GeniB

Monocle magazine,that much respected information source about the world's business and what's happening on the ground ,has published a 67 page report on Portugal's stunning progress since the recession in 2006.

It's a weighty tome and costs 8.50 euro ,but if you are interested in what's happening in the country you now call home it's worth the cost of a bottle of wine(or two) isn't it.

Happy to see the new French entrepreneur's venture . Casa Mai. in Lagos was featured (second time)well done to her. It's a lovely venue where we enjoyed a very interesting meal on opening night.(a once a year treat as it's pricy by Portuguese standards)

Portugal is booming! well done.

MrBife

And can I add now great it is to start the day with a positive message - maybe I am jaded from all the nit picking posts where people whinge for no good reason.

Portugal is an excellent place to be, nowhere is perfect but for me at least it is more perfect than most.

We should all 'talk it up' and not down.

I am impressed you read Monocle GeniB - do you also wear one At least we can all have that vision in mind when we ready your excellent posts

macliam

I was reading some online blurb about the excellent public library in Ourique - a new(ish) library, with internet access an PCs available for use and a public auditorium too...... find something like that being built in the UK!

It had a link to an article on the current President of the Camara, Marcelo Guerreiro. I have met him on a few occasions and it always makes me think of what people used to say about policemen....... When he took on the Presidency in 2015 he was 23 years old - the youngest council leader in Portugal. He is local and was not born to money (his father ploughs my aceiros) but was invited to join the council by the ex-President at the age of 21!. He has since established public forums to meet the voters face-to-face and taken the smaller villages to ensure that the older residents have the chance to meet with him too. Not too many like him in the UK either!

Portugal is a great country and a superb place to live for foreigners, due to the hospitality of the Portuguese. If a new wave of confidence allows it to make better use of the produce and talent of the country, then there is no reason why it shouldn't grow to meet the standards of the other EU nations. In healthcare and education it is already there.

GeniB

LOL Mr Bife I have progressed reluctantly to reading glasses this year!!

I have read Monocle virtually since it's inception,used to read wallpaper before that. Mainly because I follow the owner/editor Tyler Brule in the financial times.
i was ahead of the field 6 yrs ago when I wrote to him about Portugal and where he thought a new airport should be.(no it wasn't Beja)He was a tad luke warm at the time and was 'pushing ' Beirut as the place to be... That quickly changed and he sold his apartment there and moved to the Italian/German Alps.
Now he is going with the flow and seeing the huge potential of Portugal.He will be at a seminar in Lisbon in July (I think) along with a few colleagues from the FT.

Red Eric

Bit far, isn't it?

GeniB

LOL He mean't of course that he didn't rate Portugal as a serious destination then.. How wrong could he be