‘São Martinho do Porto Syndrome’ – the problem and the cure (Part 1)
Let me first wish you a Happy New Year, or Bom Ano Novo, as we embark into the year number 2024, making and breaking resolutions, and wondering where the good
New Year’s Resolution
The brand New Year usually takes off to a very slow start in Portugal because, after the intense partying season, everyone is exhausted. Therefore, the first of January is officially
Happy news year
“Bom Ano Novo” to you, dear friend, which, of course, is very different from an “Anon Ovo” that you might just walk past in the supermarket, neither free-range, nor quail-derived.
Is It Just Me – 2024!
Having just had a look back over the years, I can confirm that this is the 20th occasion of wishing you, our Resident readers, a Happy New Year on these
Painful brands
The problem with the garment industry is that they charge the consumer for their branded labels. What is a branded label? It is this rectangular tag that is sewn into
Feliz Natal
As the year draws to a close, I find myself in an ancient church in a small sleepy town of Portugal. It is Christmas Day, and people of the adjoining
After the revolutionary spring, a Portuguese summer of love?
What do you suppose will happen in Portugal in May of 2024? By then, the celebrations and declarations prompted by the anniversary celebrations of the Carnation Revolution will fast be
Off Grid and Ignorant in Portugal – Big ambitions
In the day-to-day battle of managing a big building project in the Alentejo, it’s often easy to miss the obvious evidence of just what’s been achieved so far. Returning visitors
Zero gets 10 out of 10 as we look forward to a Happy New Beer
If a regular reader, you may recall a certain friend and mentor in Portuguese matters, ‘Tia Filomena’, who – as I pen this piece on the way home from a
Albufeira GIRO buses
Dear Editor, It’s been a little over a year since the Albufeira GIRO bus service was changed. Some changes were for the better, for example the expanded network, electric buses