‘Olá Pedro, wat ben jij mooi afgevallen, gefeliciteerd!’, lispelt de zwaarlijvige, naar adem happende Dona Maria Filomena Chuva da Souza Pinto tegen een in het gangpad hangende dikzak, terwijl ze in het voorbijgaan even zijn spierwitte – in een veel een te kort broekje gestoken – bovenbeen beroert, waarna ze steunend haar weg naar het […]
It is tempting to sigh once in a while ‘strange fellows, those Portuguese’, just like cartoon character Obelix did at the time of Julius Caesar when he used to grumble ‘ils sont fous, ces Romain’. If you are what you eat (drink, smoke) or love (males, females, yourself), then countries certainly aren’t the same. There […]
The place was deserted when he arrived late that night at the Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon. Not the familiar cacophony of cars, buses, trolleys, and travelers. Just silence. Only a small group of tourists stood patiently waiting outside the Arrivals hall, glued to the screens of their smartphones. What the hell was going on? […]
The pig in Chinese astrology is tolerant and understanding, sympathetic and truthful. Pigs maintain order and authority and believe in justice. Although Portuguese eat the most fish in the EU – over a kilo per person per week – pork remains extremely popular, especially in the north of the country. There – in Gimonde, near […]
‘Zé Povinho looks from one side to the other and it stays – as always – the same’ Who doesn’t remember the bright red tomato-shaped bowls, turmeric-coloured pumpkin tureens or pitch-black swallows on the wall in your grannies’ home? Portugal is the ‘hottest’ tourist destination in the world and even temperatures reached record highs this […]
Happiness has many faces, traveling is probably one of them — José Saramago Tourism is injecting 30 million euros per day into the local economy, whereas the number of hotels in Lisbon has doubled over the last 10 years. Tourism has not only become one of the most important pillars of the Portuguese gross domestic […]
God created only water but man made wine – Victor Hugo Portuguese drink the most wine worldwide, on average 1 litre per person per week. Although no major producer, export – mainly to France, Brazil and the US – reached record levels last year. ‘Domestic consumption also increased substantially, due to a booming tourism industry,’ […]
‘When traveling from Amsterdam last Sunday, the incoming TAP flight was delayed by an hour. Although they had to change terminals, no information whatsoever was given to the passengers. On arrival in Lisbon, they had to remain seated in the plane for about 20 minutes, due to lack of transport to the main building. Once […]
‘Only foreigners work here, he confesses. It’s hard work and poorly paid. Sixteen hours a day for the minimum wage. You keep going because they give you a contract, that is needed for a permit.’ Amit Kumar, originating from India is 32 years old and works since 2013 in Portugal. First in horticulture in the […]
Dog at the table, fish on the plate ‘And what if the dog bites one of the customers? How do we know the dog isn’t sick?’ utters José Manuel Esteves, director of the Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHRESP). ‘Than we will be responsible!’ Eunice Marcelino, attorney at the Public Ministry is less concerned. ‘Pets are […]