Munsterfan

I love the farmers near my home in Cabanas. They work every single day (Mama, Papa, the children, grandpa...uncle...) to sell their vegetables to local shops (and after VERY hard negotiations even Intermarche!!!).

Every week they set aside 2-3 crates of whatever is ripe for a wee price of circa 15E-25E.... Yesterday (see photo) was 6-kg waxy potatoes, 8 giant sweet potatoes, onions, a large flat of fresh peas, eggplant, beetroot, peppers, cabbage(s), broccoli, garlic, chilies and kohlrabi for only 20E & with a big BIG smile, no English at all!!. We bring her things like: home baked Irish soda bread or some Montana Buttermilk biscuits with a pot of honey-butter or whatever we rustle-up. .... She always tells me some long-winded funny a story in her perfect Portuguese..... I nod and chuckle completely clueless. Then off I go honking good bye and everyone in the field, unbend their sore backs, stand up tall and wave.

I love this so damn much it makes my heart ache with thankfulness

macliam

After a couple of days of so-so weather (I kept telling myself not to complain, it is December), today is lovely.

So I washed a couple of weeks road dust off Saoirse the Seat in preparation for her trip south tomorrow (well, she is green - and well named -you can Google saoirse if don't have the Irish) and set about some "garden" maintenance, with a chainsaw.....
Now I'm sweating and in for a brew ..... it's DECEMBER!!

What I love about living in Portugal is living.

..... oh, and nearly forgot, a fine posta mirandesa for lunch at my favourite local eatery yesterday made the grey weather a lot more bearable. The only trouble was that I didn't feel too much like doing anything afterwards ...... any Lions out there will appreciate the feeling!.

Munsterfan

I love the dry warm weather....by bones REALLY love it!

GeniB

It's taken me 30+ yrs to get back to the Ocean. Ok I lived in Southport before and altho you could smell it,you often couldn't see it as it headed off for Ireland .lol. I can see it every day from my bedroom window,all my windows in fact.I can hear the rhythm of it at night which I love.I can also see the little diamonds dotted all over it at night ,and think about those fearless fisherman bringing in my fish for the next day..Most of all though I love the smell of Portugal,the Algarve. It has a smell that no other country has a wonderful mixture of citrus and Cistus Rose and pine .The minute you step off the plane you know your in heaven

BEVS

I love this thread. Just so uplifting.

captainflack

I used to come to Portugal as a kid as my grandparents had a place in the Algarve. And when I flew in to Faro a few years ago for the first time in nearly 20 years, the smell when the doors opened just took me right back... the pine smell. It really is the smell of portugal, that and bbq sardines.

Ukkram

Love this time of year. The old city center streets lined with colorful flowers, flags and Christmas lights arching the narrow carpeted walkways. Christmas carols playing from speakers laid throughout the whole center.
Makes me feel like a little kid on Christmas day.

Trivia:
Viana do Castelo has the largest and highest natural Christmas tree in Europe and Lisbon has the largest artificial one.

GeniB

Bankrupt Camara's has mean't we have had no lights for two or three yrs. Sad for a major tourist area. However this year there has been a campaign amongst business's and ex-pats to club together and pay for a tree to be lit up..It's a wonderful thing.Total participation has reached 270 so far..

Munsterfan

Congratulations; what town are you in GeniB?

mfesharne

Not much about Portugal that I don't like but probably one of the best things for me is the lack of crime and it's especially nice not to have to be on 'amber alert' whenever I leave the house.

Winters are a bit cold for me sometimes though.

Ukkram

I agree. Cape Town is always a no go after dark this time of the year as "wealth distribution" is rife.
So far I have only seen 1 drunk person here and that was when I looked in the mirror.
No beggars here. I am so used to being accosted and sometimes frighteningly verbal by drunk beggars.

Munsterfan

I love seeing Almond blossoms and local veggie patches being prepared in mid-December. Today MePat 'n I worked outside all day in short sleeves then we had a late afternoon coffee in the yard and just sat............. warm, quiet 'n content, eyes closed cat-like facing the sun.

mfesharne

I still sometimes find myself checking for my sidearm before going out & then realise it's not necessary here.

GeniB

The trees are for Lagos and Luz Munster ..

GeniB

I also love the fact that I would be sitting in the freezing cold waiting for spring for another three months in NL Here my rose's have just bloomed again,ditto my queen of the night, the perfume is overwhelming when you walk through the gate at night.It's December,how wonderfully crazy is that