Tomorrow Algarve Magazine - May 2024

EDITIONS

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL OUR AMAZING READERS AND ADVERTISERS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

Sophie Sadler

sophie@tomorrowalgarve.com

+351 912 176 588 SALES

Tom Henshaw

tom@tomorrowalgarve.com

+351 919 918 733

Phil Harding

phil@tomorrowalgarve.com

+351 916 606 226

Dear readers of Tomorrow magazine,

We are thrilled to welcome you to our 150th issue. Your continued support and engagement have been instrumental in our journey. Thank you for being a part of our story.

This feels like quite a milestone for the magazine, which came from the very humble beginnings of a newsletter in November 2011. As we look back on our journey, we can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for how far we’ve come.

Friends of the magazine will know that it all started with our revered media mogul, Tom Henshaw. In his 81 years, he has experienced unparalleled highs and devastating lows (I am thinking here of the Henshaw ZIT chair) that have brought him to the point he is at today.

During his time working at the Algarve Resident Tom had seen that many in the Algarve needed help. He had the idea of starting a charity called Helping Hands as a way of supporting those in need. It was thanks to his son, Chad, that the magazine we now know and love came about. “Chad asked me why I hadn’t started a magazine to promote the charity. He suggested the name Tomorrow to highlight building a better tomorrow. It was always about helping the community,” says Tom. Tom’s original charity has now become the TACT charity, which raises significant amounts of money for local charities every year.

If you want to know more about the origins of Tomorrow magazine, read: tomorrowalgarve.com/tomorrow-the-true-story 5,000

Tom soon found a partner in crime with Phil Harding, who came on board with his company, Creation Media, to design the magazine. Phil and his team, including Rebeca and Sam, are an integral part of its success.

I started as a writer for the magazine, before becoming the editor. I initially found my way back to writing as a way of getting some headspace from my two young

children, but I soon realised that telling stories about the Algarve and the people who live here was my raison d’être! It is a great source of embarrassment to my children that I am always on the lookout for a story and talk to EVERYONE wherever we go! I also need to give massive credit to my merry band of writers, who are an eclectic mix of wonderful characters whose creativity and ideas never fail to delight and surprise me.

Over the last few years, we have developed the digital and social media side of the magazine, which is so important in Tomorrow’s world! We know the digital version is read all over the world by all nationalities, no doubt by people who have visited the Algarve or come every year and want to stay in touch. We now have 14,000+ average monthly website views, 55,000+ average monthly reach on social media and 16,000+ followers on social media.

The most important thing about working for Tomorrow is that it is, for us all, a passion project. It has its moments, but on the whole, we love it, and we feel we are making a difference in the community through charity and by bringing attention to the local community, culture, environmental issues and small businesses.

We could not print the magazine without all of our advertisers, and we are hugely grateful to them for their support. Most importantly, thank you to you, our readers. We hope you keep reading and enjoying the magazine for the next 150 issues.

Have a great month,

Sophie, Tom, Phil and the Tomorrow team

The Man From The Convent

Strolling through the forested hills overlooking Monchique, a longforgotten cobbled path comes into view. With the remains of what would have once been an ornate granite gateway, this is the entrance to the 16th-century Convent of Nossa Senhora do Desterro. The eerie remains of the basilica have been home to Senhor Vidaúl for almost 50 years.

With a panoramic view of the Serra de Monchique, the ruined Convent of Nossa Senhora do Desterro has been the topic of discussion and mystical happenings for centuries, but Senhor Vidaúl has kept the memory of Monchique's historic convent alive by giving tours to visitors who dare walk up the overgrown, jagged pathway.

Legend has it that the convent was founded by two sailors who vowed to build a church on the first sight of Portuguese land that they saw after being miraculously saved from a storm at sea. There may be some truth in this age-old folk tale, as the convent was founded in 1631 by Mariner Pero da Silva (1580–1639), who was once Governor of Portuguese India. The Manueline-style basilica was named after a small ivory icon of Our Lady of Exile (Nossa Senhora do Desterro), which sailors had brought back from India and gifted to the convent. The Friars of the Third Franciscan Order, who inhabited the convent until it was closed in 1834 as part of the extinction of religious orders, venerated the icon.

Like much of mainland Portugal, the convent was partly destroyed by the 1755 earthquake that engulfed the country,

causing widespread damage. Ten years after the convent was nationalised, it was sold at a public auction in 1842 and changed ownership several times before it became a sanctuary for the homeless. As early as 1911, painter João Silva reported that the convent was already partially ruined in an article in the magazine O Occidente

For the past 30 years or so, adventurous tourists have hiked up to the convent ruins to seek out what lies beyond its cracked façade, ignoring the graffiti and ‘keep out’” warning signs. Many have noted that a jovial 'caretaker' allows visitors to wander around the ruins in return for a donation. So, with curiosity, I walked up to the grand entrance to meet the man from the convent.

Out of a side door, a gentleman beckoned me over, pointing inside the convent. It was Senhor Vidaúl, a Monchique veteran who has lived in the convent for most of his life. Shaking me by the hand, Senhor Vidaúl picked up his

WORDS Luka Alexander

Aerial view of Nossa Senhora do Desterro's convent, in Monchique © Bextrel, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

crutches and walked me through his living room and out into the former cloisters, an open-air courtyard filled with planters and chickens clucking away. This was originally the lifeblood of the convent, a place where they raised livestock to put food on the table. One could make out the original archways, which were once decorated with tiled stations of the cross.

Senhor Vidaúl then pointed out the old moss-covered well, known as the Fonte dos Passarinhos, that was formerly decorated with tiles depicting birds. “There also used to be a magnolia tree here,” Senhor Vidaúl told me. “It was considered the largest of its kind in Europe; some say it was imported from India, but it died a long time ago.” The first reference to the tree was made in 1915 in the quarterly bulletin of the Associação Protetora da Árvore. The bulletin stated that “the superb Magnólia de Monchique represents the best tree of its kind that we are currently aware of”, and in 1947, it was considered an item of national public interest by the Portuguese state.

The area at the front of the covent where Senhor Vidaúl lives used to be an atrium for feeding the poor and needy. Today, it serves a similar purpose: sheltering a man who was born in need but has found solace within this mystical building, which has brought joy to many throughout its long and turbulent history. Asking Senhor Vidaúl how he came to the convent, he explained that his family has always faced hardships and simply needed a place to stay. “My father paid the owners and I've been here ever since,” he said as he threw corn on the ground for his chickens.

It was almost 50 years ago when Senhor Vidaúl's parents, Solange and Fernando, left their previous dwelling in Monchique after working on the land of a wealthy family. In the hope of a better life, they heard that the ruined convent was used as a shelter for the homeless, and so, with just a couple of bags, the couple and their three children, Vidaúl, António and their sister, moved into a small room within the convent's remaining cells. The family cultivated the surrounding grounds, growing fruit and vegetables. Senhor Vidaúl recounts his father's words: “We may not have money, but at least we have food.” Solange and Fernando remained in the convent until they died. Senhor Vidaúl's sister moved out, leaving Senhor Vidaúl and his brother António alone in the convent long after the other inhabitants had gradually left. Eventually, António married and left the convent and moved nearby, but he regularly spends time with his brother, tending to crops in the convent's grounds and pointing tourists towards the ruin's entrance.

A close up of the coat of arms of the convent's founder, Pero da Silva, above the main entrance

One might say that if Senhor Vidaúl hadn't continued to live at the convent, this historic building might have been lost altogether. From the ruins that saved his family from destitution, it was Senhor Vidaúl who would save the centuriesold convent from destruction during the forest fires back in 2018. As fires raged across the Serra de Monchique, too close for comfort for many in the village, Senhor Vidaúl was asleep, alone in the convent, unaware of the events happening outside. Waking to see flames rampaging up the hill, he shot out of bed and collected water from a spring to drench the convent's walls. His brother António would later arrive, having run up the steep pathway with a shovel to pat down the embers that were now on the convent's doorstep. The two men, alone in the dead of night, tackled the blaze, thus saving the convent, although later false rumours spread that it had been destroyed.

Senhor Vidaúl and António take no praise for saving the historic landmark, brushing it off as one of life's challenges and seeing it as a miracle they and the convent had survived.

As we approached the former dining room, Senhor Vidaúl told me, “There's something mysterious about the convent.” Originally, the dining room would have had two lines of tables for the friars to dine at and a much larger table for the superiors beneath the backdrop of a tiled mosaic depicting Leonardo Di Vinci's Last Supper Now, there are only a few tiles remaining. “Much of the interior was moved, looted, or damaged,” Senhor Vidaúl said with a sense of sadness. Now, regrettably, only a few tiles remain, chipped, cracked, and covered with moss.

Senhor Vidaúl survives solely on donations given by tourists and food he cultivates himself. As we walked back into the courtyard, we passed a dilapidated room that now serves as a chicken coup. This was the mortuary chapel Senhor Vidaúl explained, before we made our way to the sanctuary, past small hovels which would have been the friar cells. Going through a side entrance, we were now at the heart of the sanctuary: an enormous space that would have been a sight to behold back in its heyday. Now, without its roof, one can still make out the

high altar where the icon of Nossa Senhora do Desterro would have been housed. Thankfully, the ivory icon was saved by a friar who, during a storm in 1834, hid it in his habit and later gifted it to a local woman. Eventually, the icon made its way to the parish church of Monchique, where it is displayed in one of the side chapels. The canopy and the main altarpiece are now part of the church of São Sebastião, just a stone's throw from the parish church.

To one side of the convent's sanctuary is a chapel, which, unlike most of the buildings, has fared very well considering its age. Complete with its original roof and some of its altar, one can make out numerous prayers etched on the walls, left by hundreds of tourists from years gone by. Messages of thanksgiving and prayers for the sick, dead, and dying fill the former altar as high as the hand can reach.

As Senhor Vidaúl left me to explore alone, I had time to reflect on this beautiful building that is slowly being reclaimed by nature. One could feel a presence within this grand basilica, a feeling of a spiritual kind in a strangely peaceful setting amongst the brambles and rubble. It is a place where one could spend hours just sitting peacefully, listening to nothing more than the sound of birds tweeting and the wind lightly

whispering around the crumbling walls. Just like Senhor Vidaúl said, “It's a mystical place.” The story of Senhor Vidaúl and his family is almost biblical. It reminds me of the nativity story, a family with no room at the inn, only to find a dilapidated religious dwelling to shelter. Whilst it is sad to see a place of national importance falling to the ground, one can't help but think that it has served a purpose, just as the Gospel teaches, “to give to those in need”.

Bidding farewell to the man from the convent, I thanked him for showing me around this marvellous building. I asked if he would mind if I took his photo, and he was more than pleased to pose in front of the camera under the backdrop of the cloisters. Wishing him all the best and leaving a donation, I left the convent imagining the sound of the bells chiming from their grand bell tower. In the distance, I could see a small gathering of curious tourists heading towards me, no doubt wanting to take a look inside Monchique's oldest monument where history oozes from every corner, and Senhor Vidaúl, the aptly named 'man from the convent', who makes it so intriguing.

Convento de Nossa Senhora do Desterro: Caminho do Convento, 8550 Monchique

Church of São Sebastião © Judy Hardiman

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The View of the Mayor

The offices of Mayor Hugo Pereira are sleek and modern with a fabulous view over Lagos. Far from being sat in a gilded cage, Hugo Pereira is warm, friendly and very keen to communicate his ideas, problems and passions.

WORDS Sophie Sadler TRANSLATION Vanessa Gonçalves

When I arrive at the Câmara Municipal de Lagos to interview the president of the municipal government, I reflect on the modern, minimalist interiors of the town’s sleek new town hall and how they represent the evolution of this ancient city into a modern cosmopolitan centre. As I ascend in the lift with the câmara’s communications assistant and Tom Henshaw (who is almost as ancient as the city!), I am slightly apprehensive about meeting Sr Hugo. I am not at all sure what to expect.

Hugo Pereira’s dedication to the city’s development is palpable. His imposing yet friendly demeanour, coupled with his youthfulness at just 48, instils a sense of reassurance about the future of Lagos. As we gather around a long wooden table, I can’t help but feel the weight of the many debates this table has witnessed.

Hugo’s commitment to sustainability is a beacon of hope for Lagos. As he navigates the challenges of mediating between different interest groups and balancing growth with environmental awareness, his dedication shines through. My first question is what his day-to-day role entails, and his response underscores his unwavering commitment to a sustainable future for Lagos.

“Many problems happen every day, but that is the challenge of this role of mayor of the municipality of Lagos: planning and trying to find many solutions on a daily basis. It is a very busy day. Most of the time, most of the things are done and solved, but often I come away with a feeling that things didn’t go so well, because it is not possible to solve all the

problems at the same time. I always have the feeling that there are still things to be done.”

When the PS (socialist party) won the last election in 2019, the sitting mayor, Dr Joaquina Matos, resigned to take up a post in Lisbon. Hugo was elevated to president after serving as vice president. His background in finance – he was the chief financial officer for the hospitals of Lagos and Portimão while teaching for the Department of Health graduate studies at the University of Algarve – undoubtedly gave him a good preparation for being a civil servant. The next elections will be in September/October 2025, but no decision has yet been made about his candidacy.

One aspect that becomes evident in our conversation is Hugo’s deep-rooted love for Lagos. Despite being born in Lisbon, his upbringing and most of his life have been in the city he fondly describes as a "magical place to grow up", acknowledging that life’s challenges may make it complex for some, but, overall, Lagos is a "very happy place to live".

Having received many letters and concerns from our readers, I was keen to get as many of these answered as possible. The first was the confusion caused by the government’s Mais Habitaçao policy and the issuing or rather the not issuing of new AL licences.

“We were against the law regarding Mais Habitação,” he tells me. “It has prohibited new licences for apartments, but new permits for villas or houses are still possible. The municipality will be responsible for the new licences and renewal dates. We are currently drawing up a document, Carta Municipal de Habitação, defining the rules for AL licences in Lagos. We plan to determine areas where AL will not be able to exist and areas where AL will be able to exist. With this document, we will be able to identify where we need to build houses for residents where AL will not be possible (resident zones). But, tourist areas like Praia da Luz, Porta do Mós and Meia Praia will be eligible for AL licences.”

Another prevailing issue in Lagos and the whole of the Algarve is the lack of affordable housing, which affects local businesses and the social structure of the town. Tomorrow magazine interviewed Hugo back in 2019 when he first took office and he stated then that affordable housing was one of his primary objectives. So, I ask him if he feels he has made any progress. His response indicates that this is still his number-one priority and an issue he is passionate about. “We have been building since 2019, but we have noticed the discrepancy of demand versus supply. More than 1,000 households are registered for affordable housing, but only 250 are available. In 2019, we launched a local housing strategy in agreement with IHRU (Instituto de habitação e Reabilitação Urbana). The aim is to build 26,000 homes in Portugal between 2019 and 2026. In Lagos, we aim to build 250 to 300 apartments and houses.”

The mayor lists impressive progress in the bid to create affordable homes for the local population. Nine apartments in Bensafrim and eight new houses in Sargaçal are currently being allocated to low-income families. Near the câmara building, 12 apartments will be completed by the middle of this year.

But there is still a long way to go. The aim is to develop apartments for an asking price of between €180–€200,000 to ensure that those with an average income can buy a home. In front of Intermarché, 100 T1, T2 and T3 apartments and a modality of co-housing (eight apartments) are planned. It is hoped that at the beginning of June, they will open a public tender for construction. Also in planning is a new project in Bensafrim, and eight apartments on Travessa do Cemitério in Lagos are currently open for tender. The Câmara is also negotiating in Almádena to acquire land with the capacity for 20 selfconstruction houses. Only low-income residents can compete.

The Câmara has also acquired the old Electrolagos, near the Mercado de Santo Amaro and has created a project for 54 apartments. “In total, around 250 apartments are being planned; we are talking around 40 million in budget with community funds from the PRD,” Hugo informs me. Not happy to stop there, they are currently negotiating with a bank on purchasing land for 600 new houses and apartments, and are hoping to seal the deal imminently. Currently, all necessary formalities and procedures for this acquisition are being followed. And they are

being innovative with their proposals. “We want to try several modalities. One of the options is to sell the lots on the open market with the proviso that the builders build some apartments at an affordable price.” Dreaming big, they are also looking into a large plot of land with a capacity for 1,000 apartments and resident´s services. One challenge facing them is the shortage of labour in the construction industry, which makes finding contractors difficult. However, this is an issue Hugo is passionate about. If re-elected, he cites building affordable housing as his number one goal and the legacy he aspired to.

I ask if the lack of affordable accommodation is likely to affect new hotels in the marina area when it comes to finding staff. “At the moment, we have seven or eight hotels designed for lakes, high-quality hotels with many jobs. We are asking hotels to guarantee ecological sustainability and housing for staff. The hotel must accommodate 200 or 300 rooms with 50 or 60 rooms for staff.”

Tourism presents many balls for Sr Pereira to juggle. “We have to work hard for tourism 365 days a year. We look at projects aimed at adapting to climate change to protect and preserve the coast.” He is jubilant that, the previous week, Lagos was ranked third as the most sustainable destination in terms of tourism by the 2024 Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards at the ITB convention in Berlin (the world´s leading travel fair show).

Another of Sr Pereira’s objectives from 2019 was to build boardwalks to encourage off-season visitors to enjoy walking the coastline while restricting erosion from uninhibited access to the cliffs. Thus, he is to be congratulated for his efforts in creating the new boardwalks along Meia Praia and Ponte Piedade. But he is not going to stop there, “We need to consider the Algarve Tourism Region as a whole as well as our city and I think we have done this. We want to connect our entire coast for safety and sustainability, and to improve conditions for users, such as with Meia Praia and Ponta da Piedade. We are currently working on a project to enhance the area around the oyster farms at Vale da Lama and to link the Alvor walkway to the Meia Praia walkway.

There is also a project to create a boardwalk from António’s restaurant in Porto do Mós, which will allow people to explore the coastal

landmarks leading up to the Talefe monument then continue to Praia da Luz. To do this, they will need to acquire private land, which is currently preventing the links between different boardwalks. “We are studying the entire waterfront, hoping to connect Burgau to Vila do Bispo with a path along the coast.”

An objective for the whole of Algarve Tourism in the past ten years has been to move away from the ‘bucket and spade’ era of tourism to offer a cultural and activity-led agenda throughout the whole year. As I receive Lagos câmara’s many press releases on year-round activities, I can see how committed they are to this. “We continue to invest in large cultural projects throughout the year. We created the Doctor José Formosinho Museum and we are building the Archeology Museum. We have a project to requalify the Ponta da Bandeira Fort.”

Lagos also has an approved project to re-develop the entire city wall and provide access to the bastions. It would take around six million euros to complete. “We just need funding from the state or the European Union,” Hugo tells me enthusiastically. “We have two options, one next to the walled address known as the Green Ring, and we still need to do the third phase which is on the other side of the road, to integrate the Júdice Cabral Park with the Green Ring. We held contests for architectural studios to create a leisure and recreation area and a protection area for the wall. This would create a large urban park to delimit the wall on the outside and be a leisure site. Unfortunately, this competition did not go well, and we are now left to open a new contest for ideas from specialised companies.”

I tell Sr Pereira that many Lagos residents regret the absence of a park or leisure area in the city. He agrees. “We have an option which has already been the subject of a prior study and advanced project to create a park in the space where the fair/market is held, next to the stadium. We are designing the relocation of the market to another location to create an open-air space with a walkway along the entire Ribeira de Bensafrim that will connect to the Avenida. The idea was to be a large multigenerational health and well-being park, skate park, bicycle track, mini basketball and football pitches, exercise machines, playground and a WC area. The project is almost ready to move forward. Near the PSP,

there is also a large green space that will be allocated to the municipality. We are also trying to revitalise the national forest in Barão de São João to create an interpretive centre for the forest while improving the sports area, Merendas Parque Infantil.”

One of the issues raised in our interview in 2019 was the problem of too many boats in the vicinity of Ponta da Piedade, causing pollution and disruption to sealife. The mayor regrets that since 2019, little progress has been made in this dispute. “We wanted to do more, but at the moment there are no boat licenses. A person buys a boat, just signs up on the Turismo de Portugal platform and it starts operating the next day. I am hoping that the accident in Benagil will prompt change. The port master, along with a working group, created a set of rules for the Benagil cave, for motor boats and access by other routes, paddle or kayak, to see if it starts to limit access to this sensitive environmental area. The model tested in Benagil could then be adapted to coastlines with greater pressure, such as the coast of Lagos.”

The water shortage is another issue caused by an increase in tourism, which troubles the mayor. “The water problem is severe and something the entire Algarve faces. Our area is fed by the Bravura dam and is the worst. This year, if we all made an effort (in agriculture, human consumption and companies) to reduce consumption by 15%, we won’t have a problem until the end of the year. With this year’s rains and the measures that will be taken, such as desalinisation, we hope that by 2025, the problem will begin to be resolved. Over the past two years, we have substantially reduced water consumption and water losses.”

I ask him for his view on the avocado plantations which many blame for the water shortages. He replies, “The two avocado productions do not help because they are on top of an aquifer in Almádena. The new legislation is now stricter in relation to water use, with boreholes limiting the

amount of water that can be drawn and a meter controlling the amount of water consumed.”

Another reader had written to me concerned about what was happening with the diseased palm trees along the main Avenida do Descobrimentos which is harming the vista of the waterfront. “We have always had to be extremely careful with the palm trees, treating them with the best products that are available but, of course, not all private owners did the same This plague spreads extremely quickly, and the beetle bug became resistant to the chemicals, so they are no longer working.” The municipality has been forced to cut down the diseased specimens, but the president told me that they will be replaced with a resistant palm tree or another type of tree.

He adds that the Avenida as a whole needs some rethinking: “We are studying the avenue and seeing what we can do to limit traffic, create more pedestrian areas, and provide commercial spaces for selling boat tickets and street sales, as well as more parking and mobility infrastructures.”

In light of the charity work carried out by the Tomorrow charity TACT, I ask him how the câmara helps the underprivileged in the municipality. “We have a large social support network. We provide housing, with 400 public houses. We supported the most needy families during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, we provided around 6,000 food baskets. We guarantee homeless people seven days a week a hot meal a day. We support the school community, and kids do not pay or half pay for school meals, depending on the family’s economic difficulties. The same applies to sports practice. We also give school scholarships and this year, we awarded half a million in scholarship support for higher education. We have provided support for medical and hospital issues. Also, reduced tariffs for large families or those with difficult financial conditions. We also support NECI and IPSS, Santa Casa and CASLAS.”

And finally, I bravely decide to mention the C

word! The people who whisper that the Lagos câmara is full of corrupt officials accepting wads of cash in brown envelopes under some metaphorical table in the higher echelons of power. He is happy to answer this concern. “It’s a word that I don’t accept in the chamber. If a complaint comes to me about corruption from anyone, the first thing that happens is to send it to the public prosecutor’s office. As president, I do everything for the greater good.”

And the greater good often keeps Hugo Perreira away from his son. He admits that he keenly feels he lacks time to be with him. “It’s not very easy. I try to compensate during the weekends.” So my final question is what does the president of Lagos do to unwind at the weekend? Well of course, he spends time enjoying all that the city of Lagos has to offer. The beach, nature walks, Ponta da Piedade, and Meia Praia, while he likes to spend time in the historic centre.

I am hugely grateful to the president for his generous allocation of time to answer all the concerns and questions of our readers. I also owe a debt of gratitude to Fábio Ventura from the Lagos Communications and Public Relations department for facilitating the interview and being an invaluable source of information for the magazine.

Whatever your political leanings or opinion on what is happening in Lagos, I came away from the interview feeling that Hugo is definitely a force for good in a challenging role that requires a great deal of mediation, patience, and commitment.

For the 2019 interview, please go to our website tomorrowalgarve.com/dec-2029-meet-the-mayor

A Song with Meaning

Afonso Silva, a 14-year-old prodigy from Portimão, has already made a name for himself in the music industry. His journey began with numerous competitions and a notable stint as a finalist on The Voice Kids (Portugal). Now, he’s ready to take the world by storm with his debut single, ‘Sou Eu’ (‘That’s Me’).

WORDS Felipe Castilho Trujilho

Afonso began singing at the age of six after being introduced to music through fado. He went on to experiment with different styles of music. His new single is much more than a simple audio track. It became an internet movement against bullying, with many famous Portuguese celebrities reposting and joining the cause #bateopeaobullying (stamp your foot to bullying).

The single was originally scheduled to be released on 20 October, which is worldwide Fight Against Bullying Day. However the release was delayed due to the enormous impact his movement had in Portugal. With celebrity backing, his song premiered on 20 November on SIC’s live television channel.

Afonso’s rise to prominence began at the end of 2021, when he decided to start writing and releasing his own songs. He knew that the first had to be something special, something that he identified with, so he chose the topic of bullying due to past experiences. The creative process for his first single song took two years.

‘Sou Eu’ can be described as a musical mash-up, combining violins, fado, Portuguese guitar, and tap. This diversity reflects Afonso’s vast musical background and his wish for his song to mirror his journey. The soundtrack features a mixture of fado representing his musical origins, the instrument he plays (violin), and tap dance, which Afonso practices.

Maybe the reason that the song resonates with so many is that the

lyrics have many connotations. One example is the line, ‘não sou da ação, sou do camarim’, (‘I’m not the action type, I’m from the dressing room’). From Afonso’s perspective, this line reflects that he is a shy person who fears leaving his dressing room and getting out on stage. However, this could also represent a person who prefers

songwriter Tiago Valentim for the melody and music and, after that, the work at the studio began. The whole process ended in November 2023, with a music video being recorded prior to the song’s release.

On 24 February 2024, Afonso performed his very first concert in TEMPO (Teatro Municipal de Portimão). He recalls: “I was very nervous … It was shocking, with a lot of nerves, but I think it went quite well for my first concert. I was accompanied by an amazing band and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

the arts over sports or physical activities. Afonso loves writing ambiguous lyrics where meaning changes depending on who is listening; he firmly believes that each person must interpret his songs in their own way.

After writing the lyrics, Afonso met up with the amazing singer/

In the future, Afonso envisions a vibrant musical career. He hopes to continue writing and releasing new original songs and maybe even release an album further down the line. While he cherishes his fado roots, he also looks forward to exploring different styles to attract a younger audience. His future is filled with promise and potential, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store. Watch

Frequent Flyer

Ninety-two-year-old Margaret Thompson won recognition from Portugal’s Tourist Board on her 100th visit to the Algarve. On her 115th trip, Sophie Sadler met her to reflect on her memories of the region.

I talk to Margaret from the comfort of her studio in the Luz Beach Apartments in Praia da Luz. She has just completed her 115th flight to Portugal. As she sits in an armchair overlooking the beach, the serial traveller is delighted to talk to me. She loves Tomorrow magazine, which keeps her abreast of all the local news. She has recently become a subscriber, so the magazine is posted monthly to her home village of Ovingham, in England. She then passes it around to others who often visit the Algarve.

Margaret has had a stressful year doing refurbishment work after her house, which she has lived in for 61 years, was flooded, yet she appears unfazed. It is wonderful to chat with a nonagenarian who is so upbeat, has a perfect recall of facts, and has so many insights and memories to share.

A retired primary school teacher, Margaret has always enjoyed a foreign holiday and was able to travel during

school breaks. She often drove to Italy with her husband, Peter, until they started to get tired of the 399-mile journey to Dover from Newcastle. They started shopping around for flying holidays and first visited Portugal in 1973, when they flew to Lisbon with Thomson Holidays. They subsequently discovered Vale do Lobo, which they visited repeatedly over the years.

In 1978, they were introduced to the Travel Club of Upminster. They loved this small family-run travel business due to the repeat guests who returned every year and became good friends. Margaret remembers flying into Faro Airport when the terminal was just a wooden shed.

Their first stay in Lagos was at the Ventura apartments, above Lagos’ slave museum. Margaret’s amazing recall of detail is evident when she tells me that two weeks cost just £278 at that time. However, it was not all happy holidays! It was April 1978 and Portugal was at war with Angola. The Messe Militar (military lodging) was opposite their hotel.

“An idiot tried to blow up the Messe Militar with a car bomb, which destroyed the windows of our room and opened up a crater on the road,” Margaret recalls. She and Peter were evacuated and taken to the Golfinho Hotel, which no longer exists. This strange introduction to the Algarve did not, however, put her off from returning.

After sadly being widowed in 1982, when she was just 50, Margaret realised that the Travel Club was a great opportunity to take holidays where she could socialise with fellow holidaymakers and not be on her own. She would often stay in the Hotel Galè in Armação de Pêra, now the Holiday Inn. During this time, she came to look at Praia da Luz and recalls, “It was just rocks and fishing boats. There was nothing here at all.” A group of 30 of them also took a trip to Vilamoura, which she describes as “a building site”.

It was the warmth of the Portuguese people that kept Margaret coming back: “I’ve always felt welcome here. The Portuguese people are very kind.” She also loved the climate, walking and of course, the pastel de nata!

Margaret with Ana

It was in 1993 that the Travel Club rep recommended she try the Luz Beach Apartments. Margaret was not convinced because she remembered there being nothing there, but she went to check it out and loved it. From that first trip she returned to the Luz Beach Apartments 46 times and now views it as a home from home. She loves staying in the beachfront apartments to watch the world go by. She notes, “Of course, when we first stayed here, the apartments didn’t have balconies; they were added later.” We stand on her terrace, and she points out a seagull that visits her every day.

While still teaching, she would travel in school holidays, but retirement gave her the freedom to take longer stays, often bringing friends. “I usually tell my friends to come. I love the Algarve lifestyle. Nothing is a problem. I even say that the favourite phrase of the Portuguese is: no problem.”

She chats happily about the times she enjoyed here with friends. Sadly, now she is 93, many of those friends are no longer with us, including Katelyn, who travelled with her on her historic 100th trip. She treasures a painting of Luz beach, which her friend Douglas painted while staying at the apartments. “He died of a heart attack shortly afterwards,” says Margaret, “so that was the last painting he did.”

She used to attend Luz church and have lunch with friends. Decreased mobility means that she has had to give up some of these activities, but she still loves coming back twice a year. “I like to come now to be looked after and catch up on all the gossip,” she chuckles. The receptionist, Bethany, keeps her things in storage for her and always gives her a warm welcome. The housekeeper, Ana, is a good friend and regularly pops in for a chat while the manager, Claire, books special assistance at the airport and always makes sure that a walking stick is laid on the bed when she arrives.

In 2018, Collette Kent, who was then working for Luz Beach Apartments, realised Margaret’s forthcoming trip would be her hundredth. Collette contacted the Algarve Tourism Board to see if they could recognise her as their most loyal customer. She was not disappointed.

On arrival at Faro, João Fernandes, the president of the Algarve Tourism Region, and Alberto Mota Borges, director of the Airport of Faro, welcomed her with open arms (literally) and handed her a bunch of flowers. Margaret remembers, “It was such a hoot. I had no idea. We were met by a lady who told us she would take us to pick up our baggage and then she came with us into arrivals, which I thought was not usual. But, when we were met by so many people, including the tourist minister and journalists, it was a complete surprise. It was all very well planned.”

“They are to mark your 100th trip to the Algarve,” explained João Fernandes, when he handed her the flowers.

Over the years, Margaret has made many friends in the Algarve. Luís Vicente has been driving her to and from the airport for 18 years. The Holiday Inn recently contacted Margaret to tell her they still had some of the clothes she had left there, and, now that they were being refurbished, she needed to collect them! Luís went there and delivered them to the Luz Beach Apartments.

Margaret now pops down to the seafront Luz Beach Café, below her apartment, to eat dinner daily. She often chats with Miguel and Rita, who have run the newsagents for 25 years. As manager Claire says, “She is an inspiration.”

As Margaret doesn´t use email or a smartphone, she books all of her holidays to Portugal through a local agent, Norseman Travel, which arranges everything for her, and she likes it that way. She has just completed her spring visit but will be back in September.

Margaret’s history of visiting the Algarve is also a history of tourism over the last 50 years. So much has changed – yet also so little. The same food, hospitality and landscape that Margaret fell in love with still exists and brings people here today. Just in greater numbers and using different methods of technology! But Margaret´s travel log will forever be a bit of the Algarve´s history that has brought us to where we are today.

Boa viagem Margaret. See you next time …

Photos on this page are courtesy of Portugal Resident Bruno Filipe Pires

Margaret with Colette Kent, João Fernandes, president of the Algarve Tourism Region, and Alberto Mota Borges, director of the Airport of Faro to mark her 100th trip in 2018

Spacious 3 Bedroom Apartment close to Praia da Dona Ana beach, Lagos

465,000 € | Ref.: A420

Situated in a private condominium, this apartment has a large living/dining room with sea views and spacious balcony, a fully equipped kitchen with plenty of storage and a family bathroom. The bedrooms are spacious, one with an en-suite bathroom. Double glazing windows, electric shutters, communal swimming pool, elevator and a private garage with extra storage space. Are

May the Fourth be with you

WORDS Father Rob Kean

Every ten years, data is collected from every household in the UK to provide a snapshot of various facts and figures. At the time of the 2001 census, I was working in IT for a large children’s charity. Some of you who were around at that time may recall that there was an internet campaign (of sorts) centred around what you recorded as your religion. Apparently, if enough people stated that their religion was something or other’ – then it had to be recorded as an official religion! And so, internet nerds grouped together and organised themselves (a little, anyway) to try and get people to record that they were Jedi Knights (from the Star Wars films).

Of course, being a Star Wars fan myself, and not having allegiances to any faith/religion at the time, I thought

this was a fantastic idea, and so I put down that this was my religion. Having just checked, some 390,000 people in the UK recorded their religion as Jedi Knight in the 2001 census, making it the fourth most popular answer that year for the ‘religion’ of the UK – not bad going for the group who started this campaign.

Sadly, although perhaps thankfully, the rumours were not true. A religion cannot be created purely on the basis of how many people state it, and so ‘Jedi Knight’ is not an official UK religion – yet! Just think, 4th May might well have become a religious holiday (from the Star Wars phrase “May the Force (4th) be with you”)!

The popularity and success of the Star Wars franchise and its universal

Open your Doors and Windows

Calling all photographers, both budding and professional!

appeal could be a result of us aspiring to the values and ideals it promotes. For example, Jedis dedicate their lives to helping others, and upholding peace and justice across the galaxy. They prioritise the greater good over personal desires. Jedis show empathy and kindness towards all living beings. They act with understanding and seek to help those in need.

These values aren’t unique to a galaxy far, far away. They resonate with the core values of many faiths and religions across our own world. Whether you call it The Force, God, or simply a belief in the goodness of humanity, that guiding principle towards a better world is something we can all connect with, something that we all desire.

If you’re longing for a connection to that guiding force, a path that values kindness, service, and building a brighter world, I invite you to explore the Christian faith. Our church community here in Luz welcomes all who seek a deeper understanding of God’s love and how it empowers us to live a meaningful life.

May the Force be with you!

God Bless Fr Rob

Madrugada Association is pleased to announce that it will publish a 2025 wall calendar entitled Doors and Windows of the Algarve to help raise funds and awareness in the community for its vital hospice-athome service.

Keen-eyed photographers are invited to submit their captivating images of the unique and extraordinary variety of both heritage and contemporary Algarvian doors and windows that reflect the charm and eye-catching beauty of our everyday surroundings. Twelve stunning images will feature in the publication, which is due to be on sale from mid-September.

This means entrants must get snapping now if their images are to be considered for selection by the 31 July deadline.

Each entrant can submit up to three images in landscape orientation via our dedicated competition email address: madrugada2025calendar@gmail.com

You must identify yourself clearly for each entry submitted and include your name

Services are held on Thursdays at 10.30 am and Sundays at 8am and 11.30 am

as you would like it to be credited on the calendar.

Terms and conditions for entry are available to download from the Events area of the Madrugada website: www.madrugadaportugal.com/events. To be eligible for entry, you must confirm in your email submission that you agree to the terms & conditions.

A panel of judges will select the best images from those received and the winning 12 will receive a prize for their efforts.

Proceeds from the sale of each calendar will go toward the cost of end-of-life hospiceat-home services which are provided by Madrugada Association free of charge.

The Doors and Windows of the Algarve Calendar 2025 will go on sale in September 2024 and will be available to pre-order too. (So that’s another stocking filler sorted!)

TOP 10 PORTUGUESE INVENTIONS

For centuries, Portugal has made its mark on the map, giving the world many innovative inventions other than port, Madeira wines and pastéis de nata. However, some of the nation's greatest inventions are not given as much recognition as they deserve. And so, this month, I decided to share Portugal's Top 10 famous inventions.

WORDS Luka Alexander

Portugal's early seafarers brought the country great wealth, so it should be no surprise that the first two inventions featured were important for the exploration of the world's oceans and almost certainly played a big part in Portugal's Age of the Discoveries.

1. The caravel

Or, to give it its Portuguese name, the caravela was a light, fast and very seaworthy ship, with triangular (lateen) sails which, unlike the square riggers, had the ability to sail to windward, so was very manoeuvrable. In Sagres, Prince Henry the Navigator developed the caravela and, from the early fifteenth century, they were built in the shipyards in nearby Lagos.

2. The mariner's astrolabe

3. Microphone wind ball

We've all seen our favourite TV pundit with a microphone in their hand, topped with a branded sponge wind ball. This handy invention is thanks to Portuguese engineer Jaime Filipe, who worked for Portugal's TV channel RTP.

Realising that wind caused interference with sound recording in the open air, he began to think up a way to muffle outside noise in a better way than wrapping a microphone in a handkerchief. Looking for a more robust solution, it was in 1951 that he discovered a sponge ball was the perfect device to eliminate wind noises. Soon the wind ball or bolas de vento became widespread the world over and is now one of the most important objects for national and international radio and television stations.

Not to be confused with its astronomical counterpart, which was used by the 4th-century Egyptian mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria, the mariner's astrolabe played another vital role during the Age of Discoveries. This navigation device was no doubt inspired by the more ancient instrument but simplified and made lighter so that it could be used at sea. Aligning the device with the sun or a star above the horizon and using star and planetary charts, one could pinpoint the ship’s latitude and longitude and tell the time. Portuguese navigators, knowing that the astronomical astrolabe used on land had to be held precisely vertical, removed the complex scales and stereographic projections and, using only a simple graduated scale and sighting device, they were able to use the instrument at sea. The system was an essential part of any navigator's kit from c. 1460 through to 1700 before more advanced instruments were created, such as the sextant, which was developed by John Hadley and Thomas Godfrey in 1731. In 1922, Portuguese navigator Gago Cutinho modified the sextant for aeronautical navigation.

4. The wheelchair lift

In addition to his groundbreaking microphone wind ball, Jaime Filipe went on to design the wheelchair lift, an innovative invention that would improve the world for handicapped people. Filipe's wheelchair lift, which was patented in 1981, soon became common in transport hubs, hotels, restaurants and other public places, and Jaime Filipe received numerous awards for his work.

5. Cerebral angiography

Cerebral angiography has been used all over the world to examine blood vessels closely through X-rays. This game changer in medical science is thanks to Portuguese neurologist Egas Moniz, who developed the procedure in 1927, to spot any blockages using a special dye injected into the artery through a fine catheter. Regarded as one of the founders of modern psychosurgery, Egas Moniz also developed the surgical procedure lobotomy, which won him a Nobel Prize in 1949 alongside Walter Rudolf Hess, thus making him the first Portuguese national to win the prize.

9. Vindaloo curry

6. ColorADD

Another breakthrough in the Portuguese medical profession was the creation of ColorADD. In 2008, Miguel Neiva set out to invent a language of symbols for colour-blind people to navigate colours. The native of Porto was studying at the Universidade do Minho when he developed a simple symbolic language that could be interpreted into a range of colours. What started as an academic thesis became a globally used language to help the colourblind community.

8. Multibanco

7. The pre-paid mobile phone card

The predecessor of the pre-paid mobile data package was the go-to tool for anyone wanting to keep in touch with the folks back home. In the days before the constant update of holiday snaps on Facebook and Instagram, people would actually pick up a phone and talk to each other! Can you believe it? The first European pay-as-yougo was founded in Portugal in 1995 when the Portuguese operator TMN (now MEO) released a PAYG card called MIMO that became widespread worldwide and paved the way for the modern-day data package. Thank you, MEO.

Whilst the vindaloo is a favourite amongst lovers of Indian cuisine, the famous spicy curry was indeed inspired by a dish introduced to Goa in the early 15th century by Portuguese explorers. The traditional recipe of the Catholic community of Goa takes its root from carne de vinha d'alhos (meat in wine and garlic marinade). This dish was the staple of Portuguese sailors who preserved raw ingredients in barrels of red wine and garlic, thus the name vin d'alho or vindaloo. Over time, local Goan chefs modified the recipe to suit the Goan palate, using spices that the Portuguese also introduced and thus the trusty vindaloo curry was born, being served in restaurants across India and the world.

ATMs have been in use since 1967, and the first was reportedly installed in Barclays Bank in Enfield, UK. However, Portugal upgraded the trusty ATM into a much more sophisticated machine after the first

manufacturing the now-known ukulele, paving the way for iconic players such as George Formby.

1. Cerebral angiography – Public Domain

2. ColorADD – Maximilian Dörrbecker  - Creative Commons Attribution-Share

Alike 2.5 Generic license.

3. TMN MIMO 1st Aniversary Publicity

origins?

Examples include:

embarrass from embaraçar, junk from junco and savvy from sabe

years ago an Algarve institution opened its doors for the first time ... and a dynasty was born.

The Robinson family, headed by Andy and Judy, have been providing sports facilities for generations of people – locals, expats and holidaymakers – for four decades.

The facilities, on Estrada Principal Burgau on the outskirts of the picturesque fishing village, have expanded and changed over the years. Squash was a major attraction for more than 20 years, but the courts now house a state-of-the-art studio and a hugely popular gym, which has expanded onto the first floor viewing area. Tennis is still thriving five days a week; however, two padel courts plus a singles/tuition court now provide a major attraction.

Forty years on, the business continues to thrive, with three generations of the Robinson dynasty now in residence and continuing to provide an amazing service.

A Burgau Story

As told by Andy Robinson to Kevin Hughes

When I first came to Burgau in 1979, I was 31, and I was lost. I came here on holiday and that holiday changed my life. I had been a PE teacher, loving my job and giving everything to the kids at school.

I had become disillusioned by the noncompetitive sports initiative that had infected British schools. Getting out of teaching broke my heart. My eyes saw sport choking in the vacuum brought by politicians.

With a lump in my throat and knowing I would miss the school kids, I walked the plank and started working for Adidas. Very quickly, I found out that being a salesman wasn’t for me.

Fortune found me on the day I came to Burgau when I met a man called David Miller. On holiday with my wife Judy, we met the managing director

of Beach Villas, a leading tour operator in Burgau. Out of the blue, David asked me what I was doing here and what I did for a living. I told him, “I’m doing nothing much now, but one day, I would like to build a sports centre right here in Burgau.”

He asked me, “What sort of sports centre?” Having never really thought about the details, I winged it and said “Oh squash, tennis, a pool, a bar ... you know the sort of thing.”

To my surprise, he asked me to come and talk further with him as soon as I was back in England. I walked into that meeting as an ex-teacher and walked out as a holiday rep. Judy had a job, too. He and Beach Villas gave Judy and me a new chance in life. We took that chance, and we are still here.

We arrived in Burgau with nothing more than our clothes. Leaving behind a great circle of friends, we knew that we were turning a new page. We just got on with it and began what was to be an amazing life here.

In those days Burgau only had two cobbled roads that led down to the beach. However, Burgau did boast a swimming pool and a disco called The Mad Hatters, which later came to be called Majeks. In need of an extra income, Judy and I used to sing in bars around the village. At that time, the Casa Grande was a social hub, and we would go along and quite literally sing for our supper.

In the back of my mind was a sports centre, but it was an uphill struggle to make it happen. Burgau had a communist council and I was considered a capitalist. I did have a moustache I suppose, but I also had a debt. I had borrowed £15,000 on 33% interest and that had to be paid back within six months of the centre opening. Some capitalist!

The locals called our land “the field of rocks”, and, in 1983, we would come and watch some of those rocks being blasted out. Slowly, the walls of our sports centre began to rise from the ground.

It was on May Day, 1984 that the Burgau Sports Centre opened for the first time. Outside, it shone like a big white temple and inside it was immaculate. Tina, our beloved cleaner, kept it that way every day.

Judy and I looked at each other. We had done it. But we didn’t have that much time to look at each other or the building. We were looking elsewhere and our eyes settled mostly on little Dan, our baby son, born a month before.

We tried to get permission for 20 houses. People living in those houses would have been using the sports centre now but, before it came to fruition, the environment department declared all our land to be green belt. They would not let us build anything. So, there were disappointments and, yes, I have had doubts over the years. Who doesn’t?

We have been living on a knife edge for 40 years, nearly bankrupt four or five times, and often hiding up the bungalow when someone comes looking for a bill to be paid. Burgau Sports Centre has lost my father-in-law Tom, my father Bill and my mother Barbara. All three were instrumental in getting the venture off the ground. It began as a hand-to-mouth project, and it still is.

I have never regretted coming to Burgau. It has been home to us, a place where I have proudly watched our sons Sam, Ben and Dan grow from boys into young men. Dan and Sam now have families of their own.

I would say to the future newcomers that Burgau has been my friend. I would tell them to go up and hug my friend.

In the meantime, drop by and have a coffee.

Natural Hazards Preparedness Survey

WORDS David Thomas

Your help is needed to undertake this short survey. Recently, the government presented a new phase of the campaign Portugal Chama, focusing on the prevention of rural fires. Under the slogan “Prevention Starts within You”, the initiative intends to get closer to people in order for us to be the main agents of change.

However, for improvements to take place, it is important to know the current level of risk awareness and preparedness among communities. For this reason, Safe Communities Portugal is undertaking the following survey.

As residents of Portugal, we are exposed to the risk of wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural hazards. These can have disastrous effects, causing massive losses and damage.

While practitioners, such as national authorities at all levels and non-governmental organisations and associations, are working together to minimise the impacts of these risks, any efforts to build a more resilient society are limited if the local population is unaware of and not involved in disaster risk management.

The survey was developed by Kirsten Cook, who has a background in wildfire preparedness, in order for Safe Communities Portugal to learn about your concerns, level of preparedness, and ideas for becoming more aware and prepared for natural hazards.

Please take a few minutes to fill in this survey and help us evaluate Portugal’s residents’ readiness to cope with natural hazards and reduce the impacts of such disasters.

This survey takes just a few minutes, but the impact of your responses could be significant. The overall results will be shared with the civil protection authorities and made public, potentially shaping future policies and initiatives. Thank you for your contribution.

Please ONLY complete if you own or rent a property in Portugal forms.gle/aaZQCCkL9Xf53Dgo9

Hunting and Self-Defence

The use of firearms in Portugal at the beginning of the political regime of Estado Novo

WORDS Diogo Vivas (Municipal Archive of Lagoa)

Over recent times, the implications of free access to firearms and the devastating effects of their misuse is widely reported. The debate over the rights of individuals to own a firearm versus the need to guarantee public safety is a very current debate, yet the municipal archive of Lagoa shows that achieving a balance is a century-old issue.

Following the coup of 28 May 1926, the military dictatorship in Portugal established and published a new law to amalgamate licensing conditions and legislation into one legal document and put regulations into government control. Decree No. 13470 of 21 May 1927 contained regulations regarding the import, use, and carrying of weapons and ammunition, as well as the trade and use of explosives. This decree ordered that within each municipal district, ledgers were in place to register firearms. These distinct, paged and numbered books, initiated by the Civil Governor, were used for the registration of licences for the use and carrying of weapons for personal defence or for hunting.

The books preserved in the Municipal Archive of Lagoa are not just records of the past, but unique artefacts that provide a glimpse into the

decentralisation of powers in the municipal administrations and the social history of firearms ownership in Portugal.

As well as information of a personal nature pertaining to the owners of the firearms (such as name, profession, age, marital status and address), these books also contain rare photographs and the characteristics of the licensed weapon. Photographs were not common during this period, so these records are a rare find.

From these documents, we can see photographs that date back over a century, which allow us to observe the type of weapons used for both personal defence and hunting. But more than this, in social terms, we can understand who actually owned weapons in this era.

It is another example of how municipal archives can contain unique insights into the social history of the time that may not otherwise have been recorded.

These documents are available for consultation at the Municipal Archive of Lagoa.

Record of a licence of a personal firearm from Dr. Sebastião Trindade Pinto, the municipal doctor in Lagoa

In search of Atlantis

Could the Algarve be the site of the lost city of Atlantis?

Vaughan Willmore goes in search of answers.

Few stories quite capture the imagination as that of the legendary lost city of Atlantis. Did you know that here in the Algarve, there are at least two public statues referencing Atlantis? There’s even a school of thought that believes our region may have once been the home of the legendary, long-lost city.

It was Plato (born 400 years BC), the great philosopher and mathematician, who wrote about a wealthy, sophisticated, technologically advanced civilisation. Numerous films have been made, and books have been written about their calamitous demise, which, as the story goes, culminated in the city of Atlantis sinking beneath the ocean waves 12,000 years ago. However, every interpretation ultimately relates back to Plato’s work and there’s a great deal of speculation as to whether he was really referencing a lost civilisation or it was more a creation of his imagination and a useful framework for recounting a story about the best and worst aspects of humankind.

For those who believe such a civilisation existed, the volcanic island of Santorini in Greece is often cited as the place that best matches the location described by Plato. Others believe that the Algarve of 12,000 years ago is the more likely location. It has even been suggested that Silves may have been the site of the lost city.

In Plato’s writing, he offers a number of clues as to where the city was located. For example, he refers to it as being ‘beyond the pillars of Hercules’. These pillars are widely construed as being the Strait of Gibraltar, the nearby waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Evidence that large areas of the Algarve were once submerged beneath the Atlantic Ocean, along with submerged structures near our coastline, has added fuel to the theory that the region was once the home of the long-lost civilisation.

As for the public statues, in Olhão, there is the statue of Arrual, the chief guard of the aforementioned pillars of Hercules. Legend has it that he was washed ashore here and that the gods of Atlantis became so enamoured with the region that they created a lagoon and sand barrier – now known as the Ria Formosa – to protect it from foreign forces and the forces of nature. In Faro, within walking distance of the Algarve Shopping Forum, resides another statue referencing the story of the lost civilisation.

While there is no definitive evidence supporting these claims, advocates believe that the lack of archaeological findings doesn’t necessarily negate the possibility of Atlantis existing and that technological advancements may be required to uncover submerged ruins or hidden clues.

Many others argue, however, that Plato never intended for Atlantis to be construed as a real place and that it was instead a figment of his imagination and a useful basis for a cautionary tale about the nature of humankind and what happens when people become ‘greedy, petty, and morally bankrupt’. National Geographic magazine has stated that ‘the story is almost certainly false’ whilst eminent archaeologist Charles Orser points out that if you ‘pick a spot on a map, someone has said Atlantis was there’.

Did Atlantis ever exist and was it based in the Algarve? The debate continues. In the meantime, the inscription on the aforementioned statue in Faro offers an interesting observation both on the notion of a lost civilisation and our enduring interest in the story of Atlantis. It states, ‘This is a tribute to the first great sedentary human civilisations and to our ancestors, who have always had a strong relationship with the sea along with the constant desire to create a better world.’

Map of the Atlantean Empire, from Ignatius Donelly's Atlantis the Antediluvian World, 1882 Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Santorini caldera, taken June 25, 2022 during Expedition 67 of the International Space Station NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Statue of Plato by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens © George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Shapers of Portugal King Manuel I

In this series, we investigate the historical figures who have shaped Portugal.

Manuel succeeded to the throne of Portugal in 1495, just as the Age of Discoveries was accelerating and the profits from trade were beginning to mount. But this ambitious young king spent the entirety of his 26-year reign upping the pace even more, securing Portugal its ‘Golden Age’ and, in the process, making himself the wealthiest monarch in Europe – and the most absolute ruler the country had yet seen.

Manuel consolidated his good fortune quickly, making the inspired choice to select the young Vasco da Gama to lead the attempt to round the Cape and gain access to the trade routes to India. Da Gama’s 1497–9 voyage succeeded brilliantly, presenting Manuel with two powerful opportunities at the start of his reign. Firstly, he could redirect the spice trade between Asia and Europe to Portuguesecontrolled sea routes. Secondly, by linking

up with the Christian rulers, including Prester John, whom he hoped to find in Asia, he could suppress Islamic rule. Ultimately, he believed he could push on from this advantage to recover Jerusalem and become its Christian King.

These vaulting ambitions needed financing, so Manuel pumped resources into a massive expansion of Portugal’s sea trading. With more ships and more sailings, spices poured into Lisbon, with Manuel creaming off the customs duties. Receipts from the spice trade grew 17-fold between 1490 and 1590. The principal commodity was pepper, which Manuel smartly declared to be a royal monopoly in 1520.

With abundant wealth pouring into the court, Manuel consolidated this by rapidly expanding royal power and patronage. He set about a swift reorganisation of the

Catholic church in Portugal. Without much protest from Rome, he began making clerical appointments himself, placing his own supporters in key church roles, even making his fifth son a bishop at the age of seven. He and another son both went on to become cardinals.

He had the entire legal code of Portugal rewritten and published as the Manueline Ordinances in 1512. He also took control of map and globe production, forbidding their distribution beyond state authorities.

Through the Misericordia, a charitable group founded by Lisbon burghers in 1498, Manuel took control of hospitals. By the end of his reign, 60 hospital groups run through this body were spread across Portugal’s territories.

The other steadily increasing source of wealth for Portugal was the slave trade, and Manuel also took direct control by ordering all slave landings to take place in Lisbon rather than Lagos.

As Manuel’s political control intensified, he needed to strengthen his physical presence, too. He ordered the construction of a vast new royal palace on the banks of the Tagus, which brought annual armadas of galleons, carracks, and caravels transporting commodities such as gold, ivory, and spices to Lisbon from Portuguese trading posts and colonies across Africa and Asia. Manuel could look out onto ‘India House’ responsible for the regulation of all Portuguese imperial trade, and the source of his ever-increasing wealth. The king had many other vanity projects in Lisbon, including the famous Belém Tower, a fortification which when initially built stood prominently out in the river. He was also responsible for the construction of the Jeronimos Monastery in Belem.

Manuel flaunted his authority. He decreed that no subject should be above him, so he was always placed on a raised dais at any meeting. He loved to parade through the streets of Lisbon, accompanied by exotic animals brought back from the African trade voyages. He wanted other rulers to see his power too, and sent the Pope the gift of an elephant. The Pope rather took to it, so Manuel followed that up by sending a rhino. However, it died in a shipwreck. Undaunted, Manuel had it stuffed and forwarded to Rome anyway.

While Manuel’s personal wealth and power had absurdly ostentatious aspects, his success promoted Portugal’s power. He also supported Vasco da Gama’s legendary voyages, as well as those of Pedro Alvares Cabral, who discovered and laid claim to Brazil in 1500. Likewise, he backed Afonso de Albuquerque, whose voyages led to establishment of Portuguese outposts in Cochin and Goa.

Leaning on the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas – by which papal authority granted to Portugal all discoveries east of an arbitrary meridian roughly passing the Cape Verde Islands – Manuel proclaimed himself ‘Lord of Conquest, Navigation and Trade’ across what he understood to be all of Asia and India, just so that everyone was clear who was in charge.

Master of everything – except the plague which killed him in 1521 – his relatively short and hectic reign made Portugal a power to be reckoned with in Europe.

Next month: Vasco da Gama

WORDS James Plaskitt

Portrait of John II of Portugal (1469-1521) at Museu de Marinha © Portuguese School, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The King's Mistress

The Mystery Woman Who Founded a Dynasty

Among the many Portuguese historical figures whose names you might recognise, one name that is probably not familiar to you is Teresa Lourenço. She was not a queen or princess, yet she was the grandmother of Henry the Navigator and founded a great dynasty of Portuguese and European royalty.

WORDS Sophie Sadler

A story you may be more familiar with is the tragic tale of Peter and Inês. This tale of starcrossed lovers is a Portuguese Romeo and Juliet, but a lot more gorey. I became fascinated by the legend following a trip to Coimbra and wrote about it in the January 2022 edition (see link below). In short, this tale begins with Peter´s arranged marriage to Constança of Castile when he was just 19. The arranged marriage hit rocky ground when the heir to the throne fell head over heels for Constança’s lady-in-waiting, the beautiful Inês de Castro.

There followed a love story of illicit passion carried out amidst the stunning backdrop of the palace of Quinta das Lágrimas. After Queen Constança died, Pedro and Inês lived together, seemingly happily, with their children. That is until Afonso IV, enraged at his son´s impropriety and refusal to wed again, ordered Inês’ death. Our unfortunate heroine was detained at the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra and killed by decapitation in front of her small child.

Understandably, Pedro´s grief and rage knew no bounds. He inflicted a bloody revenge on her killers, rebelled against his father and had Inês posthumously crowned queen.

However, it would appear that later in life, Pedro sought companionship with another woman named Teresa. According to Fernão Lopes, a 15th-century Portuguese chronicler, she was a noblewoman called Dona Tareija Lourenço from the Kingdom of Galicia. In the eighteenth century, this claim was disputed. António Caetano de Sousa found a document in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo which established that she was a common woman from Lisbon. Her parents were Lourenço and Sancha Martins, who were merchants. The only other thing we know about this mysterious lady, who captured a king´s heart or, if we are being cynical, bed, is that she gave birth to a son called John.

Pedro entrusted the boy to Teresa’s father, to give him a good education and raise him to be a knight. In 1364, John was created Grand Master of the Order of Aviz.

King Pedro was succeeded by Ferdinand I, his second but eldest surviving son with Queen Constança. However, Ferdinand died in 1383 without a male heir. Strenuous efforts were made to secure the succession for his daughter Beatrice, who was Ferdinand’s only surviving legitimate child, with his queen consort, Leonor Teles. However, Beatrice was already queen consort to King John I of Castile.

On her father’s death, Beatrice was proclaimed queen regnant of Portugal and her mother assumed the regency in her name. There was much opposition to the regency, as it effectively meant that Portugal became an annexe of Castile. John I of Castile claimed the throne of Portugal by right of his wife, which meant that Portugal would lose its independence as a separate country. The discontent led to a popular rebellion and civil war. Ferdinand I’s illegitimate brother, John of Aviz, seized control of the regency from the dowager queen and the supporters of Beatrice and her husband. In 1385, John of Aviz was proclaimed King of Portugal, and the King of Castile was definitively defeated in the Battle of Aljubarrota. This effectively ended any prospects for Beatrice and her husband to assert their rights to the Portuguese crown.

So, the son of an unknown woman became king of Portugal. On 2 February 1387, John I married Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, in Porto. From that marriage were born several famous princes and princesses of Portugal who became known as the “illustrious generation” (Ínclita Geração). King John and Queen Philippa founded a dynasty that made historically significant contributions in their own right. Edward became the eleventh king of Portugal and was known as “the Philosopher” or “the Eloquent”. Henry the Navigator sponsored expeditions to Africa. Isabela married Philip III of Burgundy and their son was Charles the Bold. John became Constable of Portugal, Lord of Reguengos, and grandfather of two 16th-century Iberian monarchs (Manuel I of Portugal and Isabella I of Castile).

Through her son John of Aviz, Teresa is the ancestor of an impressive list of royals, yet after the birth of John, nothing further is known about Teresa. You may like to reflect on the character of a woman who has been lost in the annals of history and whose lineage founded a royal dynasty.

For the article on Peter and Inês tomorrowalgarve. com/jan-2022-eternal-love-with-a-portuguesetwist/

Portrait of King John I of Portugal. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Philippa of Lancaster (1360-1415), Queen consort of Portugal due to her marriage to King John I of Portugal. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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The Barn of History

In this series, archaeologist Ricardo Soares from the Vila do Bispo museum narrates the history of this fascinating region.

The history of the earth … the first stone

Around 540–200 million years ago, the current continents were united in a single supercontinent called Pangea. Right at the heart of that continent was the Iberian Peninsula. Today, in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, we can find rocks that document the earth’s three most important geological ages.

The oldest rocks belong to the Carbonic Period of the Palaeozoic Era. During the Triassic Period, at the beginning of the Mesozoic Era, a long period of erosion formed the mountains in Pangea. The lower land was covered by sediments of desert origins, forming reddish sandstone deposits. We can see outcrops of this red sandstone in the landscapes of Vila do Bispo, known locally as pedra farinheira (floury stone) and regionally as grés de Silves (Silves’s sandstones). In fact, we used this colour for the exterior walls of our museum.

Later, during the Jurassic Period, the continents began to drift. The Atlantic Ocean opened up, and the Iberian Peninsula took on its current configuration at the epicentre of the continent’s displacement. The rocks that we find today to the south of the region, between Telheiro beach and Burgau beach, are the geological testimonies of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

A geo-monument

Located on the west coast of Sagres, the geomonument of Ponta do Telheiro is considered to be a site of international importance, as it documents the existence of Pangea. At its base, it has sub-vertical strata of shales and greywacke (a variety of sandstone that resulted from folding) overlain by horizontal strata formed by red sandstones that continue to the other shore of the Atlantic in North America! This phenomenon is known as “angular discordance”. Between these different strata, there is a gap of 55 million

years, a geological discontinuity resulting from erosive processes.

The time of the giants

Vila do Bispo’s geological landscapes preserve abundant traces of living beings that have long been extinct. At Salema beach in Budens, we can see a trail of dinosaur footprints from around 125 million years ago. The footprints were originally produced in the sediments of a lagoon at a time when the local climate and landscape were quite different from today. In that environment, a mostly bipedal herbivorous dinosaur (iguanodontid ornithopod) moved slowly, leaving its large footprints, characterised by three short, wide toes. Over time, the mud petrified, transforming the footprints into ichnofossils, which were preserved in biocalcarenite rock.

On Mareta beach in Sagres, we can find tracks of ancient invertebrates of the Zoophycus type. These animals lived on the seabed, digging spiral tunnels to obtain food. In the same place, we found a large, whitish-coloured rock known as pedra do sal (salt rock). It is a fossilised coral reef preserved in its original location and position. The climate was warm and the waters were crystal clear, calm and shallow.

Chicxulub

Around 65 million years ago, planet Earth suffered the impact of a giant asteroid known as Chicxulub. The collision occurred in Mesoamerica (the modern-day countries of northern Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and central to southern Mexico), giving rise to the current Gulf of Mexico. A catastrophic event caused the mass extinction of several species of plants and animals, including the great dinosaurs.

Dragons and living fossils

Dragons are mythological figures imagined

from the fossils of the great dinosaurs. We can still find them on the coat of arms of the Vila do Bispo municipality! Our Mediterranean temporary ponds in the region are home to a Jurassic animal: the incredible Triops vicentinus, a resilient species of freshwater crustacean tadpole shrimp. It is endemic to Portugal and only found within the Faro District. It diverged from Triops cancriformis about 180 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic Epoch.

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Museu de Vila do Bispo - Celeiro da História museuviladobispo.pt

Bairro do, Sítio das Eiras, 8650-405 Vila do Bispo

1. Ponta do Telheiro © Ricardo Soares, 2014

2. Dinosaur footprint, Salema © Ricardo Soares, 2019

3. Ammonite ichnofossil © Ricardo Soares, 2016

4. Megalodon tooth © Ricardo Soares, 2024

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Three Little Clicks

WORDS Tom Wilson

Six Degrees of Separation

The concept of six degrees of separation originated with Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy’s 1929 story Chains, suggesting that any two people can be linked through five friends. In the 1960s, Stanley Milgram’s experiment supported this idea by demonstrating that packages sent to random individuals in the U.S. reached a person in Boston in about six steps.

Social media has fundamentally jet-propelled the notion of the six degrees of separation by its ability to connect individuals fast and on a global scale. Through its vast user base and networking capabilities, social media has made it easier than ever to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and geographic locations, effectively shortening the steps between us and not only validating the concept of the six degrees of separation but maybe making it a bit obsolete.

Most of us over 30 use Facebook, though my 14-year-old nephew tells me it’s not the thing for young people! We find ourselves idly scrolling in many moments of the day on our phones. This screen time may be a force of habit, a need, a job, a hobby to follow, or a guilty pleasure to explore, but the fact is, for many, we are stuck with our daily ritual of taking a quick peek. All those fleeting snippets of information flash into our subconscious, occasionally grabbing our attention in the real world – the click moment. Algorithms drive our feeds, doggedly pursuing

our likes and dislikes, our desires, passions and shopping habits, so in a way, what we ask for, we get – our own little echo chamber to scroll to our hearts’ content. Guilty as charged.

For all its good and bad aspects, Facebook has one redeeming feature. It’s a hotspot for charity work. Many charity pages on Facebook spread the word about important causes and raise funds for them.

Social Media and Charity

Charity pages on social media are gamechangers. They use platforms like Facebook to reach big audiences, spread the word, and gather support for all kinds of causes. They’re like virtual community centres where people come together to help out.

The best part? They’re open to everyone. They are perfect for local projects that need our attention. Overall, they help keep things transparent by showing where donations go and keeping us informed as projects unfold.

These pages aren’t just about raising money; they bring people together. They’re spaces where people share stories, swap ideas, and team up to make change happen.

So, while Facebook is a place for sharing cat videos and catching up with friends (and, on occasion, a vehicle for a litany of vitriol and

abuse), it can also be a force for good. With charity pages leading the charge, it’s changing lives one click at a time.

Algarve Charities

Most of these pages are created by individuals whose desire to help sparks an idea and voilà. There are many manifestations of these pages in the Algarve, from organisations helping in specific areas such as Madrugada, Cadela Carlota, and The Mustard Seed to pages like Algarve Families in Need and Helping Hands, started and run by individuals who work tirelessly at this ‘part-time’ charity gig. Others dedicate their personal pages almost exclusively to spreading the word on what’s needed.

I spoke to Bernadette Abbott, who inherited Algarve Families in Need. Bernadette was retired, but her charity endeavours have become almost a full-time job. She tells me that most of the requests on the page are fulfilled, and aid is distributed effectively through communication with other like-minded organisations and individuals with the same goal.

Eve Clifton also uses her personal page to promote causes that need our attention. Her original passion was animals; however, during COVID, Eve wanted to help the community in general, which led her to expand her focus further afield. Whether through organisations or individuals, social media excels in raising awareness and fundraising.

Why not do a quick web search and add three pages to your daily stream – perhaps those promoting causes you care about. Who knows, you might have exactly the item that charity is looking for and be happy to donate it.

There is an eye-opening number of events to support, too. Social media disseminates information about causes close to your heart with ease. After all, if you don’t know, how can you help?

If simply adding three pages can reduce the separation between you and another person or organisation when they’re in need, that has to be worth three little clicks.

Girl's Home Appeal

WORDS Tom Wilson

Speaking to Anabela from the Casa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição girls’ Home in Portimão about challenges the home faced, toiletries were a constant concern.

Did you know that, on average, 1.8 billion women and girls menstruate every month worldwide? The average woman uses 240 personal hygiene products each year. It’s just another item on the shopping list for the more fortunate, but some are more concerned about this monthly expense.

Period poverty is a worldwide problem that is more widespread than you would expect. Budgets are so tight in places like the Casa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição that an outlay of just €50 a month on feminine hygiene products has an impact. The girls also need either roll-on or spray deodorant; even ankle socks are a struggle to provide. They also don’t often have the recourse to buy the girls snacks to take to school, such as juice packets and store cupboard essentials, such as olive oil and butter. So maybe you could throw a few extra items into your trolley the next time you visit the supermarket and contact the home to check when you can deliver them.

In addition to the basic items, the girls’ home is looking to raise €5,000 to fix the building’s elevator, which urgently

needs maintenance. Government subsidies are always very limited and funding often falls short of covering any extraordinary expenses or improvements that must be made to keep the facilities up to date.

The elevator is old, and since the construction of the house 20 years ago, it has never had a major maintenance intervention. It is used for children with mobility issues who have difficulties accessing the various floors of the house.

The girls also need resources to help them study, and so they are looking for five desk chairs for the library to go with the five computers they bought with last year´s donations.

cnscportimao@gmail.com | sec.cnsc@gmail.com

+351 282410570

Bank account for donations: PT003506480000918233243 (Caixa Geral de Depósitos)

Charity Golf Day

WORDS Janice Galloway

We had a very successful ladies golf day at Floresta Parque Golf Club, on 8 March, despite the rain threatening to upset the day!

As it was International Ladies Day, ‘Girls Golf on the Parque’ decided to raise funds for the Algarve Oncology Association.

With the help of local businesses donating prizes, we had a very successful raffle that raised over €1,500, helped by a generous donation from Pace et Harmonium No. 96 (Lodge of Peace & Harmony).

After the Golf Day, we all enjoyed a fantastic Abba Divas night at Burgau Sports Centre, organised by Carole Meldrum and friends of Burgau Sports Centre, which raised another whopping €490

We couldn’t have done it all without the generous support of some of our sponsors: Tiago’s Restaurant in Budens, Lucky in Love, Casas do Barlavento, Sophies Golf Shop, Creative Candies, Fit to Love Life, Ells Beauty, The Spice Cottage, Santo Antonio Golf & Spa, (including past and present captains) and the Burgau Sports Centre.

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Outrageous

David Woodward is a British author who worked in the hospitality industry in the UK and Switzerland for more than 30 years. Nicknamed ‘Woody’ he has relocated to the Algarve, where he enjoys the sandy beaches, the sunny weather, and his passion for writing.

WORDS Dan Costinas

David, do you have enemies? (Your debut memoir Confessions of a Waiter received 96% 5-star reviews and only one – dubiously – lousy review.)

I would like to think I’ve been lucky enough to meet a whole host of friends from various walks of life, not to mention numerous nationalities. I hope I’ve never intentionally offended anyone, but I don’t believe everyone will agree with all my views in the book.

You set up your own award-winning B&B business in Shanklin, on the Isle of Wight, and the chosen name for the villa was Keats Cottage. Have you always been attracted to literature?

My guest house was named after John Keats, the poet who resided there 200 years ago and wrote some of his poetry. And yes, I’ve always loved books, especially those about historical places and their people.

Did you write Confessions for yourself, for the people within the industry, or for us, those positioned on the other side of the hospitality’s fence?

Firstly, I wrote it for my son Jack to show him that his Dad isn’t perfect and that life might not be easy, but with the proper application and desire, life can have many wonderful moments. I also hoped that fellow caterers would be able to relate to the stories and, more so, that all those people who have been guests might see themselves in part of my tale.

Are you working on another book?

Yes, I’m working on another book. The Stupidity of Adults is based in part on my own experiences but features two families whose lives are entwined, both going through the struggles of divorce. The story is told through the eyes of the children involved.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing or reading?

I love travelling. I also enjoy meeting new people and even find it fascinating to just people-watch. I also love the theatre and enjoy all sports, even if my fitness isn’t quite what it used to be.

Why did you decide to settle in the Algarve?

I moved to the Algarve as it’s so beautiful and, of

course, for the sun, but primarily because of the people.

You were featured in Channel 4’s Four in a Bed programme, where B&B owners throw open their doors and take turns to stay with each other as they compete to be crowned best hosts. What was that experience like?

Being on TV was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Did I enjoy it? I like to talk, so yes, I definitely did! But for me, the best part was that my fellow competitors stayed in touch and came back to visit. That said, I cringe when I see myself back on TV, and as my friends keep reminding me, I did wear “a bloody awful jumper”.

Would you recommend catering to others?’

If you truly love people, are prepared to sacrifice a great deal, and are a little crazy, the rewards and experiences will stay with you forever.

What is your message to the readers of Tomorrow magazine?

Work hard, play hard, and, most importantly, treat everyone with kindness. It certainly worked for me. I also hope that all my readers can relate to some part of my tale.

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www.davidwoodward.uk

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Confessions of a Waiter review by Dan Costinas

Is customer service often seen as an inferior job? Probably yes. People can sometimes be obnoxious, impatient, or think that you’re their slave. Dan Woodward´s debut book, Confessions of a Waiter: The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Outrageous Side of the Hotel Industry looks at the world of hospitality from an employee’s viewpoint.

The book recounts deeply personal but stressful experiences and hilarious anecdotes of living and working abroad. The direct, honest and humorous language seasons every page, making it warmly affectionate, witty, interesting, joyful and colourful.

David Woodward is much more than a server. Yes, unlike me, he is able to carry a tray without spilling the drinks, but he is also a successful businessman with proven managerial skills, a relentless fighter, a loving father and a caring son. With A-Levels in Latin, English literature and history, David Woodward is a good wordsmith, not just a ‘king of the blah de blah’ – as his good friend Pascal once described him.

The book is written in memoir form, making the audience feel fully immersed and involved in the relatable story. Thought-provoking and relevant, Confessions of a Waiter objectively deserves more attention and gets an overall 5-star rating from me.

If, after this wordy consideration, you still want to discover David Woodward’s Confessions of a Waiter by yourself, buy it on Amazon. co.uk with £2.99 (Kindle edition) or Amazon.es with €16.95 (paperback.)

A more extended version of the review is available on our website.

Photo © David Woodward

The Stone, the Sorrow

Daniel Matos is premiering his new contemporary performance piece in Faro in May. Through his latest creation, he explores the notion of our changing perceptions of our parents through the analogy of an abandoned quarry.

WORDS Sophie Sadler

Daniel Matos is an innovative choreographer and joint creator of the Lagos Pedra Dura festival, which was featured in the November issue. He is also part of a creative team that operates under the brand CAMA.

During COVID, he saw a report about the abundance of abandoned quarries in Portugal. There are around 750 open quarries that cause an environmental problem and safety issues. The journalist referred to them as “an open wound in the landscape”. This information came at the same time as an artistic desire to create a piece about his parents. So, Daniel linked the analogy of a quarry to family. “Families are like little quarries that look perfect from the outside, but we have to deal with lots of things that are never fixed,” explained Daniel.

Two years ago, Daniel was invited by Rui Horta, the director of O Espaço do Tempo in Alentejo, to take a month’s residency to work on a new piece. Starting in December, Daniel was able to work on his idea and develop a relationship between the two concepts. As he comes from a classical ballet school in Lagos, he proposed choreographing a classical composition. Daniel decided to work with music by Debussy: ‘Prélude à l’après-midi d’un Faune’. Known in English as ‘Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun’, it was inspired by a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé. Debussy’s work later provided the basis for the ballet

Afternoon of a Faun

Daniel’s work contains fantastical imagery, in which each performer is half human and half goat, contrasting with stripped-back scenography. The scenery is intended to mirror the shape of a quarry, sites of human extraction, which reflects the concept of family, where relationships undergo the processes of wear and tear, abandonment and reconstruction.

Daniel commissioned the digital composer João Galante to create an original score based on Debussy’s work. In Roman mythology, the faun was a creature that was part human and part goat, and this sparked Daniel’s realisation of how, in childhood, his perception of his parents was mythological, with him viewing them as superheroes. Only when he grew up, could he see them as human, with wills, desires and failures. His new work shows how to take our parents out of the realm of a mythological place and how to develop a new way of perceiving them.

“The work is like a bedtime story – but it is a story for my parents. They used to read stories to me a lot at bedtime, but now I tell them the story,” explains Daniel.

The piece is performed by Lia Vohlgemuth, Elia Pangaro and Joana Simões with artistic collaboration from João Catarino. João is a videographer and visual artist who has documented the whole process. After the performances, they will work together to create an audio media publication about the artistic process.

The Stone, the Sorrow may turn out to be the ‘philosopher’s stone’ in Daniel’s artistic quest to uncover hidden truths through dance.

The show premieres on 4 May at Teatro das Figuras, Faro, followed by a performance in Lagos on 25 May at Centro Cultural

Tickets:

Faro – shorturl.at/boLN9

Lagos – at Centro Cultural de Lagos

For the article on Daniel Matos and the Pedra Dura Festival go to: shorturl.at/bkR89

Loulé Criativos Artist of the Month: Bernadette Martins

A Wonderland of Dreams

I think of Loulé Criativo as the mother tree. She was first planted in 2015, and, since then, she has grown many branches, sprigs and twigs that spread out in all sorts of directions. But at the root of this grand family tree is the desire to showcase Algarvian artisans and techniques, and to safeguard them for the future.

If you are a regular reader of Tomorrow, you may remember that I’ve been writing mainly about the various criativos that innovate at the Loulé Design Lab, located at the Palácio Gama Lobo. As we’ve seen, these artistic laboratory boffins do work with traditional techniques yet tend to add their own modern twist.

But, as I said, Loulé Criativo has other branches, too. And this month I was delighted to get the opportunity to venture out into the old town and down the beautiful cobbled streets to find potter Bernadette Martins at Loulé Criativos Oficina do Barro (Clay Studio).

The potter’s wheels

Bernadette’s bicycle finds its familiar spot outside the door of this picturesque little olaria each day. I walked up to it and peered inside the workshop. ”Amidst her sculptures on a bustling work table, Bernadette paused what she was doing, setting aside her wooden clay tool and warmly welcomed me in.

We sat down for a cosy little chat and it quickly became clear that Bernadette is not only absolutely lovely but also a multi-talented artist with her fingers in lots of, well – clay! We were surrounded by just a few of her creations, from a jackrabbit mid-sprint to sunbathing mermaids sitting in jacuzzis – and lots of ‘coral-full’ pots.

Before I got carried away asking about Bernadette’s work, I thought it was best to start from the beginning and find out the experiences that shaped their creator.

From fashion to fire

Bernadette was born and lived in France until she was nine. She studied design at IADE in Lisbon and later got a job as a costume designer for French television. This exciting role took her around Portugal and France. However, after six years of glamour and constant movement, Bernadette decided to seek out a more peaceful life in the Algarve.

She enrolled in a one-year tile painting course. This ignited her passion for ceramics and the transformative potential of the kiln fired up her desire to learn more.

It was at this time that she decided to start a family. With no more time to take additional courses, Bernadette turned to the internet. Though not quite the resource it is nowadays, Bernadette was determined. And nothing beats hands-on experience. She bought her own kiln and, through trial and error, taught herself at home.

Over the years, she feels fortunate to have made a life merging her two passions of illustration and sculpture –passing on her skills to those interested in learning.

And she’s still constantly experimenting herself! One of her favourite techniques is the Japanese raku, which

WORDS Jake Cleaver

most notably involves firing at high temperatures and then placing the pieces in a container with combustible materials like eucalyptus leaves, pine needles, or newspaper. The result? Very unpredictable, but it often leads to incredible one-of-a-kind pieces, which Bernadette finds very exciting.

From seed to sky

Bernadette is eternally inspired by nature’s wonders. Anything from humble bean sprouts to humongous bulbs can serve as the catalyst for the most remarkable works of art.

She works with various kinds of stoneware and often uses delicate porcelain as the perfect material to represent new life sprouting from a seed and reaching for the sky. There are also her pendant lights adorned with porcelain seeds – they work a little like wind chimes, creating a soothing melody as they lightly brush past each other.

Some of her most beloved creations – those she wished she had more time to create – are her collection of animals, such as elephants, curious otters, racing greyhounds, and that speedy rabbit. It makes me think of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland, and I like to believe this rabbit is “late for a very important date” and is leading the way underground to a magical queendom from which the rest of Bernadette’s work could be based. The only difference – this wonderland

Enchantment under the sea

It’s clear Bernadette harbours a great love of the ocean. Besides her mesmerising mermaids and massive muscle lamps, looking around the workshop, everything seemed to be covered in coral. From pots to vases and even cake plates, they look as if they were left behind at sea after a tea party, and the colourful coral and other sea organisms have moved in and made themselves very at home, leaving Bernadette’s creations covered in a subtle delicacy of shapes and textures.

Bernadette regularly receives commissions to create tile works for private houses as well as street names for Loulé council. However, last year she was truly tested when she was asked to create what you could call an ocean-size mural for a seafood restaurant called the Cervejaria Ribadouro in Mar Shopping.

workshop to their careful transport and reassembly at the restaurant. It must have been like a giant puzzle, finally being assembled on the wall, transforming the restaurant’s blank canvas into an impressive aquatic spectacle brimming with vibrant depictions of lobsters, prawns, mussels, and barnacles.

Sublime fragility

In 2019, Bernadette embarked on an apprenticeship under the guidance of master contemporary jeweller Filomeno Pereira de Sousa.

Throughout her ceramic work, porcelain has always been close to her heart, but her recent move into the world of jewellery has allowed her to learn about other materials and techniques. Working with anything from brass, silver and copper to titanium, Bernadette has truly let her imagination run wild – and the results are stunning.

Bernadette chose to call this new project Frágil. She’s aware that the word ‘fragile’ is not described favourably in the dictionary, as it is often associated with weakness or vulnerability. But to Bernadette, Frágil represents something beautiful, delicate, and unique.

Her work is certainly all those things. And Bernadette hopes you enjoy her pieces as much as she enjoys making them.

This job took her months to complete, from painting and firing every single tile at the 

To sign up to her tile painting workshops, please visit www.loulecriativo.pt and follow Bernadette on Instagram at both bernadette.martins.ceramic and fragil_jewellery or visit her website at www.bernadettemartins.com.

REOPENED UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Nestled along the sun-kissed shores, our beach bar offers a coastal experience with refreshing cocktails, delicious bites infused with local flavors, and breathtaking ocean views.

Contemporary Circus Festival

The EmRaizArt International Contemporary Circus Festival will once again transform the forest into a living stage in this diverse and culturally rich event. Circus artists from Brazil, Portugal and Chile will bring dazzling performances to life, respecting and honouring the environment surrounding them.

 Open to the general public on 11 and 12 May, from 2 pm to 7 pm

 Cotifo, Quinta Velha, Lagos

Tickets: shorturl.at/hmrA5

Carnival Time

Alvor’s cherished carnival is now in its ninth year. There is a warm-up party and costume show from 2 pm before the procession moves onto the main street. The organisers are also looking for people who want to participate in the carnival, such as dance schools, bands and other performers.

There is an after-party at R. Dr. Frederico Ramos Mendes which carries on until 1 am.

 25 May 2 pm

 Harbour, Alvor Yacht Club

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What's on

For more events and activities check our online calendar:

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com/calendar

Loose Ends

Don’t be alone just because you live alone. The format really works well and everyone seems to make further plans for other meet-ups as they all get to know each other better through the regular dinner nights out.

The next event is a fish, chips and mushy peas supper:

 7 May

 Bar Silva, Estr. da Albardeira Lagos

 Tom on + 351 919 918 733 or tom@tomorrowalgarve.com

Come to the Streets and Shout

LAC (Laboratory of Creative Activities) presents a celebration of freedom and democracy, capturing crucial moments since the iconic Carnation Revolution of 25 April, 1974. This exhibition displays carefully selected videos, posters, and graffiti by the Ephemera Archive, authentic testimonies of the dictatorship, as well as of the Revolution and democratic consolidation. Visitors will be transported on a journey through decades of political expression, reflecting the imagination, convictions, and will of each individual who fought for freedom.

 Mon to Sat, from 10 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm until 31 May

 LAC - Largo do Convento de Nossa Sra. da Glória

 comunica.lac@gmail.com www.lac.org.pt

Charity Gala

A charity buffet and live music to raise money for the Associação Todos Por 1, which promotes and supports the well-being of the Lagos population through social, educational, cultural, recreational and sporting activities. Tickets: €50

 1 June

 Hotel Vila Galé

 Ricardo Soares +351 936 622 966

Vamos a Vila

This bright and colourful event brings the whole community of Monchique together with food and drinks, artisans and plenty of entertainment and activities, including a children´s village.

 31 May - 2 June

 Monchique

 www.cm-monchique.pt

Art Exhibition

NIDADE is an exhibition of Moroccan paintings by Kasia Wrona inspired by different religious and linguistic cultures.

 Until 31 May, 10 am–4.30 pm Mon–Fri

 Espaço, Rua Da Escola, Igreja Nova, Aljezur

 espaco@cm-aljezur.pt

Jazz Nights

Concerts and jam sessions from the Lagos Light Orchestra.

 4, 18 May and 1, 22 June at 9 pm

 Clube Artístico Lacobrigense

 +351 282 096 510 artistas.lagos@gmail.com

Charity Spring Concert

A musical extravaganza to raise money for families in need. The Swedish choir Cantus Nortada will sing an amazing array of uplifting English songs. There will also be local blues/rock performer Jo Braswell, and Dietmar Goetz, with a famous opera singer based in Luz. Liz Ryan will also take to the stage with other musicians for some jazz standards.

Admission: €10 including a raffle ticket with great prizes. (You can buy on the door or through the website.)

 29 May, 5 pm

 Peking Chinese Restaurant in Dunas, Meia Praia

 fienta.com/familiesinneed

Sounds of Twilight

A classical violin, cello and piano trio made up of musicians Nuno Meira, Américo Martins and Isolda Crespi. Two chamber music masterpieces will be performed: a Trio by L. V. Beethoven and a Trio by F. Mendelssohn.

Tickets through Lagos Cultural Centre or BOL.pt

 3 May, 7 pm

 Lagos Cultural Centre – Duval Pestana Auditorium

white & blue

Oooh, don’t you love the simple beauty of white-washed walls against an inky blue sky, with white linen curtains fluttering against salty blue shutters? Blue and white interiors make you feel like you’re on holiday all year round. Hold on a minute, you live in the Algarve … you are on holiday all year round!

A timeless combination synonymous with coastal style, blue and white is a great colour scheme for a calm and restful home. It's so fresh, so clean, so serene. It’s the perfect way to welcome in the hotter months and ensure you stay cool, calm and collected.

The colour blue holds deep spiritual meaning in faiths and cultures all over the world. Blue has always been associated with the sky and, therefore, heaven and the gods. Of course, blue is also the colour of the oceans, which many people feel spiritually connected to. From ancient times to the present day, blue has been used in religious rituals and sacred spaces to evoke a sense of awe and connection to the divine.

Mediterranean blue paired with crisp white is one of my favourite colour combinations. Together they make a space feel really cool and calm. It’s cool you’re looking for, not cold, so add some wood and natural textures to give it some warmth. A touch of terracotta and honey will soften a sleek blue and white interior and create a welcoming vibe. All you need is a few soft furnishings in sunbleached earthy colours and you’ve got the perfect beach house.

Portugal is full of white-washed buildings and blue skies. I’m an artist and I’m constantly inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape in the Algarve. But the old buildings get me reaching for a paintbrush too. When I’m driving around, I always find myself stopping and getting out of the car to take pictures of houses. My girls roll their eyes and say, “It’s only a white house, Mum.” That is very true, but I love a curving wall, a decorative chimney, a sloping terracotta roof, and the way the sun creates its own art with patterns and shadows. I want to capture it all. I have a friend in London who makes quite a bit of money selling prints of brutal architecture in the City. They don’t really appeal to me – too many hard lines. Give me a roughly rendered white farmhouse, a blue door and a sprig of bougainvillea and I’d buy it poster-size.

I’ve got a photo of a white chapel against a blue sky taken by Anastasia Lozinskaya in Sines (pictured), and every time I come home, it gives me a lift. I’d like to have a set of three, so I better get out there and find two more buildings to complement it.

WORDS Flora Kouta

Argentinean meat, wet aged, grass fed and freshly cut on the moment of your order

Open Monday to Saturday 18h to 23h

How many blue foods can you name? Okay, blueberries, but they’re not really blue. Naturally blue food is very rare, but we love serving food on blue and white crockery. Oranges, lemons and figs look great in bright blue and white bowls. The Portuguese are experts in handpainted pottery and blue and white designs are among their top sellers.

The hand-painted dinner set pictured is from Porches Pottery, located in a traditional farmhouse just outside the tiny village of Porches. A team of artisans work full-time making, glazing and painting pottery. Using the ancient majolica technique, they paint everything by hand without stencils, sponges or transfers. Handmade red clay pots are hand-dipped in a white glaze, then decorated by hand. Each painter’s brushwork is like a signature: you can recognise a painter by their brushwork just as easily as you could recognise them by their voice.

Another artisan specialising in blue and white homeware is Tania Cerqueira in Almancil. Her ocean-inspired serving trays and charcuterie boards are made using hand-poured resin. Like the sea itself, the resin continues to move and marble and bubble for hours after pouring, so each piece is completely unique.

There are lots of blue and white gems in the big shops, too—www.casadart.pt in Almada has some Ikat print wallpaper (pictured), which would be great for a feature wall. I love these spotty cushions from H&M Home at MAR Shopping Algarve.

From the buildings to the potteries to the ocean surf, Portugal is full of blue and white beauty. Get out there and bring a little bit of it into your home!

Blue is the number one ‘favourite colour’ worldwide. We associate it with tranquility and emotional stability. When it comes to interiors, blue has always been a popular choice. Interior designers often pick blue and white for bedrooms and bathrooms, as it has been shown to improve the quality of sleep and reduce stress. Blue is also the colour most used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive and creative when working in blue rooms.

Rugby Clube de Loulé

Finding a way to win, both on the pitch and in the local community.

WORDS Vaughan Willmore

What does it mean to be a winner? Is it the team winning a trophy at the end of a long season that is important? Or are the people working behind the team the ones who make a difference? The hardworking team at Rugby Clube de Loulé are well on the way to showing that sporting success and a positive impact on the community are both achievable.

Rugby Clube de Loulé is located in the city’s beautiful municipal park, which is a fitting location, given how embedded it is in the local community. With nearly 300 members of all ages and nationalities, staff from the club are active in local schools, spreading the word about a sport which has rapidly grown in popularity thanks to the national team’s success in the 2023 World Cup. In addition to a senior team, Rugby Clube de Loulé offers playing opportunities for women, veterans, teenagers and children of all ages, so there is every opportunity to get involved.

The club’s community-orientated outlook is typified by the talented João Nogueira, coach of the under-19s team. Born and bred in Loulé, João’s father was among the club’s founding members. For all these reasons and more, this is far more than just a job for João; it’s a way of life. As João said, “My passion is rugby, Rugby Clube de Loulé, and my country.”

In addition to coaching the under-19s team, João helps with the senior team’s coaching and coordinates the training schedule of all the coaches. He’s also their main contact point with the board, which João describes as “one of the best boards we’ve ever had. All are volunteers and give their body and soul to the club, as does our president, André Coelho.”

João’s work is certainly appreciated by the head coach of the senior team, Marco Mama. Marco enjoyed a 12-year professional playing career in the UK at Bristol Bears

and Worcester Warriors. He also represented Zimbabwe at international level, so he certainly understands what ‘good’ looks like. Marco was full of praise for João’s knowledge, work and attitude, which has allowed him the freedom to focus on coaching.

Marco has been in his post for a year, and his outlook mirrors that of the club. “Rugby is a unique sport,” said Marco. “You spend 80 minutes using every ounce of strength, skill and speed to get the better of your opponent while staying true to the values of honesty, integrity and respect. Our goal at Rugby Clube de Loulé is to create an enjoyable environment where individuals of all ages and backgrounds can challenge themselves and grow and prosper.”

The senior team has been in a tough league this season, comprising some of the best teams in Portugal, who can draw upon finances and resources currently beyond that of Rugby Clube de Loulé. Despite this, and a challenging start to the season, the senior team has demonstrated significant improvement, showing that they are able to compete with every team in the league and securing their place for the 2024/25 season, which starts in October.

Why not go along to the club and say hello to Marco and João? You’re guaranteed a warm welcome from one of Portugal’s most community-orientated sporting clubs.

Parque Municipal de Loulé – Anfiteatro António Aleixo 8100 Loulé

+351 289 412 436

rugbyclube.loule@sapo.pt

Lifestyle at Vila Mos, Lagos for your ideal work and life balance

Discover our unique co-working space near Port Mos Beach, blending productivity and relaxation.

Limited spaces are offered with all-inclusive services in an inspiring setting.

Immerse yourself in a tranquil setting designed to inspire creativity. Features include private desks, high-speed internet, and all necessary amenities included such as office supplies and appliances, secure storage and parking. After work, unwind with our onsite facilities which include a swimming pool, and large terrace.

We value balance in life, offering a quiet space for work and opportunities to recharge. Network and collaborate in our vibrant community.

A Hand in Victory

It is fair to say that Miriam Martins is a handball star in the making. The Lagos-based athlete talks to David Lugg about the rigours of a busy sporting life and playing for her hometown club.

WORDS David Lugg

To the uninitiated, handball is a seven-a-side team sport that, to make a crude comparison, is an approximation of football and basketball. Players attempt to score past the goalkeeper but with the use of their hands rather than feet. In a country dominated by football, handball remains a popular sport in Portugal. It is played widely throughout the country, and the participation rate is increasing.

The Algarve is no exception, with many towns and cities having their own local team. One of the region’s most high-profile sides is Clube Gil Eanes (in Lagos), a leading sporting light for girls’ and women’s handball. Eighteen-year-old Miriam Martins has worked her way up through the youth set-up and is now a regular player for the first team. I start by asking Miriam about the experience of playing for her hometown club.

“It’s spectacular for Lagos to have a team in the first division. The club and the team have worked hard to reach the division. It was a very important milestone for me, my teammates and my club.” Indeed, Clube Gil Eanes deserves enormous credit for its lofty standing in the handball hierarchy and for being a remarkable inspiration for young athletes in the region. Miriam herself has undertaken an extraordinary path to get to where she is today. As well as helping her club become national champions at the under-17 and under-20 level, she has represented Portugal for the under-17 and under-18 sides. I asked Miriam how it felt to play for her country.

“I think that for any athlete, representing their country is the cherry on the cake and it was no different for me. I can still feel the happiness I felt the first time I was called up to the national team. In my first training camp, I was competing

against two of the best teams in Europe. For me, this call-up was a recognition of my work. I knew it was going to be tough, but it was an incredible experience. Every training camp and national team match is very important, but taking part in the European Championship (in Montenegro) in 2023 was truly one of the best experiences of my handball life.”

Travelling extensively for both her country and her club can be exhausting, but Miriam sees it as an opportunity to bond with her team. “It’s undeniably tiring. All the other teams that play in the first division are from far away, which means hours of travel. But despite the fatigue, it’s these shared experiences that bring our team closer together.”

Despite her demanding handball schedule, Miriam remains steadfast in her pursuit of education and has aspirations of attending university. Her dedication to both her sport and her studies is admirable. “Between training, travelling and games, handball occupies the majority of my time. It may seem that handball and school dominate my life, but I’m genuinely content with the opportunities they provide me.”

These are exciting times for Miriam and, indeed, women’s handball in Portugal. The national side has recently qualified for this year’s European Championships for only the second time in their history. In fact, some of the players are also her teammates at Gil Eanes. “It’s great for me to be able to share the pitch with players who have represented the Portugal senior national team. They help me develop as an individual. I learn a lot from playing with them and, of course, they help the team succeed. For me personally, this achievement (qualification) shows me that, as a

Portuguese player, if I keep working hard, I can achieve successes like this.”

It seems that, with the right guidance, the sky’s the limit for Miriam Martins. She was recently awarded the best female athlete by the Algarve Handball Association and was honoured as a Revelation Athlete by the Lagos city council. It’s certainly refreshing to see young Algarve talent being recognised and there is no doubt that such publicity will help push her onto greater things. Which begs the important question of where her future lies?

Would she consider leaving the region or even Portugal if it meant furthering her career in the sport? “My short-term future is a little uncertain as there is no certainty about where I’m going to study, but it’s something I won’t leave out of my future plans. I know one thing for sure, I want to keep playing and I hope the future brings me a lot of sporting and professional success.” With this attitude to life, Miriam has every chance of success and we wish her well.

WORDS David Lugg

SPORTS ROUND UP

Netball

The growth of netball in Portugal continues to reach new heights. In April, Albufeira hosted a two-day walking tournament, while Vilamoura held a running tournament. Looking ahead, on 31 May, Netball Portugal has organised an Elite Coach and Umpire Workshop to ‘elevate the standard of coaching and umpiring’ in the Portuguese netball community. If you are interested in playing, coaching or umpiring, email info@netballportugal.com

Rugby

Portugal’s national women’s team finished a creditable third in the European Rugby Championship. Following last season’s historic promotion to tier two rugby, Portugal defeated Sweden 27-0, a victory that guaranteed survival in the championship for another season. The meteoric rise of the national team has been one of Portugal’s biggest sporting success stories of late. The side only reformed in 2021 following 26 years of inactivity but has quickly shot up the rankings following a series of impressive results. Spain successfully defended their Rugby Europe Championship title with three wins out of three.

Tennis

Portuguese star Nuno Borghes has suffered a surprise defeat in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open. The event is the biggest tennis tournament in the country and sees many of the world’s top players take part. Despite playing the more aggressive tennis, the 27 year-old lost 6-2 7-6 to Chilean Christian Garin and will now drop out of the world’s top 50. The tournament also saw home favourite João Sousa compete for the final time. The 35-year-old is widely considered to be Portugal’s finest-ever men’s player. Sousa, who reached a career-high of number 28 in the world, bowed out 7-5 6-4 to Frenchman Arthur Fils in a match of high emotion at his home event.

Motorcycling

Spanish motorcyclist Jorge Martin has won the Portuguese MotoGP at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimão. The Ducati rider took the lead at the start of the race and held off his rivals all the way to the chequered flag. The victory sees Martin take the overall lead in the championship. Portuguese star Miguel Oliveira finished the race in ninth position.

Surfing

Algarve surfer Yolanda Hopkins has become the European surfing champion for the second consecutive year. The title was confirmed at the Caparica Surf Fest near Lisbon, the final round of the European Circuit of the World Surf League. Despite losing out to compatriot Teresa Bonvalot in the final round, Hopkins had earnt enough points to renew her title. Both Bonvalot and Hopkins will represent Portugal at the 2024 Olympic Games in the summer.

Age no barrier 18 up to 78 years lady players

10 to 17 year Netball Portugal Academy

Age 6 to 9 years National Portugal Academy

Jack first male to win best player Netball Portugal

This spring, the Western Algarve can look forward to a new venture: LACO Business Hub.

Business premises that have been vacant for years are being transformed into a thriving, innovative and vibrant business ecosystem with new impetus and a lot of creativity.

At Laco Business Hub it is our mission to build a vibrant, innovative business ecosystem. Our diverse group of entrepreneurs is dedicated to transforming this industrial area into a productive network of activity, attracting everyone from shoppers to tourists with our focus on innovation and sustainability.

Our facility offers 3892 sqm of indoor and 7344 sqm of outdoor space available for lease, with areas ranging from 15 to 500 sqm and the first contracts have already been signed. Conveniently located 5 minutes from Lagos city centre and major transport routes, it's perfect for businesses seeking efficiency.

Soon, the Hub will host entrepreneurs from various sectors, each contributing to our goals of sustainability and local economy. We invite all innovators to join us in creating a future where Laco Business Hub is a symbol of progress and collective entrepreneurship.

Kayaking

The Kayak Clube Castores do Arade (KCCA) has completed a successful weekend at the National Speed Championships. The Lagoa-based club undertook the long journey to Mirandela in the northeast of the country but returned home with four national champions: Ana Bebiano, Norberto Mourão, Liudmyla Babak and Olefirenko Olersevich.

Algarve football

After a dreadful February and March where neither Algarve side tasted victory, in April Portimonense (Portimão) and Farense (Faro) both finally picked up hard-earned victories to improve their chances of remaining in the Primeira Liga. A fabulous 91st-minute winner from Brazilian defender Igor Formiga saw Portimonense scrape past the bottom side Chaves 3-2 and earn their first win in eight matches. Farense, who had not won in nine games, comfortably beat Boavista 2-0. The two Algarve rivals will play each other in the last game of the season on 19 May, in what may prove to be a season-defining match.

Rhythmic Gymnastics

The FIG World Challenge Cup will once again be held at the Portimão Arena. The event will take place from 10-12 May and will host both Rhythmic Individual and Rhythmic Group categories. Last year’s terrific competition saw Brazil take the gold medal in the Hoop category, much to the delight of the many Portimão-based Brazilians in the crowd.

RISING STAR

João Pontes

João Pontes is one of the region’s most promising young sailors. The 18-year-old has already chalked up some impressive results on the international circuit and now sails for the Clube Naval de Cascais.

Having spent his youth sailing in Faro, Pontes recently received sponsorship from the Algarve theme park Zoomarine which is investing in the region’s young athletes.

João’s long-term goal is to achieve qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but, for the time being, his immediate aim will be to reach the under-21 European Championships.

If you wish to publicise a sporting event or a ‘rising star’ contact our sports editor David Lugg: david@tomorrowalgarve.com

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A Skin Vitamin

The benefits of Vitamin C for our skin

WORDS Donna Groom

One of my favourite tipples for the skin is vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. It is a powerful antioxidant that offers numerous benefits when applied topically to the skin, usually in the form of a serum which aids better absorption into the skin. Here are some of the key advantages when using Vitamin C in your skin care routine.

Antioxidant protection: Vitamin C helps neutralise free radicals and unstable molecules that can damage skin cells and accelerate ageing. By scavenging these free radicals, vitamin C helps protect the skin from oxidative stress caused by environmental factors like pollution and UV radiation.

Collagen production: One of the most significant benefits of vitamin C is its role in

collagen production. Collagen is a protein that provides structure and elasticity to the skin. As we age, collagen production decreases (bad news), leading to wrinkles and sagging skin. Vitamin C stimulates collagen synthesis, helping to maintain skin firmness and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (good news).

Brightening effect: Vitamin C inhibits melanin production, the pigment responsible for dark spots and hyperpigmentation. By slowing down melanin production, vitamin C can help fade dark spots, brighten the complexion, and even out skin tone, resulting in a more radiant and uniform complexion. I always recommend patients who have scarring that has pigmentation surrounding the scar from irritation to use vitamin C once they

The Alternative to Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO is that sinking, pit-in-the-stomach feeling that disconnects us from others and prevents us from savouring the here and now.

WORDS Becca Williams

Sometimes, I can’t help myself – I’ll go down a rabbit hole following some juicy Facebook thread that often communicates the message, “Look at how much fun everybody is having – except you!”

In short, fear of missing out (or FOMO) describes that uneasy, anxious feeling that’s driven by a desire to feel part of something. It often leads to feelings of inadequacy due to constant social comparison and competition. It happens to the best of us.

The Black Hole of FOMO

Let’s call FOMO the puppeteer of social media – it doesn't just nudge users to devour content. It cleverly coaxes us into creating and sharing our own experiences, drawing in additional users and fueling a whirlwind of interactions. Of course, these platforms do serve to keep us connected with friends and family. But more often than not FOMO’s pull takes us far beyond this wellintentioned outreach, throwing us into a frenzied and exhausted state of mind.

have eliminated what is causing the irritation. This will gradually help to lighten the area.

Sun protection (not to be used alone!!!!): While vitamin C is not a substitute for sunscreen, it can complement sun protection measures. Studies have shown that vitamin C can help enhance the effectiveness of sunscreen in protecting the skin from UV damage. Additionally, its antioxidant properties can help mitigate some of the harmful effects of UV radiation.

Hydration and moisturise: Vitamin C helps strengthen the skin’s natural barrier function, improving its ability to retain moisture. This can result in softer, smoother, and more hydrated skin.

Reduced inflammation: Vitamin C has antiinflammatory properties that can help soothe irritated skin, reduce redness, and calm conditions like acne and rosacea.

In summary, incorporating vitamin C into your skincare routine can help protect against environmental damage, promote collagen production, brighten the skin, improve hydration, and reduce inflammation, ultimately contributing to healthier, more youthful-looking skin.

Donna Groom is a qualified medical micropigmentation specialist.

 donna.medicalbeauty@gmail.com

Welcome to the JOMO! That’s why it’s vital that we draw strong boundaries around the pull of social media.

Enter the concept of the Joy of Missing Out (JOMO), a refreshing antidote to its evil twin, FOMO. JOMO celebrates stepping away from the digital whirlwind to reconnect to the simple, immediate pleasures of life.

While most of us can’t afford to unplug completely, carving out time to do this is necessary for our personal sense of well-being. Think of JOMO as essential to our self-care, providing a much-needed pause from the relentless flood of information and notifications that can overload our brains and result in feelings of fatigue. Taking regular “digital detox” breaks to experience the JOMO has significant benefits for our mental and physical well-being.

Choosing to “miss out” provides space for selfreflection and an opportunity to understand one's true desires and needs, which promotes personal growth and self-awareness.

Becca Williams is an emotions therapist and clinician who helps people free themselves from emotional burdens, traumas, and limiting beliefs to live more fulfilling lives.

 Becca@emotionallib.com

What is Functional Medicine?

WORDS Nirali Shah-Jackson

Conventional medicine is about the signs and symptoms of disease and how they relate to organ systems. Specialities in medicine like cardiology, urology, and neurology doctors, for example, are taught a wealth of information and given tools that allow them to practice organ-based medicine and diagnosis.

Functional medicine is different as it is a systemsbased medicine. This means functional medicine practitioners address the underlying root causes and don’t just suppress symptoms. They explore what predisposes someone to getting sick, whether it is long-term use of antibiotics or a past trauma. As well as looking for ongoing reasons, they will look at triggers, for example bereavement or previous illness where people might say things like, “I’ve never been well since the death of my spouse”, or “I’ve not been well since I got ‘x’ disease.”

With conventional medicine, the doctor is the ‘expert’ and doesn’t have time to engage with the patient’s life story, or sometimes isn’t interested in understanding the ‘whole picture’ behind the symptoms. With functional medicine, patient engagement and participation is key.

Functional medicine is seen as participatory medicine, i.e. one where the therapeutic partnership between patient and practitioner is fundamental.

Functional medicine doctors and practitioners engage with patients to examine their modifiable lifestyle factors. They strive to understand how food, relationships, exercise, stress, environmental toxins and past trauma impact their patients’ health and wellness. When one area of the body gets out of balance, that impacts every single area down to the cellular level. They respect that the body is interconnected and must be treated as a whole system rather than one symptom at a time.

I am a hair tissue mineral analysis practitioner. This type of functional diagnosis detects your body’s mineral status, which gives a really thorough insight into how your body is functioning at a cellular level. If you want to explore your health from a root cause perspective, then looking at your minerals would be a good place to start.

Living Cosmetics

WORDS Sonia Carr-Steyns

What we put on our skin matters just as much as what we eat.

Recently there has been an increased interest in consumers about what we put into our bodies, from the food and drink we eat, the air we breathe and to the medication and supplements we consume.

I am a strong advocate for not putting substances on my skin that I wouldn’t eat and I promote my skin flora by using only products that my skin understands. As a child, I suffered from eczema and, at the age of 18, after a few lifestyle changes, I decided to look for more natural beauty care products. Unable to find something that was not only organic, pure, without fragrance, and with ingredients I could understand, I decided to make my own from only food-grade ingredients, and so my journey began producing my own homemade cosmetics.

The skin is an organ that absorbs everything that goes on it, passing it along through the bloodstream, which is your body’s motorway system. Chemicals like parabens, phthalates, synthetic colours, and fragrances are added to mainstream beauty care products. They may look and smell nice, but they are highly toxic.

Living Cosmetics

In springtime, the mountains of Monchique, where I live, become a

pharmaceutical wonder offering an abundance of wildflowers, plants, herbs and healing mushrooms. No two years are the same. Some wild plants go into remission, while others return again the following season.

There is a saying: ‘the plants that we need always grow close to us’. So it is nature which usually decides what new products I will make each season. I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a wide diversity of wild plants right on my doorstep. All my ingredients are harvested on my nineacre property or on the mountain Picota, which is more than 700 metres above sea level and receives only natural mountain rainwater.

Living cosmetics are beauty care products made from 100% foodgrade ingredients. For example, I use homemade herbal and floral vinegar, which is alkaline and restores the skin’s pH. It also exfoliates and removes dead skin cells. I also make a heather oat eczema body scrub, as heather flowers promote wound healing and have antiinflammatory properties, while oats soften all skin types.

Making your own cosmetics can feel just like cooking. Join one of my cosmetics workshops.

www.mothersfinestmonchique.com

Instagram: mothersfinestmonchique

The wonders that are our feet

WORDS Ann de Jongh

Our feet are incredibly complex structures. Each foot has 33 joints, 26 bones, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and miles of blood vessels and nerves. They are used daily, and how they connect with the ground has a massive impact on how the rest of our body moves. They are the foundation of our body, literally and figuratively!

Our feet ground us, enable us to move and balance, and affect our mobility and posture. It is not until they cause us pain or are injured that we realise how important they are to our overall health.

Our feet mostly go unnoticed in our day-to-day lives, but they really need more attention. During this month, start being more aware of how your feet move and how that affects the rest of your body.

In yoga, we focus on balance, and emphasis is placed on feeling how the feet connect with the ground. To feel balanced, I suggest imagining a triangle connecting the big toe, little toe, and heel so the weight stays even throughout this triangle. Awareness of how the foot strikes and connects with the ground can really help our balance, which is vital to avoid falling, especially as we get older.

Our feet also need some TLC to reward them for all the hard work they do for us! A great way to release some of the tension that builds up in the muscles of the foot is to roll it over a golf ball or similar. It is amazing how much freer the foot feels after doing this exercise and how it seems to move more easily. I also love barefoot shoes, as they enable the feet to move as they should, without the toes being squashed, which helps with posture.

One of my favourite quotes is, “Be where your feet are”. It’s a great reminder to stay in the present, to live in the moment, and to remain grounded. Why not have that as your thought for the next month and see the difference it makes in your daily life?

Body Sculpting

Refining Your Physique with Precision and Grace

WORDS Dr. Tiago Baptista Fernandes

Stubborn localised fat often drives patients to the plastic surgeon to perform liposuction. There are several techniques available to accomplish it; however, throughout the years, the evolution of medical science has brought technological advancements that, along with experience and personal development, mean we can now achieve the best outcomes.

Bodysculpting® represents the pinnacle of medical advancement in achieving a sculpted physique. This treatment offers three tiers of definition, which need to be meticulously assessed during consultations with a skilled plastic surgeon.

• Slim

• Fit

• Extreme

Elevating Personal Transformation:

Bodysculpting® allows us to sculpt the body, banishing unwanted fat deposits and enhancing your natural contours without resorting to invasive techniques. This can have a profound impact on the patients’ self-esteem and confidence.

Personalisation as Key:

Recognising the uniqueness of each individual, Bodysculpting® prioritises

personalised care. Through minimal incisions, we tailor outcomes to align with each patient’s realistic aspirations. Whether addressing the abdomen or arms, every area receives precise attention, resulting in a seamless and natural body contour.

The Advantages:

Many individuals struggle with stubborn areas resistant to traditional methods; Bodysculpting® effectively addresses these concerns, delivering a sculpted and toned silhouette with the removal of fat.

Furthermore, expedited recovery is a notable advantage. With less invasive techniques, most patients resume normal activities within a brief timeframe.

Witnessing patients reclaim their lives with newfound confidence post-surgery is profoundly rewarding.

Dr Tiago Baptista Fernandes is a Plastic Surgeon and Clinical Director of Up Clinic

Consultations with the Up Clinic team are available in the Algarve through the HPA Group in Vilamoura, Alvor and Faro.

upclinic.pt/plasticsurgery/body/ bodysculpting/?lang=en

UNLOCK THE NATURAL REFRESHMENT OF RAW COCONUT WATER

100% COCONUT WATER

Sip on pure hydration and feel the tropical vibes with every drop. Raw unprocessed coconut water contains a lot of important minerals. Did you know that coconut water hydrates your body better than water. This makes the water from the coconut the perfect health drink in general. Presented in a cheerful recyclable food safe jacket for longer shelf life.

Imagine anywhere, effortlessly opening a delicious and healthy coconut, without mess or hassle. Simply pop it and insert a straw to enjoy the delicious and hydrating coconut water inside. Go nuts on the taste of nature! For more information, visit www.goconutty.com or follow us the social way @goconutty

Goconutty®

The Algarve is going to go nutty over a new health drink.

Rick and Helien Rebergen, originally from the Netherlands and now based in the Algarve, are the innovative founders of Goconutty®. With over 30 years of experience in the fruit and vegetable industry, specialising in fresh, natural, authentic and exotic produce, their next ambition is to make the Algarve go nutty over their new easy-to-open drinking coconut.

This unique product is for everyone who loves something new, trendy, authentic, contemporary and healthy. Harvested at the perfect age to ensure the sweetest and most refreshing taste, Goconutty® is presented in a bright, food-safe jacket for a longer shelf life and is accompanied by an eco-friendly, bioplastic straw. Imagine being able to effortlessly open a delicious and healthy coconut without mess or hassle. With their new opening system, sharp knives are a thing of the past. All you have to do to reach the coconut water is turn the coconut over and push on it. Insert a straw and enjoy.

Helien and Rick believe Algarve consumers will be going ‘coco nutty’ about the product thanks to the health benefits of coconut water. Raw, unprocessed coconut water contains many important minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium. These are electrolytes that can

Mother’s Day

WORDS Tania Soares

In Portugal, we now celebrate Mother´s Day on the first Sunday of May, but the day to celebrate the love of our mothers has changed over the years. In 1950, the Mocidade Portuguesa Feminina established 8 December as Mother’s Day, coinciding with the day of the Immaculate Conception. However, the church in Portugal requested a change in this date. They wished for Our Lady, the Patroness of Portugal, to have a distinct day separate from the commercial aspects typically associated with Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day started to be celebrated on the last Sunday of May, but the church requested another date change to avoid conflicts with Pentecost or Ascension celebrations. It was then fixed on the first Sunday of May, as it doesn’t coincide with any significant Christian religious festivities, and it has remained so to this day.

The date of Mother’s Day varies worldwide. In Brazil, Germany, Austria, Australia and the United States of America, it is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. In France, Sweden and Morocco, it is celebrated on the last Sunday of May. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it

occurs three Sundays before Easter.

Origin of the word Mother

Interestingly, the word “mother” starts with the letter “m” in various languages and has a similar sound. It is believed that the languages of Europe and Asia belong to the Indo-European family. The word *méh2tēr was the origin of the word mother in this ancient language, giving rise to mother in English, mâdar in Persian, mitéra in Greek, máthair in Irish, and, of course, to the small Portuguese word of just three letters, mãe

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

At Mar d’Estórias, as lovers of the Portuguese language, traditions and celebrations, we offer some gift suggestions to give to your mother on 5 May.

Jewellery by Pilar do Rio: These pieces, full of freshness, evoke summer, vibrant colours and femininity. The author of these creations is from Lagos, where the pieces were also designed.

Fly London Footwear: For 30 years, this Portuguese brand has delighted with its bold

ensure a good fluid balance, meaning they are incredibly good at hydrating your body, even better than water. This makes the water from the coconut the perfect health drink. Coconuts are also low in calories and a powerful antioxidant.

In order to ensure a high level of food safety, their coconuts are sourced from reputable suppliers who adhere to strict quality control measures to prevent contamination and ensure freshness. Every precaution is taken to maintain the integrity of the Goconutty® during storage, transportation and distribution to ensure that it reaches the consumer in pristine condition.

The couple’s aim is to sell Goconutty® in bars, hotels, spas and supermarkets. After trialling them at the festival in Luz, Helien and Rick are confident it will become a popular drink in the Algarve this summer. To give the entrepreneurial couple the final word, “Join us on our mission to spread the love for coconut water. Go nuts with our coconuts!”



For more information, purchase options or cooperation: sales@east4fresh.nl

+351 927419613 www.goconutty.com

collections, always maintaining traditional production techniques. The summer collection is now available at Mar d’Estórias and promises to be the ideal gift for all mothers.

Leme Perfumes com estória: This brand fills Portugal with scents from around the globe and has recently introduced a new product: alongside its fragrances, you can now nourish your hands with their new creams.

Licor 35 de Pastel de Nata: This is the perfect liqueur to celebrate Portuguese culture with your mother. With the characteristic flavour of the traditional custard tart (Pastel de Nata), it’s creamy and excellent for toasts on Mother’s Day. It’s the perfect gift for mums with a sweet tooth.

Discover these and other gift suggestions for one of the most extraordinary days of the year at Mar d’Estórias, on Rua Silva Lopes, No. 30, 8600-623 Lagos, Portugal.

mardestorias.com

info@mardestorias.com

+351 282 792 165

New Art Hub

The TEIAS Artísticas Association has just opened its store to the general public, providing a unique opportunity for visitors to explore and appreciate the works of talented local artists. Tomorrow sent Tom Henshaw to the opening to learn more about this new showcase for artistic expression.

TEIAS is a collaboration of independent local makers who have been for years turning their ideas into objects, searching in the culture and in the landscape of the Algarve for inspiration and materials, then creating artwork in a sustainable way.

After years of making, selling in markets, organising events together and exchanging skills and motivation, they now formally join as an association with a shared space in the old town of Lagos.

The opening was busy, and everyone was enthusiastic about the new initiative.

A love of Linen

Linen-etc are ´bedding’ themselves further into the soft-furnishings market with a new store in Lagos

The new store offers a wider range of coordinated cushions and throws to complete the look in your lounge or bedroom. You will also see the return of the much-missed curtain pairs and a new curtain section. There is bedding in every size and colour, lots of decorative duvet sets, over 80 coloured towels in many qualities, and a new kitchen and dining section.

The company’s dynamic owner, Karen, told us, “Many nationalities are now choosing Portugal as their home and they bring with them different expectations. We know our customers want more colour and design choices, so we have created a fresher, spacious store with more room to display our new products and to offer our customers an

improved buying experience.” And you certainly will be spoilt for choice with over 20 pillows, four styles of bed toppers, and three styles of duvets in different weights. “Our aim is for you to have that perfect night’s sleep,” says Karen.

Linen-etc offers customers high-quality products, including bedding, towels and soft furnishings, at an incredible value. Furthermore, Karen guarantees there will be no price increases this year. “Our products are made to our specification, so when we design and order a product from our Portuguese manufacturers, we are confident that our products won’t let you down,” she explains. Portugal is renowned for producing the best textiles, so finding

The hub also serves as a meeting point for those wishing to immerse themselves in the world of local handcrafted goods. Whether to discover a new piece for your home or to find the perfect gift for a loved one, the TEIAS store is a mustvisit destination for original handmade pieces.

Visitors to TEIAS will always be greeted by one of the makers operating the space. While there, they can explore the work of each maker, learn about the different artistic processes, and find unique objects to take home. In the future, TEIAS will be hosting a diverse range of artisanal workshops.



R. António Crisógno dos Santos 31, Lagos teiaslagos.pt info@teiaslagos.pt Instagram and Facebook @teias.lagos

locally sourced products is important to Karen as it reduces the company’s carbon footprint. However, there are a small number of products that she can´t find in Portugal, so she imports around 10% of her stock.

Linen-etc.com has been established for over 16 years, during which time the company has invested a lot of effort into sourcing textiles specifically designed for hot countries and products that truly feel and look stunning. In addition to their new Lagos store, they have a store in Lagoa and a website where you can view new arrivals or order products online and have them delivered free. The choice is yours. “As the founder, I am proud to be an independent business, proud to present the best textiles from Portugal and passionate about offering quality and service,” says Karen.

If you have a new property and want a quote or a one-to-one meeting with a trained advisor, contact Linen-etc. As Karen says, “We are here to serve.” Furthermore, the first ten customers coming into the new Lagos store on 8 May will receive a 10% discount on everything they buy, so make sure you are one of the first to check out Linen-etc’s new store.

 linen-etc.com

Rua da Torre, Parque Industrial Lj 1 8600-256 Odiáxere info@linen-etc.com

Rua Parque Empresarial, 3 8400-431 Lagoa lagoa@linen-etc.com

We specialise in water pumps, treatment, & equipment sales. Our team of profesionals strive to transform our clients' ideas into reality through quality of service.

What is Lorem Ipsum?

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Why do we use it?

The Changing Tides with Days of Adventure

The long-established boat company offers various daily adventures, including kayaking, dolphin trips by speed boat or large catamaran, grotto trips, and the Benagil sea caves by their speed boat or large, fast catamaran. They also offer private charters on their comfortable eight-passenger RIB. The Catamaran is family-friendly, with shade and onboard toilets, making it an excellent choice for all ages.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).

Moving with the times, Days of Adventure has restructured its business to enable easy online bookings with discounts. An entirely revamped meeting point with shade and seating ensures stress-free embarkation at the designated check-in and waiting area.

Where does it come from?

This newly revamped waiting area has free internet access and telephone charging points. Drinks can be purchased, along with waterproof telephone covers.

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going

In conjunction with Tomorrow Magazine, Days of Adventure is offering an incredible 25 % discount during May for bookings online using the code tm.may, valid for any booking in May or beyond. Offer ends 31 May.

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ONLY VALID FOR BOOKINGS MADE IN MAY DAYS OF ADVENTURE ALSO OFFER FAMILY ADVENTURES ONBOARD OUR LARGE CATAMARAN WITH SHADE AND TOILETS SUITABLE TO ALL AGES.

There is a dedicated meeting point within the marina where you can check in and sit in our shaded private area, awaiting your adventure.

- Benagil by speedboat - Benagil, the family way

- Kayaking with a support vessel - Dolphins by speedboat

- Dolphins the Family way - Grotto trips

- Private charters

All our vessels and activities are available for private charters. Please email commercial@daysofadeventure with your request and we will reply.

Dolphin Watching

Dolphin Family Way

Benagil Catamaran Tour

Benagil Speedboat Tour

‘Holy’ Organic

A holy site full of delicious organic foods

Convento Nossa Senhora do Carmo is a remarkably interesting place, yet thousands of people drive past it every day, without even noticing it.

WORDS Len Port

The convent is located just one kilometre east of Lagoa on the main N125 road and has been renovated and transformed into a business called Convent’bio. The convent was founded in 1551 when Lagoa was a small village and the existing building still has the hallmarks of a centuries-old holy place. At the beginning of the 16th century, the male Carmelites d’Alagoa lived in the restored convent and grew vegetables and fruit on the surrounding area of land, which was known to be especially fertile. The convent was mostly destroyed by the devastating earthquake of 1755 but was rebuilt, and the Carmelite brothers continued to live there until October 1825.

In the 20th century, masses were celebrated in the convent’s chapel, and an annual festival, with a procession, was held in honour of Our Lady of Fátima. Then, in 2017, a local businessman, Jóse Pina, acquired it. After further restoration by the new owner, it was opened for business in 2019.

The renovated convent now boasts a restaurant in its chapel, a terrace where lunches are served, a coffee bar, a mini-market stocked with a great array of organic products, a kitchen where all meals are prepared, and a small bakery. All of this sits next to an expanse of land where a wide range of ingredients are grown.

“Just about everything in Convent’bio is 100% organically pure,” the manager, Nuno Correia, told me proudly. He took time out from his busy schedule in various locations to show us around. “In addition to a range of vegetables, including

asparagus, we grow fruits such as wild berries, avocados, limes, lemons, oranges, figs and apricots. We also produce fresh eggs,” he said.

Some of the bio products available in the shop are imported and brought in from suppliers elsewhere in Portugal or from other European countries, including France, Germany, Austria and Spain. “Beers and wines are made from grapes harvested in vineyards free of treatments with herbicides, pesticides and other synthetic chemicals in Portugal, including places in the Algarve such as Lagos,” Nuno told me. “We also work as a retailer for some regional biological grocery stores, restaurants and hotels.”

While many residents pass by this unusual piece of sacred architecture, it does attract a good number of Portuguese and foreign tourists who come to enjoy breakfast, coffee or lunch and shop. Yoga and pilates classes are regularly held at the convent, and occasional craft fairs.

So, if organic produce is part of your religion, make sure you go and check it out.

 Bookings for lunch or dinner +351 93652566 or TheFork.com

Tuna & Mango Rice Bowl THAT ASIAN HOME COOK

Once, on a dolphin-watching excursion, a local fisherman told me that Portuguese tuna was exported to Japan to be used in the most premium sashimi.

As a result, most of us here rarely have the opportunity to eat our very own famous bluefin. Despite this fact, amazing fresh tuna varieties are still sold in abundance here in Portugal. Since moving here, I have learned so many ways to prepare tuna. One favourite style is this Japanese-inspired tuna rice bowl. It is so easy to make that you must try it.

Ingredients:

• 200 gm fresh tuna steak

• 1 tbsp kewpie mayo

• 1 tbsp sriracha

• ½ tbsp kikkoman soy sauce

• ½ tbsp sesame oil

• ½ tbsp mirin

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• 1 tsp furikake

• 1 tsp chopped spring onions

• 1 cup diced mangoes

• 2 cups rice

Tuna Trivia

• Tuna is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are known to promote heart health

• The good fatty acids present are great for retina (eye) health as well

• Known to be a lean superfood, tuna is a fabulous source of protein and is low in carbs and calories, great for weightwatchers

• Packed with vitamin D, iron, calcium, zinc, B vitamins, iodine, potassium, choline and selenium, tuna is full of nutrition!

• The American Diabetes Association encourages eating fish such as tuna specifically twice per week to help manage diabetes

• Tuna contains essential amino acids and high levels of polyunsaturated fat that help support muscle retention

Instructions:

Start by dicing your tuna into little 1 cm squares. Set aside in a bowl. Now, do the same with your mangoes, dicing them into equal squares.

Bring the grated ginger and all the sauces together in a bowl and mix well, then add the tuna to marinate for the next half hour, covered in your fridge.

When you are ready to serve, place your two cups of rice in a bowl and top with the tuna and mango. I like to do half tuna and half mango – but you can choose. If you prefer more tuna, do less mango or vice versa – it’s as easy as that. Top with sesame seeds, spring onions and furikake.

If you don’t have furikake, you can replace it with shredded nori (Japanese seaweed). And there you go! Super yummy, super nutritious and a super quick meal to prepare.

Joy Entry is a Malaysian home cook based in Lagos who is obsessed with the provocative, unapologetic flavours of South-East Asian cuisine

Instagram: @thatasianhomecook

joyentry@gmail.com

Living it up at the

Palace of Estoi

WORDS Lena Strang

I wanted to make this year’s birthday celebration special. Overcoming the idea that the Pousada chain of luxury hotels was reserved for the wealthy and famous, I decided to stay at one this year. The clear choice was Estoi Palace Hotel, only 10 km from Faro. We were in for a remarkable experience.

After manoeuvring through the narrow streets of the village of Estoi, we eventually arrived at the main entrance. There was plenty of car parking space, including an underground car park, handy during the busy season.

We knew we had reached our destination once we saw the plaque reading Pousada and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. A striking bell tower flanked the door; the moment we stepped inside, it became clear why. The chapel we entered also functioned as a reception area. First impressions always matter. Seated behind a wooden desk, Sara, the receptionist, warmly greeted us. As she did the check-in, she kindly provided us with a glass of bubbly, which was a pleasant surprise. I revisited the reception/chapel later to take a more detailed look. The impressive Louis XV style reflected the dedication to the Sagrada Família. The exhibition space formed part of the museum collection and featured the history of the region and its Roman, Islamic, and classical influences.

After a quick tour of the salons nearby and summarising the palace’s history, Sara took us to the modern annexe where the bedrooms are situated. All 63 of them. What a contrast to the sumptuous interior of the palace building. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the minimalist ambience, featuring lengthy carpeted hallways and strategically placed leather armchairs for

contemplating the modern artwork displayed on the walls. Our spacious bedroom had a paredback style with white walls and dark wood. The floor-to-ceiling windows and the sliding door gave access to the south-facing private terrace with a view over the garden. I knew I would have a comfortable night here.

A compact spa area with a sauna, steam room, and indoor and outdoor swimming pools allows guests to relax before the evening meal.

Exploring the rest of the palace would have to be postponed until morning, as it was time for the celebratory dinner. Viscount restaurant has an interesting entrance through the former palace kitchen. The old telephone system, original stove, chimney with restored tiles, and washbasins are here.

We were well served by cheerful Elisabete, who ensured no garlic was in the bacalhau dish I ordered and even substituted the olives in garlic with a cheese platter. It’s unfortunate to be intolerant to garlic, especially in Portugal! My partner’s selection of grilled octopus was just as delicious. All washed down with the best Alentejo wine.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast honouring regional delicacies, we were eager to explore the palace the next morning. Full marks again for the food.

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With its stunning pink rococo façade and Versailles-inspired gardens, Estoi Palace is an extraordinary illustration of romantic architecture in Portugal. But how did it come about? Upon further investigation, I discovered the palace has a fascinating but tumultuous past. Originally, Marshal Francisco de Pereira Coutinho, who had connections to the high nobility and royalty, built it as an 18th-century farm. But this farmhouse was far from ordinary. The National Palace of Queluz, situated close to Lisbon, was a source of inspiration. The building was described as: “a farm with splendid houses, corresponding gardens and farmlands regulating everything for magnificence and recreation with beautiful streets uniting the buildings and walkways, entrances and porticoes supported by robust pillars.” As an aftermath of the earthquake of 1755, the region had a climate of profound economic and social change. Bourgeois households with more liberal ideologies gained power in urban centres, and old noble families were retreating to their properties in the interior and the Algarve. Hence, the creation of the sumptuous ‘farm’ in Estoi.

Construction of the current palace started in the 1840s, with Coutinho’s son, Fernando de

Carvalhal, drawing inspiration from the Pena Palace in Sintra. After his death, the palace changed hands among family members and was left abandoned until 1890. Francisco da Silva, a wealthy pharmacist and landowner of Estoi, came to the rescue. Enlisting the expertise of notable architects and artists, Francisco da Silva finalised the undertaking in April 1909. The cost of the project exceeded nine thousand réis, a substantial amount for that time. In appreciation for his work safeguarding a prominent Algarve monument, King Carlos I bestowed upon José Francisco da Silva the title of Viscount of Estoi. The palace and its gardens were officially opened from 1–3 May, 1909, with a spectacular celebration coordinated with the help of Faro’s civil and religious authorities. The Algarve had passed a landmark.

However, the palace’s troubles didn’t stop there. After da Silva died in 1926, the property suffered neglect and changed ownership numerous times. Nevertheless, authorities recognised its importance and officially categorised it as a Public Interest Building in 1977. Nothing much happened until the Faro municipality came to the rescue in the late 1980s. Extensive restoration work began, and it was later opened as a luxury hotel.

Delighting visitors, the palace has fully recovered and hopefully secured its future. The mix of interior styles includes rococo, neoclassical, and Art Nouveau elements. The three halls, accessible to guests, showcase opulent ceilings, lavish carvings, and amazing frescoes. With fresh golden stucco and original gilt furniture, the Great Hall, formerly the old hall of palace receptions, is a sight that will make you stop in your tracks.

The palace was constructed on hilly terrain, whereas the garden was established in flat areas more suitable for farming. The design of this space includes three interconnected levels with a double staircase on each side, embellished with colourful blue azulejo tiles and hidden grottos underneath. The dominant style of the garden is baroque, with busts and statues, including an 18th-century nativity scene.

The third level is located next to the palace building, accessed by stairs and considered the formal garden. It has two viewpoints. Here, you can take in the sweeping vistas while enjoying a relaxing drink in the tea rooms.

Since 2009, Estoi Palace has been operating as a pousada. But what exactly is a pousada? Dating back to the 1940s, the concept of rustic, truly Portuguese state-run hotels was first envisioned by the head of the National Propaganda Secretariat. Later, it expanded to encompass a variety of heritage edifices, such as castles, convents, and monasteries. Many historical buildings that were left abandoned have been restored for this specific reason. After privatisation in 2003, the management of the hotels in the Pousada chain was entrusted to the Pestana Group.

My stay at the Estoi Palace Pousada was enjoyable and will be one of my most memorable birthdays. Now, I must decide what else needs celebrating and choose the next pousada. There are over 35 enticing contenders in the rest of the country. Which one should it be …?

Make a Paw-sitive Change

Most days, you will find Gabi Shepherd driving across the Algarve to work with street cat colonies. As a semi-finalist in the Algarve Business Awards in 2023, her impact extends far beyond improving living conditions for street cats.

WORDS Stephanie Toft-Jones

This is not the life Gabi planned when she first moved to the Algarve in 2021 following the pandemic. “My partner is retired, and the plan was that I was going to take two years off work and we were going to travel.” The universe had other plans!

Shortly after arriving, Gabi noticed a family of black and white cats around the village. She started feeding them, believing that they belonged to someone. Gabi says, “I have had an interest and care in the animal world all of my life and have been fortunate enough to travel throughout East Africa, often yearly, for the past 15 years to observe and study wildlife behaviours.” However, she was totally ignorant of the often sad fate of cat populations in the Algarve. The life expectancy of a street cat is short compared to a domesticated cat. Many don’t live much longer than four years, and kittens live less than a few months.

People around the village noticed the work that she was doing and, with the help of a fellow volunteer, Gabi was able to sterilise her first cats. As she explained, “Trapping feral cats isn’t easy. I had no idea, but an experienced animal welfare volunteer showed me what to do.” By the end of

the first year, Gabi had sterilised 40 cats, but it came at a price. Not only had her travelling plans been put on hold, but there was an increasing strain on her own finances and on her health and well-being. Realising it wasn’t feasible to continue in the same way if she was to have a real and lasting impact, she decided to set up the Pakadora Association.

Establishing the Pakadora Association has provided a more sustainable solution. “Going down the legal route means I can apply for funding from the local câmara in the future, and I can begin fund-raising,” explained Gabi. It also meant she could form partnerships with other organisations, for example, she has worked with Loulé câmara, through another charity, offering free cat sterilisation as part of its public health scheme. This initiative dramatically impacted the work of the Pakadora Association, with 121 cats being sterilised. But it’s not enough to just sterilise the cat. “If they are going to return to the colony, we also need to address the health of the cats and manage the spread of disease,” explains Gabi.

Gabi is also very conscious that her work is not achieved in isolation and forms the basis of another aim for the charity: to support and work alongside other charities across the Algarve. It is why the word ‘cat’ is not in the name of the charity. Already, the Pakadora Association has donated dog food and has benefitted from unwanted donations to other charities. As Gabi said, “People donate items to charities, some of which aren’t suitable for us. With a network of charities across the Algarve, we can support each other, whether they support cats, dogs or people.” This network has enabled her to recruit volunteers, organise donations of food and bedding, and a carpenter to build the all-important cat houses that provide the cats with much-needed shelter from the Algarvian weather.

Spending time with Gabi, it is easy to understand how she was nominated for a small business award after only one year of establishing the Pakadora Association. She is incredibly passionate and organised. Once she decided to embrace the route of establishing a charity, she approached it as she would any other business venture by creating a five-year business plan. Sticking to the business plan is vital for the success of the charity. “I was genuinely humbled

From right to left: President of Bensafim Margarida, her assistant Ana, Gabi Shepherd, Alistair co-founder of PDA , Vitor Village chairperson

by the nomination for a small business award. It’s unusual for an animal charity to receive recognition, especially one that is so recently established in the Algarve.” Gabi continued, “I didn’t do this to achieve an award. I did it to try and show people what they can do to help.” Her efforts have also been recognised by The Animal Star Awards, which awarded Pakadora a finalist place in their International Rescue Of The Year category. This recognition places Pakadora among the top contenders from over 700 animal charities. The nomination is a testament to the small charity’s tireless efforts in managing and caring for feral cat colonies throughout the Algarve district.

The Pakadora Association also aims to educate communities, an aspect of their work that she believes is fundamental to the continued improvement of cat colonies across the Algarve. “Sadly, it is still very much part of the culture in Portugal to live alongside street cats and feral colonies. We’ve got to change that mindset. It’s a myth that cats will always follow their instinct and catch mice. For a cat to follow its instincts: to chase, play with and kill their prey, they need to be healthy and have their basic food and welfare needs met.”

However, she sees that one of the most critical aspects of helping cats is technology. She wants a database to support

her work and that of other charities across the Algarve. Besides practical uses in terms of calculating the quantities of food needed to support the cats, the captured data would provide evidence of the number of street cats and the success of sterilisation programmes. It would enable charities to approach their local câmara and businesses with concrete proof of the help that is needed, the progress that has been made and to measure success in the future.

Gabi’s resilience and determination in the face of these challenges are truly admirable, and her story is a testament to the power of one person’s commitment to make a difference.

If you are interested in volunteering or finding out more about the work of the charity please contact Gabi at generalpda@gmail.com pakadoraassociation.com

A survey has been developed to conduct research into colonies and street animals across the Algarve and the Pakadora Association is asking people across the Algarve to contribute their work. Please complete the Pakadora Association’s survey by visiting: form.jotform.com/23263307737836

Watch the cats in their homes

Rua dos Celeiros, Rossio S. João, Condominío Luxury Adega, Loja 4, Lagos