Newsletter June 2008 - archive
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by: Carol Carpenter |
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The May weather here in the Algarve has been a little disappointing to say
the least. The first two weeks were great but it didn’t last long, with
the rest of the month overcast with cold winds and rain. According to the
locals this has been the worst May on record.
We enjoyed a very nice meal at A Colina Restaurant in Colina Village with
friends the other night, the menu was interesting as they had a lot of new
dishes- Melon soup being one of them which was really tasty. The ambiance
was good and the service excellent. On a warm evening you can dine
overlooking the pool area although we chose to dine inside the restaurant
as the evening was a little chilly. This restaurant is well worth a visit
if you are looking for something a little different. It is advisable to
book because they do get very busy especially in summer by contacting Nuno
Diogo, the owner at tel. 962441493 or
www.rest-colina.pt.vu
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We have also enjoyed a meal at Christian’s Kitchen in Lagos; it was called
Café Ketchup at one time, located on a side road Rua D.Vasco da Gama which
is near the Tivoli Hotel. Again it is advisable to book as it only seats
30 - tel. 282181311/ 964519209 email:
christianskitchen@yahoo.dk
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As many of you know, Rachel and Sergio have opened a new
bar on restaurant hill called Talvez, where we used to eat a few
years ago as it was once a Tapas bar. It is really lovely inside similar
to Rascal’s bar, tastefully decorated with dimmed lighting, crystal
chandeliers and candles. Sergio’s delicious cocktails, of which I had two,
are as potent as ever. I am sure they will do very well here as it is a
really good location and we wish them the best of luck for the future.
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Bojangles bar has closed apparently they lost the licence
due to the noise problem. The rumour was that they were trying to take
over Rascal’s but have since pulled out.
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Staff from four Algarve bars took part in a cocktail
competition at the Innside Caffe. It was the first round of the
cocktail academy competition, where the winner goes on to compete in
the final in Lisbon in December, after points are accumulated over
different stages. Innside Caffe staff won several awards and also won the
award for best cocktail on the night. The competition stops during the
summer as all the barmen are at their busiest but will resume in October.
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The Bote nightclub on Carvoeiro beach is under new
ownership. Paul the owner who is English has lived in Carvoeiro for three
years. He is changing it to a Tapas Bar upstairs with a Disco bar on the
ground floor, unfortunately they would not allow us to take photos but we
are invited along for the opening night. This was to be on 7th or 8th
June, but when Roy went in last week and spoke to Simon the manager, he
told him it would be opening in July. We will wait and see but I hope to
have some good photos for the next newsletter.
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I have just learnt that Nigel from Klonakilty is
teaming up with Barney and they will be performing as "Whitecrows" at
Majas on 14th and Poppys 29th of June. The music will be mainly Blues and
if successful they will play there once a month. Nigel will still be
playing at
Brady’s bar with Linda as usual.
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Local residents of Carvoeiro took on visiting tourists
from Manchester in a fund raising football match for the
Refugio dos Burros, the Estombar donkey sanctuary. The players put on
an entertaining match for spectators at the Lagoa stadium. The game
finished at three all and went into penalties to decide the winners. After
a very tense shootout, the Carvoeiro players came out the victors winning
with six penalties to five. They raised 300 euros for the charity.
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The changes to the square and the new car parking
facilities should go ahead in October. Apparently there are plans for a
new car park but at present exactly where has not been decided. Carvoeiro
held its first beach wedding a few weeks ago, according to friends. I was
not there to witness this event so unfortunately there are no photos. It
was a Portuguese couple and I am sure there will be a lot more weddings in
the future.
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There is not a lot of change in the village to report
other than a new estate agent opposite Primavera. Do we really need
another? We went on a walk about the other Saturday and bumped into big
Will outside the Roundup bar who was talking to Libbe, the owner of
Happy’s, and they both agreed to pose with Roy for a photo shoot. I called
them the Big, Bad and the Ugly, we know who the Big is but I’ll let you
all decide on the other two. They are always good fun and will do almost
anything for a laugh. It is still very quiet in Carvoeiro, even in the
restaurants, so I do hope trade picks up soon.
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The International Algarve Fair was again a success.
Every year they make improvements to this event. The garden feature area
was really great and in addition to the display gardens there were garden
and equipment suppliers. The gardens were judged by, BBC Groundforce
presenter Kirsty King. There was also a Champagne Bar staged by Sheraton
Algarve, which provided a really relaxing setting. The Pavilion was the
setting for the new range of cars from Fiat, Seat, Honda and Opel. There
was a new Arts and Crafts Marquee and the Central Area offered every type
of service and products that you could ever need. In the Arena were all
the food and drink stands, the Cornish Range sold out of their pasties
very quickly and they had a huge queue waiting for more. This company are
leaving the Algarve for pastures new, they are moving to Australia. Their
pasties are very authentic and I know Roy will be sorry to see them go.
There seemed to be more entertainers walking around this year jugglers and
clowns to keep the children entertained it was a really good weekend. The
next Fair will be held in September.
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The Fiesa, The International Sand sculptures
official opening was a success. Everyone was amazed at the variety and
size this year. The theme is Hollywood and there is a sand Charlie Chaplin
welcoming visitors into the exhibition, definitely well worth a visit.
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Getting away from Carvoeiro area in case anyone is
interested there is a new kids play park called ‘Planet Play’ in
Almancil, it is located on EN125 just before the Faro turn off. I am
sure you are all thinking it’s a long way to go but knowing children as I
do they very quickly become bored and if you are unlucky and get a few
grey days it’s a nice ride out. The total area is 800sqm and it is full of
little green Martians, rockets, planets and stars painted on the walls.
The owner is convinced that ‘Planet Play’ will be great fun for both
children and parents. Inside a gigantic area there is a huge tubular
structure creating a space effect, where kids from four to twelve years
old can play. Four cannons are strategically placed on a first floor
balcony for the kids to imagine they are part of a space battle. A long
corridor with ropes will allow children to slide through before jumping
onto a gigantic foam pillow. The park is also equipped with a toddler’s
area for children up to four years old, with a smaller balls pool. A bar
with healthy food and drinks will be in the area for the grown- ups. Café
tables create an indoor esplanade with direct access to the play park so
parents can keep an eye on the kids. There is also an adult’s area with a
billiard room and television room equipped with a big screen and
comfortable sofas. One and a half hours at the park will cost 7 euros per
child. The park will be open every day from 10am until 7pm and Friday and
Saturday it is open until 9pm. For more information, please contact Joanne
Dawes on 289393545.
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I have just returned from the UK (which is why this
newsletter is so late) after spending the half term holiday with our
grandchildren, it was also our grandsons 9th birthday, which I always try
to attend. Unfortunately it rained the whole week except for Thursday. We
decided that as they were now climbing the walls after being shut in for
so long, we would take them to ‘Magicland’ in Cirencester. This is a
softball park with slides and climbing equipment. They all had a brilliant
time and we got five minutes peace from the incessant whining of “I’m
bored” I imagine ‘Planet Play’ to be very similar if not better, given the
fact it has entertainment for the adults and not just coffee.
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Steen (Webmaster) has been in the Algarve visiting for a
few weeks. Roy and Rene met up with him for a few beers and a meal last
week. Last night we arranged to meet him in Talvez bar for a few drinks
before he returned home to France. It was a really nice evening but
unfortunately he had a very early flight the next morning so did not join
us in Brady’s
bar where we finished the night off. It was really great to see him
and we look forward to his next visit.
Once again, sorry for the delay, I am already working on July’s newsletter
- definitely no peace for the wicked !!
Ciao
Carol
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