Carnival

Both Joan and I are longing for a visit to Santa Luzia least of all because Camaras all over the Algarve, and indeed all over Portugal, are busy preparing for their Carnival celebrations which will include parties, parades,dances and fancy dress competitions to take place between February 20 and 24.

Traditionally, Carnival is a period of festivities including parades and dances and is fixed each year by the phases of the moon and marks the start of the Christian period of lent.
The word Carnival is derived from the Latin “carne vale”, meaning ‘farewell to the flesh’.

Each town has its own theme for this annual celebration and themes across the region this year include the year of astronomy in Albufeira, the Olympic Games in Vila Real de Santo António, the world in São Brás de Alportel and nature in Loulé.
Loulé carnival, first held in 1906 is widely acclaimed as the best parade in the Algarve and is one of the most renowned in Portugal.

I have been unable to find anything out about the big parade in Tavira, which is the nearest to Santa Luzia where unfortunatly only a small childrens parade is organised.

Happy new year

May I wish everyone happy and prosperous new year. The credit crunch and the dramatic fall in the value of sterling against the euro however seem to be conspiring to prevent the prosperous part of my greeting for most of us Brits.

Back in September in my post "sign of progress" I touched on the fact that a lot of business owners in the Algarve were unhappy that the authorities dictate the dates on which they could commence and cease their business activities. Well it would seem that the authorities are not only listening but are also prepared to act.

Concessions along the Algarve’s beaches will be allowed to open outside of the normal bathing season, which is between June 1 and September 30, this year.

The decision was made at a meeting between the Administração da Região Hidrográfica do Algarve (ARH), the region’s hydrographical administration, and other organisations in December.

Bars, restaurants and other facilities that want to open outside of the normal bathing season must present their proposal to the relevant port authority.This must include the proposed opening dates as well as other information such as assistance for swimmers, rubbish collection and access to a first aid posts etc.

No doubt the inevitable bureaucracy involved will be daunting for some business owners but nevertheless we can hopefully look forward to services such as the ferries and aqua taxis operating into the cool autumn months.