Many dog owners in the Algarve give their dog the name of Diana, the patron saint of the hunters. Hunting is an ancient tradition in Portugal and today still practised by many men and a few women. The shooting of birds and game was always a welcome opportunity to feed the family with something else than pork or chicken. Nowadays, rules are more strict and nature preservation is high on the agenda. The organisation of a hunt is taken...

                                    

The Ria Formosa is home to the largest population of sea horses in the world. The yearly Bike Meeting in Faro attracts about 35.000 bikers. In Silves, they make wine out of oranges. With coasteering in the Costa Vicentina Nature Reserve, you jump off 12m cliffs into the Atlantic Ocean. The Algarve’s cuisine isn’t only about sea food, but also includes locally farmed porco preto. Mountain bikers from all over the world train in the hills of São Brás ar...

                   


Although the Portuguese drink a lot more wine than beer, they still consume an average of 49 liters of beer per person per year. In general most people drink their cerveja straight from the bottle, and that is the way it tastes best, preferably freezing cold! If you prefer a draft beer, you have to ask for an Imperial (regular size glass) or a Caneca (large glass mug). 

There are bottles of 20 ml (mini) and 33 ml (media).  Most Portuguese drink the mini´s, a success among c...

                     

Football is omnipresent in Portugal, you might even speak of "footballization" of the Portuguese society. Here, in the Algarve, the football-a-holics are often divided between the clubs of Benfica and Sporting (or should I say Sporting and Benfica?). Anyway, the third important national club, Porto, is out of the picture here.

Football was brought to Portugal in the late 19th century by Portuguese students who returned from England. The first match ...

                     

When it comes to moving to a new country, there is a lot that must be done. There is probably a lot that you’re moving for, as well. Portugal is home to many activities, events, beautiful places and friendly people. Moving here can be a great step for anyone who wants a new life in a country where people are friendly and there is plenty to do day or night. 

Portugal is, simply put, one of the most fascinating countries to live in. Whether you are look...

Saint Martin, the very popular Saint who became Bishop of Tours in France in the year 371, was buried on the 11th of November 397. According to the most widespread variation of the legend, Saint Martin cut off half of his cloak in order to offer it to a freezing beggar. As he faced a long ride in a freezing weather, the dark clouds cleared away and the sun shone so intensely that the frost melted away. Such weather was rare for early November, so was credited to God's i...

                       

If you visited Portugal before, you probably will have noticed these machines on the counter of local bars and cafes. These gambling machines are to the locals what the Casino is for the city dwellers. There are machines that give you a chance on winning some extra cash, there are others that have more or less useful items to win, such as pocket knifes, lighters etc.  

                       

And than you have my favorite kind of gambling machine:  the chocolate casino! A...

                       

Along the beautiful west coast of south Portugal, the Rota Vicentina, offers more than 400 kilometres of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.  On their new website www.rotavicentina.com you find a planning tool for trips and interactive elements including videos.

There is the Historical Way, the Fishermen’s Trail and several Circular Routes to choose from. The route is fully marked in both directions, and can be traveled independently and in total security.  The...

SUP consists of standing and bala...

                       

Speaking about wine, most people do not make a direct link to Portugal. The wines from this country are relatively unknown in the world, but nevertheless Portugal is the 7th largest producer of wine in the world!

Besides the white, red and rosé wines, we have a few extras here: There is port wine (a wine fortified by adding Brandy), there is Madeira (fortified wine from the island of Madeira), we have Moscatel (a liquerous wine from the Setúbal Peninsula) and then ther...

                       

The Marina of Vilamoura in the Algarve, conquered the premium Marina Of the Year 2015, which distinguishes the best marina in the world and is considered one of the Nautical Tourism Oscars, awarded jointly by The Yacht harbour Association (TYHA) and the British Marine Federation (BMF), both from the UK. 

The prizes were awarded according to the results of an online poll done exclusively by the owners of vessels which visited marinas in 2014. In a statement, Vilamoura Mar...

January:  oranges are ripening, almond trees blossom.  

February:  Mimosa flowers

March: pear and plum blossom, lavender flowers, frogs, toats ...

When you visit the Algarve, one of the things you will notice are the typical chimneys (chaminé in Portuguese) on the roofs. They come in many different shapes and sizes, are often very ornamental and they are definately the main symbolic element of the Algarve.

Many people believe that they are a legacy of the Moors who ruled over this part of the country for so many years, because the chimneys resemble minarets or even miniature mosques. As a matter of fact nobody kno...

Eating out is one of my favorite pastimes here in Portugal. It is not only a nice social event with tasty food, but eating out in Portugal is also very affordable. At least if you look a bit further than the busy tourist traps. There are many restaurants, even in the smallest villages, and the majority of Portuguese eateries will rarely disappoint you.

For those of you who are not so experienced with eating out in Portugal, here are some practical tips and advices.

1. On...

This is a gecko, or in Portuguese: a osga, a harmless and very useful type of lizard that lives in all kinds of warm areas in the world.  It is famous for its special toe pads, that enable it to walk on smooth and vertical surfaces and even to cross ceilings with ease.  A gecko is unique in its vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos.  They are extremely useful to people because they feed on...