Natal e Ano Novo em Portugal

Christmas is coming, 
The goose is getting fat,
We're spending it in Portugal this year,
How good is that?


Once again I have for too long neglected the blog and once again I apologise unreservedly to those of you who follow my scribblings on a regular basis.
Since my last posting we have in fact visited SL a couple of times the last one being at the end of  November as I changed my occupation yet again.
Almost 2 years at the airport working 4 days on and 2 days off with starting and finishing times more often than not at "daft O'clock" finally got to not me, but Joan.
Discussions (arguments??) were had and and a decision (ultimatum??) was reached that I would seek alternative employment.
A brief search resulted in my talents being seized upon by  Leeds College of Building, where, since the 5th of December I have been employed as a Facilities Assistant.
My initial dismay at having to leave my beloved airport job slowly evaporated as I considered the college central heating, subsidised canteen,  and more importantly the work free weekends and extensive list of public holidays when the establishment is closed, often for 2 days!
The first of these holidays being Christmas I quickly worked out that by using just 5 days of my newly acquired annual leave I could finish work on 23rd December and not return until 9th January.
I fly out to Portugal at 18-30 on the 23rd and will remain until 6th January.

Nuts

Made it to this last year but sadly won't be in SL this year.

IF you happen to be in town bob along and support Almadrava and enjoy some free chestnuts.

Festas dos pescadores 2011

TRADICIONAIS FESTAS DOS PESCADORES Santa Luzia 2011

August is almost upon us again and as ever the second weekend of the month sees the traditional fisherman's festival in Santa Luzia.
This is the busiest weekend of the year in SL and the transformation is incredible. The promenade is lined with stalls selling craft items and traditional foodstuffs and a huge stage is erected on the western end where free live entertainment is provided during the four days of the festival.
This years line up is:-

Friday 12th August D.J. Pedro Jinga
Banda Iris
D.J. Fabio Palma

Saturday 13th August Xico Barata

Sunday 14th August Noite do Fado featuring Pedro Viola.

Monday 14th August Rita Guerra

The week prior to the festival sees the build up commence with Expoluzia 2011 during which stalls offering craft items from Portugal and the rest of the world line the promenade along with exibitions from various local organisations and bodies.

My holidays are booked and Joan and I will be in town from the 11th of August to the 25th.

Out with the old.........in with the new.

Once again I find myself having to start a post with an apology. It is far too long since I posted on this blog and as usual I have no excuse other than my own inertia.

Since my last post in February we have in fact visited SL twice and during those visits noted a number of closures of established businesses and the opening of new ventures.

We were particularly surprised by the closure of Taberna Bibica in the Largo Do Igrejia. This long established bar was actually the cheapest place to drink in SL and was frequented by mainly local fishermen. Many of the customers were a little shady looking and often drunk which lead Joan and I to nickname the place "The bad boys bar" though we have drunk in there on many occasions and were always treated respectfully which really makes the epithet a little unfair.

Another surprise closure is Snack bar Gaivota situated just behind the Credito Agricola bank and at the side of the Jardim municipal this business occupied a prime trading position in SL but did not really seem to capitalise on it. I think this will be a space to watch, given the right operator and a little investment something special could occur here.

Talking about special, wander along R Comandante Henrique Tenriero ( the main road at the rear of SL running down to Largo do Igrejia) and take a look at the former Snack Bar Quim completely refurbished in the most modern style and renamed N'oss this new business will be the first real competitor for the late night drinking trade formerly the sole domain of Alvaro Regueira's Meia Pipa bar.

Elsewhere in the village a new restaurant Nadia's has opened on Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco (the promenade). Situated next door to the Chinese bazaar this stylish new restaurant is owned and operated by a very attractive young Brazilian lady ( Nadia) and her brother. We have not actually eaten here yet but we can however highly recommend their afternoon special offer of a dink and a Tapas.

Sitting at the beautifully laid outside table with stunning views across the Ria just €1.50 for an ice cold beer and tapas or €2.50 for a generous glass of wine and a tapas represents exceptional value for money. I defy anybody to have just the one.

I reserve my greatest praise however for the brave decision of Isobella the proud operator of the new snack bar Tortulia dos 3 sabores.

Situated at the junction of R. do Caminho das Trinidades and R. Francisco Jose Nascimento Bateira smack bang in the middle of all the new apartments at the western end of the village this little gem of a bar fills an enormous gap in the market.

The outside area of Tortulia dos 3 Sabores on the tree lined R. Do Caminho Das Trinidades.

Up till now those holidaying or living in this area of SL faced a trek into Largo Do Igrejia should they fancy a quick beer, coffee or a little fresh bread for breakfast. No more, this well presented new business offers drinks snacks and daily fresh baked bread.

Isabella herself though she speaks very little English could not be more attentive, accommodating and friendly. On the morning of our first visit Joan enjoyed a Tosta mixta and Galao (milky white coffee) while I plumped for Rissois de camarao (prawn pasties) and a Galoa.

Friendly owner Isabella attends to her customers.

Plans are afoot to introduce a menu of tasty snacks and salads for the summer season and the usual array of Portuguese cakes and pastries are always available. As I said earlier the decision to be the first business to open in this area of SL is incredibly courageous and I wish Isabella well in here venture.

Do please take time out from the usual village haunts to visit Tortulia dos 3 Sabores.

I can guarantee that you will be made most welcome and enjoy every minute of your visit.

The well appointed interior of Tortulia dos 3 Sabores.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Tortulia dos 3 Sabores has just the thing for you.

Party Time

The beginning of March sees carnival time once again in Portugal.Loule boasts one of the best carnivals in Portugal and Tavira usually has a pretty impressive parade. This year Santa Luzia boasts it's very own carnival event.
Details below.

This Town Aint Big Enough For The Both Of Us.

Action at last on the decrepit old ferry landing. A monster machine arrived in town on Wednesday 9th February and over the following two days it munched it's way through the remains of the landing and the abandoned ferryboat which had sunk beside it. All was transformed into manageable little pieces and carted away on trucks presumably to be melted down and turned into Skodas.

The monster machine takes it's first bites of the capsized ferryboat.

I last referred to this eyesore in my post "A Tale of Two Pontoons" in June of 2008 when I reported on the completion of the new ferry landing a half kilometer up the promenade. The ferry service from this new landing only recommenced last year as I understand there has been much legal wrangling over the franchise.

I never did tell the tale of the " ferry boat feud" as at the time I was unsure of even the rudimentary facts and feelings were running very high on the issue and I had no wish to fuel the fire. With the passage of time passions have subsided and I have managed to glean some information about events surrounding the dispute.

During the summer months a regular ferryboat service ran between Santa Luzia and Terra Estrieta beach. The holder of the franchise to operate this service was apparently a rather surly individual who hailed from somewhere other than Santa Luzia and due in part to his attitude and in part to the way he ran the ferries to suit his lifestyle, rather than that of his customers, he was not particularly popular in the town.

Now one fine September day in 2007 the daughter of one of his more outspoken detractors arrived at the landing requiring transportation across the ria and for reasons best known to himself the truculent ferryman refused her passage and more importantly insulted her mortally calling her good character into question.

When the distraught daughter arrived home and related the insults to her family the incensed father naturally tore down to the landing to confront the detestable mariner. He was greeted by the beast and his crew and received a duffing up for his trouble. News of this confrontation spread through the village like wildfire and though I do not know the who, the why or the wherefore this led to a further altercation involving the mayor outside his house later that evening.

Now Santa Luziense are a proud people and an insult to one is often considered an insult to all. There was only ever going to be one response to a blood insult to one of their own and during the night the ferryman's ticket office mysteriously burned to the ground and it was made clear to the offender that he was no longer welcome in Santa Luzia and should he return he would probably end up "sleeping with the fishes".

The ferryman took these threats at face value and stayed away but put the story about that he would be back and would bring his own security with him.

The authorities also took the threats, from both sides of the dispute, seriously and the following weeks saw round the clock foot and horse mounted patrols of Santa Luzia by machine gun toting GNR officers.

All kinds of negotiations apparently went on behind the scenes but the truculent ferryman insisted the franchise was his and it would be him or no body running ferries in Santa Luzia. Thus the matter ended up in the interminable Portuguese legal system and ferries have not run since then until this year.

The fact that ferries began to run under a new franchise and that the old landing has now been removed suggests that the matter has been resolved in the courts............however the fact that the "Policia Maritima" photographed and documented every step of the demolition operation suggests that this saga may still have some time to run.

The one good thing is that the area in front of the new Porto Da Pesca is now much nicer to look at as during the almost four years of neglect the winds and tides had taken a heavy toll on the old landing which was in grave danger of breaking free and drifting into the new port and the vessels moored there.

Eat till you bust.

Over a pint in the pub a couple of nights ago my old friend Les Healey took me to task and I suppose pretty much chastised me over the way I have neglected this blog since September last year.
It pains me to admit my guilt but he is of course absolutely right and my dereliction of duty is unforgivable.................................I am however forgiving by nature so I have no hesitation in granting myself a full pardon.
My six month contract with Jet2.com finished on the 31st of October but as the company took over it's own baggage handling on the 1st of November I applied and was successful in obtaining a new position as a baggage handler.
Now as you will realise I am not exactly in the first flush of youth and I can assure you that within days of starting my new vocation I was aching in places where I didn't even know I had places!
It was thus quite opportune that I had pre booked a three week visit to Santa Luzia prior to my appointment and set off on 5th of November to rest my newly discovered muscles and hopefully catch some late Portuguese sunshine.
Our old friend Darren came along for the first week for what must surely be his eighth or ninth visit but my stay once again involved brush and paint in the never ending battle against the seemingly unstoppable "salts" that seem to ooze out of render and plaster on Portuguese buildings of every type and age.
The weather was kind to us during our stay and we spent much of our leisure time in Cafe Santa Luzia as Fergus from bar Mundo had had to return urgently to the UK to be with his parents who were both seriously ill.
The highlight of our visit was definitely the couple of visits we paid to the latest addition to Santa Luzia's restaurant offering Casa Da Picanha (the details of which I have added to the restaurant list lower down on the left of this page).

Rodizio

The speciality of this restaurant is Rodizio A Brasileira. Rodizio means rotating and I am not really sure whether this refers to the way the meats are cooked on a rotisserie or the unique way of service where experienced Passadors (meat carvers) pass from table to table expertly carving different cuts of meat from skewers onto your plate.
An extensive selection of meats are offered including lamb, a variety of cuts of beef , gammon,chicken thighs and turkey along with authentic specialities such as chicken hearts, juicy sausage, spare ribs and grilled pineapple dusted with Cinnamon. Everything is expertly grilled and full of succulent flavour and should you like your meat in a particular way the passador will carve from different parts of the skewer to provide either well done or rare meat to your preference.
The feast is accompanied with boiled rice, Feijoa preto (brazilian black beans) and Farofa (a coarse toasted maize flour). There is also an extensive selection of salad and pickles from the serve yourself salad bar.

Farofa

A carnivore's paradise the Passadors will continue to offer carved meat untill you indicate you have had sufficient so a hearty appetite is essential.
At 15 euros per head it is also very economical, better still at lunchtime Tues to Saturday a slightly scaled back version is offered on the lunchtime menu economico at just 7 euros.
A little off the beaten track you should head through the largo do Igrejia (church square) onto the barrio social ( council houses), when you arrive at the water tower look to your left and the restaurant is there just across the open ground. Well worth seeking out this eating experience is highly recommended.