. This modern revival still aims to reproduce recognisable figurative paintings but with the addition of more atmosphere and emotion. Andrea’s contemporary interpretations, exhibited at Côrte-Real in Paderne, make careful observations of light to capture the scene, but his combinstion of materials such as tempera, acrylic, sprays, synthetic glazes and pastel finishes adds more ambience and feeling. Working mainly on wooden panels he shows deep blue seas, vast skies, clouds and coastal outlines as if looking from a satellite or drone high above the earth.

Special features Reminiscent of the views when approaching Faro airport, Andrea’s paintings transport the viewer over the Ria Formosa and freeze the moment in time. The scene might include sand bar islands, fishing boats and small navigation lights called ‘farolins’, some standing on the beaches, others on the harbour walls. The entrance to the River Gilão at Tavira has two – Farolim de Tavira (Molhe Oeste) and Farolim de Tavira (Molhe Leste). Small beacons and channel lights mark the entrance to the Ria but the real lighthouse seen most clearly from the air is the Farol de Santa Maria which has stood on the beach since 1851. A prominent fixture when seen from Olhão, it has had a dramatic history – hardly surprising given that it stands 46 metres tall on a low sandy spit rather than a rocky headland. Its foundations have been threatened by the sea on many occasions. Major work took place in 1921, 1929 and 1995–1956 when a concrete skeleton was added and the lighthouse made secure. Since the seabed, the beaches and the sand bar islands alter with the passing tide, it’s not possible to be certain if Andrea’s paintings are based on fact or fiction! Go and see the exhibition and then you can decide.

FAROL DE SANTA MARIA. ILHA DE CULATRA As a matter of interest, the lighthouse flashes four white lights every 17 seconds and its beam has a range of 25 nautical miles, approximately 46km.

G A L E R I A C Ô R T E - R E A L i s s i g n p o s te d f ro m B o l i q u e i m e , F e r r e i r a s a n d P a d e r n e . O P E N T h u r s d ay to S u n d ay f ro m 1 1 h 3 0 to 1 6 h 3 0 / T: 9 6 1 5 2 8 6 7 9 / W : c o r t e r e a l a r t e . c o m

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NDREA GIOVANNINI’S technique, creating highly

PROMOTION PLUS

EVERY MONTH , VERIT Y THENARD OF MY ALGARVE LIFE WILL BE SHARING H E R N E W E S T F I N D S T H AT A R E D E S T I N E D T O B E C O M E F AV O U R I T E S O F TH E FUTU R E – P L AC E S TO G O, S I G H T S T O S E E , A D V E N T U R E S T H AT MAKE FOR MEMORIES

ALGARVE P L U S

THROUGH MY LENS

FINDS PLUS

HILE WE’RE still blessed with beautiful blue skies and sunny days, there’s a definite shift in the air that tells us autumn has well and truly arrived and summer is over. The supermarkets are packed with Halloween treats, and Christmas ornaments and decorations are already on sale. I’ve even entered into negotiations with my daughter about when the Christmas decorations can go up. We’ve decided that 1 November is the day. I know, it’s slightly premature, but a little sparkle never hurt anyone – except perhaps our electricity bill! So, aside from the early festive preparations, here’s everything else that’s been on my mind, popping up on my social feeds and catching my eye through my lens in the Algarve this month.

Now for something a little lighter: shoes. Thankfully, it’s not raining too much just yet, so I can still avoid the wellies, but closed-toe shoes are definitely back on the agenda. All over my social feeds, I keep seeing Mary Jane ballet flats. Fableus, a Spanish brand, sells them, and I had to splurge on a pair while I was recently in Spain. I must admit, they’re very comfortable and the perfect in-between shoe for these changeable days. If you’re looking for similar styles from Portuguese brands, Parfois is worth a look for more affordable options, while Josefinas offers a more luxurious take on the classic flat. JOSEFINAS

CELEBRATING HARVEST

November kicks off the festive feeling with one of Portugal’s most cherished autumn traditions: São Martinho, celebrated on 11 November. Traditionally associated with roasted chestnuts, new wine and autumn gatherings – magustos – São Martinho is a wonderful opportunity to experience a little more of Portugal’s local culture. Across the Algarve, you can look out for celebrations ranging from traditional fairs to smaller village gatherings. One of the highlights is the Feira de São Martinho in Portimão, scheduled to run from 6 to 15 November 2026, with market stalls, regional delicacies, sweet treats and funfair rides. For a more traditional village experience, keep an eye out for local celebrations around Castro Marim, Altura and the Albufeira area, including Paderne, Guia and Ferreiras.

BRASA

MARY JANES

SÃO MARTINHO

ARVAD

FINDS PLUS

Autumn is also harvest time, and the wine world is celebrating. The timing of the grape harvest varies from year to year and from region to region, but many wineries mark the season with special events, vineyard visits and dining experiences. It’s a lovely time to book a table, raise a glass and discover what’s being produced on our doorstep. It’s worth checking individual venues for dates and booking details, as special events can fill up quickly. If you’re looking for Portuguese wine experiences but don’t want to travel far, Brasa, at the Hyatt Regency in Vilamoura, is one to look into. The restaurant offers a refined dining experience inspired by the flavours of the Algarve. If you’re interested in a meet-thewinemaker evening or a special wine-pairing menu, check directly with the restaurant for its latest programme. And a meal with a view at Arvad in Estômbar is a real treat.

TORRES NOVAS

O PUCCINO

Selling in the East Algarve? We're already here.

ALGARVE CANDLE CO

MARTINA

GETTING COSY

S V P 2 4 8 6 OLHÃO I don’t know why we talk about spring cleaning but never seem to have an equivalent for autumn. Personally, I feel the need to de-summer both my house and my wardrobe. That means putting away some of the pool toys, bringing out the cosier blankets and making sure they’re within arm’s reach of the sofa. There are some lovely local boutiques around the Algarve to explore when you’re looking to refresh your home or find a little seasonal inspiration. In Silves, Linen Tonic & Co is worth a visit for its linen clothing, while Algarve Candle Co is a lovely option for fragrances, with products stocked at local boutiques and its store at Quatro Estradas. Martina and O Puccino are also worth exploring for local shopping finds – and Martina’s new-season fashion collection has it all. If you’d rather shop online, Portuguese home-textile brands such as Sampedro and Torres Novas offer plenty of inspiration for refreshing your home. Sampedro has a wide range of bedding, table linen, throws and other home textiles, including linen options, while Torres Novas is particularly well known for its towels and bath textiles. Whether it’s a new pair of shoes, a glass of local wine or a few cosy touches around the house, November is the perfect excuse to embrace the change of season and enjoy the Algarve at a slower pace.

S V P 2 5 4 1 - A MONCARAPACHO

S V P 2 3 2 5 A ESTOI

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Request your free valuation T: +351 289 841 751 saobras@divine-home.eu AMI: 11606

Seafood Thermidor with Tavira greens T H I S L U X U R I O U S G O U R M E T F I S H P I E I S A S TA R N U M B E R F R O M P R I VAT E C H E F J O N AT H A N C LOA K E O F A L G A R V E C H E F ’ S TA B L E . Q U I C K T O M A K E , I T C O M B I N E S D E L I C AT E H A D D O C K , S W E E T P R AW N S A N D S M O K E D S A L M O N I N A L I G H T, H E R B - F L E C K E D S A U C E A N D I S F I N I S H E D W I T H P I P E D P O TAT O A N D O R G A N I C K A L E A N D S P R O U T I N G B R O C C O L I F R O M M A R I A F L A M I N G O ’ S B I O FA R M I N TAV I R A

RECIPE

of the month...

SERVES 4/5

PREP 30 MINS

COOK 50 MINS

I NG R E DI E N T S

M E T HO D

300g skinless haddock fillet, cut into generous pieces 150g raw peeled prawns, cut if large  300g smoked salmon, cut into cubes  1 small leek, finely sliced  30g butter  30g plain flour  100ml dry white wine  300ml fish stock  250ml double cream  1 tsp Dijon mustard  Finely grated zest of ½ lemon  2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley  1 tbsp chopped chives  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. 2 Cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and allow them to steam dry, then mash until smooth with the butter and warm milk and cream, Season with nutmeg, white pepper and fine salt. Beat in one egg yolk.Set aside. 3 Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the leek gently until soft but not coloured. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute. Gradually add the wine and fish stock, stirring until smooth. 4 Simmer for three to four minutes, then add the cream, mustard and lemon zest. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and chives. Taste before adding salt, as the smoked salmon will provide some seasoning. Finosh with groujd black pepper. 5 Arrange the haddock, salmon and prawns in a buttered baking dish, pour over the warm sauce, folding everything together gently so the fish remains intact. 6 Spoon or pipe the potato over the filling, beginning at the edge to create a good seal. Scatter with the breadcrumbs and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbling around the sides. If necessary, place briefly under a hot grill to deepen the colour. 7 While the pie rests, blanch the kale and broccoli until just tender. Drain well and dress lightly with olive oil, lemon juice, crispy onions, salt and pepper. Arrange the greens over the pie immediately before serving.

 

For the potato topping  750g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks  50g butter  75ml warm milk  50ml double cream  1 egg yolk  ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg  ¼ tsp ground white pepper  Fine sea salt, to taste  2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs For the Tavira greens  150g organic kale  120g organic sprouting or tenderstem broccoli  2 tbsp crispy onions of garlic  A little olive oil  Lemon juice  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional: Cheese lovers could, add a generous grating of mature Cheddar or Parmesan before baking.

ALGARVE P L U S

MAKE IT PLUS

A L G A R V E C H E F ’ S TA B L E T: 9 1 0 5 7 2 70 1 / E : a l g a r v e c h e f s t a b l e @ g m a i l . c o m / W : a l g a r ve c h e f s t a b l e . c o m I n s t a : a l g a r ve _ c h e f s _ t a b l e / F B : J o n a t h a n C l o a ke A l g a r ve C h e f s Ta b l e

Buying a

DESTINATION VENUE

PORTUGAL LENDS ITSELF WELL TO DRE AMY THOUGHTS OF BUYING AND RUNNING A

D E S T I N AT I O N V E N U E . A N O L D Q U I N TA

SU RROU NDED BY OLIVE TREES , A MANOR

H O U S E OVE R LOO K I N G TH E CO U NTRYS I D E , A F A R M H O U S E W I T H C O U R T YA R D S A N D OUTBUILDINGS, OR PERHAPS A LANDMARK R U R A L P R O P E R T Y W I T H O U T S I D E S PAC E F O R W E D D I N G S , R E T R E AT S , C O R P O R AT E E V E N T S A N D P R I VAT E C E L E B R AT I O N S SOUNDS APPEALING? BUT IS IT?

Wo rd s: P A U L R E E S

/ RURAL PROPERTIES

HE GROWTH of destination venues is an important part of Portugal’s shift from mass tourism towards highervalue, experience-led travel and gatherings. Rather than simply booking accommodation, visitors increasingly are paying for memorable settings where the property, landscape, food and activities form part of the occasion. Central Portugal is particularly well placed to benefit because it combines a palette of historic estates, traditional villages, lakes, rivers and dramatic countryside with property costs that remain considerably lower than in Lisbon, the Algarve and Porto. Portugal already has an established hospitality industry. To compete, newly launched venues must be professionally run, have a distinctive

ADVICE PLUS

Design from the kitchen outwards

identity, provide several income streams, have sufficient accommodation to be profitable and hold all of the correct licences. There is an important distinction between buying an attractive property and developing a viable hospitality business. The charming quinta that looks perfect in estate-agent photographs may seem rather less charming when an architect starts discussing planning classifications, fire exits, disabled access, commercial kitchens, wastewater capacity and parking spaces. The first question should be: “Can this property legally and commercially do what I want it to do – and still make a profit?”

Start with the business, not the building Before shortlisting potential properties and booking viewings, decide precisely what you intend to offer as each business model creates a very different set of requirements. A ‘destination venue’ could be a wedding venue hosting 30 events a year, a corporate retreat centre, a yoga and wellness destination, a boutique hotel with an events business attached, an exclusive-use holiday property or simply a restaurant with function rooms. Portugal has distinct laws for each type of tourism accommodation, and the correct legal and licensing route should be known before any purchase. Talk to and, if necessary, submit a Pedido de Informação Prévia (PIP) to the local council. A

Visitors judge hospitality venues by their location and atmosphere but operators make money from functionality; the best destinations deliver both. Concepto-Studio in Portimão is a useful example of the crossover between interior architecture and hospitality design. The distinction is important because designing a beautiful Portuguese home and designing a venue are different specialist disciplines. A hospitality designer thinks about how a building could work, usually starting with catering. A domestic kitchen that comfortably serves a family of six clearly is inadequate for serving dinner to 80 guests. Commercial catering involves deliveries, refrigeration, preparation space, cooking equipment, extraction, washing-up, food storage, waste handling and careful separation between clean and dirty workflows. The kitchen should not be whatever space is left after the attractive parts of the building have been redesigned; it is arguably the most important area in the entire property. The same logic applies throughout the building. A six-bedroom quinta may have seven beautifully finished bathrooms and still need additional guest toilets near the bar and event spaces. Linen needs to be stored, staff may need changing facilities, chairs need to be stored when not being used. Where does the florist unload, where do musicians prepare, where do caterers park and where is waste stored during and after an event? That is where a specialist like Concepto-Studio can add considerably more value than simply selecting the finishes, colours and furniture. The objective is to create the experience that the customer recognises and is impressed with, while the operational

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favourable PIP can establish whether your development concept, the property’s use or alteration is acceptable before your capital is committed. Knowing what is and isn’t possible is vital. One of the most common mistakes made by buyers is assuming that they will have complete freedom over how a building can be used, but every property already has an existing use category and a planning history which have to be taken into account. Turning a residential property into a venue to be used by large numbers of paying guests inevitably requires alterations, licensing or changes to its registered use. This is why a design team should be involved before a purchase, not afterwards.

You cannot afford to guesstimate what is and isn’t possible with the property itself and the budget that will be required to make the business work. You need hard facts to begin with, and to bring in expert, experienced help

infrastructure itself remains invisible. Outside space can make or break the project Portugal’s long sunny season encourages owners to think of the outdoors, but external space creates its own set of practical issues, parking being a prime example. Twenty occupied bedrooms can mean 20 parked cars. A wedding with 100 guests will bring considerably more, together with taxis, caterers, musicians, photographers and suppliers. Beautiful gardens are a major commercial asset, but they require irrigation, maintenance and staff. Pools bring maintenance and stringent safety obligations. Outdoor events create questions around power, lighting and noise and what to do if it is raining. Access also matters. The idyllic venue at the end of a narrow country lane may seem wonderfully secluded until a coach, fire engine or refrigerated catering truck gets blocked by exiting vehicles. Water and sewage deserve particular attention. A septic system designed for a family home will not cope with intensive hospitality use. A borehole, water mine or well that has adequately served a farmhouse for decades may prove insufficient for the demands of dozens of guests. None of these issues are glamorous, but they can determine whether the business works smoothly. Be aware that the purchase price is only the entrance fee; a common mistake is budgeting carefully for the property and renovations while underestimating the true cost of opening the business. Suppose someone buys a potential venue for €700,000 and budgets €500,000 for its renovation. At first glance, that looks like a €1.2 million project; it won’t be. Once the project moves from spreadsheet to reality, another €100,000 easily disappears on architects, engineers, licences, fire-safety work, project management and other professional fees. Then comes the fit-out. Furnishing 15 or 20 bedrooms, equipping public areas, buying quality beds and mattresses, linen, lighting, outdoor furniture, crockery, glassware and perhaps 100 dining chairs could absorb another €100,000 to €150,000 without being extravagant.

A sensible buyer needs to provide for preopening costs, and retain enough working capital to survive at least the first 12 to 24 months.

ALGARVE P L U S

ADVICE PLUS

Before opening, there may be another €50,000 to €75,000 required for recruitment, staff training, photography, website development, booking systems, insurance, PR, marketing and launch costs. Then comes the expense that is most often forgotten: working capital. The new venue may open in April but not reach its intended level of income for another year or more. Wages, electricity, insurance, maintenance, marketing and management costs still have to be paid while occupancy builds. Allowing another €100,000 to €150,000 as a working-capital reserve would not be unreasonable for a business of this scale. The €1.2 million project may require €1.6 million or €1.7 million before it becomes comfortably selfsupporting. A sensible buyer should therefore treat furniture, fixtures and equipment as a separate budget, provide properly for pre-opening costs, and retain enough working capital to survive at least the first 12 to 24 months. The key figure is not what it costs to buy and renovate the building; it is what it costs to reach profitability. Hospitality is not a passive property investment. Owning a destination venue is not the same as owning an investment property; it is an operating business where success depends on marketing, sales, housekeeping, maintenance, catering, procurement, customer service and staff management. An owner entering the sector without relevant experience should seriously consider buying in experienced hospitality management from the outset. In some businesses, a well-experienced general manager may well be your most important asset. Property expertise helps you buy well. Access to design expertise helps you create somewhere attractive. Hospitality expertise turns an investment into a profitable business.

The expat owner Foreign buyers can establish and operate businesses in Portugal, but expatriates sometimes underestimate the importance of local professional relationships. Local councils play a significant role in planning and licensing, and much depends on a detailed knowledge of the local planning framework. A credible professional team should include a knowledgeable and sector-specific lawyer, accountant, design team, architect and engineer. Buy the business before you buy the building. When searching for a destination, reverse the conventional property purchase process. Decide who the customer is, what that customer will pay and how many rooms, weddings, retreats or events the business can realistically expect to sell each year. Then from there, you need to work backwards. That will tell you what facilities are required, what a building needs to do, what staffing level is necessary and give you a baseline purchase budget. At this early stage, start assembling your team as successful new projects are those where property, planning, design and hospitality are in alignment well in advance. This is a growing market in Portugal but the smartest investment may not be in the most beautiful property but in a well-funded business capable of delivering a guest experience repeatedly, legally and profitably.

ALGARVE P L U S

LEGACY PLUS

You can make an

ONGOING DIFFERENCE

N E V E R B E F O R E H AV E N AT U R E A N D T H E E N V I R O N M E N T B E E N M O R E I N N E E D O F A H E L P I N G H A N D . F R O M T H E W I L D F I R E S T H AT E N G U L F E D PA R T S O F T H E A L G A R V E T O WA R N I N G S A B O U T C OA S TA L E R O S I O N I N A R E A S L I K E V I L A M O U R A A N D P R A I A DA R O C H A , I T ’ S C L E A R T H AT M OT H E R E A R T H I S C RY I N G O U T F O R H E L P

Society cannot be prosperous without an equally prosperous ecosystem.

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HAT IF there was something we could do, on our own and on our own terms? WWF Australia, the World Wildlife Fund as it was established in 1961 and the World Wild Fund for Nature as it is known in many countries today – represented in Portugal by WWF Portugal, formerly Associação Natureza Portugal – is the largest conservation organisation in the world, boasting over five million supporters in more than 100 countries. It is instantly recognisable thanks to its eye-catching and endearing logo – a black and white panda. The charity itself invests around €1–1.5 million at a In the early days, there was a large focus from the charity on saving national level in Portugal every year, and operates in three endangered species – I know, I had posters of seals and whales all different biomes. The first is a terrestrial conservation over my bedroom walls as a child. But over the years, it has evolved programme, which is working on the restoration of wildfireto encompass the earth and her environments and has impressively burned areas and the protection of their specific species, injected more than $1 billion into conservation projects worldwide like the Iberian wolf and its habitats. The second programme since 1995. The annual Earth Hour, which is marked by people turning focuses on developing ways to deal with water scarcity and off non-essential electrical items for one restoring river biodiversity. The third focus is hour on one night at the end of March, is a marine programme which aims to promote one of the ways that we can show support sustainable fishing and initiatives that protect without having to part with any money. species which have become synonymous But there is an even greater way that we with Portugal like dolphins and seahorses. can have an impact and shape the projects A climate programme is also continually that we care about right here on our own developing, looking at how cities across the doorstep in the Algarve. Ângela Morgado is country can better adapt to climate change – Executive Director of WWF Portugal based a sign of the times. in Lisbon. The team there is working on Today, one of the aims of WWF Portugal promoting its Legacy Project, which will is to educate people on how we can live in let you leave your mark on the planet by harmony with nature. There are groups who gifting a sum of money in your Will that will are against the reintroduction of species to show your support of long-term environmental conservation, certain areas, but Ângela says part of WWF Portugal’s work is to wildlife protection, and ecosystem restoration. And it doesn’t educate people and help them understand why certain species are have to be a purely financial gift – some people leave money, needed for a strong ecosystem. but others choose to leave property, particularly now when One prime example is the historic fishing industry in the Algarve. money is tight for many. It depends heavily on a strong marine ecosystem. Thousands of local “Society cannot be prosperous without an equally prosperous fish and shellfish collectors rely on the Ria Formosa lagoon for a living, ecosystem,” Ângela says. “Examples of this right here in the though the area has faced severe ecological challenges, such as a major Algarve are the recent incidents of water scarcity driven by decline in seahorse populations due to illegal fishing. hotter periods, which in turn threaten the agricultural jobs The work being done by WWF Portugal means that the Ria Formosa that many in the Algarve so heavily depend on.” is one of nine projects earmarked for restorative work, which will see its The WWF also has a long history with a credible and habitats and marine life restored, in turn creating a stronger platform for favourable reputation. The work that it does is well sustainable fishing and marine tourism, like the ever-popular boat tours. documented and it’s easy to see how a legacy gift could be Another example is a project in the the Serra do Caldeirão, which is the used to support lasting conservation work. largest mountain range in the Algarve. Following the devastating wildfires, While WWF Portugal does not publicly publish a specific the charity set about restoring nature and returning water to the area under percentage or fixed euro amount for how much legacy gifts the banner of a specific project one could donate to called D-EVOLUÇÃO, contribute to its budget, globally and regionally across the which aims to return the area to its former glory. WWF network, gifts in Wills typically account for around “We all have an individual responsibility as well as a collective responsibility 20% of individual supporter income. towards nature,” says Ângela. “Every contribution, however small, helps.”

Wo rd s: L U C Y M A Y E R

F YOU’RE more bah-humbug than jingle bells, you’ll probably turn your nose up at the thought of Portuguese Christmas fairs, which means you’ll be missing out on a whole heap of fun, sparkle and family entertainment.

ÓBIDOS

Top of my Christmas shopping wish list is the charming and immersive Óbidos Vila Natal which runs from 27 November to 3 January. This quaint medieval walled town literally gets wrapped in a big red bow heralding the festival of Christmas, with decorated streets, entertainment, fun children’s activities, seasonal food, craft and gift stores. Children can write letters to Santa and play in the snow-themed parks while adults can enjoy the town’s famous ginjinha cherry liquor with home-made chocolate or roasted chestnuts while strolling the pedestrian-only cobbled streets. There’s an ice-skating rink, a nativity scene and Santa’s house. Good for children. Entrance to ÓObidos is free, but there is an entrance fee for the Vila Natal event area.

I T ’ S N E A R LY T I M E F O R P O R T U G A L’ S FA B L E D C H R I S T M A S FA I R S TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS AND TURN UP THE MUSIC IN TYPICAL FESTIVE T R A D I T I O N . H E R E ’ S YO U R G U I D E TO SOME OF THE B EST INCLU DING THE BIG CIT Y WOW OF LISBON , THE IMMERSIVE OBIDOS EXPERIENCE AND A FEAST OF ALGARVE OFFERINGS . A N D M A N Y S TA R T T H I S M O N T H . . .

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FAIR PLAY

BRAGA

Braga is known for its Mercado de Natal which runs on Avenida Central from 1 to 24 December. Expect a substantial city-centre Christmas programme with lights, concerts, craft stalls and activities around the central squares. A dedicated stage hosts choirs, Christmas carols, folk groups and kids’ shows and the market doubles as a hub for the city’s lighting ceremony and Christmas parade on 1 December. The event is ideal for visitors who prefer a lived-in Portuguese city to a purpose-built Christmas attraction. Best for traditional northern Portugal festivities and a handsome historic centre. The local-first focus favours regional artists, illustrators, booksellers and food producers.

LOULÉ

In Águeda you’ll find the giant Santa shimmering with a quarter of a million lights, and also the smallest one, tucked away and waiting for the kids

Loulé turns on the festive charm with a great combination of crafts, regional food and atmosphere. The main confirmed Christmas market is the Feira da Serra de Natal on 5 and 6 December at the former Carnival warehouse beside the Convento de Santo António. The fair is part of Loulé’s

PORTO

Porto’s Mercado de Natal na Cordoaria, near the landmarks of Clérigos and São Bento, is considered the northern city’s principal Christmas market running from 30 November to 23 December. Expect to find an array of wooden chalets with handmade

wider Programa de Animação de Natal and focuses on the traditions and products of the Serra do Caldeirão. The Câmara Municipal de Loulé saysl says to expect regional food and drink, like honey, medronho, cheeses, cured meats and traditional sweets; handmade crafts and locally produced Christmas gifts; demonstrations and products from Serra Algarvia producers and musical and cultural entertainment. While this year’s programme had not been finalised at the time of writing, the attractions usually include festive lighting, Santa’s House, food stalls, children’s activities and entertainment around Cerca do Convento, Largo D. Afonso III, Largo de São Francisco and Praça da República. For more information go to the website: visit-loule.pt Great for an authentic Christmas experience highlighting the Algarve’s rich interior.

ALGARVE P L U S

ÁGUEDA

With its giant festive installations, colourful street decorations and famous umbrella displays, Agueda – the small city near Aveiro – becomes central Portugal’s most photographed destination over the Christmas season from 14 November to 10 January. Presiding over the Mercadinho de Natal with its craft stalls and regional products is the Guinness-record giant Santa which is around 21metres tall and covered in 250,000 LED lights. Maior Pai Natal do Mundo is paired with a tiny “smallest Santa” hidden somewhere in the centre, creating a fun treasure hunt for the kids. Agueda’s famous coloured umbrella canopy is re-dressed for Christmas in white umbrellas with festive lights, and visitors can enjoy multiple nativity scenes plus trees and sculptures made from recycled materials reflecting the city’s sustainability drive. The festive programme includes concerts, circus arts, storytelling and street animation. Best for photo lovers, offering a festive visual feast. Perfect for a compact, family-friendly outing and free to enter.

SHINING PLUS

ALGARVE P L U S

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SHINING PLUS

The markets in the capital are brilliant – active, alive, and packed with a mix of traditional entertainment and plenty of contemporary seasonal twists. The Rossio Christmas Market should not be missed – the setting itself is a dream

gifts, decorations, jewellery, textiles and regional products like cheeses, olive oils, jams and wine. The food and drink are standard Christmas fare, including crepes, chocolate, traditional sweets, local charcuterie and wine. Families can enjoy the Parisian-style carousel and, just across the road, a free ice rink (Largo do Amor de Perdição) and other kid’s activities. Fun to combine with a walk through Baixa to see the Christmas lights while passing São Bento and the Clérigos tower. Enjoy the artist-decorated Christmas trees in the landscaped garden.

PORTIMÃO If a warmer Christmas at the ocean floats your boat, the Algarve is hard to beat at this time of the year and is not short on festive events. Portimão goes all out with its Christmas Dream festive village, expected to run from the beginning of December until early January across iconic locations in the city. Event highlights include a large ice rink in the Praça da República and an interactive Santa’s House and Factory with workshops and festive displays.

The Christmas market near the riverside promises local crafts, seasonal treats and gifts, while entertainment includes musical performances and festive street parades. For the full programme, which was not available at the time of going to press, visit portimaosonhodenatal.pt Look out for the special Christmas train which typically runs between Alameda and the lower part of the city, connecting the various Christmas displays. Great for a wholesome family day trip.

LISBON

If Big City is more your vibe, Lisbon pulls out all the stops with Wonderland Lisboa which runs from 27 November to 3 January in Parque Eduardo VII. This is as glitzy as it gets with a large festive fairground atmosphere, lights, rides, food stalls, a giant Ferris wheel and ice rink. It’s a large-scale winter village with free entry that turns the formal gardens of Parque Eduardo VII into a seasonal hub of artisan and design stalls, carousels, themed zones and a giant Christmas tree. This year’s concept embraces nature, tradition and local creativity, inviting visitors to “rediscover the roots of Christmas”. The

food court offers seasonal Portuguese treats alongside international options. Good for families. Don’t miss the panoramic sparkling views from the Ferris wheel. Then there’s the more traditional Rossio Christmas Market in the Baixa from 14 November to 22 December, which is great for Christmas shopping. Meander through the 70+ wooden chalets selling handcrafts, jewellery and more. Don’t miss the speciality store selling beautiful Christmas decorations and treat yourself to hot chocolate, mulled wine, bolo-rei and other seasonal delicacies. There’s daily entertainment and a Christmas parade which normally takes place around 5pm. Entrance is free. Best for gift shopping. Look out for the free Christmas train that loops through Baixa Pombalina usually from mid-afternoon until late evening. Just about every town in the Algarve hoists up the festive Christmas lights and hosts markets and entertainment. Whether you opt for the big time, or go for the small and calm, you’re guaranteed a huge serving of Christmas spirit with all the trimmings.

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READS PLUS

Great books I N A N S W E R TO A L L YO U R Q U E S T I O N S – Y E S , W E W E LC O M E R E V I E W S O F B O O K S YO U ’ D L I K E T O S H A R E W I T H O T H E R S . T H E Y C A N B E L O N G -T I M E FAV O U R I T E S T H AT Y O U K E E P G O I N G BAC K TO O R A N E W FI N D. 2 5 0 WO R DS A N D A H E A DS H OT N E E D E D

Lesley Acton’s Growing Space is an absorbing and surprisingly entertaining history of the British allotment movement. It is a book that I dip into time and time again. What I particularly enjoy is the way Acton takes something so familiar – an allotment – and reveals the extraordinary social history behind it. The book shows that allotments have never simply been about growing vegetables: they have been connected with poverty, self-sufficiency, food security, recreation, community, politics and the struggle over who has the right to use land. I found the historical journey especially fascinating. Acton explains how the movement developed in response to changing social and economic conditions, and how its fortunes rose and fell through industrialisation, the two World Wars and the post-war period. She also challenges some of the commonly held assumptions about why allotments were created and who they were intended to serve. For me, one of the book’s greatest strengths is its relevance to the present day. The recurring battle to preserve allotment land from development feels remarkably contemporary, while the renewed interest in growing food and living more sustainably gives the subject an unexpected resonance. Growing Space is both informative and enjoyable, and succeeds in making what might initially sound like a niche subject into a compelling piece of social history. I finished it with a much greater appreciation of the humble allotment and its important place in British life.

by Valérie Perrin Published by Europa Editions

A cemetery seems an unlikely setting for an uplifting novel, yet Valérie Perrin’s Fresh Water for Flowers turned out to be my best read of the summer. Violette Toussaint is the keeper of a graveyard in a small Burgundy town, where she lives in a little house just inside its walls and keeps the company of a quirky cast of characters, including gravediggers and the parish priest. Besides tending graves and overseeing funerals, she is a self-appointed ‘keeper of stories’, recording the touching details of every funeral in a notebook and lending an ear to the grieving who drift through her door, always ready with a cup of tea or something stronger. Yet while Violette comforts others, a thread of sadness runs through her own life. “I have been very unhappy. Destroyed even. Non-existent. Drained,” she says. How did this gentle woman come to live among the dead? What is the burden she carries? And will she find the closure she needs to move on? Enter Julien Seul, a detective with an unusual request concerning his late mother’s burial, whose arrival sets secrets unravelling as Perrin moves between past and present, weaving together love stories, losses and second chances with real tenderness. This is both a compelling mystery and a meditation on grief that never feels heavy. It is also a reminder that, just as surely as we live and breathe, we will one day die, so we should savour the small moments, as Violette does: a garden in bloom, a kind word, a slice of cake, a cup of jasmine tea with honey.

by Lesley Acton Published by Five Leaves Publications

FRESH WATER FOR FLOWERS

GROWING SPACE: A HISTORY OF THE ALLOTMENT MOVEMENT

MELISSA VAN MAASDYK

ALGARVE P L U S

ELLIOT SAVITZ

READS PLUS

WENDY COHEN

THEO OF GOLDEN

ALGARVE P L U S

By Allen Levi Published by HarperCollins

Every so often, a book comes along that makes you want to press it into someone else’s hands and say, “You must read this.” For me, Theo of Golden is that book. Theo, an elderly Portuguese gentleman, arrives in the US southern town of Golden and discovers a coffee shop whose walls are covered with pencil portraits of people. He begins buying them, one by one, and presenting each picture to its subject. All he asks for in return is their story. What follows is something special. Theo’s gentle curiosity draws out memories, regrets, grief and hope, changing the people he meets in both small and profound ways. He is kind, wise without lecturing, and mysterious enough to keep you turning the pages. His Portuguese roots added an even greater interest for me. Theo is courteous and warm, and his unhurried way of engaging with people was something I could relate to. There is something beautifully Portuguese in the time he gives others – and in his understanding that conversation, companionship and simple gestures really matter. Allen Levi’s writing is tender, full of humanity. I laughed, I cried, and I finished the book wishing I could spend more time in Theo’s company. This is not merely a glorious read; it is a reminder to truly see people, listen intently and make others feel heard, for perhaps the first time. I absolutely loved it.

DAWN ANNANDALE

ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI By Ashley Elston Published by Headline

Anatomy of an Alibi is a gripping psychological crime novel that explores how far people will go to protect themselves, and how easily the truth can become blurred when fear, guilt and loyalty get in the way. What I particularly enjoyed about the book was the gradual unfolding of the story. Rather than simply presenting a straightforward mystery with clues leading neatly to an answer, the author keeps us questioning what we think we know. The characters are complicated and believable, and their relationships add another layer of tension. Nobody feels entirely innocent, and that makes it difficult to decide who can – and cannot – be trusted. The title itself is clever, because the alibi becomes much more than a simple

explanation of where someone was. As the story develops, we begin to see how an alibi can be constructed, challenged and ultimately unravelled. There are plenty of moments where I found myself reconsidering earlier events and wondering whether I had been deliberately misled. The pacing is generally strong, with enough twists and revelations to keep the pages turning without becoming completely predictable. I also liked the darker, slightly claustrophobic atmosphere, which suits the subject matter perfectly. Overall, Anatomy of an Alibi is an entertaining and thought-provoking read, particularly for anyone who enjoys psychological crime and unreliable characters. It would make a good book-club choice because there is plenty to discuss – not only the mystery itself, but also the characters’ motivations and the lengths people will go to hide the truth.

RITA GONÇALVES

SONTAG: HER LIFE AND WORK By Benjamin Moser Published by Penguin

This book had been calling to me since I spotted during strolls through bookstores on a trip to London. I’m glad I brought it home. Moser’s Sontag: Her Life and Work is the Pulitzer-winning biography that gets past the severe public image Susan seems to project – messy affairs, one with Annie Leibovitz, fierce ambition, real generosity, real cruelty, the sheer hunger to be taken seriously as a thinker, all there. Drawing on journals and letters no one had dug into, it gives real weight to her writing on illness (Illness as Metaphor) once you know what her own cancer diagnoses were actually like behind the scenes. Beyond knowing Sontag better, one of the nicest side effects, for me, is that the book doubles as a time machine – because she was everywhere for five decades; reading her life becomes a vivid trip through the era itself, not just her personal timeline. You get 1960s New York bohemia and the downtown art scene, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the AIDS crisis and how it reshaped culture and politics, the siege of Sarajevo where she staged Beckett’s play under shellfire, and the shifting politics of feminism and sexuality across the decades. By the end, you’ve absorbed a lived sense of what it felt like to be moving through that stretch of the 20th century. It rewards patience – less a quick read than something to sink into over a few weeks, but worth every page.

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The Algarve off the playlist O R I G I N A L S O N G S , I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D I O S A N D P A R T I E S W O R T H S E E K I N G O U T. T I M E T O L I S T E N B E Y O N D T H E F A M I L I A R H O L I D AY S O U N D T R A C K

Wo rd s: B E N A U S T I N

MUSIC PLUS

Somewhere to hear your own songs

HERE COMES a point in Algarve life when you have heard enough versions of Valerie to qualify as a backing singer. The sunset is magnificent, the wine is cold, and somewhere a perfectly capable musician is being asked whether they know anything by Ed Sheeran. Of course they do. It’s their job. I’m fond of a familiar chorus myself. But I’ve become rather more interested in what happens when the requests stop and the musicians get to play something of their own. Meanwhile, people here are writing songs, making records and putting on parties for audiences who want something more than a song they already know between the starter and the sea bass. Follow a few of those connections and the Algarve starts to sound different. A studio in Loulé leads to a singer with something to say; a producer with a dance floor in mind; a promoter who knows how to gather a crowd. Further along are Faro’s rehearsal rooms, Quarteira’s hip-hop, and artists taking their music well beyond the next summer booking. Finding it all takes a little legwork. Consider it cultural cardio.

For Raquelle, the Algarve offers talent in abundance, but fewer obvious places for original material to find an audience. “There is an incredible live music scene here, but so much of it revolves around covers and entertainment for tourists,” she says. There is nothing mysterious about the economics. Familiar

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At SoundBunker in Loulé, Steve ‘Lofty’ Liddle produces and engineers other people’s records as well as releasing his own. The studio can take an artist all the way from first idea to finished release, covering writing, recording, production, mixing and mastering, with help on artist development and getting the music into the world. Sunshine does wonders for morale, but is less useful when it comes to mastering a record. What interested me most, though, was seeing how Lofty and singer-songwriter Raquelle Gracie work together. We were about to break for lunch when Raquelle, who had been typing away on her phone, turned to him and said: “I’ve written something to record. Let’s do it.” Off they went into the recording booth. I had been thinking about lunch. She had been writing a song. There is a small but significant difference in professional priorities there. Raquelle describes herself as a songwriter and vocalist first; Lofty brings the electronic production perspective. Their work together on a remix of her song End of the World gave it a new angle. “Sometimes another artist hears something in your music that you hadn’t even considered,” she says. Raquelle is concentrating on songwriting and collaboration. Her current direction is towards dance music, combining emotional writing and powerful vocals with something that makes people want to move. Feelings are allowed on the dance floor. “Working with different producers and writers has been so fulfilling and you learn something from every person you connect with,” she says. Lofty knows that from the other side of the desk. SoundBunker’s releases include his own The Eclipse and Africa Juice’s Me, Myself & I, so there are records to listen to here, not just a studio to talk about.

A song before lunch

MUSIC PLUS

the summer venues shut, and those of us who live here all year are wondering where Saturday night went. Secret Circle’s answer is The Cabana, a new Saturday-night residency at Ancão Beach Club that runs from 7 November into April, with a break in midwinter. Expect funky, soulful and vocal house from 7pm to 1am, a proper night out that still leaves Sunday morning intact. It is open to over-21s; line-ups and tickets are still to be announced. The Cabana comes from the Secret Circle team but runs as a separate brand, and Secret Circle’s own Signature Events for over25s carry on alongside it, with parties planned for Christmas, early February and Easter. As the team puts it: “The tourists might have gone home. We haven’t.”

Faro was already listening Then there is Faro’s Associação Recreativa e Cultural de Músicos (ARCM), which was founded in 1990. Its history takes in rehearsal rooms, recording, concerts and support for wider cultural activity. It moved into the former Fábrica de Cerveja, the old brewery, in 2014 and established its own music school – the Escola de Música Moderna do Sul – in 2021. These are the less photogenic essentials: somewhere to practise, equipment, teaching and people prepared to organise it all. A scene needs somewhere to make a terrible noise before it becomes a rather good one. That history matters to the way we listen. Portuguese musicians have their own audiences and their long-standing connections; newcomers and visiting artists bring theirs with them. I’m interested in where those worlds meet.

Quarteira has something to say Previous pages, main shot: SoundBunker’s Steve ‘Lofty’ Liddle; right: Singer-songwriter Raquelle Gracie. This page, above: Two photographs of Raquelle, including one of her recording with Lofty after writing a song on her phone. Below right: Toby Harwood of Secret Circle, shares top notes with Ben Austin

singer’s voice, persuading it to listen to the singer’s own songs is a different proposition. Ask Raquelle where she finds an audience for original work and her answer is brisk: “You have to create it!” That impulse led her to launch In the Spotlight, a showcase for original artists, alongside the Independent Music Academy. “What I’ve discovered is that people do want to hear original music. They just need somewhere to find it.”

A circle worth joining Of course, sometimes you simply want to go dancing. Toby Harwood’s Secret Circle, which celebrated its second birthday at the end of October, has built a following for its house-music parties among Algarve residents who like their music served with a little thought. His collaboration with Lofty links those parties to SoundBunker, so the producer behind the studio’s records also turns up behind the decks. Sign up as a member and you get event updates, discounts, photographs and DJ sets. Despite the name, admission doesn’t appear to require a secret handshake. The real perk is knowing where the next good night is. This autumn Toby also launched Secret Circle Private, for weddings, birthdays, villa parties and other private celebrations, with everything from DJs and lighting to a private chef and cocktail bar arranged through one contact. “People want to enjoy their own party, not manage it,” he says. Residents will know the autumn routine. The tourists leave,

Quarteira is home to Perigo Público and Sickonce. Perigo Público – roughly translated as Public Menace – is the stage name of Élton Mota, who was born and raised in the town. Sickonce is producer Rafael Correia, who also works as DJ Gijoe. Their album 1991, released on the independent label Kimahera, draws on Mota’s own story and the mix of cultures that makes up Quarteira today. Guests include Reflect, Napoleão Mira and Dino D’Santiago, one of Portugal’s bestknown singers. Perigo Público and Sickonce also appear on a climate-themed collaboration with accordionist João Frade. Musicians here work across projects and styles, so the same names keep cropping up. Genre boundaries are useful for organising a record shop. The people making the records tend to be less tidy.

Plugged in, from Lagos to Faro Born in Lagos and of Portuguese-Croatian heritage, Lana Gasparøtti trained in classical piano before studying jazz and modern music. Voice, keyboards and synthesisers run through work that explores jazz, hip-hop, drum and bass and electronics. Her debut album Dimensions appeared in 2024, while the 2026 single Let Go takes the meeting of jazz and electronic sound further. There is no obligation for an Algarve artist to sound like a postcard; Gasparøtti gives you plenty to listen to if your idea of music from the region could do with a refresh. She also teaches musical language and composition at ETIC Algarve in Faro. I like that connection between making music and helping others learn how to make it. Encouragement is useful, certainly. So is someone who can explain precisely what the synthesiser is doing. For those who prefer guitars, Faro’s The Mirandas bring blues, soul and psychedelic rock, with the influence of the 1960s and 1970s running through their sound. Formed in 2013 and fronted by Inês Miranda, they followed their debut EP All Those Yesterdays with Digging for Hope, released towards the end of 2024. Their live history includes Vilar de Mouros, MED and Festival F, and they were selected for Festival Termómetro 2026. Here is an Algarve band building their own catalogue and taking it onto stages elsewhere in Portugal. Listen to the records, then decide how near the speakers you’d like to stand. Plasticine, formed in 2018, take a broader route through progressive rock, funk, jazz and soul, with afrobeat among the influences. Try The Most Beautiful Skies first. Like The Mirandas, they have played MED and Festival F, as well as Bons Sons.

The room matters Then there is the simple business of going out to hear all this live. In Loulé, Bafo de Baco belongs on the map as a place where original bands get a stage. An Epopeia concert cycle there brought together bills featuring The Mirandas, Ana Tereza, JUG and local band The Elephant Woman, whose album is Through a Kaleidoscope. Concert cycles like this give original artists a place to meet an audience beyond the festival season. The Elephant Woman are worth investigating, especially if your relationship with Loulé currently revolves around the market and finding a parking space. In Faro, Art Haus Club adds an electronic strand. Its 2026 programme has included house and techno events and Theallnaked’s fourth-anniversary night, with names such as Xinobi, Anja Schneider and Lewis Fautzi appearing in its artist listings. If that is your territory, check the club’s current programme before you set off. For something more intimate, try Nanook O Vagabundo, the project of Tércio Freire. With roots in the Azores and a long relationship with Faro, where he moved in 1997, his music draws on folk and blues. The 2026 single Cantinho Algarvio makes that connection to the region explicit. What I like about these different routes is that none requires us to become a music expert before leaving the house. Nobody needs to pretend to have developed a lifelong passion for acid jazz. Listen to a record. Buy a ticket for an unfamiliar band. Give a musician’s own songs a chance before requesting the one we already know. I keep coming back to Raquelle on her phone, just before lunch. All that music has to begin somewhere, and sometimes it begins while the rest of us are wondering what to eat. The least we can do is make time to hear what happens next. The sea will still be there afterwards. So will Valerie.

Photography by Alexandra Hoesen

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Sit down and get moving F R O M C H A I R YO G A T O T H E G Y R O K I N E S I S

® M E T H O D, W E D I S C OV E R S O M E O F T H E WAY S

T O G E T YO U R B O DY M OV I N G I N T H E A L G A R V E W I T H O U T L E AV I N G YO U R S E AT

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WELLBEING PLUS

HEN I moved back to the Yorkshire countryside after 30 years of London living, I was keen to find new group activities, partly to make friends and partly to schedule some movement into my day. I currently live in the cutest little village in East Yorkshire, complete with a village hall and a community that is passionate about putting on a surprisingly impressive array of events. Scanning the village newsletter during my first week back fully immersed in country life, I spotted an advert for chair yoga at the village hall, the bonus being that it was a four-minute walk from my own front door. I’m always up for trying new things, particularly when it comes to fitness, so off I popped to the village hall one sunny

Wednesday morning. I was, without doubt, the youngest member of the class (save for the yoga teacher) and I’m 50 next year. And yes, it wasn’t the London yoga, with its overly competitive edge, that I’d been used to. But I thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiastic welcome I was given by the regulars, and perhaps surprisingly, the slower pace. Without the pressure to sweat, stretch further or push harder, I found myself paying much more attention to how my body actually felt. The movements were small and considered, and there was something lovely about being encouraged to move rather than exercise. It was a useful reminder that movement doesn’t have to be strenuous to be worthwhile. Nor does it have an age limit. We tend to think of exercise as something that happens in a gym, in a fitness class, or running outside, preferably wearing Lycra, looking out of breath and slightly red-faced. But movement can take many forms and sometimes sitting down is a perfectly good place to start. Which got me thinking: what other forms of seated movement are there out there?

Whether it’s due to injury, changing bodies, recovery, reduced mobility, or simply seeking a slower pace, there is great value in seated exercise. Research into exercise for older adults and people with mobility limitations suggests that seated exercise can support strength and functional independence, while also providing a more accessible way to stay active. A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 studies including 1,388 adults over 50 years old found chair-based programmes improved handgrip strength, arm curls and 30-second chair stand function. So, for this issue, I decided to seek out some of the fantastic seated exercise options available right here in the Algarve. From the flowing rhythmic movements of the GYROKINESIS® Method to chair yoga and other seated adaptations, there is a world of movement that doesn’t necessarily require you to get off your chair.

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The GYROKINESIS® Method We’ve featured the wonderful Ayse Kahyaoglu and her studio in Boliqueime in AlgarvePLUS before. As well as teaching the GYROTONIC® Method, which uses specialised equipment, Ayse also teaches the GYROKINESIS® Method. The class includes rhythmic, flowing, undulating movement sequences performed seated on stools, as well as floor and standing exercises. Movement is coordinated with the breath to gently mobilise the joints and work the muscles and connective tissues. Ayse offers private and small group classes, as well as online classes. aysekaraoglu.com

Seated exercise can support strength and functional independence, while also providing a more accessible way to stay active.

WELLBEING PLUS

Chair yoga If the idea of complicated poses and demonstrations of eyewatering flexibility fills you with dread, chair yoga will come as a welcome surprise. Much of the practice takes place from a seated position, using gentle stretches, mobility work, breathing techniques and simple yoga postures that can be adapted to different abilities. Yoga Ferragudo in (you guessed it!) Ferragudo runs a dedicated chair yoga class that can be helpful for people with reduced mobility, those returning to exercise after a break or those that are just getting started with movement. yoga-ferragudo.com Studio Bamboo offers twice-weekly chair yoga classes in Vila Real de Santo António, suitable for all bodies and abilities. The class includes seated and supported standing exercises, giving you the perfect opportunity to move and breathe at your own pace. studiobamboo.pt

Strength and mobility Alvor Fitness with Marie runs chair-based classes such as Sit Fitness and Purestretch at Alvor community centre, focused on keeping fit, improving balance and mobility, staying active, and remaining independent. facebook.com/Alvorfitnesswithmarie/

One to one sessions Arlindo Martins of Empowered Ageing in Portimão prefers to adapt exercise to the individual, rather than the other way around. While he doesn’t currently offer dedicated seated group classes, his one-to-one Private Movement Coaching can be tailored to those with mobility difficulties or physical limitations, with the aim of building strength, mobility and confidence over time. The idea is to help people progress at their own pace, potentially moving into small-group classes. If enough people express an interest, Arlindo would consider introducing classes for a minimum of three participants. empoweredageing.eu/

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GO THERE PLUS

UTUMN COLOUR can linger in the forests, mist moves

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across the higher slopes and the evenings make a persuasive case for staying by the fire. Visit Serra da Estrela for the walking, the wool-making heritage and the regional food rather than the promise of snow: November in the mountains can be cold and wet, so plan with the weather in mind. It is also a destination where the things you encounter belong together. The sheep that graze the mountain pastures provide milk for its celebrated cheese and wool for its traditional textiles, while the powerful Serra da Estrela dogs have long helped shepherds protect their flocks.

Make lunch a proper part of the day. The food here suits the season: regional cheeses, cured sausages, honey and simply prepared trout are among the flavours to seek out. Start with a selection of local produce and leave enough time to enjoy it, rather than fitting a meal between successive stops. In the afternoon, explore Manteigas or return to the hotel for a swim and a spa treatment. This is a short break that benefits from a little space in the itinerary. At Casa de São Lourenço, reserve dinner at Fatiga for a more contemporary expression of the region’s cooking; at Casa das Penhas Douradas, settle into the smaller-scale atmosphere of Nubbin.

WHERE TO STAY

DAY TWO:

For a stay shaped around the view, choose Casa de São Lourenço. Set above Manteigas, this five-star boutique hotel looks towards the Zêzere glacial valley, with large windows that keep the mountains firmly in sight. Its history reaches back to 1940, when it opened as one of Portugal’s early pousadas; today, contemporary design and local craftsmanship give the building a distinctly modern identity. Burel is an important part of that identity. The local wool cloth appears as a design material rather than a rustic decorative flourish, most memorably in the golden stars suspended above the restaurant. At Fatiga the cooking draws on the gastronomy of the Beiras, with seasonal ingredients and regional recipes interpreted in a contemporary way. It is an appealing setting for dinner after a day exploring the valley. November also gives you a good excuse to make time for the hotel itself. There is a heated pool, sauna and spa, so a wet afternoon need not mean a disappointing one. Book a treatment, bring a book and allow the view to dictate how much – or how little – you do. Higher in the mountains, at around 1,500 metres, Casa das Penhas Douradas has a more intimate, mountain-house character. Birchlined interiors, colourful burel textiles and architecture inspired by its surroundings create a warm contrast to the granite landscape outside. The four-star hotel occupies the site of a former sanatorium, linking it to Penhas Douradas’ history as a mountain health retreat. It is particularly appealing for walkers. The hotel has eight marked routes developed in partnership with the natural park, and the team can help you choose an outing suited to the conditions. Afterwards, there is a heated pool, sauna and mountain spa, while its restaurant, Nubbin, offers an intimate setting with a fireplace for colder days. Both hotels belong to the same mountain hospitality project, with Burel Factory providing the link between their interiors and the region’s textile heritage.

Manteigas and the story of burel Spend the second morning discovering one of the region’s most distinctive crafts. Burel, a dense wool cloth traditionally used to protect mountain shepherds from the elements, has found a new audience through contemporary design. Its colours and sculptural possibilities now lend themselves to interiors, clothing and architectural projects, without losing the connection to the landscape where it originated. Arrange a guided visit to Burel Factory through your hotel. This is a working textile factory, where historic machinery and specialist skills remain part of production. Seeing the processes behind the cloth gives the hotel interiors a different significance: what first appears to be an attractive wall covering or a colourful textile is also evidence of a local industry being kept alive. Book a visit ahead rather than relying on arriving unannounced, and leave time for the shop. A piece of burel makes a particularly relevant souvenir here – not simply something bought in the mountains, but something connected to their working history. Afterwards, take a walk around Manteigas before lunch. Keep the afternoon open for another hotelarranged walk or a final few hours at the spa. If the first day was wet, this is your opportunity to reverse the order and spend more time outdoors. The Estrela Mountain Dog is as closely tied to the region as its cheese and wool. Large, strongly built and protective, these dogs developed as livestock guardians, accompanying shepherds and defending their flocks against predators. They are guarding dogs rather than herding dogs – a distinction that explains their independence and watchful character. You may encounter them while exploring the countryside, although a sighting should never be treated as guaranteed. Their presence is a reminder that this is a working landscape, not simply a scenic backdrop. If you come across a dog guarding sheep, give the animals space and follow the shepherd’s guidance; these are working guardians, not an invitation to stop for a photograph.

DAY ONE: Mountain walks and a long lunch Begin with breakfast and a conversation with the hotel team about the day’s weather. November is a month for flexible plans: clear conditions may invite a longer walk, while mist or rain make a shorter outing and an afternoon indoors more appealing. If you are staying at Casa das Penhas Douradas, start with one of its marked routes through the surrounding mountain landscape. A guided walk is a good way to look beyond the views and understand more about the terrain and the people who have worked here. For woodland scenery, ask about the Rota das Faias, near Manteigas. The beech forest is particularly associated with autumn colour, although the best display varies with the season and may already have passed by later November. Poço do Inferno is another rewarding option, combining forest scenery with a mountain waterfall. Let local advice and the conditions determine the route.

WHAT TO EAT Queijo Serra da Estrela deserves particular attention. This protected regional cheese is made from

Above, top left clockwise: Our Lady of the Good Star, patron saint of shepherds, carved in bas-relief in the granite rock of Serra da Estrela; Torre mountain peak, mainland Portugal’s highest; Mondego Walkway along the Mondego river valley; The Estrela Mountain Dog; a room with a view at Casa das Penhas Douradas

raw sheep’s milk, with cardoon used to coagulate the milk. The younger style can be soft and buttery, while the aged version, labelled Velho, becomes firmer and more intense. Trying the two offers a useful introduction to how much character comes from ageing as well as the milk itself. November is a fitting month to explore the tradition: the regional tourism organisation identifies it as the beginning of the customary November-toMay cheesemaking period. Ask the hotel about arranging a producer visit or tasting, rather than assuming a working dairy will accept drop-in visitors. Alongside the cheese, look for local cured sausages and honey, both highlighted among Serra da Estrela’s regional specialities. Trout also features in the cooking of inland central Portugal, often simply grilled. The pleasure is in combining straightforward local produce at lunch with a more polished restaurant experience in the evening.

WHY NOVEMBER WORKS November suits travellers who are as interested in the life of the mountains as in reaching a summit. There may still be autumn colour in the woods, the cooler days favour shorter walks followed by substantial lunches, and the hotels’ pools, spas and warm interiors give the trip an appealing balance. Snow is possible, but it should be regarded as a bonus rather than the reason to book. Pack waterproof layers and walking shoes with a good grip, check conditions locally before heading out and resist filling every hour. The strongest version of this escape is a simple one: a mountain walk, a visit to the wool factory, good regional food and enough time back at the hotel to really appreciate and enjoy where you are.

MORE THINGS TO DO NEARBY Walk through the mountain landscape around Penhas Douradas, choosing from the hotel’s marked routes o. Explore the woodland around Poço do Inferno, combining a forest walk with a stop at one of the region’s best-known waterfalls. Visit Burel Factory in Manteigas to see how traditional mountain wool is transformed into contemporary textiles, with a guided visit arranged through your hotel. Shop for Burel Designs, choose a distinctive piece and take the region’s textile heritage home with you. Arrange a regional cheese tasting to discover both the soft, buttery Queijo Serra da Estrela and its firmer, aged counterpart. Sample the local produce, from cured sausages and mountain honey to simply grilled trout. Book dinner at Fatiga, where contemporary cooking draws on the ingredients and culinary traditions of the Beiras. Settle beside the fireplace at Casa das Penhas Douradas, with a leisurely meal at Nubbin.

NEW NAMES PLUS

WORK IN PROGRESS Y E S , W E S A I D I T L A S T M O N T H . T H I N K S M A L L , T H I N K I N D E P E N D E N T, T H I N K A DV E N T U R O U S , A S W E S E T O U T TO D I S C OV E R F R E S H YO U N G O W N E R - O P E R AT E D B U S I N E S S E S T H AT H AV E S O M E T H I N G TO S AY A N D A R E G E T T I N G H E A R D . T H I S T I M E R O U N D W E F I N D O U T W H AT M A K E S C A K E C O M PA N Y J OA N I N H A D O C E S P E C I A L

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old before she realised that she had an aptitude and a passion for making desserts and cakes and in 2022 she took the leap and opened her own studio in Boliqueime. “I started working at 15 and only finished high school when I was 24,” says Ana. “Then I got married and started a family. I was unemployed and didn’t even own a car.” Her sweet adventure began in 2011 when she enrolled for a pastry and culinary course before interning at the Hilton Hotel’s pastry kitchen in Vilamoura. After leaving the Hilton, she took a Cake Design Masterclass – an international training programme based on the English method taught by the Knightsbridge PME School of Cake Decoration and Confectionery Arts. “I always managed okay in the kitchen, but the pastry side scared and intrigued me at the same time,” she explains. “I thought it would be cleaner and calmer (not true), less stressful (no way), and less demanding (actually, that’s where I was most shocked). In other words, the area I thought would be easier turned out to be the hardest. “In savoury cooking, if a dish is bland, you just season it. Pastry isn’t like that at all because everything must be precisely weighed and prepared with the utmost rigour. Now, after years of constant practice, I can afford the luxury of making the occasional recipe without measuring.” Ana began working from home in 2013, initially making simple cakes designed for people with food intolerances or allergies. She then created original recipes and added

NA BORGES was 30 years

standard cakes to her repertoire. “I opened my own studio in 2022, working on a made-to-order basis, creating celebration cakes and desserts, though I also offer grab-and-go options like cake slices, muffins and cupcakes,” she says. Her bestsellers include Black Forest cakes, banoffee cakes and cocoa cakes with red berries, a Dom Rodrigo puff pastry, a red berry pavlova and a pyramid of strawberry-filled profiteroles. She is particularly proud of the merit award she won at the 2024 International Cake Design competition in Birmingham. “I had followed the competition for years, but for a simple cake designer like me, getting there seemed totally out of reach,” she says. “A client cleverly suggested I raffle a cake to raise funds and so I was finally able to participate. I competed in the Wedding Cake category with a four-tier cake that depicted the Algarve region, while still following the strict competition rules. The

transport was a nightmare – the entire cake was disassembled inside a 25kg suitcase and then had to be assembled again in an hour.” She says the best moment was when she realised her cake was making an impact with the visitors (mostly British), who immediately recognised that the cake with its basket of oranges, traditional chimney and bride and groom on the beach was from the Algarve. Ana’s inspiration comes from her husband Luís, her daughter Joana, 16 (who gave the studio its name), and her son Santiago, 6. “I started this business to show my daughter that a woman can be whatever she wants to be at any age. Then there’s Santiago, who was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of type 1 diabetes. He really opened my eyes and made me think ‘okay, let’s do this!’ There’s no turning back now.” Ana ships nationwide and offers themed workshops for adults and children at her studio or in clients’ homes.

J OA N I N H A D O C E / T: + 35 1 967 929 994 ( i n cl u di n g WhatsA pp) / E : a n a m ceborges@h otm a il.com / W: joa n in h a d oce.p t

A tale of

five salvias

C E R TA I N S A LV I A S H AV E F O U N D T H E I R W AY I N T O O U R M E D I T E R R A N E A N G A R D E N S . T H E S M A L L E R O N E S ( S A LV I A M I C R O P H Y L L A ) A R E FLO R I FE RO U S AN D C AN I N FU S E A H E R BACEO U S BO R D E R WITH CO LO U R I N S P R I N G A N D A U T U M N . T H E Y H AV E E X O T I C N A M E S L I K E ‘ P I N G P O N G ’ ,

H A D ‘ H O T L I P S ’ G R O W I N G AT T H E E D G E O F T H E I R P A R K I N G A R E A

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‘ FOREVER RED’ AND ‘ HOT LIPS’; FOR YEARS , APOLÓNIA IN ALMANCIL

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ALGARVE

PLUS

GARDENING PLUS

ALVIA. DOESN’T the word itself suggest

something that is safe, secure and rewarding? A reason, perhaps, for Alentejan friends to name their first-born Salvador. It was no wonder that when it came to naming the very useful culinary and medicinal common sage (Salvia officinalis), Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, naturalist, scientist, naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, had no difficulty in giving the name Salvia to the plant. And centuries later, Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) named the genus Salvia in 1753 in his foundation work Species Plantarum.

My choices

I have five favourite shrubby salvia and although they are not as full of flowers as their smaller cousins, they are larger, waterwise,

more perennial, and filled with character. The first is a local, and fittingly she is the one who gave her name to the genus. She makes her spectacular presence felt in early spring when fresh raindrops catch the morning sunshine so that they sparkle on every leaf making a drive through the countryside from Loulé to Querença a delight. Then on the right-hand side of the road after Clareanes, the grey-green fountains of wild salvia (Salvia officinalis) topped with their delicate pale blue flower spires appear in the rocky hillside effervescing up between the grass, the wildflowers and the pistacias. They are always so quietly neat and contained and yet so full of life and perfectly groomed as if they have been grown for that particular day in someone’s wild garden. That is magic. Well, of course, common sage grow confidently and strongly. They are native to the Mediterranean. Crush a leaf and you know why over thousands of years they have won a place in our kitchens and why they have crossed over into both folk- and science- based practical medicine.

GARDENING PLUS

My feeling is that no Mediterranean garden should be without at least one or two or even more salvias.

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Salvia officinalis, with her wrinkly, softly-textured foliage and sky-blue flowers, is lovely in the garden, too. Obviously, she does well on local soil but like all salvias she must have good drainage. If you have drainage problems, just add small roughly-broken local rocks to the soil. Once she has flowered, deadhead her to encourage a second flowering and at the end of the season cut her back hard. There is a handsome purple-leafed variety, too.

Local favourites My second salvia is also a local. Where would we be without our shrubs and carpets of rosemary? Once Rosmarinus officinalis, now she has officially become a Salvia (Salvia rosmarinus). And rosemary plants are certainly amazing. When we first arrived in Loulé, we walked past a patch of open ground where several cuttings of rosemary had been shoved roughly into the soil. Granted it was winter and there was rain but I was amazed to see that they all took then grew and flourished for years. Remnants are still there 35 years later. There are varieties, too. Some time ago I found a pink rosemary growing in the mato next to the road up to Vale Telheiro and she is now in my shrubbery next to a dark blue cousin found in a nursery in Ayamonte. Rosemary is a delight for its flowers and the excitement it gives to the bees

and other insects. We use it in our cooking, and a handful of dried leaves and branches, if thrown onto a winter fire, give the room the faint, delicious fragrance of incense. Another small shrub with strongly fragrant leaves is Cleveland sage (Salvia clevelandii) from California. My plant perfumes my top terrace after rain or as I brush against her on the way to the compost heap. I fell in love with her when I first saw her sky-blue, peacock arranged whorls of flowers growing in John Lavranos’s garden on the hill overlooking Loulé. It took a while to get her started but I was determined to have her in the garden as much for her simple loveliness as a reminder of my friendship with John. Two plants planted successively over a couple of years struggled and died but finally she took off. Her loveliness has been incorporated in hybrids like the ground-hugging ‘Bess Bliss’ and the taller ‘Allen Chickering’ and they are very attractive but I have stuck to the original. Propagation, as with lavender, is

There is real choice. Previous page: The beautiful Salvia clevelandii. This page above: instantly recognisable, Salvia officinalis. Below, left to right: Canary Island sage; Salvia rosmarinus; Salvia thymoides

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SAAR with tip cuttings taken in autumn or spring. Because I was in Loulé and had lived and gardened in South Africa, it was inevitable that I would get to know John Lavranos. He was born in Corfu, Greece, home of Odysseus in Greece, then spent years in South Africa and became a polyglot, a botanist, an author and a plant collector. His garden was filled with all kinds of water-wise delights from bulbs to shrubs to trees. Many were from Africa or Madagascar, Socotra or Yemen, including one of my favourite small South African trees – a Dais cotinifolia planted in the drive. She grew well and in summer her leafy rounded crown was covered in tiny pink balls of flowers. John also had a huge shrub of white bauhinia (Bauhinia natalensis), a South African which shrugged off our dry summers.

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Height and colour Yet another fragrant-leafed salvia is the Canary Island Sage. I first met her growing in Diane and Ian’s garden in Monchique, which had been scorched recently by a fire but despite that looked rather impressive. They had several Canary Island sages and honestly I wasn’t quite sure whether I liked her or not. I was given a small plant in a plastic pot. Thinking she was too scruffy and independent, I was in no hurry to plant her, but impressed by her tenacity to live I eventually did – at the back of the shrubbery – and I have begun to love her. She is a large airy shrub reaching two metres or more in a season and has big almost triangular leaves silver-haired on their undersides. Her large papery flowers range in colour from pale to deep purple and are most dramatic in early spring but last for weeks on the bush changing shape and colour, and even in the height of summer popping up along the grey-white stalks. My fifth and final favourite salvia is Salvia thymoides. She also came to me from Monchique, this time from Uli’s garden. He, like John, is another gatherer of unusual plants and has a superb collection of orchid cacti (Epiphyllum). Salvia thymoides is tiny, but the small flowers are so intensely dark blue that I wanted her in my garden. When I admired her, Uli obligingly snapped off a sprig and gave it to me. She had to wait a few hours in my pocket until I got home and put her in a small pot. When I Googled her, she was described as being difficult to establish and temperamental so I expected the worst. But that didn’t happen, as she struck quite easily, and once planted out, she has grown steadily over the years. She has a neat compact form but I do give her a drop of water occasionally during our hot dry spells; after all, she comes from the cooler 2,000-metre-high slopes of Mexican mountains. There are three fairly attractive small wild salvias – S. sclareoides, S. argentea and S. verbenaca – that grow in the Algarve. I have found them in nearby fields so perhaps it’s time for me to see how they do in the garden. Their family track record is impressive. Several of my gardening friends have said that they hadn’t had much luck with salvias but that is certainly not true about rosemary. I must also admit that I battled with one but I kept trying and have reaped the rewards. They are very worthwhile. My feeling is that no Mediterranean garden should be without at least one or two or even more salvias.

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F YOU’VE been following my Portuguese farmhouse renovation series so far, you’ll know that I’m three years in and I haven’t applied for planning permission yet. In the spirit of staying positive, I’ve already started contacting people and companies that I intend to use in the build – after all, if you can dream it, you can do it, as the saying goes. There are certain things I have always wanted from the house in Portugal. The thick stone walls of a beautiful old building, a nice piece of land, somewhere to grow my own vegetables, and inevitably, a swimming pool. Saltwater was top of my list – that was until I realised that saltwater pools require chlorine to do the disinfecting. What I hadn’t anticipated was that finding a chlorine-free alternative would involve conversations about phosphates, bacteria, pipe diameters, and something described to me, rather wonderfully, as a “living, breathing biome”. Since starting my studies in nutritional therapy, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the human microbiome, the trillions of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies. So, the principle of creating a pool environment in which the right microorganisms can thrive, rather than simply trying to wipe everything out, immediately made sense to me. This is the problem with renovating an old Portuguese farmhouse: you start out thinking that choosing a kitchen or

bathroom layout is going to be the hardest part to get your head around, and several months later, you find yourself discussing microbiology with a pool specialist. Which is how I ended up talking to Origin Aqua about their Mineral+Biome® system.

From natural ponds to chemical-free pools Andrew Cox, founder of Origin Aqua, is a scientist and engineer who originally built natural swimming pools. A natural bio-pool (German-style) was high on my list, until someone mentioned that snakes would love it, and then it promptly went to the bottom of the list. Andrew came up with the idea of recreating the quality of natural water without some of the less appealing aspects of actually swimming in a pond. Philip Shepherd, sales and marketing at Origin Aqua and Algarve based, pointed out: “People were coming to Andrew to say: say, ‘I like this, but we can’t use it for much of the year. We can’t heat it, and we’re not so keen on the reeds, weeds, algae, or the snakes and snails. Can you provide the same water quality but in a standard swimming pool set-up?’" Over the past 12 years, the company has developed the technology into a filtration system designed for conventional residential swimming pools. More than £2million has been invested in research and development (including funding from Innovate UK), with a dedicated test laboratory and pools at the Origin Aqua HQ in Wotton-under-Edge, and more than 250 systems have been installed across Europe and beyond, including here

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in Portugal. The concept is rather clever: instead of using chlorine to kill bacteria and algae, the automated Mineral+Biome® system removes the nutrients (phosphate, nitrogen, and carbon) they need to survive in the first place. The result is a swimming pool with natural spring water, with a pH that balances itself – clear, mineral-rich, soft on the skin, and (the bit I like) completely odourless and free from chlorine. Alpine lake swimming, eat your heart out.

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What actually lives in the pool? This was what the inner health geek in me found the most fascinating. Rather than creating a sterile environment and continually dosing it with chemicals as in standard pools, the system deliberately creates a biological environment in which beneficial bacteria can thrive. Before the pool is filled, the incoming water is tested and, if necessary, treated to remove things like silicates, nitrates, and nitrites. The water is then introduced to the biological filter and ‘pre-seeded’ with the appropriate bacteria. As Philip says: “It really is the good bacteria fighting against the bad bacteria.” The process takes around four to six weeks for the biome to establish itself, so it’s not a case of pool filled one day and swimming party the next; good things take time! The final stage is ultraviolet treatment, which provides an additional barrier against residual bacteria before the water is returned to the pool. The system also automatically adds tiny amounts of minerals daily, including selenium, zinc, and magnesium, to further enhance the swimming experience. Another bonus is that the system can be retrofitted to existing chlorine or saltwater pools, although the practicalities depend on the pool and plant room itself.

Is chlorine really a problem? Beyond me not wanting to smell like a swimming pool or have hair that looks like hay on a daily basis, is chlorine really a problem? There is a growing body of research looking at what happens when chlorine used to disinfect swimming pools reacts with the things swimmers bring into the water, such as sweat, urine, and skin cells. One of the compounds formed is trichloramine, also known as nitrogen trichloride, which moves from the water into the air, particularly in indoor pools. And this isn’t simply a case of the smell being unpleasant. A small 2012 study of adults found some statistically significant reductions in lung function after they spent time in indoor pool air containing trichloramine. The evidence is not all one-way though; other studies have found no real change in lung function in healthy adults after swimming, and the researchers themselves say more work is needed. What the research does make clear is that chlorine doesn’t simply disappear once it has done its job. It reacts with organic matter in the pool to create disinfection by-products, and some of those compounds may irritate the eyes and respiratory tract; a 2016 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that chlorine by-

Indoor pools, Origin Aqua says, can deliver hugely improved air quality which may well benefit users

products have been linked to contact dermatitis. For an indoor pool, Origin Aqua says the difference can be particularly noticeable, because removing the source of the chemical smell also changes the air quality around the pool. It also says that people with asthma, eczema or sensitive skin can notice the difference from their first swim. Those are company claims, rather than something I’m able to independently verify, but the principle is what makes a chlorine-free pool interesting to me.

A healthier house, not just a prettier one The more I get into this renovation, the more I realise that my focus isn’t simply making the house look beautiful. Obviously, I want it to look beautiful; I’ve spent enough time curating Pinterest boards, but ultimately, I want to think about how it feels to live there, which means considering natural materials, non-toxic paints, energy efficiency, water use (the automated Mineral+Biome® system has a lower pump turnover meaning less energy use, less wastewater, and that any backwash water can be put straight onto the garden without worrying about putting chlorine into the earth). Let’s face it, even though I’m excited about the thought of installing this system, the pool is still some way off. I haven’t submitted a planning application, haven’t chosen a builder, and there are around 532 other decisions I need to make before anyone starts digging a hole for a swimming pool. What I am discovering about this whole project is that every decision leads to another decision, and I’m the world’s worst decision maker. You can’t choose a pool without choosing a filtration system; you can’t choose the filtration system without considering the plant room. You can’t design the plant room without considering the size of the pipework, and you can’t decide on the pipework until you’ve spoken to the structural engineers. And, as if I needed another reason to be excited about the prospect of a chlorine-free swimming experience, I’m told that Kate Winslet has one of Origin Aqua’s chlorine-free pools. I’m not suggesting that a celebrity endorsement is a substitute for peerreviewed research, but if it’s good enough for Kate… origin-aqua.com

You start out thinking that choosing a kitchen or bathroom layout is going to be the hardest part to get your head around, and several months later, you find yourself discussing microbiology with a pool specialist.

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Problems of his own Salazar was unwilling to upset the status quo with Germany. His overall dislike of the Nazi régime and its combination of political and territorial ambitions was tempered by his belief that it was a bastion against the spread of communism, which was a greater fear. In 1941, he began to believe that Germany, or its allies, might completely overrun the Iberian Peninsula. As a consequence, he and his ‘Estado Novo’ régime considered withdrawing the Portuguese government to the Azores. Since the islands were discovered and colonised in the 15th century, they had become a cornerstone of Portuguese power; if mainland Portugal was under threat, Salazar saw the islands as a suitable place of retreat.

Portugal’s Atlantic islands Due to their strategic importance, several countries had their eyes on the Azores. During the ‘Riviera Conference’ when the Atlantic Charter was created, President Roosevelt had ambitions that the Allies should seize them. The fight against Germany’s U-boats was a critical goal and to gain a foothold by securing bases on the islands was the only way to do it. Their ideal location was 720 miles (1,160km) from Lisbon and 2,100 miles (3,380km) from New York. As a key ally, Winston Churchill was ready to demand that Salazar should hand over the existing Portuguese military bases, stating that otherwise they would be occupied by British forces. Seeking a more diplomatic approach, Sir Ronald Campbell, the British ambassador to Portugal, believed making a demand was far too blunt. He anticipated Salazar would give a negative response. The British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden agreed and opted for invoking the Treaty of Windsor again. The Allies’ military strength had significantly increased, and by 1943 the outcome of the war was becoming obvious. Surely Salazar would make a decision in his and Portugal’s best interests? His answer was more important than ever. This time he responded favourably, allowing Britain to use the airfields at Lajes on Terceira Island and

Santana on São Miguel, the ports of Horta on the island of Faial, and Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel. The agreement between the British and Portuguese governments was signed in August 1943: the British would provide Portugal with war material and a guarantee against German aggression. In return, they would have the use of air bases for long-range patrol bombers and ports for short-range escort ships needed to cover the so-called mid-Atlantic gap. The availability of the bases in the Azores for aircraft from the RAF’s Coastal Command would transform the nature of the maritime war in the Atlantic to the serious detriment of the U-boat arm.

The irony Within a fortnight of the German surrender, Salazar began to boast of Portugal’s wartime neutrality, simultaneously pointing out the help it had provided to the Allies. In a key speech entitled Portugal, the War and the Peace, Salazar talked specifically about the granting of bases on the Azores as well as the service given to the Allies and support provided for maritime transport across the Atlantic. He made no mention of the sale of tungsten to the Nazis and none of the other ways in which he had hindered the Allies in the early years of the Second World War. There is a genuine historical connection between the wording of the Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and Britain and the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which established NATO. Its famous Article 5 established collective defence amongst the 12 signatories: an armed attack against one member in Europe or North America would be considered an attack against them all. Unfortunately we still seem to be quarrelling about the meaning of NATO today. A fascinating British Pathé News newsreel from 1943 is still available and covers the huge amount of activity, practical help and welcome that the British received on their arrival in Terceira in the October. See YouTube Azores - First Pictures (1943) for the four-minute film.

Time for action Under ‘Operation Alacrity’, on 8 October a naval squadron and all the necessary merchant vessels, tankers, anti-submarine escort group, and landing craft were dispatched with men, equipment and supplies needed to open and organise the base on the island of Terceira. By 18 October, the first RAF Fortress aircraft of No. 206 Squadron arrived from Gibraltar, landing at the newly transformed airfield at Lajes. On 9 November, the first U-boat was sunk by a British aircraft operating from there. It was 1944 before Salazar agreed to the use of the Azores by US aircraft. The availability of the bases to the Allies totally changed the power balance in the Atlantic. Finally, air cover could be generated over the entire east/west and north/south stretch of the northern Atlantic Ocean. The Allies’ force of naval escort carrier groups took care of convoys using the more southerly routes, thereby allowing the safer passage of ships that were carrying war materials from American and Canadian ports. Ocean liners like the Queen Mary were able to transport US troops across the Atlantic Ocean in preparation for the Normandy landings on D-Day.

of Windsor, from the 14th century until the 20th, we look at the three reasonable requests made by Churchill during the Second World War. Referring to the Treaty, firstly he asked that Portugal should stop supplying Germany with tungsten, used in the manufacture of bullets, guns, armour-plating and tanks. Mined in the Portuguese mountains of the Serra de Estrela, it was a rare mineral found in few other places. Churchill noted Portugal was being paid with gold taken from the central banks of countries that the Nazis had plundered, but Salazar felt no guilt or sense of shame. He refused to bring an end to the sale. Furthermore, Salazar refused to allow British troops to cross Portuguese territory in Africa, or to restrict access to weather forecasts being broadcast from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. This information was enabling German submarines to attack cross-Atlantic convoys that were bringing essential food and other supplies from America to Britain. Despite centuries of unbroken friendship between Portugal and Britain, Salazar remained steadfast. He offered no support and would not acquiesce to any one of Churchill’s three requests.

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N THE final part of our series covering the Treaty

INA TÄNZER PICOTA Picota, Monchique, September 2026 Camera: Sony ILCE 7M4 AH: “Panoramic views from Fóia, Picota, or other Serra viewpoints are named outright in the brief, and this entry delivers it with real technical polish: tack-sharp foreground leaves, a confident tree-frame in the upper left, and a reservoir and terraced hills receding in beautifully separated tonal layers all the way to the haze. The full-frame detail retention is outstanding.” 1st place

MOUNTAINS, HILLS & PLAINS A broad brief – one that opens views to so many glorious places right here in the Algarve. Judge Avery Holt considers composition, positioning, and time of day as vibrant ingredients in capturing a special element of our surroundings. To discover more about the group, visit algarvephotographersgroup.org

GLYN PARRY ALFERCE Alferce, Monchique, August 2026 Camera: Nikon Z8 AH: “About as precise a match to the brief as this challenge could ask for – a cloud inversion over an inland valley near Monchique, shot in the soft pre-dawn glow the brief specifically references. The overhanging oak branch makes a natural frame without feeling contrived, and exposing correctly for that narrow, delicate light band between the cloud, sea and the sky shows real technical control. The layered ridgelines emerging from the fog give genuine depth.” 2nd place

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CORK OAKS AT FIRST LIGHT Alportel, São Brás de Alportel, August 2026 Camera: Fujifilm X100T AH: “A direct and beautifully executed answer to the brief’s ‘cork oak groves’ prompt. The low sunburst breaking through the trunks is controlled rather than blown out, the numbered bark (a cork harvest year) is a lovely authentic detail that roots the image in place, and the golden grass foreground carries the seasonal colour the brief calls for. Excellent use of a fixed-lens camera’s strengths.” 3rd place

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MARIJKE MCBEAN VILLAGE IN THE HILLS Arneiro and Macheira, September 2026 Camera: Sony ILCE 6000 AH: “A clean, direct answer to the brief’s ‘hilltop villages and their surrounding terrain’ – the white-and-terracotta village sits comfortably in the embrace of the hills around it, and the late-afternoon light rakes gently across the rooftops without harsh shadow. Good use of negative space in the hillside gives the village room to breathe.” 4th place

LIGIA GLOVER ROLLING HORIZONS Serra do Caldeirão, March 2026 Camera: iPhone 13 Pro AH: “A confident, classic two-thirds-sky composition that captures the wide, open character of the inland countryside well, with a dramatic cumulus sky doing a lot of the storytelling work. The gentle S-curve of the valley track leads the eye naturally toward the village nestled in the middle distance, and the spring-green hills read as a genuine, unforced seasonal-colour moment.” 5th place To a p p l y f o r m e m b e r s h i p o r c h e c k e x h i b i t i o n d a te s a t t h e M u s e u d o Tr a j e , S ã o B r á s , v i s i t a l g a r v e p h o t o g r a p h e r s g r o u p . o r g

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BASIC WEARABLE exoskeleton is strapped

around the waist, with powered struts pushing down on the knees. More sophisticated versions also have struts that assist the lower legs. As with e-bikes, the idea is to provide a boost rather than provide a magic carpet ride. It all sounds very science fiction, but exoskeletons have been used in the military, research labs and advanced medical rehabilitation centres for years now. Today, however, non-medical consumer exoskeletons – often called everyday, active-lifestyle, or recreational exoskeletons – are becoming available for hikers, mountaineers and other outdoors folk. But the big question is: do they make you walk like C3PO from Star Wars? Surprisingly, the answer is no. Because they just press down on the knees or the lower leg without trying to alter the way you walk, many people say they forget they are wearing one after a while.

What it can do for you Today’s everyday exoskeletons generally fall into two categories: passive (using springs, elastics, and mechanical leverage) and active (powered by electric motors, sensors, and microprocessors). Powered leg exoskeletons (such as consumer hip-and-knee assist devices) can reduce the metabolic cost of walking uphill or over rough terrain by 10 to 30 percent. For an everyday user, this translates to feeling significantly lighter on your feet and suffering far less leg fatigue after a long trail walk. For middle-aged or older adults who experience mild joint stiffness or fatigue, assistive exoskeletons provide a gentle propulsion boost, allowing them to remain active for longer periods. However, they are not magical suits that grant superhuman strength. They are designed for endurance and assistance, not for lifting cars or sprinting at miraculous speeds. While the technology is impressive, everyday exoskeletons come with several real-world limitations, the main one being weight and bulk. Active exoskeletons require motors, frames,

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and batteries, adding two to five kilograms to your body. If the battery runs out mid-hike, you end up carrying dead weight.

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The cost As might be expected, an exoskeleton is not an impulse purchase. Consumer devices range from several hundred euros for simple passive harnesses to several thousand for intelligent, motorised leg-assist units. There is also the problem of comfort over extended periods of use. Strapping a rigid or semi-rigid frame to your body can cause chafing, hotspots, or restricted freedom of movement if not adjusted perfectly to your unique anatomy. And finally, there is the issue of range. Most compact consumer batteries last between two and five hours of continuous active assistance, limiting their use on full-day excursions without spare packs. As with e-bikes, there is a big debate on the fitness benefits of exoskeletons. If your goal is building cardiovascular stamina or muscle strength, an exoskeleton can actually work against you in the short term. Because the device performs part of the physical work, your muscles exert less effort, and your heart rate remains lower than it would during unassisted exercise. If you replace normal walking with exoskeleton-assisted walking over the exact same distance, you will burn fewer calories and gain less strength. However, exoskeletons can aid fitness indirectly because they help you get out more. If an exoskeleton enables someone to hike ten miles instead of giving up after three due to fatigue or joint pain, the net physical exertion and time spent moving increase overall. For people recovering from minor fatigue or managing joint discomfort, assistance allows them to stay outdoors and maintain an active lifestyle rather than remaining sedentary. This is especially true for members of walking groups, for example who want to continue with the group but don’t want to hold them back.

In summary Exoskeletons do not make exercise harder; they make movement easier. If that ease allows you to move significantly more, then your overall fitness benefits. The health disbenefits of exoskeletons are much debated. For a healthy individual using a consumer-grade exoskeleton as intended, the risks are generally low, but they are not nonexistent. Exoskeletons redirect physical forces and this may affect your own skeletal structure in unexpected ways. Motorised leg braces change natural stride patterns, which can cause unnatural wear or strain on secondary joints over prolonged use. Active exoskeletons use sensors to predict user movement. If the system misinterprets what is going on – for example, by assisting a step when you intended to stop – it can cause loss of balance, particularly on loose gravel or steep descents. Then there is the question of how you feel when you take the exoskeleton off. Users may feel false confidence due to reduced muscle fatigue and push far beyond their cardiovascular or joint capacity, leading to soreness or tendon injury once the device is unstrapped. Finally, an exoskeleton must be fitted properly. Prolonged tightness from straps can interfere with blood circulation or irritate peripheral nerves if worn incorrectly.

EXOSKELETONS YOU CAN BUY NOW THE MARKET STANDARD: HYPERSHELL X SERIES Architecture: Hip-mounted dual-motor system. Weight: 2.5 kg Battery Range: Up to 15–30 km per charge, with dual-battery configurations extending range. Best For: All-round technical hiking, steep ascents, carrying heavy pack loads, and snow/ski touring. It folds down into a relatively compact footprint to fit into or under a backpack. Cost: The new Hypershell X Pro S is €999 and a full-leg version is also available.

LIGHTWEIGHT PERFORMANCE: DNSYS X1 SERIES Architecture: Hip-mounted ultra-light assist using microservos and carbon fibre. Weight: 1.6 kg Battery Range: ~15–20 km per charge (30 km for the dual-battery Carbon Pro). Best For: Fast-and-light hikers who prioritise minimal mechanical bulk without sacrificing climbing assistance. Cost: From €792

EXTENDED RANGE: ASCENTIZ H SERIES Architecture: Carbon fibre and titanium alloy modular hip rig. Weight: 2.5 kg Battery Range: Rated for up to 25 km per charge (50 km / 31 miles total with two swapped batteries). Best For: Extended backcountry treks or multi-day expeditions where swap-andgo range is the top priority. Cost: From €1,517

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EADERS HAVE been fascinated by the idea of ‘other worlds’ – and their inhabitants – for far longer than most of us realise! There are Hindu texts dating from the eighth to the fifth century BC which feature flying machines and a storyteller called Lucian of Samosata who lived in the second century AD wrote the tale of a voyage to the Moon and a war between the Moon and the Sun-dwellers. Modern space fiction saw its beginnings in the work of 19th-century writers like Jules Verne and H G Wells. Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon was published in 1865, and Wells’ The Time Machine from 1895 introduced the idea of time travel to the reading public. A journalist called Hugo Gernsback helped popularise science fiction when he published the magazine Amazing Stories in the 1920s. This magazine and its competitors often featured space travel and wars between rival worlds. In 1931, the magazine Astounding

Stories is credited with producing the first cover which showed a bug-eyed monster! As the 20th century progressed, science and space fiction became more thoughtful and serious, with authors like Aldous Huxley speculating about how scientific advances would influence society in the future. From the mid-20th century respected authors included Isaac Asimov with his Foundation trilogy, Arthur C Clarke with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Frank Herbert with Dune. In the 1960s pioneer women writers included Ursula K Le Guin, and space fiction also featured humour in the work of Douglas Adams with The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In 1985 Margaret Atwood depicted a dystopian future in in The Handmaid’s Tale. By that time, space fiction had moved from the printed word to radio, TV and the movies...

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SPACE FICTION

D E C A D E S – C E N T U R I E S , A C T U A L LY – B E F O R E M A N M A D E I T T O T H E M O O N , W R I T E R S W E R E C R E AT I N G O T H E R W O R L D S W H I C H N E V E R FA I L E D T O FA S C I N AT E . R A D I O , T E L E V I S I O N A N D T H E F I L M I N D U S T R Y H AV E C O N T I N U E D T O C A P T I VAT E T H E I M A G I N AT I O N A N D E N S U R E T H E F U T U R E O F T H E C H A R A C T E R S T H E Y C R E AT E

JOURNEY INTO SPACE

Wo rd s: J I L L E C K E R S L E Y Radio is a brilliant medium for space fiction, partly because a good story can leave a lot to a listener’s imagination and also because it doesn’t require a lot of expensive sets! The 1950s classic Journey Into Space was created by radio producer Charles Chilton. As well as running on the BBC throughout the decade, the show was translated into 17 languages, including Hindi, Turkish and Dutch, and was popular listening in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. The four main characters – Jet, Doc, Mitch and Lemmy – were originally played by Andrew Faulds, Guy Kingsley Poynter, Bruce Beeby and David Kossoff, with Alfie Bass replacing the latter as Lemmy in the later series. The first story, Operation Luna described an expedition to the Moon, and The Red Planet sent the astronauts to Mars. From 1955 to 1956, The World in Peril showed the world expecting an alien invasion and there were more special sequels throughout the decade. Broadcaster David Jacobs (above)best known, of course, as the TV host of Juke Box Jury was an announcer and narrator on JIS, and also voiced several characters in its various sequels. And he took part in a couple of 21st century revivals, Frozen In Time in 2008 and The Host in 2009. It was thought that recordings of the earlier 1950s series had been lost forever, but some were re-discovered in 1986 and can now be found on CDs or available as downloads. Long time fans will be delighted to hear Jet Morgan saying: “Open the hatch, Lemmy!’ one more time!

By the mid-1960s, TV was replacing radio as the main medium for home entertainment and both British and American science fiction shows became essential viewing. Britain produced Dr Who – still popular today of course – and also imported Star Trek from America. Its creator Gene Roddenberry intended it to be a kind of “Wagon Train to the Stars” featuring a variety of characters and social messages among the Starship Enterprise’s multi-cultural, 23rd-century crew. They included a black female communications officer in the shape of Nichelle Nicholls as Lt Uhura. William Shatner took the role of Captain James T. Kirk – the part was apparently turned down by some well-known names. Leonard Nimoy was his poker-faced Vulcan second-in-command, the ever-logical Mr Spock. No one who ever watched Star Trek could forget the catch-phrases including Kirk’s “Beam me up, Scotty!” or “He’s dead, Jim” from the unlucky Dr McCoy. Meanwhile, the Enterprise sought out new life and new civilisations and continued to “boldly go where no man had gone before.” The original series only ran between 1966 and 1969 and was later replaced by Star Trek, The Next Generation which featured Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and a new Starship Enterprise. Ratings dipped in the 70s but the series was saved by lobbying from its loyal fan base. Star Trek, the Motion Picture was released in 1979 – enabling fans to “live long and prosper”, which, of course was exactly what Mr Spock would have wanted….

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Small-screen space fiction is all very well but deep space stories benefit from being seen on a giant cinema screen! The Star Wars film franchise was created by George Lucas, with the nine-film Skywalker Saga being the core of his project. The original Star Wars movie was released in 1977 and, with its sequels, told the tale of young Luke Skywalker and his fight against the Galactic Empire. The story continued in the Prequel Trilogy and reached its climax in the final three films which tracked the stories of a new generation of heroes. Star Wars became a worldwide phenomenon and one of the most successful media franchises of all time, with millions of fans. With the addition of merchandise including action figures, board games, videos and computer games, it was a world of its own and the first three films all won Oscars. There are Star Wars theme park attractions all over the world, not forgetting comics and books… which is where we came in! And…may the Force be with you!

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STAR TREK

STAR WARS

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I have been living in Portugal for more than 183 days, but my residence permit is still pending with AIMA. Am I a Portuguese tax resident? Potentially, yes. Under Portuguese tax rules, residence is determined principally by the factual circumstances. An individual may become Portuguese tax resident if they spend more than 183 days in Portugal, whether consecutively or not, within the relevant 12-month period. Residence can also arise where the individual maintains a home in Portugal in circumstances indicating an intention to occupy it as their habitual residence. Consequently, the fact that your residence permit has not yet been issued by AIMA does not, by itself, prevent you from becoming Portuguese tax resident. Equally, remaining registered with the Portuguese Tax Authorities as a nonresident does not necessarily mean that you are legally a nonresident for Portuguese income tax purposes. This is particularly important when filing your annual Portuguese tax return. If the factual conditions for Portuguese tax residence have already been met, the return may need to be filed as a resident, meaning that worldwide income may have to be considered in Portugal. Another complication can arise if your previous country also continues to consider you tax resident under its domestic legislation. Where Portugal has a Double Tax Treaty with the other country, the treaty criteria should then be reviewed, including factors such as the location of your permanent home and centre of vital interests. Do not assume that your Portuguese tax residence only starts on the date printed on your residence card. Your physical presence in Portugal, your home and your personal circumstances should also be considered.

I am considering moving to Portugal under the D7 visa. Most of my retirement income comes from my IRA and US Social Security. I have read that Portuguese tax rates can exceed 40% and I am worried that my retirement income will be heavily taxed. This is one of the most common concerns we hear from Americans considering a move to Portugal. Fortunately, the reality is often better than many people expect. A common misconception is that every dollar received

from a US retirement account will automatically be taxed in Portugal at the highest progressive tax rates. In practice, the tax treatment depends on the type of pension and how it was funded. For traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, Portuguese tax law contains specific provisions that distinguish between the capital originally contributed by the individual and the investment growth generated. Where the pension provider does not distinguish between the return of capital and the investment return, Article 54 of the Portuguese Personal Income Tax Code may apply, under which 85% of the payment may be excluded from taxation, so that only 15% of the amount received is subject to Portuguese income tax. For example, if you withdraw €40,000 from a qualifying IRA, it may be possible for only €6,000 to be included in your taxable income rather than the full €40,000. Over the years, AFM has successfully assisted many international clients with the analysis of foreign pension structures and our experience is that many Americans are pleasantly surprised when they understand how these rules can apply to self-funded retirement plans. However, US Social Security benefits are generally treated as pension income and do not qualify for the 85% exclusion mechanism and are generally taxable in Portugal under the progressive tax rates applicable to Portuguese residents. However, any US tax properly paid on that income is generally credited against the Portuguese tax liability under the Portugal-US Double Tax Treaty, reducing or eliminating double taxation depending on the circumstances. It is also worth remembering that Portuguese residents may benefit from a range of deductions and allowances, including healthcare expenses, prescription medication, care home expenses, certain education costs and other personal tax deductions available under Portuguese law. It is important to understand what portion of your retirement income is actually taxable. Many D7 applicants assume that 100% of their IRA withdrawals will be taxed at Portuguese rates, when in fact the effective taxable amount may be significantly lower. We always recommend reviewing your IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), pension and Social Security income before relocating rather than relying on assumptions about tax rates.

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Going legal L E G A L E X P E R T S N E L S O N R A M O S A N D R O B E R TA R A M O S , TO G E T H E R W IT H T H E I R S P EC I A L I S T T E A M AT R A M O S & A S S O C I A D O S I N A L M A N C I L , A D V I S E C L I E N T S O N VA R I O U S I S S U E S . T H I S M O N T H , T H E Y DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITIES OF CANCELLING A

You may have grounds to end the contract and seek repayment or compensation. However, the way you proceed matters. Simply telling the builder to leave and bringing in a replacement can create a second dispute over whether you were entitled to end the original agreement. Under Portuguese law, renovation work will generally fall within the rules governing a construction contract, known as an empreitada. The starting point is the agreement itself. What work was promised, when was it due, and what conditions governed payment? Begin by gathering the contract, quotations, invoices, bank transfers and all relevant correspondence. Keep complete WhatsApp conversations rather than isolated screenshots. Make a dated record of attendance, work completed and explanations given for delays. This helps establish what happened and whether the builder has failed to fulfil the agreement. Before another contractor alters the property, obtain an independent assessment from a suitably qualified

engineer or architect. The report should identify unfinished work, any defects and the likely cost of putting matters right. Photographs are useful, but a professional report can explain problems that are not obvious to a homeowner. A missed deadline does not always justify immediate termination. Where the builder is behind schedule, a formal notice may be needed, requiring performance within a reasonable final period and explaining the consequences of failing to comply. That period must be appropriate to the remaining work. The notice should be carefully drafted and sent in a way that provides evidence of delivery. There are circumstances in which an additional deadline may be unnecessary, including a clear and definitive refusal to perform. Whether silence or repeated excuses amount to such a refusal requires assessment of the facts. This distinction is particularly important because Portuguese law also allows an owner to withdraw from a construction contract without establishing a breach. That choice can require payment for the contractor’s expenditure, work and expected profit. Withdrawal and termination for the builder’s default have different financial consequences. Recovering the whole advance is not automatic, either. If part of the work has been properly completed and retains value, that must be considered when calculating any repayment. If the replacement contractor costs more, the additional expense may form part of a compensation claim, provided the legal requirements are met.

Keep receipts for reasonable expenses caused by the interruption, such as necessary temporary accommodation or measures to protect an exposed building. Compensation depends on proving the loss and its connection with the breach. If the work presents a safety risk or leaves the property vulnerable to rain, protective measures may be necessary. Document the condition first, obtain professional guidance and retain invoices. Where completed work is defective, specific rules govern notification and remedies. The builder may first have to be given an opportunity to correct the defects. Before starting proceedings, consider whether the contractor has assets against which a judgment could be enforced. A successful claim does not guarantee recovery if the company is insolvent; a documented settlement may sometimes provide a more practical outcome. Taking an advance and failing to finish the job does not automatically constitute fraud. A criminal complaint may be appropriate if there is evidence of deliberate deception used to obtain your money. However, a dispute over performance is often a civil matter. The available evidence should guide that decision. For future projects, check the contractor’s identity and appropriate IMPIC authorisation, and use a clear written contract with payments linked to verified progress. For your present situation, the priority is to preserve evidence and establish the correct legal basis for ending the agreement. Email questions for Ramos & Associados to martin@algarveplusmagazine.com

R a m o s & A s s o c i a d o s S o c i e d a d e d e A d vo g a d o s S P R L Ave n i d a 5 d e O u t u b ro , 1 6 9 – 1 7 1 , 8 1 3 5 - 1 0 1 A l m a n c i l T: 2 8 9 41 3 0 6 3 / E : i n f o @ n r a m o s l a w ye r s . c o m / n r a m o s l a w ye r s . c o m

We hired a building company to renovate our Algarve home and signed a contract setting out the work, price and completion date. We paid 40% in advance. After removing the kitchen and starting work on the bathrooms, the builder stopped coming. Six weeks have passed, the completion date has passed, and our messages receive only vague promises. Can we cancel the contract, recover our money and appoint someone else?

ALGARVE P L U S

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T H I S M O N T H ’ S S P E C I A L S E L E C T I O N O F T H I N G S WO R T H S E E I N G

MICHAEL F. RUMSBY

Gama Rama, Faro 961 371 891 On until 19 December The Garden We Do Not See explores the distance between nature and the ways in which we choose to represent, organise and understand it. The title of this exhibition resonates with the poetry of Fernando Pessoa, particularly that of Alberto Caeiro (one of his heteronyms) and his refusal to seek in nature a meaning beyond what it simply is: a tree or a flower does not need to be interpreted in order to exist.

SUSHMA LEGENDRE MCINTOSH CulturaCollab The Art House by E&V Rua Dr. Marcelino Franco 21 Tavira, culturacollab.com 4–27 November Facets of Memory introduces a new series of paintings by the Algarve-based French multidisciplinary artist Sushma Legendre McIntosh, who explores the ways memory transforms our perception of landscape, inviting viewers on a journey into the emotional and personal dimensions of place. Opening night, 4 November, 18h00–20h00

F. HARO ALBA Tavira d’Artes, Tavira 962 012 111, taviradartes.com Algarve Inland, oil on canvas, 114x146cm

CHRISTOPHER CORR Galeria Corte-Real, Paderne 961 528 679, corterealarte.com The Fruit Seller, gouache on board, 40x27cm

ARPAD MARIO HENRIQUE ArtCatto, Loulé 289 419 447, info@artcatto.com artcatto.com Symbiosis No. 1, acrylic and oil on reversed canvas, 150x 120cm

MEINKE FLESSEMAN Galeria Meinke Flesseman Portimão, 917 937 564 instagram.com/ meinkeflesseman/ On until 30 November Passing Light: Meinke’s latest works explore the shifting space between observation, memory, and abstraction.

Museu Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva, Lisbon, Fasvs.pt Until January 2027 The first major solo exhibition of Arpad Szenes in Portugal in almost 20 years highlights his experimental artistic practice and engraving, and includes several rarely exhibited and previously unseen works.

IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, EMAIL susi@rogol-goodkind.com

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ANNEGRET KELLNER

A travelling cultural project that takes art to different places and communities across the Algarve, Art in Motion brings together local artists of different nationalities, backgrounds and creative journeys, whose work includes painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The project also has a charitable purpose – 25% of the profits from artwork sales are donated to ACAM – Associação Caminhos do Meio – a non-profit association supporting children and families through a range of initiatives focused on physical, emotional and mental health.

Counterbalance 4, acrylic on canvas, 120x 120cm

ART IN MOTION Casa do Real Compromisso Marítimo, Ferragudo acam.caminhos@gmail.com caminhosdomeio.pt 9 November to 16 December

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ArtCatto, Vila Vita Parc Porches, artcatto.com

WO RKSH O P S

Loulé Criativo FB: @loulecriativo, IN: @loule_criativo, W: loulecriativo.pt Visit the website to register for workshops POTTERY WHEEL COURSE Levels I and III with Ricardo Lopes

ALGARVE P L U S

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CIRCULAR TAPESTRY with Susana Mendez Date: 14 November 10h00–14h00 Palácio Gama Lobo, Loulé This activity invites participants to experiment with materials and compositions exploring tapestry and textile creation through a circular approach. Email: susana.m.mendez@gmail.com Fee: €50 ST. MARTIN’S DAY AT QUINTA DA TÔR Date: 14 November 11h30 or 16h00 Quinta da Tôr, Loulé An experience celebrating St. Martin’s season in a setting connected to the local landscape and regional produce. Email: quintadator@gmail. com Fee: On request EMBROIDERY VOLUMES AND TEXTURES with Flávia Ferreira Date: 19 November, 18h30–21h30 Palácio Gama Lobo, Loulé Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with different stitches and effects that add relief and dimension to textile work. Email: flaviaferreiradias@gmail.com Fee: €45

Date: 24–27 November Level I: 09h30–13h00 Level III: 14h00–17h30 Palácio Gama Lobo, Loulé Learn about, understand and practise the fundamental stages of shaping clay on the pottery wheel, developing practical skills in ceramics. Email: ricardocmlopes@gmail.com Fee: Level I: €180 Level III: €200

FROM MARKET TO KITCHEN with Ana Figueiras Date: 28 November 15h00–17h00 Casa da Cultura de Loulé Prepare orange filhós, a traditional Portuguese fried pastry, and sweet potato pastries, under the guidance of a gastronome, celebrating the flavours and culinary heritage of the local area. Email: mercadoeuetu@gmail.com Fee: €40 CERAMIC PAINTING with Teresa’s Pottery Date: 28 November 15h00–18h00 Teresa’s Pottery Shop, Loulé Explore colours and patterns to personalise ceramic pieces. The activity combines artistic experimentation with hands-on work. Email: andreiacustodio92@hotmail.com Fee: €40

Kit and Caboodle workshops 289 394 257, Almancil 282 241 594, Alcantarilha kandc.pt

ALCANTARILHA 7 and 21 November Make a drum lampshade

FROM MILKING TO CHEESE MAKING Giões, Alcoutim convite.qrer.pt 14 November, 14h30–18h30 Milking a goat, turning the milk and thistle flowers into cheese, and rounding off the afternoon at the table with a mountain-style snack – how’s that for something different? Visit the website for details. €25pp

28 November DIY woodwork

ALMANCIL 12 November Make a drum lampshade 13 November Ceramic Christmas ornament painting 20 November Christmas macrame

Figs on the Funcho

Lighthouse art classes

912 595 539 hello@figsonthefuncho.com figsonthefuncho.com Contact Cheryl for details

910 410 268 info@lighthouse-artcourses.com lighthouse-artcourses.com

ALGARVE IN WATERCOLOUR 3-day painting adventure, Sea & Boats – Olhão and Ilha da Armona 27 November, 15h00–18h00 28 November, 10h00–18h00 29 November, 10h00–13h00 A combination of pleinair sketching and studio painting, based at Pinta Roxa, including a half-day ferry trip to the island of Armona to capture its colours, shapes and atmosphere.

VEGETARIAN COOKING HOLIDAY 13–17 November

VEGETARIAN COOKING WORKSHOPS 14 November, 18h00–21h00 16 November, 11h00–15h00

PORTIMÃO DRAWING CLUB Galeria Meinke Flesseman Portimão 917 937 564 instagram.com/meinkeflesseman/ 18 November, 19h00. A community of life drawing lovers who meet regularly to draw and share a good time. €6 to join the fun.

IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE EMAIL susi@rogol-goodkind.com

MUSIC

Teias Arte Local Rua António Crisógno dos Santos, Lagos teiaslagos.pt

República 14, Olhão republica14.pt Tickets: republica14.bol.pt. Visit the website to see other activities 7 November, 19h00 and 21h30 POWER OF THREE

14 November, 19h00 and 21h30 FERNANDO DALCIN

28 November, 19h00 and 21h30 FRANCISCO SALES

7 November, 14h00–17h30 WET FELTING €40pp Email: theblackbinderclip@ gmail.com 13 November, 15h00–17h30 MINERAL RESIN with Vaïnylle Mahé

€40pp Email: ildavicente@gmail.com 20 November, 14h00–16h30 CREATIVE WATERCOLOUR with Jaurné van der Westhuizen €35pp Email: Jaurné@icloud.com 21 November, 14h00–17h00 CERAMIC NATIVITY SCENE with Zé Pedro Brito €40pp Email: zepecas@hotmail.com 24 November, 14h00–18h00 BRACELET MAKING WITH TIN THREAD AND LEATHER with Yvonne Lundkvist €40pp Email: yvonnelundkvist@ hotmail.com 27 November, 14h00–17h00 PALM WEAVING with Ana Carla Cabrita €40pp Email: Info@walkinsagres. com 28 November, 15h00–18h0 PINTURA DE AZULEJOS with Marisa Murtinha €40pp Email: marisamurtinhaart@ gmail.com

Amigos de Música Os Agostos Santa Bárbara amigosdemusica.org To reserve, email reservasconcertos@gmail.com 10 and 12 November Doors open at 18h30. Concerts start at 19h00. Juho Pohjonen, the highly acclaimed Finnish pianist, frequently includes works his repertoire by acclaimed Finnish composers such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius, reflecting his deep affinity for Scandinavian music. Wine, fruit juices and canapés will be available before the concert and during the interval. Entry donation is €35, payable in advance via the website.

Orquestra do Algarve 289 860 890, info@orquestradoalgarve.com orquestradoalgarve.com 103

Galeria Meinke Flesseman Portimão 917 937 564 instagram.com/ meinkeflesseman/ 28 November, 17h30 Danielle Riegel presents her new album Einaudi on Harp — Oltremare (Beyond the Sea) in an intimate concert in the Art Gallery. €25pp

14 November, 14h00–17h30 CERAMIC CHRISTMAS DECOR with Ilda Vicente

MELCHIOR SESSIONS

ALGARVE P L U S

€40pp Email: vainylle.m@gmail.com

DE GUADALUPE A PARIS 8 November, 17h00 Cineteatro, São Brás de Alportel In the history of music there is a figure known as the ‘Black Mozart’, who was not only a successful composer and virtuoso violinist, but also a formidable swordsman. The history of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is the theme of this concert, conducted and hosted by Maestro Tiago Moreira da Silva and Rui Baeta. HABITAR UM MUNDO PERFEITO 13 November, 19h30 Hotel AP Eva Senses, Faro This concert, conducted by Tiago Moreira da Silva, brings together 20th-century music (Prokofiev and Roussel) with one of Mozart’s mature symphonies, Symphony No. 30 in D major.

BELEZA E SENSIBILIDADE 19 November, 19h00 Teatro Mascarenhas Gregório, Silves 20 November, 19h00 Igreja Matriz (Mexilhoeira Grande) 21 November, 19h00 Igreja Matriz (Fuseta) In this chamber music concert, the flute takes a central role. With works by Mozart, Sardelli and Pierre Wailly, the concert moves through charming sonorities, from the elegant humour of the Quartet in A major, K.298, to the cantabile expressiveness of the Quartet in D major, K.285. Wailly’s serenade and the spirited Rondò Napoleónico complete the programme.

Amigos do Museu Museu do Traje, São Brás, 966 329 073 admin@amigosdomuseu.com

DOCUMENTARY FILM Birds of War by Janay Boulos and Abd Alkada Habak 6 November, 14h30 18h00 English subtitles €4 / €2 (Amigos)

ALGARVE P L U S

DOCUMENTARY FILM Rehearsal for a Revolution, by Pegah Ahangarani 13 November, 18h00 English subtitles €4 / €2 (Amigos) OPENING ART EXHIBITION Algarve Terroir 17 November, 17h00 On until 28 December Free entrance CHRISTMAS FAIR 22 November, 10h00–15h00

CONCERT Gonçalo Rosa Portuguese guitar magic 8 November, 17h00 €10 / €8 (Amigos)

OPENING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION 27 November, 19h00 On until 28 January Free entrance

HELPING HANDS QUIZ 10 November, 19h00 In English €3.50 to take part

WABI SABI PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION Free entrance

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL TALK by Dra. Mariana Nabais The Neanderthal Diet: Reconstructing Meals, Hunting Practices and Landscapes in Western Iberia 3 November, 14h30 In English Entrance €5

DON ’T

MISS

ALJEZUR SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL 282 630 600, festival-batatadoce.cm-aljezur.pt 27–29 November Recognised for its superior quality, the Aljezur sweet potato is not only a staple in local cuisine, but also a symbol of pride and tradition for the community. The festival highlights its agricultural and gastronomic importance and also promotes the region’s culture, crafts, and tourism. MOTOGP PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX Algarve International Motor Racing Circuit, Portimão autodromodoalgarve.com, 20–22 November, midday to 01h00 The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal returns to Portimão, bringing the world’s fastest riders and most advanced motorcycles to the track. A weekend of maximum intensity where every millisecond matters and every corner is fought at the limit. MONCHIQUE WALKING FESTIVAL Monchique, Alferce and Marmelete 27–29 November, 282 910 200 geral@cm-monchique.pt

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LAST WORD PLUS

And f inally S O W H E N D I D YO U L A S T S P E N D A P E N N Y ? A N D I S I T A N YO N E E L S E ’ S CO N C E R N ? A NTH O N Y M A R TI N I S B OT H B E M U S E D A N D B A F F L E D B Y T H E A D V E N T O F A P P S T H AT I N V I T E Y O U T O S H A R E I N T I M AT E D E TA I L S W I T H A W O R L D O F S T R A N G E R S , A N D B E W I L D E R E D T H AT T H E Y

ALGARVE P L U S

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A C T U A L LY H AV E A N A U D I E N C E . W H AT ’ S T H E R E T O G A I N , H E A S K S

HEN WE were striplings, we quite possibly spent our evenings in our bedrooms doing things we were told would make us go blind. Today’s teenagers, however, are more single-minded and up there behind closed doors, quietly developing the next must-have app. According to my tech guru, otherwise known as the 13-year-old grandson, my phone contains enough apps to run a small country. I use about nine. The rest sit there quietly, occupying its memory and waiting for their moment of glory when I urgently need to order a pizza, park in Portimão or prove to a supermarket that I deserve 30 cents off a yoghurt. For thousands of years, we somehow struggled along making decisions unaided, but thankfully those dark days are behind us. I now need only consult my phone to discover what to eat, what to wear and where to go. All I need is another app to tell me which app to consult. The trouble is that once we discover we can create and develop something, somebody decides we must need it. Somewhere, a bright young person is solving a problem nobody realised they had. Take MeowTalk, which claims to use artificial intelligence to interpret a cat’s meows across 11 general intentions or states of mind. Eleven? I would have thought “feed me”, “open the door” and “leave me alone” covered most eventualities. Then there is Poop Map. This allows you to record where you have relieved yourself and share the achievement with your followers. Its website boasts more than a million Google Play downloads. A million. People once crossed continents to discover the source of the Nile. Now they cross the landing and publish the coordinates. Imagine receiving the

notification. You reach eagerly for your phone, expecting news of a grandchild, only to discover that somebody you met once in Tavira has had a successful evacuation in the Alfama district of Lisbon. RunPee, meanwhile, suggests suitable moments during films to visit the loo, vibrates when the time approaches and provides a summary of what you missed. I wanted to ridicule this one, but frankly it sounds rather useful as I’ve reached an age when the most gripping suspense in a cinema concerns whether I will make it to the end credits. And that, annoyingly, is how they get us. We laugh at the ridiculous ones, download the useful ones and gradually find ourselves unable to leave the house without a charged battery and a working knowledge of our passwords. I must admit, I do appreciate the benefits. Maps can guide me through unfamiliar streets, translation can help me explain myself and weather apps can tell me it is raining while I am standing in a downpour. Progress does have its uses. What troubles me is the administration. Before I can do anything simple, I now have to register, invent a password, confirm my email address and prove I am human by identifying traffic lights or bicycles. I have been human for quite some time. You would think my record might count for something. Then comes the message asking whether I enjoyed the experience. No, I didn’t. All I wanted to do was park the bloody car, not enter a relationship with my phone. Still, my grandson assures me that technology will soon make everything effortless. Apparently, artificial intelligence will anticipate our needs before we sense their existence ourselves. That is wonderful, but perhaps it could start by taking notice of the fact that I would actually like to be left alone. And should anyone wish to know where and when I last went to the loo, they can do what people have done for many a century. Mind their own business.

I must now register, invent a password, confirm my email address and prove I am human by identifying traffic lights.

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