‘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 […]
‘Don’t kill our elderly’ people shouted in front of Parliament on May 29. Euthanasia continues to be a crime with prison sentences ranging from two to five years in “the land of the Maria’s” as Parliament rejected with 115 against 110 votes a proposal of the ruling left-wing parties last week to decriminalize assisted death. It […]
May 25 is Gender Equality Day ‘Is it normal to slap your girlfriend? To check her phone? And what if she wants to check your phone?’ These are questions, 17-year-old Paulo Silva asks his male classmates of the Ferreira Alves secondary school in Valadares, northern Portugal as part of a collaborative European study on teenage […]
Room with a view in the center – Martim Moniz – 18 m², 1300 euro/month ‘No, it is not okay’, mutters João. ‘We got a letter from the landlord the other day. Our contract expires in November. He wants to increase the rent from 300 to 800 euro a month and reduce the contract period […]