Newsletter June 2014

Margarida Sampaio @


Summer is here – it is official!  This is the time of the year when the skies are blue the beaches are full and everyone has a smile on their face (generally speaking of course!)

I love this time of year in the Algarve because you can feel the life returning to the towns and villages and everywhere you go you get great service because people think you are on holiday and they have not got to the end of August stage yet where they dread the sight of another family with a pushchair and sandy feet waddling into their restaurant!

June also reminds me why I love living in the Algarve, because to me June should be a sunny month and when you are in the Algarve it generally is and has been gorgeous so far with temperatures tipping the 30 mark.  There is nothing worse than grey clouds and that spitting type of rain that gets you really wet to welcome you into summer – thank goodness for the Algarve weather and a good dose of global warming that is making it feel more like August than the start of June.

So I am in a good mood and so is the rest of the town it seems and why shouldn’t we be when there is so much coming up to look forward to!

BATHING SEASON

June 1st marks the first day of the official bathing season in the Algarve (although the posh beaches up in the Golden Triangle have had their toned and tanned lifeguards sat on the beach for a month already).  For us mere mortals in the central Algarve and the Lagoa area bathing season started at the beginning of the month and that means we have seen some improvements on Carvoeiro beach.

The information board as you enter the beach that was washed away in the storms in January, has been replaced and we now also have the much appreciated decking back down to help anyone move along the beach without scorching their feet on the sand (as much).

We also have the little hut back on the beach selling ice creams and the sunbeds are back for anyone who rather not have sand kicked in their face by four year olds with a ball.

The beaches in the local Carvoeiro area that have lifeguards on them are: Carvoeiro beach, Caneiros, Carvalho, Ferragudo, Marinha, Pintadinho, Senhora da Rocha and Vale Centeanes.  Happy sunbathing and swimming to everyone who is able to visit one of these beautiful beaches and if you visit one without a lifeguard be sure to take extra care.

CARVOEIRO BLACK & WHITE NIGHT

So if you have not seen any publicity yet for this event then I will fill you in on about the most exciting event to happen in Carvoeiro that doesn’t involve Danny in a Baywatch swimsuit. 

This is a new event that the Câmara seem to have really got behind and have even spent some money on by the looks of it with billboards up and down the Algarve and news stories and adverts in local Portuguese press.

It looks like Carvoeiro is going to be the new location for summer solstice celebrations in the Algarve and luckily for us it is all going to be right on our doorstep!

The event will be taking place from 8.30pm until 3am (ish) throughout the streets of Carvoeiro on June 21st with live entertainment, music, street performers, DJ sessions and much more all night long.

There have been rumours abound about the amount of money the Câmara is putting into the event to try to attract as many people as possible to the town for the night but whether it turns out to be 3,000 or 30,000 euros it is all very welcome and promises to help put Carvoeiro back on the map as one of the best places in the Algarve to go for family fun and night long entertainment.

It looks like the streets may well be closed for the evening so be sure to come down early on the night and why not have a meal and then head down to explore what is going on around the town – just be sure to put on your black and white clothes and to try to avoid looking like a Michael Keaton extra from Beetlejuice.

INTERNATIONAL FAIR

I can hardly believe it but it is that time of year again as we prepare for the 9th edition of the International Algarve Fair which will e held again at the Fatacil showground in Lagoa over the weekend of June 7th and 8th.

The fair opens both days from 11am until 7pm and is a great place to catch up with people that you can’t remember the name of until they walk away from you but won’t see again until next year!

As usual there will be the Algarve Dog Show taking place during the show so anyone who fancies their luck (or their dogs) in the show ring needs to make sure they bring a vaccination book with them to make sure their dog is allowed into the show.

If you are not a dog lover and are instead looking for somewhere for your children to burn off energy while you eat pies and drink beer then head to the food area where the Bombeiros usually have a truck and some activities for the kids for a small donation.

There are of course also all the stalls dotted around the fair selling everything from Jacuzzis to homemade cakes and everything in between.

This really is a great event for all the family and when you are tired of walking about then there is always some entertainment on to watch  - be sure to put on your sun cream though as it is notoriously hot every year at the show and it can be a struggle to find some shade when you are eating.

 

ALGARVE BEER FESTIVAL

It may be a taxi drive away but the Algarve Beer festival taking place in Albufeira looks like being a great day out – if perhaps not quite suitable for all the members of the family.

The craft beer summer party will be taking place in Albufeira between June 26 and 29 and will be featuring more than 40 craft beers along with plenty of food options and live entertainment.

The festival will be at Praia dos Pescadores so you can combine a beach trip with some beer – sounds like a plan!

AND ALL THAT JAZZ…

If you are a Jazz aficionado or just like to bob your head along to a jazzy beat then head down to the Lagoa Jazz festival taking place this month strangely not in Lagoa at all but at the Fontes in Estombar.

The festval is taking place on June 5th, 6th and 7th with Pianobatuque and the Torunski Brothers performing on June 5th, then Thierry Eliez on June 6th and finally Marta Hugon on June 7th.

I’m not going to lie – I have no idea who these people are and what their jazz is like but if the hype is to be believed from the tourism board then this is an event Which has become known in Portugal and abroad” and has a “loyal audience” – make of that what you will!

 

WORLD CUP FEVER

Portugal is known as the land of the three F’s – Fado, Fátima and Football – and all three give you an insight in to the psyche of the Portuguese but while the Fado and the Fátima may not feature as heavily in modern Portugal the football is still holding on firmly and if you are in Portugal when the World Cup is on then you will know about it!

Love it or hate it you won’t be able to escape it unless you sink yourself to the bottom of your pool over the next six weeks.  Football fever is coming and Carvoeiro will be awash in red, green and yellow, as well as in orange, red, white and blue, green and yellow, black, yellow and red, and red and white.

Pretty much every bar, restaurant, coffee shop and everywhere else will have the games on live but if you are lucky enough to be here for a Portugal match then make the effort to head out because the atmosphere is always great and if they win then wait for the cars to start circling the town with horns blaring!

AND FINALLY…

The live music has started up again in the square by the beach in Carvoeiro so if you are looking for some family entertainment then you can listen for free all through the summer – like you need another excuse to get over here and enjoy some Algarve summer sun!

I am off now to dig out my black and white clothes for the party  - I am thinking of going in the style of a zebra crossing in honour of all the new ones that have popped up around town but nobody in a car seems to be able to see until you are nearly on their bonnet…

BJ’s

Margarida