Tomorrow Portimão, Alvor, Ferragudo & Carvoeiro November Edition 2016 by Tomorrow Algarve Magazine

November 2016 | Edition 5 | 3,000 copies

FREE

A community Magazine for PortimĂŁo, Alvor, Ferragudo & Carvoeiro

10 minutes with... Ferragudo's bin wall artist

Ship shape Restoring HMS Pickle in PortimĂŁo

Animal therapy Monchique donkey treks

Chestnut season Try our tasty recipes Plus much more...

The AlgArve ProPerTy SPecialiSTS

Photograph courtesy of Steven Sutton

Projection Dreams Audio Video Interiors

The BEST IPTV in the region has just got better! Introducing the MAG 256!

Faster, twice as much memory (1Gb) as the older MAG 250 & MAG 254, more reliable, H.265 Encoding (for faster video processing), ...and still for less than 1.50 euros a day!

Enjoy more than 300 channels including all the BBC and ITV channels along with all of your favourite sports channels from satellite and terrestrial in HD, 7-day catch-up on most channels, a movie club with over 500 films, watch TV box-sets when you want, enjoy a selection of music and listen to radio. The services also include YouTube!

Don’t settle for 2nd best!

Almancil: Rua da República, 64, 8135-121 Almancil - Tel: (+351) 289 040 403 Luz: Praceta José António Viegas, Loja 8, Waterside Gardens, Praia da Luz, 8600-162 Lagos - Tel: (+351) 282 762 002 www.projectiondreams.com | sales@projectiondreams.com

2 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

 TomorrowAlgarve

SEDE: 86, Milborough Crescent, London, UK , SE12 ORW. UK . PERIODICIDADE: MENSAL . TIRAGEN: 4,000

Useful Numbers General

Emergency 112 Tourist support 808 781 212 British consulate 282 490 750 French Consulate (Faro) 281 380 660 German Consulate (Faro) 289 803 181 Dutch Consulate (Faro) 289 820 903 Canadian Consulate (Faro) 289 803 757 Swedish Embassy 213 942 260

Alvor

Taxi Diago Silva Private Airport Transfer Health Centre Pharmacy Hospital Fire Police Station Aerodromo

Portimão

Private Airport Transfer Health Centre Pharmacy Praia da Rocha Hospital Centro Fire Police Station Maritime police Train Station

966 214 517 965 026 176 282 459 268 282 459 588 282 420 400 282 420 130 282 420 750 282 496 581

965 026 176 282 420 161 282 425 858 282 485 641 282 450 300 282 420 130 282 417 217 282 417 714 282 423 056

Carvoeiro

| TIPOGRAFIA: C/ Al Mediterráneo, 29, Polígono de San Rafael, 04230, Huércal de Almería CIF: B04250056

City council offices 282 356 690 Town Info 282 357 728 Taxi Company (TAXIARADE) 282 460 610 Private Airport Transfer 965 026 176 Bus Station (only Lagoa) 282 341 301 Pharmacy 282 357 463 Hospital (centro de saúde) 282 357 320 Fire Station (only Lagoa) 282 352 888 Police Station 282 356 460 Plumber António Cruz 962 870 665 Builder Boto 282 461 336 Electrician Eurico 968 778 953 Mechanic Carlos 282 085 027 Hairdresser Vitor Picardo 282 356 894 House sellings Nelson Reis 919 839 299 TV & satellite repairs Rui 926 459 429

Ferragudo

Taxi Antonia Private Airport Transfer Health Centre Pharmacy Hospital (Portimão) Fire Police Station Painter Mario Lawyer Celia Tree Surgeon Firewood

965 881 917 965 026 176 282 461 361 282 461 232 282 450 300 282 420 130 282 420 750 967 881 062 282 476 305 964 384 613 917 601 798

Welcome to November’s edition of Tomorrow With the clocks going back at the end of October, the shorter days and darker nights are now upon us - and what better way to pass the winter evenings than with this, our jampacked November issue? We do hope you enjoy it. For this issue, editor Stephanie met Mal Nicholson, the man behind the restoration of a replica of 1800s ship HMS Pickle. Having discovered by chance what he calls “probably one of the best boat builders in Europe” right here in the Algarve, Mal spent a year and a half in the region - much of it in Portimão - restoring Pickle to her former glory. It’s a fascinating tale, and you can read all about it on pages four, five and six. You’ll also find expert advice from our new health contributor, Lagoa-based chiropractor Dr. Bock, two tasty recipes to try to coincide with chestnut season, and no-maintenance plant tips from our new gardening whizz, Justin Wride. Once you’re done reading the issue, there’s plenty going on in the local area this month to keep you occupied, from rally car races and ballet performances to live music, traditional festivals and more. Cristiano Ronaldo and his Euro 2016 winning team mates are even paying the Algarve a visit this month, as Portugal take on Latvia in the World Cup qualifiers. Turn to our What’s On section on page 20 to discover more. One additional event to note is the Christmas fair that Galeria de Arte in Lagoa will be hosting for the first time on November 26th and 27th, with carol singing, glühwein and much more. Speaking of Christmas, the busy festive season is just around the corner, so please let us know of any events you have planned so we can promote them in our December issue. Likewise, get in touch with any local news you’d like to share, feedback on this issue, or suggestions for something or someone you think we should feature in our pages. We’ve also launched the new Tomorrow website, www.tomorrowalgarve.com, where you can read all our past issues and discover plenty more too. Take a look and let us know your thoughts. Have a great November! Steven, Stephanie and the whole Tomorrow team   steven@tomorrowalgarve.com (advertising and sales)  +351 919 185 677  stephanie@tomorrowalgarve.com (editorial)  +351 964 187 303

On the cover This month’s cover features one of the incredible artworks by local artist Meire Gomes that have transformed the walls of Ferragudo’s bin containers into something truly beautiful. Turn to page 34 to read our interview with Meire and discover more about her work.  @ateliermeiregomes

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 3

Community The story of Pickle in Portugal

By Stephanie Wood

Pickle docks in Portugal

Sitting with his wife and friends at one of the restaurants on the square in Ferragudo, Mal Nicholson looks like any other Brit making the most of the Algarvian sunshine. But as soon as the North Lincolnshire man opens his mouth and starts telling you his tale, it soon becomes clear that he is no average Brit abroad.

original 1799 ship - on eBay, Mal headed to Gibraltar in 2014 to collect his lot and bring her home. To say it was a journey plagued by problems is an understatement. The first disaster struck before even setting sail from the Rock when the alternator caught fire, leading to a total loss of electrics.

Mal is the man behind the successful restoration of HMS Pickle, a replica of an old Royal Navy ship that was at the Battle of Trafalgar. Full of twists of fate and strokes of good and bad luck, that tale of his is one that easily rivals classic seafarer poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. And one of those twists of fate led to Pickle’s story being forever tied to Portugal.

A shiny new alternator in place, Mal’s next challenge came when he hit bad weather coming around Cape Trafalgar. “Both masts came down,” Mal recalls. “About two tonnes of wood went flying. It was horrific. It’s amazing no-one got killed.” Fortunately he was able to dock at Puerto Sherry near Cádiz in Spain, where he made temporary repairs and received a warm welcome. “They were fantastic with us there,” Mal says. “Paco the harbour master was beyond belief.”

Having successfully bid for the topsail schooner - a remarkable reproduction of the

4 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

 TomorrowAlgarve

Sadly, things did not go quite so well at his next port of call further along the Spanish coast. “We pulled into Mazagón, where the next disaster happened. A storm was coming, and we were just getting in as it started to rip. Unlike our friend at Puerto Sherry, the harbour master wouldn’t get off his backside.” Battling to bring Pickle in safely in high winds and heavy rain with no assistance from the shore, Mal soon had another problem to deal with. “There was a bang and the engine just screamed. I’m thinking, ‘What the hell’s wrong?’”. The answer? The propellor had fallen off. It’s here that Pickle benefited from her first stroke of good fortune: the propeller could be saved. “There was 15ft of clear water underneath the ship, and then 15ft of the sloppiest mud. If the propeller had fallen into the mud we’d have lost it, and the whole project would have bit the dust,” Mal says sombrely. Luckily, it had gotten lodged before reaching the mud. But there was one issue - how to get it back to the surface? It was this particular problem that eventually brought Mal and the Pickle to Portugal. “I called Kev Smith, a friend of mine who used to work with me years ago and who lives in Loulé. I said, ‘Kev I need a diver.’” Mal’s old friend delivered, putting him in touch with a diver from Tavira called Salvador - Portuguese for ‘saviour’, Mal poignantly notes. Having successfully got the propellor back to the surface, he found it was in a bad way: “The nuts, the keyway, the locking plate - everything was gone.” With the propeller eventually restored and refitted by a company in Olhão, Mal was ready to “try and limp her home.” He was originally going to head directly westward

the dry dock facility. “They’ve got probably the biggest hoist for lifting boats in all of Portugal; it’s 500 tonnes,” Mal tells me. “It lifted Pickle right out of the water and transported her - it was a fabulous sight. Rui knew the staff and we got treated exceptionally well.”

Mal on board the Pickle

to Salvador’s home of Tavira but, with relations with the Spanish authorities in Mazagón strained, he was forced to sail out into the Atlantic and come back around, instead docking in Vilamoura. And it was there that he first encountered his second Portuguese ‘saviour’, Rui Pinto. “Somebody said to me, ‘There is a man in Quarteira that repairs wooden boats.’ Well, that is the biggest understatement I’ve ever heard in my life,” Mal says with a smile. “Rui Pinto comes from Viana do Castelo in the north of Portugal and his family have built wooden ships for 300 years. He’s probably one of the most skilled boat builders I’ve ever met, and I’ve met plenty - those who think they can help, who assure you they can, but they always fall short of the mark. But this fellow is so gifted; he was a godsend.”

Thus started a huge restoration effort that saw 22 tonnes of wood put into Pickle, kept Mal away from home for a year and a half (living in the captain’s cabin, no less), and depleted his bank account substantially. “I daren’t tell you how much I put into it,” he says, gesturing towards the corner of Ferragudo’s main square and adding: “There used to be a cash point over there and I used to empty it nearly every night.” For anyone who ever found they were unable to get cash in Ferragudo last year, now you know why! Many long days later, the Pickle left Portimão in late July 2015 and returned to Vilamoura for some final work, with Mal recalling: “There was a great send-off when we left Portimão, it was wonderful. All the shipyard owners were there, wishing us well.” He worked with yet more local experts in Vilamoura - including Pete Keeping, who runs a rigging company, and a sail maker, Filipe - making yet more friends in the process.

Mal says the synergy between the two ship enthusiasts was instant. “You know how there’s sometimes a special magic when you meet somebody and you know instantly that you’re going to get on? I shook his hand, and immediately the friendship was formed.” With neither man speaking the other’s language, communication around the job was achieved via hand gestures, diagrams and mutual understanding. Having rebuilt the masts, Rui and Mal then brought Pickle to Portimão to make use of

Work in progress on the Pickle in Portimão

>> Continues on page 6

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 5

Community >> Continued from page 5 Mal and Rui

From Vilamoura, Pickle headed homeward, enjoying a brief stop in Lagos before rounding Cape St. Vincent and making her way north. Unbelievably, her bad luck was not yet over. “In Sines, we had a terrible accident again,” Mal says. A huge storm caused more damage that needed fixing but also revealed a fun fact. “The Portuguese navy gave us their mooring,” Mal remembers. “One of them came to see me and said, ‘Can I show you something?’ “He turned his lapel over on his uniform and there’s Lord Nelson on the inside of the lapel - he’s on every uniform. I never knew that. So I said to him, ‘Do you know the story of the Pickle?’ ‘Oh yes,’ he said. Here we are, 200-odd years later, and they’re all absolutely aware of what went on and how it happened and what significance the Pickle had! Incredible.” Fixed up once more, Pickle called at ports including Nazaré, Viana do Castelo and Lorien on her way to the UK - always receiving a hero’s reception wherever she docked - before finally making it home where she was met by local mayors, BBC reporters and thousands of cheering well-wishers. This impressive tale was all recounted to me over galões and toast at Ferragudo’s A Gaivota restaurant, where Mal - who is in town to present Rui with a painting of Pickle as a thank you - is on first-name terms with

the staff. “Wherever he goes, he makes a connection with a local bar or restaurant,” his friend, Stewart Bentley, tells me, and that certainly seems to be true. A Gaivota is one of two restaurants (the other being family-run Praça Velha II in Estômbar) that became Mal’s ‘local’ during his time in the Algarve, and it’s clear that owners Maren and Mario like him as much as he likes them. “They threw a party for us here on our leaving night. Anything the crew wanted, it was theirs free of charge,” Mal beams. “They really looked after us when we were here, and I wish them every success.” The role Portugal has played in Pickle’s restoration clearly matters to Mal, and it’s something that is now fixed in her not only historically, but also physically. “There were some coins we found underneath the mast, Danish Kroner,” Mal reveals. “With the Portuguese influence on this vessel, I thought it would be appropriate to put in some Portuguese coins too.” These were provided by “a really old lady from Lisbon” who sent Mal two fifty escudo pieces bearing the face of his childhood hero, Vasco da Gama. Mal clearly feels indebted all the skilled craftsman and experts he found here in Portugal, too (“a lot of the skills have not died here,” he says), but ultimately it is Rui Pinto that is the main focus of his gratitude. “The project would have been doomed without Rui,” he says matter-of-factly. “It was destined. I don’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo, but I do believe that sometimes things happen for a reason. How is it that we came in within two miles of probably one of the best boat builders in Europe? How is it that we became such great friends? How have we produced this wonderful friendship with no common language?”

in the UK. “I would look forward to that,” he says. “He wants to see [Mal’s other vessel] the Spider T, it’s one of his dreams. I would love to take him out into the North Sea.” Until then, Mal’s got plenty to keep him busy. Pickle is currently moored in the marina at Hull, and will be part of the City of Culture celebrations next year. She has also forged close links with HMS Trincomalee in Hartlepool, the oldest battleship currently afloat in the world. Mal has launched new company HMS (Historic Motor and Sail), a non-profit agency that promotes training, education and living history. And there’s more. “I’m doing Trafalgar Night shortly,” Mal says enthusiastically. “A group of re-enactment people called Hearts of Oak are coming from Anglesey and staying the weekend. We’re going to be partying” “Our chef Christine from Your Chef Ltd has actually just found out she’s related to Admiral Lord Nelson,” he casually adds. It’s just another example of the sometimesfreaky twists of fate that litter Mal’s story. Others includes the fact that his house in the UK was built in 1805, the year of the Battle of Trafalgar, and also that his wife’s birthday falls on Trafalgar Day. One could also argue it was fate that brought Mal and Pickle to Portugal, where they found what will forever be a welcome second home.   @schoonerpickle

Having paid a visit to Rui’s hometown on Pickle’s voyage back to the UK, Mal hopes his friend will one day visit him and the ship

Pickle sets sail

Call for oil and gas referendum Anti-gas and oil campaigners are calling for a ‘People’s Referendum’ to be held in the Algarve in 2017. The Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Association (ASMAA) says it will be leading the idea for a referendum next year. In a statement on its website, ASMAA said it wanted to ask people “council by council, parish by parish”. “A regional people’s referendum in the

6 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

Algarve will indeed give a clear mandate from the local people about the future of oil and gas exploration in the Algarve,” the statement continued. The appeal for the referendum comes hot on the heels of an interview with one of the directors of the oil company Partex. ASMAA’s Laurinda Seabra said there were lots of gaps and misleading statements in Luís Guerreiro’s answers.

 TomorrowAlgarve

Published in ECO123, the interview assures readers that everything is under control and that Portugal’s poor could look forward to prosperity from a future oil and gas industry, but ASMAA said it had major concerns about what was said.  Read more on this story at the following links:  www.algarvedailynews.com  www.asmaa-algarve.org

interior

design

retail

furniture

solutions

Established in 2005 in Lagos, the western Algarve, Abode is a thriving, passionate and customer focused retailer of indoor and outdoor furniture. Visit our 7,000 ft2 showroom near Praia Dona Ana, Lagos or call us today for a free no obligations quotation, design and measurement service.

Rua Professor Dr. Luis de Albuquerque, lt.44 loja - 8600-615 Lagos - Algarve - Portugal (+351) 282 762 070 - info @ furnishyourabode.com - www.furnishyourabode.com

Turn key solutions from €4,699

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 7

Community

365 Algarve launches sun and sea, golf, and business tourism with over 1,000 cultural events. Running until May 2017, 365 Algarve’s programme of events will incorporate music, dance, theatre, exhibitions and more. All are designed to reinforce the Algarve's cultural identity, enhance and diversify the region’s cultural offering and improve the tourist experience throughout the year. Last month saw the launch of 365 Algarve, a cultural project that seeks to promote the Algarve as a year-round tourist destination. Opening with events in Lagoa and Tavira on October 1st as the region moved into what is generally considered ‘low season’, the programme seeks to complement the Algarve’s traditional tourist draws - namely

The project - which has the tagline ‘every day counts’ - kicked off with an event involving local artists at the municipal library in Tavira. It was attended by Portugal’s Minister of Economy, the Secretary of State for Culture, the president of Turismo de Portugal and the President of the Algarve Tourism Board, amongst others. It was followed by the unveiling of Outdoor, a series of contemporary public

artworks by young artists that will see advertising billboards across the Algarve transformed. This project began in Faro, but will visit Lagos, Loulé and Alcoutim. In the evening, the action then moved to Lagoa where the first major 365 Algarve concert - scheduled to coincide with International Music Day - took place at the Municipal Auditorium, and saw pianist Adriano Jordan perform. Events already scheduled on the 365 Algarve calendar include the First Algarve International Piano Festival in Portimão, Jazz in the Wine Cellars in Silves, and A Lyrical White Christmas with Tenor Carlos Guilherme in Lagoa and Monchique.   @365.Algarve.EveryDayCounts

Geocaching part 4: Hiding your own geocache By David F In previous issues of Tomorrow we have looked at geocaching, the ‘treasure’ hunting game using the GPS function on your smartphone or a dedicated GPS device to seek out hidden containers, or ‘caches’. It’s a healthy pursuit, great for the kids, ideal for cyclists and dog walkers, and great fun. Plus you can attend regular gatherings of other geocachers to exchange ideas and experiences if you wish. All of the caches around the world are placed by the geocaching community, and once you have found 50 or so you might want to try hiding your own. To begin, read the placement guidelines on the geocaching.com website as there are one or two sensible restrictions. For example, caches must be at least one tenth of a mile apart, and not be on private property or in walls, so as to avoid damage to property. Next, decide on a location, create your cache container (camouflaging it if you wish) and hide it, but be sure to make it sturdy and waterproof. The geocaching.com website allows you to easily create a webpage for your cache. No technical or programming skills are needed. When it is ready to go you submit it online and a volunteer reviewer will examine the submission to ensure it fits within the geocaching guidelines. They will not visit the location but will view it

8 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

on Google Maps and ensure it complies with the rules. Don't be disappointed if the reviewer asks for a change as it is easy to overlook something or place a cache too close to an existing hide.

to be the Algarve’s first ever cache, this was placed by a clever bunch of local geocachers so I expect it be good.

I suggest you start with a straightforward traditional cache before venturing into multicaches or mystery caches, although devising puzzles for the latter is a good way to pass the winter evenings. Solving them is also good fun, although I confess that some local ones have defeated my simple brain. (I will not describe some of the devious cache containers that you will encounter as it will spoil your fun, but be prepared for the unexpected!)

• GC427BQ (Forte da Nossa Senhora Encarnação), a relatively easy cache by Sjengen.

If by now you have become a geocaching addict, you can pay a subscription (US$35) to become a Premium Member, which provides a few additional facilities and some extra high-quality caches. Likewise you could invest in a dedicated GPS like the Garmin Oregon, which allows you to download thousands of caches to your device and is theoretically more accurate than your smartphone. As a parting gift, here are a few more local geocache codes to search for on the geocaching.com website. All but the first one are tried and tested at some stage by the writer and all are recommended: • GC6CJYT by GeoAlgarvio. Claiming

 TomorrowAlgarve

• GC4XF93 (A Barca de Portimão), a clever hide by heldervarela

Finally, if you fancy a stroll near the Barragem da Bravura, you could try the circular walk of caches placed by yours truly and my better half, Frango Piri Piri the first of the series is GC3XFMN and the web page gives details of the others. I hope to bump into you at a cache somewhere, or maybe at one of the local events which are published on the website and app. Happy geocaching!  In next month’s edition of Tomorrow, our editor reports on her experiences as a newly-converted geocacher.

Local author’s debut novel out now Local writer Eleanor Michael, a long-time resident of Carvoeiro known locally by her married name Elly Clayman, has released her debut novel. Two Months in Summer weaves fiction around the historic and political events that prevailed during the summer of 1974 on the paradise island of Cyprus. Over the course of two months, the population - both Greek and Turkish Cypriots - endured a foiled assassination attempt on the President, an Athens-backed military coup, and the invasion by mainland Turkish forces who eventually captured, and still retain, the whole of the north of the island. Eleanor lived in Cyprus for ten years, and was an integral part of these events. Starting one quiet Monday afternoon in June 1974, the accidental discovery by Eleanor of the headquarters of a terrorist group was the catalyst. Her novel opens when Sally, a young English woman, discovers the HQ of the terrorist group planning to assassinate the President. Her life is put in danger as the political consequences lead to a military coup, but the President escapes out of the country. Her husband is unlawfully imprisoned by the new regime led by a known criminal, hated by the Turkish Cypriot community for having massacred whole villages in the past. On the pretext of protecting the Turkish Cypriot population, the Turkish government send a highly equipped invasion force to Cyprus. They rampage across the beautiful north coast of the island, making tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots refugees in their own country and thwarting Sally’s efforts to get to her imprisoned husband in the north, leaving her in a state of fear and panic as she tries to reach him.

Your fully managed 5-star haven in the Algarve Luxury quarter share apartments at Vale d'Oliveiras from just €69,000

C A R V O E I R O . A L G A R V E

Two Months in Summer is listed as a paperback and a Kindle eBook on Amazon, where reviews describe it as “simultaneously entertaining and educational”, “hard to put down” and an “excellent first novel.” Following the release of the book, Eleanor will be hosting a literary lunch at the Holiday Inn Algarve in Armação de Pêra on Friday November 4th at 12.30pm. A talk by the author will be followed by a three-course buffet lunch including wine and coffee. Tickets are priced at €18.50. 

Fully serviced. Fully furnished. 1 & 2 bed apartments Visit our real estate ofﬁce or contact us on 00 351 282 380 560 or realestate@valedoliveiras.pt for details. www.valedoliveirasresort.com

 +351 282 320 260  info@hialgarve.com

Freehold options also available.

 TomorrowAlgarve

MACDONALD

H OT E L S & R E S O RT S

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 9

Community

Portimão is coming back to life By Alyson and Dave Sheldrake, Algarve Blog

Keen to find out more about the new lease of life that is springing up amongst some of the smaller independent shops in the town of Portimão, the owners of Algarve Blog went off to explore the area. Along the way they met some lovely shopkeepers and discovered fabulous new stores in the side streets of the town, all based around Rua Direita. Here's their report on the area, adapted from the one first published on the blog earlier this year… The first shop we visited - the very enticing Opcão Decor - is brilliant for picking up an unusual gift or special present. It is run by Marcelo Correia, an interior designer with a keen eye for a unique product. The inside of the shop is beautifully presented with a range of gifts, homeware and ceramics, all of which are from original and traditional Portuguese brands. Many items are sourced locally, from the raffia bags from Loulé to the nativity scenes which are made in Ferragudo and the kitchenware from casaalegre.pt. The interior designer at the helm means that everything is displayed beautifully, utilising every corner of the space and old furniture to great effect. And the best bit is that the wooden kitchen products here are all made from the same manufacturer that makes Jamie Oliver’s products, the artisan brand Gradirripas (gradirripas.pt).

The only difference is you can buy everything here much cheaper than via Jamie’s outlets!

to already be a firm favourite with both locals and holidaymakers alike. Run by the charming Elisa Malheiro, this is a deli with the personal touch - and everything is beautifully presented and laid out for you.

This is a real treasuretrove of a little shop and Marcelo is a great guy. He is very engaging and passionate about his shop and products, and he's well worth a visit.

All the products are from the Algarve, with the only exception being the coffee, which is specially brought in from House of Coffee. Elisa knows where every item is sourced from - as she told us, "I know the person that bakes the biscuits, I know where the bread comes from."

Next up, a little further down the road, is the Maria do Mar tapas restaurant and grocery supermarket, with its fabulous collection of niche products and flavours. Run by the engaging Pedro Franco (who also runs a shop in Lagos) and, on the day we visited, hosted by the charming Maria, this is a real surprise of a shop with a display cabinet full of amazing tinned fish products - all strictly Portuguese, of course. The idea was to create a shop that would appeal to both locals and visitors, with a passionate emphasis on the customer. This is the place to go if you want to know exactly where your food has been sourced from, all about the canning and fish industry, and how to cook the food too.

Inside Opcão Decor

They also have a fabulous-looking menu with everything cooked fresh when you order. But if you can't make it to the café, then look out for their latest project coming to a street near you soon. They have just launched their environmentallyfriendly Piaggio van serving street food on the go, an exciting new venture that even has solar panels on the roof to power the fridge. Just along from them is the delightful little A Tentação gourmet shop, which is a cute place selling a range of food products including chocolates and desserts, jams and preserves, and oils. Run by the quiet yet welcoming Ana, this is another small shop proud of its Portuguese products, including some very yummy fig and chocolate sweets. The final deli we visited was the delightful Mercearia do Algarve, situated near the charity shop at the top of the street. This deli only opened in July 2015 and appears

Maria do Mar café tapas restaurant & grocery store

10 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

The attention to detail for a small deli shop is impressive - even down to the shop's logo being on the jar labels, the paper bags and Elisa’s apron. A customer came in as we were chatting and she was instantly offered a slice of folar cake to try. Each item purchased is lovingly wrapped in brown paper and raffia string - they even offer a packaging and delivery service across Europe!

 TomorrowAlgarve

The produce is all fresh and enticing. They have a different speciality bread to purchase each day; it was pumpkin bread when we were there on a Friday afternoon. This is one special local deli which is definitely worth a visit. Portimão has so much more to offer there are traditional cork and leather shops, a haberdashery shop, children's clothing shops, lovely old lace and linen shops, and the most amazing old-fashioned barbers too, not to mention a wide range of restaurants and cafés to keep you well-fed and watered. So why not give Portimão another look? Wander the streets and enjoy this new plethora of small independent shops that are supporting each other and bringing life back to a tired area of the town.   www.algarveblog.net

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 11

Community

Donkey trekking in Monchique: the ultimate way to de-stress By Steven Sutton

Just five minutes’ drive from Monchique is the Happy Donkey Sanctuary, a not-for-profit project where some friends and I recently enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing morning. On arrival we are greeted by owner Robert, who immediately takes us to meet his donkeys, which nuzzle us affectionately. Whilst the donkeys are being tacked up, Robert introduces himself and immediately we are struck by his calmness; he is very softly spoken and aware of his surroundings. This calmness transfers to us and we started to feel very relaxed. Robert arrived in Portugal with five donkeys in October 2015, settling at a spot that gives the animals a lovely life in the great outdoors. Through his walks and visits, he hopes to provide ‘donkey therapy’, giving people especially children - the chance to observe the donkeys’ natural behaviour (like how they interact, graze, play and run) and allowing them to experience their unique energy. Once the tack has been fitted and the packs have been loaded, we take the donkeys by their leads and we are off. The

object of the exercise is to lead the donkeys, but more often the donkeys know best and they lead you! They know exactly where they are going and they are far too clever to let a novice take the lead. Once we are off the road, in the middle of the mountains, we let the donkeys off the leads and they walk freely alongside us. The entire walk, they eat. They eat everything in sight. Meanwhile, Robert gives a running commentary about the surrounding mountainside with all its fascinating flora and fauna, pointing out the myriad of wild herbs and their uses including some very interesting medical uses for certain ailments. In the time you spend with the animals they are able to show you their differing personalities. Believe me, they are all very different and you really do bond with them. They are, in a way, like naughty children. They have a way of making you laugh and, coupled with the beautiful surroundings, you soon forget all your troubles and the stresses that are part of everyday life. (There is no phone signal up there so you are not constantly looking at your phone).

time to rest, take in the views and absorb our surroundings. It’s also playtime for the donkeys, who enjoy drinking from the stream and frolicking in the water. It is very amusing to watch and causes much hilarity amongst us. Then, alas, it’s time to make our way back. At this point you really feel the stress has disappeared and you feel so peaceful. As we walk back, we know that we have made friends with the donkeys. We feel relaxed, our minds are clear, and we are content to walk in silence, just smelling the beautiful aromas of the mountain and listening to the steady sway of the donkeys beside us. Arriving back at the stables it’s time to say goodbye, not only to Robert but to the donkeys too. Something tells me that we will miss them more than we let on. There are different treks available so please contact Robert and he will give you all the information. But whichever you opt for, take a camera and make sure you take lots of pictures. This is something you will want to remember.   www.project-sanctuary-happy-donkeys. jimdo.com Tomorrow's Steven goes donkey trekking

As we climb higher and walk further into the valley, the silence is unbelievable. There is no birdsong up here, but I will not give away the reason why… Sign up for a trek and let Robert explain to you. Halfway through our walk we stop to enjoy the picnic we brought with us. This is a

This month’s €50 meal winner… this snap of the coast between Ferragudo and Carvoeiro that could easily be one of our cover shots! Erik lives with his wife, two dogs and cat in the small village of Folga, near Pereira and the autódromo. Congratulations Erik!

Erik Kaper is our photo competition winner this month, after he submitted

12 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

Fancy yourself as next month’s winner? Then now’s the time to send in your snaps. We’re looking for a shot that captures what it’s like to live in the local area, and we’ll print our favourite in every issue. And that’s not all - each month’s winner receives a free meal for two worth €50 at a restaurant on the Algarve!

 TomorrowAlgarve

Entering is easy. Simply email your pictures to us at pictures@tomorrowalgarve.com or upload your shots on Facebook and tag @ TomorrowAlgarve (you’ll need to ‘like’ us first). Either way, make sure you include where the picture was taken and any other relevant information. The Tomorrow team will chose their favourite (and therefore the winner) on 15th of every month. Entries after this date will be included in the next month’s competition. Good luck and happy snapping! 

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 13

Community

Designing the dream: Less is more could combine a simpler yet comfortable life with more fulfilment. What if we got rid of all that ‘stuff’ and tried to live more… with less?” The Algarve turned out to be the place they thought they could achieve their dream. “Leaving the people we cared about was the most difficult thing,” she continues. “But sometimes you have to let go of the past to make a different future, and I wanted to make a place so beautiful that all our family and friends would come and never want to go home.”

For the first in a new series on local people who made their dream homes a reality, Stephanie Ginger discovers how a Dutch couple gave new life to an 1800s farmhouse in Carvoeiro. When Rob and Liesbeth Savelkoul strolled along a sunlit Algarvian beach and dreamed of retiring to Portugal someday, little did they realise that just a few years later, still in their fifties, they would have transformed not only a 250 year-old farmhouse but their entire lifestyle. Arriving at Quinta da Fonte Velha, it’s easy to see why the Dutch couple fell in love with this place. Now beautifully restored, the quinta is tucked away in two hectares of fertile countryside near Carvoeiro. Chickens and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs roam on the lowest of five terraces, and almond, fig, olive and orange trees hang heavy with fruit, offering welcome shade from the searing sun. Not far away, the Monchique mountains stand like benign green custodians of the coast. Liesbeth introduces me to the dogs, leads me past the original well (the ‘fonte’ in the quinta’s name), and in the cool, airy kitchen she tells me the couple’s story. She laughs a lot, but I can see that she’s serious about their ambitions for both the quinta and their own lives: sustainability, community, sharing. After spending years abroad, mainly in Asia, Rob’s career with Dutch consumer electronics giant Philips took the couple and their three daughters back to Holland where Liesbeth also worked as chairman for Dutch charity Talent Foundation. “It was a good life, I can’t complain,” Liesbeth says. “But in 2011 changes at Philips coupled with facing an empty nest at home made us reconsider the future. We wanted to see if we

14 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

The couple started looking for their new home in April 2012, and as soon as they saw the abandoned farmhouse, with its two hectares of agricultural and ecological land, they knew they’d found it. By August, Quinta da Fonte Velha was theirs. Enlisting architect Arnold Aarsen and his team at Studio Arte in Silves to transform the ruin, they set about designing a contemporary but sustainable home using as many natural, traditional and local materials as possible. When groundwork began in December 2012, the Savelkouls were still in Eindhoven – “the centre of the Philips world,” grins Rob. He shuttled back and forth to monitor building progress while Liesbeth and their eldest daughter sourced materials. “Actually,” says Liesbeth, “keeping things natural and local made it easier because so much didn’t fit the criteria.” Meanwhile, beneath the cracked cement of the original building they discovered that the house was built of taipa, a centuries-old construction method using rammed earth clay blocks. “We found a craftsman from Tavira,” says Rob. The blocks were rendered with a layer of clay and finally finished with chalk paint. “It has three fantastic properties: the humidity is very stable, it cleans the air and improves acoustics.” They have since built a root store (pictured right) using the same material, which has natural rock shelves inside to keep their self-grown veggies cool. But there were challenges. As the house is built on a slope, the back wall was leaning against earth, resulting in considerable damp

 TomorrowAlgarve

and fungus. Studio Arte dealt with this by designing a courtyard to separate the main house from the retaining wall. Nowadays, it’s a calm and shady oasis with the sound of trickling emanating from a water feature. There were other issues too. Even before the house was habitable, their daughters brought a group of friends to help with the mammoth job of clearing the wilderness that was to be the core of their very existence. Perhaps what’s at the heart of the Savelkouls’ successful transition to a simple life is their attitude. There’s no doubt that their carbon footprint is smaller; they have their own water supply, recycle their waste and produce three times the electricity and sixty percent of the fruit and vegetables that they – and their many visitors – consume. The social and community element is very important too. “We are creating a sustainable farm for the future, but also a place where people meet and learn,” adds Liesbeth. This year alone they’ve had over fifty guests and given more than a hundred tours to interested visitors. “We work hard, but every day I feel total happiness, fulfilment and freedom,” says Liesbeth. Rob agrees: “I feel fitter now than I have in the last forty years.” Looking to the future, the couple insist they don’t have any grand dreams. They just want to continue developing the quinta and themselves - but looking around at what they’ve achieved, it already seems impressive enough to me.   www.quintadafontevelha.com  www.studioarte.info

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 15

Community

Travelling with pets: part three By Stephanie Ginger dogs is the same: £69 return, including kennel accommodation where necessary. The Pont-Aven and Cap Finistère ferries offer purpose-built kennels and a designated dog deck to give owners and their canine companions an opportunity for a ‘fresh nose’. As covered in previous instalments, with a Pet Passport and a bit of forward planning you can wave goodbye to expensive kennel bills and Felix, Fido and even Freddy (the ferret) can enjoy your holiday or your second home. Having provided a checklist for making the car journey to and from Portugal through mainland Europe in the last issue, this month I’m covering ferry crossings with your furry friends. For those travelling to or from Portugal, Brittany Ferries is undoubtedly the flagship service, with a variety of sailings between southern England and Spain. The company offers sailings to Santander from Portsmouth and Plymouth, and also a Portsmouth to Bilbao route.

Cats aren’t permitted in the kennels and, as there are no pet-friendly cabins on the Pont-Aven, must remain in the car. You can check on them periodically though, accompanied by a crew member. Cap Finistère, however, does have petfriendly cabins, as do the no-frills Economie services Etretat and Baie de Seine - but be aware that these cabins book up months in advance. Also note that nowadays all dogs must wear muzzles at all times on-board the ferries and in the port, so buy and fit one in advance and ensure your dog has time to become accustomed to wearing it.

Whilst the crossing takes from 20 to 24 hours depending on the route you choose, it shaves off the long drive through France (although, if that appeals, Brittany also have routes that dock in France, as do P&O and LD Lines).

Before leaving, check the microchip number is correctly entered in your pet’s passport and be aware that the microchip can move beneath the skin, so get your home vet to show you where it is, as you’ll be handed the reader at check in. Also buy a Scalibor or Seresto tick collar as a backup to the Bravecto chewable flea and tick tablet (which lasts three months). Tick Fever is not to be trifled with.

Facilities for pets depend on the boat on Brittany’s England to Spain services, but the carriage charge for both cats and

British couple Maggie and John have travelled to and fro with their Portuguese water dogs for eleven years. They say that

the Brittany Ferries operation is now quite slick and, although it seems daunting at first, once you’ve worked out the timing for the return journey it’s actually quite straightforward. Here are their top dog travel tips… * Book as far in advance as possible. Although Brittany Ferries specify only one large dog (two small) per cabin online, you can negotiate by telephone. * Check the UK Government website for any changes and ensure the vet signatures on your pet’s passport adhere to regulations (down to the colour of ink). * As soon as you arrive, register your pet with a good local vet. Portugal is a warm country and taking your vet’s advice will help keep your pet healthy for the duration of your stay. * For your return journey, time your vet visit so that the tapeworm treatment is administered more than 24 hours before you check in but less than 120 hours before scheduled arrival time in the UK. * Put your watch an hour ahead if departing from Portugal; the ferry will depart using Spanish time. In next month’s final instalment of Travelling with pets, I’ll be covering how to transport your four-legged friends by air.   www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/ PETS-travel-scheme To catch up on any of Stephanie’s previous articles, visit www.tomorrowalgarve.com/ publications where you will find all our issues to date.

Tomorrow visits Bela Vista By Steven Sutton As we reported in our September issue, Bela Vista in Portimão was recently named one of CNN.com’s most beautiful hotels in Europe. So, in the name of research, I attended the hotel’s final sunset party of the year to see for myself what makes it so special. I arrived just as the sun was setting and took in the spectacular view with a drink by the pool. Food including sushi, fresh oysters and a selection of cheese was prepared

16 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

 TomorrowAlgarve

by the hotel’s fantastic chef, and I was introduced to the superb house sommelier. With a DJ on hand to ensure we danced the night away, it was a wonderful evening. Bela Vista is the kind of place people pass and say, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to be go in there?’ Well, don’t be shy - call and book a table for dinner, or just to enjoy a glass of something cold… You will not regret it.   www.hotelbelavista.net

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 17

Community

Visiting Sintra: the Mountains of the Moon and good, encouraging bonding between fellow travellers.

Tomorrow's Steven goes donkey trekking

Arriving at our destination, the coach delivers us into the heart of old Sintra and the first of our organised tours at the Palácio Nacional, instantly recognisable by its extraordinary chimney cones, Gothic arches and Moorish windows. Palacio Nacional de Sintra

As well as remarkable painted ceiling panels, the Palácio's kitchen (with those chimneys) and a totally over-the-top bathroom are my favourite parts of our guided tour. I do like a tour with a ‘proper’ guide (instead of a machine that you have to press to your ear), and Jorge is cheerful, knowledgeable and takes time to answer questions.

Stephanie Ginger reports on her recent four-day trip to Sintra as part of Afpop’s latest organised group tour. The Romans referred to Sintra and the surrounding serra as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’, and for 500 years Portuguese royalty escaped Lisbon’s summer sizzle for its cooling forests. Literary figures have waxed lyrical about it’s charms too, with Lord Byron – who had little fondness for the Portuguese – talking about Sintra’s “glorious Eden” in one of his best known works, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. We might not be on a Byronic Grand Tour (although the Afpop ‘taster trip’ to Sintra is almost as good), but as Lisbon’s suburbs give way to lush forests and the coach climbs towards Sintra Vila, passing elegant mansions leaning against the mountainside or teetering on the edge of impossible gullies, everyone on board begins to see what all the fuss is about. But I’m racing ahead. This particular coachload of fifty Afpoppers is on the second of two four-day trips to Sintra that Pat Allen organised this autumn, and the sixth such excursion to heritage sites in Portugal since her first to Monte Gordo in 2006. Starting out early one Tuesday morning in late September, we are first on the coach. Leaving Alma Verde at 7.20am, there are pick-ups from Almadena to Albufeira at convenient points along the N125 where people can leave their cars for a couple of days. Although many don’t know each other at the start, Pat makes a cheerful pack leader and has devised ice breakers (quiz anyone?), so solo travellers need not worry. Lunch is duck rice and local specialities at the Restaurante Jardim do Moscatel in Vila Nogueira Azeitão, a hidden gem in a tranquil courtyard. Inside the cool, highceilinged quinta there’s free seating on big, round tables and the wine is plentiful

18 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

We stay at the Tivoli and, although in need of an update, it is ideally positioned in the centre of things, across the road from the Palácio Nacional. Our room on the fifth floor is comfortable enough, with an astounding view of the Moorish castle on the ridge and the Quinta da Regaleira emerging from the trees. Comfortable shoes are a must to get to grips with Sintra’s steep cobbled streets, as are layers of clothing (the unusually hot daytime temperature of 30°c plummets at sunset) and a sun hat, even in autumn. Although there are plenty of bars at which to enjoy a sundowner with tasty tapas, we decide to eat on the terrace of the Café de Paris in the square, under the cosy glow of their warming infrared lights. Not the cheapest food to be had, but very good. On day two, we take advantage of our free afternoon and visit Palácio da Pena, the bizarre Disneyland-esque creation of the romantic King Ferdinand II. With 85 hectares of gardens to explore as well as the castle itself, we scarcely scratch the surface. One tip: from the outset, ask about discounted tickets if you’re planning to visit more than one attraction. On day three, we don’t join the planned trip to Lisbon Oceanarium as we’ve already seen it, preferring instead to maximise our time in Sintra. Options for getting around town range from tourist buses, the now ubiquitous tuk tuks and horse-drawn carriages to electric bikes. We opt for the ‘hop-on, hop-off’ opentopped bus on the circular Red Line that goes as far as Cabo da Roca, taking in many surrounding attractions. We have a fabulous time and hop off to explore the rather creepy

 TomorrowAlgarve

sixteenth century Capuchos monastery (or ‘cork convent’) in the Sintra Hills, as well as climbing to the top of the Castelo dos Mouros, which gives a spectacular view over Sintra all the way to the Atlantic! But do beware of hopping off and then finding yourself stranded for the next 40 minutes because there’s no space on the next bus. An unexpected highlight of the trip is the Palácio de Monserrate and its extraordinary gardens. With species from around the world, this remarkable botanical collection was created by Englishman Francis Cook in the 1850s. Now more than 150 years old with trees up to 50 metres high, it’s like wandering the globe in a couple of hours. The shady garden house café is a welcome respite for tired legs, too. On the final evening, everyone exchanges experiences over an enjoyable group dinner at the Tivoli before setting off Friday morning for the return coach journey. On the way we stop for a fascinating tour of the Palácio da Bacalhôa, a winery and eclectic museum near Setúbal. The high point of the wine tasting is the distinctive golden dessert wine Moscatel de Setúbal (a case is duly purchased), followed by yet another splendid buffet lunch on the way home at the Dona Isilda Restaurant at Azetão. All in all, at €295 per person – including all the organised excursions and special meals – the Afpop trip was very good value and delivered exactly what it said on the tin. As well as being thoroughly enjoyable, it’s given us a taste of those Mountains of the Moon, although there’s still much left to enjoy on future trips: the theatricallyinspired Quinta da Regaleira, afternoon tea at the Palácio de Seteais, a multitude of museums or a musical evening at the Palácio de Queluz. Or maybe just time to sit with a shot of the local ginja (wild cherry liqueur) served in a tiny chocolate cup and to enjoy the stunning view!   www.afpop.com  www.sintra-portugal.com Palace and gardens of Monserrate

Portugal Masters raises money for disabled golfers

Want to be part of an art group? Want to learn how to paint? Want to paint with like minded people? Get in touch for more information or watch this space

Call +351 911 068 062 or +44 (0)1934 733877 on one of our residential holidays in the UK or here in Portugal in 2017 Learn with some of the All abilities welcome

Last month’s Portugal Masters named the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) as its official charity. Funds raised at the local event will support a pilot project due to start in December. Selected coaches will learn new skills on how to train golfers with disabilites, after which they will work around the country and visit rehabilitation centres and disability associations to introduce golf to individuals with disabilities. Golf facilities close to these centres are opening their doors to accept youngsters who show an interest in taking the next steps in golf, with EDGA aiming to have at least three projects in Portugal. Peter Adams, Championship Director of the Portugal Masters, said: “The European Disabled Golf Association is a wonderful fit as our official charity of the Portugal Masters. Not only do they help individuals with impairment start, stay, succeed and enjoy golf, they also advise and guide other organisations on tournaments, training and services to golfers with disability, furthermore building the capacity of our people within the golfing community. “The work they do across the country, within Europe and on a global scale, makes a difference to people’s lives.” Whilst this year’s grand total was unknown at the time of going to print, last year’s event raised €22,400 thanks to the generosity of players, spectators and the Tour Players Foundation, which was donated to the SIC Esperança charity. In previous years, the tournament has also supported Make-A-Wish and ACCA Kids. Formed in 2000, EDGA is an international non-profit organisation for golfers with disabilities that is uniquely positioned to support the expansion of initiatives which promote the development, support and delivery of golf for individuals with impairment across Europe. Today the association is made up of the national governing bodies from 18 countries. Although EDGA is primarily focused on the European dimension, organisations from around the world regularly reference EDGA for direction, advice and more specifically the definitions of impairment, eligibility and tournament criteria. 

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 19

What's On Try something new: Zumba

Who can join? You do not need any former dance or fitness training to join a class, just enthusiasm! “I teach Zumba and Zumba Gold,” Mandy explains. “ Zumba is great for any level – the classes are tailored to cater for different ability levels - whilst Zumba Gold is a lower impact, slower paced class. It is ideal for beginners, older participants or if you are returning to exercise after illness, injury or pregnancy.” What do I need to take part? Clothes you can move freely in such as leggings, t-shirts and aerobic wear. Good footwear is also important supportive trainers or dance sneakers are recommended. Take a small towel and a bottle of water too. Costs vary - get in touch for more info.

Try something new is our regular feature that shines a light on the wealth of activities to get involved in around the local area, with the hope of inspiring you to give it a go. This month: Zumba.

It’s great for total body toning, cardiovascular benefits and blasting calories!

What’s it all about? A Spanish slang word meaning ‘to move and have fun’, Zumba is a dance fitness programme that uses Latin & international music. It combines fast & slow rhythms and different dance styles to create a unique balance of cardio & muscle toning.

Tell me more Qualified instructor Mandy Davies leads regular Zumba classes in Carvoeiro. “I love it because it is ‘exercise in disguise’,” she says. “The music is exhilarating which motivates you to move! Even if you don’t pick up the steps straight away, it doesn’t matter. There is always a great energy and fun atmosphere in class and you leave feeling energised.”

How can I get involved? Zumba classes are held at 10.30am every Friday morning at Sala Gimnica on Rua do Barranco (the ‘out’ road) in Carvoeiro. Zumba Gold classes take place at midday on Monday and 10.30am on Wednesday at the same venue.   @mandyzumbacarvoeiro  mandyzumba@sapo.pt  +351 919 604 121 Want your group, club or organisation to feature in an upcoming Try Something New? Email stephanie@tomorrowalgarve. com with your suggestions.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… As per Portuguese tradition, the day is marked by eating roasted chestnuts and drinking the season’s new wine. As such there will be roast chestnut stands galore, as well as many others selling doughnuts, popcorn, hot dogs, pão com chouriço and other tempting snacks.

An abundance of roasted chestnuts at the annual Feira de São Martinho will definitely get you in the mood for winter… Established over 300 years ago, this year the popular event takes place between November 4th-13th in Portimão to coincide with St Martin’s Day (November 11th).

20 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

Visitors will also find traditional exhibitors of food products, dinnerware, toys, jewellery and footwear, among others, and also an entertainment space with tombolas, games, bumper cars and more to delight children and adults alike. The legend of Saint Martin goes that the Roman solider was on his way to his homeland one very cold day when he met

 TomorrowAlgarve

a beggar who asked for alms. Martin tore his cloak in two and gave one half to the beggar. Suddenly the cold stopped and the weather warmed up, which is believed to have been the reward for Martin being good to the beggar. The event takes place at Portimão Arena, and opening hours vary from day to day. On November 4th, it is open 4pm - 1am. Between November 6th and 10th, hours are 10am to midnight. On November 5th, 11th and 12th, it is open from 10am - 1am and on the last day, November 13th, the hours are 10am - 11pm.   www.mercadosdeportimao.pt/osmercados/feira-de-sao-martinho

Cheer on our champions Algarve in Faro on Sunday November 13th. The vice president of the Faro’s Câmara, Paulo Santos, welcomed the decision of the Portuguese Football Federation to hold the tie at the stadium, saying: “It will allow us to fight the seasonality of tourism in the Algarve a little. To be sure, this will draw lots of people to our region.”

Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning football team will be in action on the Algarve this month. For their next World Cup 2018 qualifying match, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates take on Lativa at the Estádio do

Portugal lost their opening Group B match to Switzerland 2-0 in September, but came back strong with their 6-0 drubbing of Andorra in early October at Aveiro. Incredibly, they repeated the 6-0 score line in their away match with Faroe Islands

Blip 2016

three days later. Following the Latvia game, the team will play Hungary on March 25th 2017, marking the mid-way point in the five-team group stage. The European round of qualifiers consists of nine groups, with the winners of each automatically securing a place at the finals in Russia. The eight best group runners-up will advance to Round Two, from which four will progress to the finals. Get your tickets for the Latvia game now. Força Portugal!   www.fpf.pt

By Alyson Sheldrake

The 2016 BLiP (‘Better Living in Portugal’) exhibition was held over the weekend of October 8th and 9th, with over 70 businesses showcasing their services and products.

The Regional Tourism Board gave talks on their walking and cycling routes, and the region’s firefighters, the Bombeiros Voluntários, gave displays on fire-fighting, first aid and safety in the home.

Everything from home and garden products, property and finance to health food and drink, and funeral plans were represented at the event, which took place in the spacious indoor Portimão arena.

Thousands of people attended over the course of the weekend, making for another successful instalment of the annual event.

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.betterlivinginportugal.com

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 21

What's On

Russian Ballet comes to the Algarve full of romanticism and represents a major challenge for the dancers, especially in the elegant and fragile interpretation of main character Princess Aurora. The performance features an all-star cast of splendid Russian ballet dancers, with principle dancers Evgeniya Bespalova playing Princess Aurora and Denis Karakashev dancing the part of Prince Désiré. This month sees the Russian Classical Ballet company arrive in the Algarve to enchant the public with not one, but two timeless shows. Hailing from Moscow, the company will be performing The Sleeping Beauty at the Municipal Auditorium in Lagoa on Wednesday November 23rd at 9.30pm.

Further afield, the company will be at the Teatro das Figuras in Faro on Tuesday November 22nd (also at 9.30pm) for a performance of Swan Lake, a charming story with sumptuous scenery, gorgeous costumes and a dazzling score that makes for a great masterpiece of classical ballet. It tells the story of Odette, a young woman transformed into a swan during the day by evil sorcerer Von Rothbart, only regaining her human form at night. It is a tale of love, betrayal, and the triumph of good over evil.

One of the classical repertoire's most famous ballets, Sleeping Beauty awakens the magic of fairy tales. It is set in an enchanted world of castles, forests, curses and fairies where a pricked finger on a spindle leads to a 100-year spell that can only be undone by true love's kiss.

Tickets for both shows are priced at €25 per person and are on sale now.   www.ticketline.sapo.pt  www.teatrodasfiguras.pt

Based on the short story La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perrault, the ballet is

Rallye Casinos do Algarve 2016 The thrill of rally racing returns to the Algarve on November 12th and 13th for another edition of the Rallye Casinos do Algarve. The most important rally in the south of the country, this year the event is unique in that the results not only count towards Portugal’s National Rally Championship, but also towards the International Automobile Federations’s European Rally Trophy and Iberian Rally Trophy, giving proceedings an international flavour.

Monchique and Fóia, totalling more than 120 kilometres. As the final event of the national rally season, an official awards ceremony will then take place at 1pm at the Hotel Algarve Casino in Praia da Rocha, which is open to the general public. Additional information - including details of the routes so you can choose a good viewing point - are available on the Clube Automóvel do Algarve’s website. 

Rock on in Portimão Anyone who likes their rock music turned up to 11 should head down to Marginália Bar in Portimão this month. The cavernous venue is set to host a string of gigs, kicking off on Saturday November 5th with N2GETHER, a heavy metal tribute band playing the music of groups including Linkin Park, System of a Down, Deftones and many more. Meanwhile, The Offspring tribute act Original Pranksters will be taking to the stage on Saturday November 19th to play a set full of energy. They will be followed on Friday November 25th by The Foo Riders, a tribute to Dave Grohl’s band Foo Fighters, who are visiting from Lisbon for one night only. And if you want to rock on even more, local blues-rock band BB Kween fronted by Diana Piedade, a former finalist on the Portuguese version of Pop Idol - will perform songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s on Saturday November 26th. Dedicated to live rock music, Marginália Bar is situated on Rua do Arco Maravilhas in Portimão’s old town, where you will always find a friendly atmosphere and the beats rocking ’til late!   @barmarginalia  +351 961 882 438

Contemporary dance festival

The action kicks off at 2pm on Saturday November 12th at Portimão’s riverside promenade. The rally has an interesting layout and promises to be very competitive. It begins with two ‘Special Stages’, Chilrão and Alferce, which will be raced twice. A ‘Super Special Stage’ will then take place at 9pm in Lagos, where there will also be a stand where the drivers can wind down.

The rhythm of dance returns to Portimão in early November with Entrelaçados, the contemporary dance festival. From November 1st-6th, the town will host dancers, creators and contemporary artists across different stages. The programme weaves together art and culture, and also includes workshops in areas such as aerial dance, movement and improvisation, and a photography exhibition titled Portimão, Dance and Art. A traditional food and drink market will also be in place on November 4th, 5th and 6th at Casa das Artes. 

On the morning of Sunday November 13th, the drivers return to the Monchique mountains to compete stages at

 www.dancenema.com/festivalentrelacados  @entrelacados.fest

22 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

 www.clubeautomovelalgarve.pt  @caalgarve

 TomorrowAlgarve

What's On Promote your events and activities in the Tomorrow Calendar - it’s FREE! Email your listings to us: for.tomorrow@hotmail.com

Portimão

Carvoeiro

Monchique Rallye Casinos do Algarve | Sun November 13th | Serra de Monchique Drivers racing two circuits: Monchique (9,93m) and Foia (20,07Km), totalling more than 120 kilometers, timed for all participants. The Closing ceremony will be next to the Hotel Algarve Casino, in Praia da Rocha 1pm |  289 400 330 |  pt-pt.facebook.com/CAAlgarve/

Ferragudo Yoga Paddle Board Classes with Silvia Duarte | Saturday 09.30am | Kalu Beach Bar, Praia Grande Ferragudo |  +351 282 461 115

Galeria De Arte Christmas Fair | December 15-18th, 26th and 27th. Join us for festive cheer, carol singing, glühwein and much more. If you are interested in taking a stall please contact us. The Art Gallery is located at the Adega Cooperativa de Lagoa, EN125,  282 356 131 or  967 408 098

Tide Table for November... LOW TIDE Moon 1 FRI 2 SAT 3 SUN 4 MON 5 TUE 6 WED 7 THU 8 FRI 9 SAT 10 SUN 11 MON 12 TUE 13 WED 14 THU 15 FRI 16 SAT 17 SUN 18 MON 19 TUE 20 WED 21 THU 22 FRI 23 SAT 24 SUN 25 MON 26 TUE 27 WED 28 THU 29 FRI 30 SAT 31 SUN

Morning

Height (m)

00:30 01:28 02:38 03:50 04:53 05:44 06:29 07:10 07:49 08:28 09:27 09:48 10:31 11:17 00:27 01:31 02:50 04:11 05:23 06:22 07:11 07:55 08:34 09:11 09:46 10:26 10:57 11:34 00:29

1,40 1,52 1,58 1,56 1,47 1,33 1,17 1,00 0,86 0,74 0,66 0,64 0,68 0,77 1,08 1,21 1,28 1,24 1,12 0,98 0,84 0,75 0,70 0,70 0,74 0,82 0,94 1,08 1,38

HIGH TIDE Afternoon 13:13 14:14 15:20 16:22 17:15 18:02 18:43 19:22 20:00 20:39 21:18 22:00 22:43 23:32 12:08 13:06 14:15 15:32 16:45 17:46 18:38 19:23 20:03 20:40 21:17 21:52 22:27 23:04 23:44 12:15 13:03

Height (m)

Morning

Height (m)

1,36 1,45 1,47 1,43 1,34 1,22 1,08 0,96 0,85 0,77 0,74 0,76 0,83 0,95 0,90 1,05 1,18 1,23 1,19 1,10 0,99 0,89 0,82 0,79 0,80 0,85 0,95 1,08 1,23 1,23 1,38

06:56 07:53 08:58 10:04 11:04 11:54 00:18 00:58 01:37 02:16 02:56 03:37 04:20 05:06 05:56 06:52 07:57 09:11 10:27 11:35 00:04 00:56 01:41 02:23 03:02 03:39 04:14 04:50 05:26 06:05 06:50

2,87 2,74 2,67 2,68 2,75 2,86 3,05 3,22 3,38 3,51 3,60 3,64 3,62 3,53 3,40 3,24 3,09 2,99 2,98 3,04 3,19 3,34 3,46 3,52 3,53 3,49 3,39 3,26 3,10 2,93 2,77

 TomorrowAlgarve

Afternoon 19:35 20:36 21:41 22:41 23:32 12:39 13:20 14:00 14:40 15:20 16:03 16:48 17:36 18:30 19:30 20:40 21:54 23:04 12:33 13:22 14:06 14:46 15:24 16:00 16:36 17:12 17:50 18:33 19:24

Height (m) 2,68 2,63 2,66 2,74 2,88 3,00 3,14 3,26 3,35 3,40 3,40 3,34 3,24 3,12 3,00 2,93 2,95 3,05 3,13 3,22 3,28 3,30 3,28 3,23 3,14 3,03 2,90 2,77 2,65

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 23

Health Happy feet By Andrea Schoonheim

discomfort in your knees placing your feet parallel (especially in the sides of your knees), then turn your feet slightly towards your normal stance, until the discomfort is gone. Close your eyes (for better concentration) and divide your body weight equally over all eight points, four per foot. Do this for about a minute. This likely won’t be an easy task, so don’t worry if it’s a struggle. Then start walking as slowly as you can, keeping both legs straight and placing the two heel points of your foot on the floor first. Next place your foot gently on the floor, aiming to touch down with the two points at the front at the same time.

How often do you pay attention to your feet? Chances are not very often, but feet are the foundation of your body and, just like in a building, when the foundation is not balanced, problems can arise. The bone structure above them and particularly the joints are at risk. When you are young, your body can cope with these imbalances. However, when you reach around 25 years of age, it tends to slowly loose this capability. The result can be loss of mobility in joints, frequent injuries (even as high as in the neck and shoulders), wear of cartilage or even small fractures.

Many yoga poses stimulate the rebalancing of the body, which helps increase the mobility of joints and the health of ligaments (although the cause of the problems should not be overlooked). The following exercises will tell you how balanced you stand and walk on your feet, and stimulate rebalancing them. Imagine four points on each foot: one on the ball of your big toe, one on the ball of your little toe, and two either side of your heel. Now place your feet hip width apart and parallel to one another. If you feel any

Now bend your other leg, take it forward, stretch it out and place the foot very slowly in the same manner on the floor. Walk like this for about a minute, making sure you keep the movements slow and controlled. If you easily lose your balance walking like this, you could walk alongside a dining table with one hand touching. Repeat both exercises regularly. Do these exercises daily for a few minutes and start to feel the difference!  Andrea is a qualified yoga teacher who leads classes in Carvoeiro and Lagoa.  andrea.schoonheim@gmail.com  www.yogalagoa.com  www.yogacarvoeiro.com  +351 911 510 641

Understanding skin redness and rashes By Lesley Wall Skin redness and rashes are not always a cause for concern, but they can be irritating, uncomfortable and could be telling you something.

problems. Try switching to a 100% natural product, which you're less likely to react to.

From sunburn to an allergic reaction, there are many situations in which your skin can become red or irritated. So ask yourself: What activities were you doing before you noticed the skin redness? Are you taking any new medications? Have you changed your skincare regime? Do you have a family history of any skin conditions? Have you experienced this skin redness before? Were you around others who may have a similar rash? Possible causes * Synthetic ingredients cause many skin

24 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

* Contact Dermatitis can be caused by sensitivity or allergies to certain household products, elastics or dyes. If you have a flare up after using particular products, again try a more natural product, or wear gloves when you use them. * Rosacea is a chronic skin condition involving severe inflammation of the skin capillaries, which can effect the cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. Sun exposure, stress and spicy foods can contribute to the condition, but facial products can also aggravate the skin. Do not exfoliate the skin or use any products like thermal masks as these can cause more inflammation.

 TomorrowAlgarve

Instead use a honey mask (honey naturally dissolves dead skin cells) and use only natural facial products. * Certain make-up products contain mineral oil (it sounds good, but it is a waste product of petroleum) which can be very irritating to the skin. If you suffer after applying your ‘face’, give mineral make-up (made from actual minerals from the earth) a try - it is much kinder to the skin. As ever, do seek medical advice for any persistent skin conditions.  Lesley is an ITEC qualified aromatherapist and the owner of Beautylicous Me in Alvor.  beautylicousme@yahoo.com

Avoiding the re-injury bug

By Dr. Bock

The intense heat of summer is ebbing, and we are now getting outside and becoming more active. Wonderful! But with increased activity comes the chance of an occasional sprain or strain of our muscles, tendons, ligaments or joints. Hopefully nothing too serious, yet when it happens it’s natural to want to get well quickly and treat it at home... fast. After recovering from the initial injury (perhaps with the help of a chiropractor or physiotherapist), it is important to take measures to prevent the return of the injury. As a sports chiropractor who has treated Olympic athletes for years, I have learned a lot about quickening recovery time and prevention of re-injury. High-level sports injury rehabilitation has shown that early, easy and gentle movement of the injured area greatly speeds recovery by teaching the ‘healing’ cells how to work correctly and preventing lingering problems. Gently squeezing the muscles near the injury helps to decrease muscle spasm. It also helps normalise blood flow and brings healing nutrients to the area. We’re aiming for small movements without any pain. For example, those suffering with tennis or golfer's elbow should gently and slowly move the wrist and elbow, simulating a swing without using a racket or club (you don't want the extra weight initially). Alternatively, for a sprained ankle or wrist, gently trace out the letters of the alphabet with your toes and feet or hands and wrists. From here, gradually increase your gentle activity but minimise re-aggravation by keeping your movements slow and easy while increasing your repetitions over time, helping to gain strength while avoiding re-injury. If the injury is of a ‘weight-bearing’ area, such as any part of the leg-ankle-foot or lower back, then balancing exercises are crucial in helping the new cells and nerves to quickly coordinate our body position accurately for regular life and sport. This is the recovery aspect that most treatment programmes fail to follow through on, and re-injury happens over and over again. World class athletes spend most of their recovery efforts performing balance and joint movement exercise training. These balancing exercises can be as simple as standing on one foot until you are no longer wobbly, but stable and confident instead. Then, standing up on your toes. Next, walking very slowly on just the toes and balls of your feet. This encourages the coordination of muscles and joints to ‘talk’ with the nervous system, which gives us better balance. Now when we walk on the cliffs, play tennis or golf, or walk on cobblestones, our body is confident, strong and secure. Simple, yet highly effective training works. Just a few minutes a day can help you avoid the re-injury bug!  Dr. Bock can be reached at Active Quiroprática. Please consult a healthcare provider for specific advice regarding your health.  www.drbock.pt  +351 966 706 606

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 25

Business Carvoeiro Clube Group marks the end of a successful season

group manages Algarve Clube Atlantico, Carvoeiro Clube, Monte Dourado, Monte Carvoeiro, Presa de Moura, Quinta do Paraiso, Carvoeiro Clube de Ténis and the newest member of the group, Vila Gaivota. They also have their own real estate agency, Quinta da Palmeira. Patricia Buerer, CEO said: “This has been a really exciting year for Carvoeiro Clube Group. We have acquired Carvoeiro Clube de Ténis and more recently Vila Gaivota in Ferragudo, and we do not want to stop there. As one of the oldest property management companies in the area we want to be a name that people recognise and trust.”

Friday October 7th saw Carvoeiro Clube Group host its last social event of the year at Carvoeiro Clube de Ténis, just one of the many resorts that the group manages. An afternoon by the poolside saw talented DJ and sax player Luis Raposo entertain 150plus guests, while the Carvoeiro Clube Group team kept the drinks and canapés flowing. Property owners, clients, guests and members were invited by the group's directors as a ‘thank-you’ for their continuing custom and to reassure them that, even though the group has recently expanded, they will continue with the personal service they have always provided.

“Back in the day, Carvoeiro Clube Group was famous for the popular events and parties it hosted,” explained Andreas Stocker, one of the group's partners. “We want to return to those days. As the largest property management company in Carvoeiro, we feel we should give something back. Too many large organisations remain faceless to their clients; we prefer to know ours on a personal and social level. We want to grow the ‘club’ feeling that has gotten lost over the years.” Carvoeiro Clube Group has hosted these monthly events around their different resorts during the summer season and will continue to do so next year. At present the

Speaking of the Algarve she said: “This has been a record-breaking year. The unfortunate events happening worldwide have seen an increase in the tourist market here as people are now avoiding the once popular resorts in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia. Holiday makers are now returning to the safety of the Algarve, which is great news for us and local businesses. We are now fast becoming a top tourist destination. “We are working on a winter programme for our resorts and are aiming to attract more people during the lower seasons. The Algarve and Carvoeiro in particular have so much to offer and I believe that it is important that businesses such as ours take this opportunity to really promote the Algarve as an all-year-round destination.“   www.carvoeirovillas.com

Solar powered pools in Portugal By Raymond Kane, Eurosolaris We are a new company situated here in the Algarve. We are called Eurosolaris and we specialise in the distribution of solar powered products throughout Europe. We are the exclusive European distributor of SunSmart solar power pool pumps. SunSmart was the first company to introduce a solar powered pool pump into the Australian marketplace in 2010, where it continues to out-sell the competition. Its products are reliable, robust and come with a five-year warranty. We chose this region to launch our product range for one simple reason: its abundance of sunshine and swimming pools. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, the location

26 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

and product simply go hand-in-hand.

switch to solar is very obvious.

Having lived in the Algarve for over a year, we were amazed to discover the small uptake in solar powered pool pumps. After further investigation into the reasons behind this, we discovered that the products on offer weren’t up to the job and the payback period was also too long for most. With SunSmart we aim to keep the payback period between three to four years.

One of our aims at Eurosolaris is to change the way people think about their pool and its impact on the environment. The average pool contributes between five to six tonnes of greenhouse emissions per annum. Imagine the global impact based on every pool with an electric pump each year! Installing a SunSmart pump will cut down greenhouse emissions to almost zero. Always remember, it’s ‘your world, your choice’.

We were also alarmed at the cost of electricity here in Portugal and the burden it has on households of all budgets. This issue seems to be a pet hate of every resident. With pool pumps being the largest consumer of energy in any household, the

 TomorrowAlgarve

For details, contact us at Eurosolaris.   +351 910 430 739  enquiries@eurosolaris.eu  www.eurosolaris.eu

90x135 RELAX_Layout 1 10/02/2015 17:02 Page 1

What Katie did in Portugal Kate Spain is not one to sit back and watch her garden grow. Since moving to the Algarve she has tried to make her business, Algarve Gardens, a little bit different. After starting out as a garden maintenance and landscaping business, Kate added deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetable boxes from the family farm in Portimão to the mix. When this started to go down a storm, she decided to try her hand at making healthy ready meals too, creating dishes such as homemade shepherd’s pie and Thai green curry using fresh, organic produce from the farm. Here she tells Tomorrow what happened next… “To my surprise, my food started to sell well. I really enjoyed creating new recipes and speciality box ideas. It especially gave me a lot of pleasure to make a meal with the right ingredients for someone doing chemotherapy, or a vegan lasagne for another client who was desperate to find ready meals she could eat. The more people I met, the more I saw people really needed food that was healthy, organic and met their individual dietary requirements, so I decided to establish my own cafe. Flor das Laranjeiras by Algarve Gardens opened its doors earlier this year.

Relax overseas transfers are our business Considering buying or selling a property in Portugal? It is never too early to choose your foreign exchange company. We pride ourselves on getting to know our clients and their needs.

Work with GCEN to: › Save money with no fees or charges To find out about these & other products & services we provide contact us at: Vilamoura Office 289 093 137 Lagos Office 282 768 136 UK rate 01622 815 201 E portugal@gcen.co.uk www.gcen.co.uk

› Get better exchange rates than with your bank › Benefit from a fast, efficient and friendly service

Private Client Services

GCEN is fully authorised by the FCA to provide payment service as an Authorised Payment Services Institution. Registration No. 50446

We do a daily lunch menu that costs €7.50 and consists of a juice of the day, a main course, a dessert and coffee. Every day we have a meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan option available, and if any of our clients have any other special dietary requirements (gluten/lactosefree, etc) then it can be done! Our juice of the day is made with whatever has been picked fresh that morning from the farm; it might be our Green Goddess Detox, which consists of spinach, cucumber, apple and chia seeds, or the Tropical Kick with grapefruit, oranges, carrots and wheatgrass. We also bake cakes and pastries daily, again catering to a range of dietary needs. Healthy breakfasts are available to start your day too, and we even do vegetarian and vegan full English breakfasts. We offer a takeaway service for all our meals, snacks and juices - perfect for those who want to grab a quick working lunch or sort dinner for the family with minimum fuss. Downstairs we also have a room available to hire with capacity for 80 people, with our without catering. Birthdays, work parties, hen dos - you name it, we can do it. Last month we did a cream tea hen party and an American-style brunch! So whether it’s for lunch, a snack or just a chat to find out a bit more about what we do, come and pay us a visit soon.”   Rua dos Bombeiros Voluntarios, Portimão  algarvegardens@outlook.pt  +351 927 094 497  @algarvegardens / @flordaslaranjeirasbyalgarvegardens

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 27

Business

From biology to pop-up bars festivals and corporate events. We bring the whole set-up to your event: the bar (we have a choice of two, a slick metal and perspex bar or a rustic wooden one), professional staff, freezer, bar equipment, glasses, ice, straws, napkins, umbrellas and lighting. Clients can either provide their own drinks, which we’ll serve as they wish, or we can do the drinks shopping and bring it with us on the day.

Kim Freeman originally hails from Witney, a sleepy town in West Oxfordshire. After waving goodbye to her mother, father and brother at the age of 18 to study Biology and French at university, she ended up in Lagos via a stint in the French Alps. Here, Kim tells Tomorrow how she set up her business, The Algarve Bar Company, and how mixing mojitos nearly broke her…

What gave you the idea?

How and why did you end up in the Algarve? I ended up in these parts thanks to my gorgeous boyfriend (I hope he's reading this) who I met doing ski seasons in France, where I managed a bar/restaurant for eight years. He'd grown up here, so after our 2014/15 winter season ended, I came to Portugal with him. Oddly enough, I've been coming on holiday to Burgau for the past decade or so, as my auntie and uncle have a holiday home in Alma Verde, so I was quite familiar with the area before I moved. Tell us about your business

We work alongside Algarve Marquees, a company with a huge amount of experience in the wedding and events industry. We noticed that there weren't any specific bar companies that served normal drinks, such as wine and beer, as well as more specialist tipples like cocktails. So we saw the niche and figured it would be the perfect opportunity to utilise my hospitality experience. What obstacles have you faced? The rather relaxed approach to deadlines here has frustrated me from time to time! And of course, the main thing for a new business is just getting your name out there and building a good reputation for yourself, so this is our priority for the moment. What’s been the best part of setting up a business here?

The Algarve Bar Company is a professional bar service that caters for weddings, parties,

people. There seems to be a real feel of camaraderie here. We all try to help each other out, which makes things so much easier. What kind of events have you worked at so far? We've done a real mix of events; birthday parties, hen-dos, corporate events, postwedding parties, which have catered for fifteen guests to over a hundred. Our highlight of the summer was most certainly our cocktail pitch at the Lagos Food Festival in July. It was three days of some of the hardest work I've ever done, but it was worth it. I could hardly lift my arms at the end of each night after shaking so many caipirinhas and mojitos! For everything we've done, we've received nothing but great feedback, which makes all the work so worthwhile. What's your vision for the future? Ideally we want to be the ‘go-to’ portable bar service in the whole of the Algarve, not just locally. We'd like to get more into the festival scene too, as there seems to be a huge amount of festivals in the summer. This will take some time for sure, but I feel confident that this can be achieved. We're getting booked up now for next year, which is great. We're really optimistic we're going to get bigger and better in 2017, and beyond!   info@thealgarvebarcompany.com  @TheAlgarveBarCo

I've really enjoyed meeting so many great

Plan ahead for a stress-free Christmas Whilst Direct Transport are moving people’s personal and household goods all year round, the run up to Christmas becomes a very busy and exciting time and, even though we are all still soaking up the Algarve sunshine, the reality is that the festive season is just around the corner! And where better to start your shopping than online? With Direct Transport, it has never been easier to make the perfect Christmas for you and your loved ones. From your

28 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

favourite foods to gift ideas for your children, family and friends, there’s nothing they can’t deliver. The likes of Asda, Waitrose, Ocado, Argos, Amazon, John Lewis, DFS, Dreams and Boots (to name but a few) deliver into their UK depot daily, with lorries departing for the Algarve every week. The last one before Christmas departs on December 15th. As always, they will have the wonderful Nordman pine Christmas trees and seasonal veggies this year, too.

celebrating 20 years of service to so many loyal and regular customers on the Algarve. In honour of this, they are offering a 10% discount on the delivery of any goods transported between now and December 15th - simply mention Tomorrow magazine when notifying them of your purchases.

Established in 1996, Direct Transport are

 www.directtransport.net

 TomorrowAlgarve

So let Direct Transport help you deliver a stress-free Christmas this year. Remember, it's just a click away! 

Business

Brexit: three months on By Alan Belcher, Private Fund Managment In the three months since the EU referendum, there has been little impact other than the change of Prime Minister and the weakness in sterling. The FTSE 100 recovered quickly, and even the FTSE 250 has regained its pre-vote levels, confounding the warnings from a range of experts. However, performance has diverged between companies with substantial overseas earnings and those which are more domestically-exposed. Brexit will take several years to come to fruition. During this time, economic growth may slow because of uncertainty,

The Bank of England has supported growth by cutting interest rates to 0.25% and relaunching its quantitative easing programme. The chancellor is likely to announce further measures to boost the economy in the Autumn Statement on November 23rd, including a package of fiscal stimulus.

global investors see significant risks ahead for the UK economy and therefore sterling, and are very negative on the short-term outlook for the currency. Our research shows that currencies have an equilibrium exchange rate from which they can deviate substantially, and for considerable periods, but to which they gravitate again over the long term. Measured against all major developed market exchange rates, our analysis suggests sterling is substantially undervalued and is likely to appreciate over the next few years. 

As to the currency outlook, the majority of

 www.privatefund.management

but we do not expect a recession. So far, leading economic indicators confirm this. However, this period could be difficult, with politically-driven volatility shaping the investment landscape.

Pound-to-euro update By Simon Eastman, Currency Index Ltd Since the EU referendum, the pound has dropped significantly in value, hitting the pockets hard for anyone sending money from the UK to Europe. With Theresa May confirming that Article 50 will be invoked by the end of March next year, the pound has again been under fire. This has been compounded by French President Francois Hollande’s comments about a “hard Brexit”, which triggered a trading programme issuing a ‘sell order’ on sterling and saw the rates tumble six

percent in a matter of minutes to levels not seen in over five years. The plummeting exchange rate means that a property costing €300,000 now costs a staggering £22,895 extra than in July. For those who remember the good times earlier in the year when the rate was around 1.40, the difference is nearly £60,000! And if the Bank of England cuts interest rates again, we can expect the pound to drop in value even further. So for those needing to buy euros for an

upcoming property purchase or anyone regularly sending funds across from the UK, it might be worth stocking up for the coming months ahead. However low the rates go, you are guaranteed to always save money over your bank with Currency Index Ltd. With our head offices near London and a newly opened office on the Algarve, we’re ready to help with all your currency needs.   www.currencyindex.co.uk

I.T. can be easy By Steven Dunwell In the run up to Christmas, I often get asked for online shopping advice as my family and friends know that I am an Amazon and eBay fanatic. Follow these basic guidelines and you can shop online with confidence at this time of year. I’ve given a few UK website addresses in this article as examples, but the same advice is also relevant for Portuguese sites too. Before I start, here is one of the best tips I can give you: never, ever give anyone your credit card over email. Use trusted names Stick with sites like Amazon.com, Tesco. com or other familiar retailers. Beware of misspellings or domain names using ‘.net’ instead of ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’ as that is one of the most common ways scammers trick consumers. Meanwhile, PayPal is a good, safe way to make payments. Use stronger passwords With so many online accounts for banking,

credit cards, email, etc, it’s common practice to recycle simple passwords that can be easily recalled. Use uncrackable passwords, especially when banking and shopping online. Your password is weak if: • It uses numbers or letters in the order they appear on the keyboard, for example ‘1234’ or ‘qwerty’. • It’s the name of your children, pet, favorite football team or city of birth. • It’s your birthday, anniversary or car license plate number, etc. • It’s ‘letmein’ or, especially, ‘password’.

Look for the lock and the ’s’ A secure website starts with https:// instead of http://. Secure sites will also have a small lock icon either in the lowerright corner of the screen or at the top on the address bar.

Don’t share too much An extremely important online shopping safety tip is keeping your personal information protected. No store needs your National Insurance or fiscal number, or your birthday. Combined with your credit card details, some serious damage can be done. Always give up the least amount of personal information possible. Think mobile It is predicted that 25 percent of adults will do online browsing with their smartphones to find gifts this Christmas. Download the store-specific apps like those for Amazon. com or Argos.co.uk and make your purchase without going to their website.

If you have any questions, suggestions for future tips or require assistance with any I.T. challenges, I am happy help.   sdunwell@sky.com  +351 936 387 512

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 29

Food & Drink Cooking with chestnuts

With chestnuts a key feature of this month’s Feira de São Martinho celebrations in Portimão (see page 20), here are two recipes to try that put the delicate, sweet and seasonal nut to good use. Turkey stuffed with dried fruits and chestnuts Ingredients: • 1 turkey • 30g raisins • 30g dried peaches • 20g pine nuts • 100g prunes • 24 chestnuts peeled and half cooked • 100g fat • 150g pork tenderloin

• 100g sausages • 400ml white wine • Milk • Chicken broth • Olive oil • Cinnamon • Salt and pepper • Oregano • Thyme • Satureja

To roast: • 1 large onion • 4 ripe tomatoes • 4 cloves of garlic • 1 carrot • 1 leek • 100ml dry white wine • Chicken broth as needed

3. Carefully bone the turkey, leaving plenty of neck skin to be able to stuff it easily. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon.

30 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

Method: 1. The night before, cut the pork into squares of about 3cm each side. Prepare a marinade using the chopped garlic, wine, ground pepper, bay leaf, salt, pepper, fat and parsley. Add to the pork and leave overnight. 2. Put everything in a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly. Also boil the potatoes. 3. Roast the chestnuts in the oven, then crush the skin and peel.

5. Fill the turkey with this mixture and close the opening. Place in a roasting tin and grease it with the fat.

5. Plate up the pork and chestnuts along with some of the marinade. Sprinkle with chopped coriander to serve. 

6. Place all the (peeled and chopped) roasting vegetables except the tomatoes in a casserole dish. Cover and place above the turkey in the oven.

Recipes courtesy of Portimão’s School of Hospitality and Tourism.

When the vegetables are golden, add the tomatoes in small pieces. Pour over the white wine and let cook until the sauce reduces; then add the broth and cook until a thick sauce forms.

2. Pit the plums and remove any storks on the raisins. Cut the peaches into small pieces, and also the pork loin and sausages.

Ingredients: • 1kg of pork tenderloin • 500g chestnuts • 500g potatoes • 100g fat • 1 bay leaf • 5 cloves of garlic • 5 tablespoons of ground pepper • 1/2 litre white wine • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 bunch of parsley • 1 bunch of coriander

4. Over a high heat, add the olive oil to a frying pan and then sauté (in a little broth with milk and herbs) these ingredients in the following order: the tenderloin, sausages, peaches, raisins, prunes, pine nuts and pre-cooked chestnuts. Add the wine and let it reduce a little.

7. Cook slowly, turning and basting the turkey until it is tender and brown.

Method: 1. Soak the plums, dried peaches, raisins and pine nuts for three hours.

Pork loin with chestnuts

8. Carve the turkey and keep warm. Remove the mixture from inside and serve it atop the meat. Strain and serve the vegetables, pouring the sauce into a jug to serve alongside the meal.

 TomorrowAlgarve

4. Add the potatoes and chestnuts to the pork and place in the oven to cook a little longer until the pork is thoroughly cooked.

How to roast your chestnuts 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Prepare the chestnuts by using a knife to create an ‘X’ on each one. 3. Sprinkle with water, then roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Shake occasionally to prevent from burning. 4. Remove and leave to cool for 2-3 minutes before crushing and peeling. It’s easier to peel them whilst still warm.

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 31

Outdoor Top 10 no-maintenance plants By Justin Wride

jumps straight in at number 7, based on its prolific range of colours and flowering time with minimal fuss. Although some watering is preferred to keep it at its best, it will fill large expanses of the garden due to its almost invasive habit. Once in the garden, it's there for life. 8. Agave A very resistant species that grows happily on roadsides, and then multiplies even further. A select few in the garden look great, but if you allow them to proliferate then it can make maintenance difficult, as they often come with hypodermic-style needles as foliage tips. Apart from that, no attention is required. 9. Mediterranean fan palm

It’s Top of the Plant Pops!

4. Yucca

Mediterranean Gardening and Outdoor Living magazine’s Justin Wride gives a rundown of the contenders for the coveted no-maintenance prize…

There is a vast range of yucca species; some have variegated leaves, some are smooth, others have spiky leaves. They are ideal to introduce height into flat gardens, and can look very architectural with their multi-pronged stems. Very tolerant and tough, it would be harder to kill a yucca than to keep it alive!

1. Aloe Aloes are succulents, hailing from South Africa, Arabia and Madagascar. They’re reliable, tough and undemanding, and will even flower in winter and spring, brightening up the garden. They’re tolerant of salt, wind and extreme heat, and will survive even if you forget to water them. 2. Agapanthus So hardy and easy to grow in all types of soil, they are quite often classed as a weed in some areas. They will remain dormant without any water, but still find time to send up their lovely spikes of delightful blue and white flower heads in late springtime. 3. Oleander (pictured above) This is a no-brainer. If you want a hedge, some feature copses, splashes of colour and wind-screens, then oleanders tick every box. Oh yes, and after a year they will need no more work apart from pruning to restrict their height if necessary.

32 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

5. Fig tree The only fruit to make the top 10, and probably the hardiest of all, is the fig tree. From its references in biblical times, you can tell it's a survivor and plans to stay. Not the prettiest ornamental tree with its grey, gnarled branches, but if you want one fruit in the orchard that can be left almost entirely to its own devices, then a fig tree is the best bet.

Staying in the Top 10 is the only native palm to the Mediterranean, and indeed to Europe. A clumping multi-stem palm that looks very ornate, it’s an essential garden addition. It loves any soils, even those of little fertility, and will happily bask in the sun all day. Plus, so far it seems to be weevil resistant! 10. Lantana camara (pictured below) Just sneaking into the top 10 is lantana camara. It will need some help to start, but within a year you can let the reins off. The reward is almost constant colour in the garden, as long as it gets a fullon quota of relentless sunshine. It can be shaped or clipped and made into a hedge, but it's unlikely to creep further up our top ten list as it does suffer from frost. However, due do to its perseverance and colour, it deserves a place here all the same.   www.gardeningandoutdoorliving.com

6. Pampas grass Not everyone's cup of tea, but great for holding soil in newly designed slopes or banks. The plumes can be white or pink and look very attractive in groups. They are very tough and resistant, so much so that they are often burnt to the ground as a form of pruning! They rise again, phoenix-like, the following season. 7. Osteospermum (African daisy) This creeping ground cover and perennial

 TomorrowAlgarve

Sun, Sea and Skydiving

FEEL THE FEAR... AND DO IT ANYWAY!

Jump with the experts at Skydive Algarve! Book your tandem experience today, thank us later!

www.skydivealgarve.com info@skydivealgarve.com

(+351) 914 266 832 | (+351) 282 496 581

Alvor

Aeródromo Municipal de Portimão

Situado no topo da falésia entre a vila e a zona ribeirinha, a Casa do Rio oferece-nos uma vista deslumbrante sobre a Ria de Alvor e a baia de Lagos. Para um almoço entre amigos ou um jantar romântico ao pôr-do-sol o Restaurante Casa do Rio, é o local perfeito. À sua espera encontrará uma excelente variedade de peixe fresco, mariscos, cataplanas, espetadas entre muitos outros pratos. A Casa do Rio oferece-lhe ainda a possibilidade de criar Menus à medida para festas de aniversário, grupos, casamentos, despedidas de solteiro e baptizados. Situated on the cliff top between the village and waterfront, Casa do Rio offers us a breathtaking view over the Ria de Alvor and the Bay of Lagos. For a lunch with friends or a romantic dinner at sunset Casa do Rio Restaurant is the perfect place. Waiting for you is a great variety of fresh fish, seafood, casseroles and kebabs among many other dishes. Casa do Rio offers you also the possibility to create special menus tailored for birthday parties, groups, weddings, bachelor parties and christenings.

 TomorrowAlgarve

Restaurante Casa do Rio

R. de São João 25A 8500-009 Alvor +351 282 457 443 info@restaurantecasadorio.com www.restaurantecasadorio.com www.facebook.com/casadoriorestaurante N 37.12873, W 8.59564 Aberto: Diariamente 10:00-24:00 Reservas: Aconselhável no verão Open: Daily 10:00-24:00 Reservations: Recommended during high season

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 33

And Finally 10 minutes with… Meire Gomes

I Spy Algarve: trees With autumn upon us, there’s no better time to appreciate the beauty of the Algarve’s tree life. Here's Justin Wride from Mediterranean Gardening and Outdoor Living magazine’s guide to some of the most common local specimens. See how many you can spot… Strawberry tree Famous for its red fruits that are used for the fiery tipple medronho. Growing up to eight metres tall, they are common throughout Monchique and Silves.

Brazil-born Meire is the artist responsible for transforming Ferragudo’s public bin containers into beautiful works of art including the image on this month’s front cover! We caught up with her to discover more…

promotes the work of the artists too.

How did you come to live in Ferragudo? I am originally from Floresta Azul in Bahia, Brazil. I moved to Portugal 18 years ago to build a better life for my children. I initially worked in the kitchen of a café in Albufeira, but then destiny brought me to Ferragudo. How did you come to be an artist? I did not chose painting, painting chose me! I am self-taught, having made my first strokes in childhood. Over the course of my life I have been able to work on a wide range of projects, including exhibitions and public paintings. I have also been able to share my knowledge with others by teaching classes. How did the Ferragudo bin containers project come about? The Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento said: “The artist has to go where the people are.” I saw these blank spaces [on the bin walls] and thought it would be nice to give a gift to the inhabitants of the village - the hard-working fisherman and their families - and also our many visitors. The support of the junta de freguesia was of great importance, too. I would love to see other local authorities follow this innovation and transform their ‘dead spaces’. Not only does it beautify our towns and cities, but it

34 |

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

How did you decide what to paint? It is a privilege to live in Ferragudo, and I wanted the artworks to represent the culture and traditions of this little paradise. I used a brush and paint, not stencils and spray paint, so as not to contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer. I respect these other forms of street art, but I prefer to work differently. Many artists live and work in Ferragudo. Why do you think this is? I think that artists are attracted to Ferragudo because it is welcoming and has a great energy. It is also a gorgeous place to live! What else are you working on? In addition to teaching art classes in Lagoa, I am planning another local community project: painting the electricity boxes in Ferragudo. I would like the fishermen, their wives and their children to paint with me that is my dream! What do you love about living in the Algarve? The place and the people are rich in tradition and culture. For this reason and more, I love the Algarve.   @ateliermeiregomes Want to feature in a future 10 minutes with... or know someone who should? Email stephanie@tomorrowalgarve.com with your suggestions!

 TomorrowAlgarve

Eucalyptus A handsome tree that can reach over 50m in height. They’re sometimes seen as a nuisance, but the timber and oils are very useful. Did you know: there are over 500 species around the globe! Pepper tree This tree weeps like a willow with its feathery foliage, and the female varieties grow red berries that smell of lemon and pepper when crushed. Fig Tree So common here in Portugal. With its gnarled appearance, it’s not the prettiest species, but this biblical specimen makes up for it by delivering a full harvest of delicious figs. Silky oak Very popular in towns and parks, you can hardly fail to miss this species once in flower; it comes alight with clusters of densely packed orange and yellow flowers. Almond tree Another species that's synonymous with the Algarve. It’s white and pink blossoms provide delightful late winter colour, whilst its nuts mature a few months later. 

Wine with victory flavour. In 2016 the Intermarche exclusive brand Selecção de Enófilos was already awarded with 15 medals on 3 prestigious international wine competitions.

Selecção de Enófilos: Unique wines.

Tomorrow_190x277-SE_Ing.indd 1

 TomorrowAlgarve

 www.tomorrowalgarve.com

| 35

13/09/16 17:19