Summer snow.

Now I know that last year I promised to post details of this year's Festival Dos Pescadores in advance of the event, and to that end I visited the offices of the Junta De Fergusia in Santa Luzia during the month of June to obtain all the gen.

Despite the fact that the festival was less than six weeks away they were unable to provide me with any details over and above the start and finish dates.

Thus I arrived with Joan on the 6th of August with no prior knowledge of the itinerary for this year's festival.

It was once again a great success and I will post more details later as the story I wish to relate on this occasion revolves around an altogether different and far less welcome event.

The forecast record summer temperatures were much in evidence and consequently my first fishing expedition was left till late into Friday afternoon when the sun had passed it's fiercest.

As I left the house to walk to 50 or so yards to the pier I immediately became aware of a huge ominous looking black cloud hovering in the otherwise perfectly clear blue sky above the Serra Do Caldeirao some 8 kms inland.
Further observation of the cloud from the pier itself revealed a gigantic column of what was by now obviously smoke rising from the hills to the atmosphere above.
The Serra was clearly well on fire.

Nevertheless I set up my gear and commenced my quest for fish and it was some two hours later with the acrid smell of burning vegetation growing ever stronger in my nostrils that I noticed what looked like snowflakes falling all around me.
The fierce up currents caused by the heat of the blazing hillsides had sucked tons of ash into the stratosphere and it was now being deposited on the coastal towns and villages of the Eastern Algarve.
By the time people arose from their beds on the following morning everywhere was covered in a fine layer of grey ash which was to remain throughout our 2 week stay.
Summer snow in the Algarve!!!!!!!

Later enquiries revealed the full extent of the disaster.
The fire started around 3.00pm in the district of Cabeco Velha near Sao Bras De Alportel and burned on a six kilometre front to Santa Catarina Do Bishpo.
Three hundred firemen with 106 vehicles and 5 aircraft managed to bring the conflagration under control by 7.00am Saturday morning but not before many beehives, fruit and olive trees, vines, cork oaks and other agricultural assets were lost on the 1ooo hectares of land affected.

Open Roads

I have read many articles by British ex-pats and tourists alike on the "joys" of driving in Portugal.

They invariably give Portuguese drivers a terrible reputation which in my experience is totally undeserved.

I have undoubtedly encountered far more aggressive and inconsiderate road users at home in England than ever graced any "Estrada national".

It has to be said that a lot of Portuguese drivers leave their manoeuvres till the very last minute, drawing to within almost touching distance before whipping out to overtake vehicles in front of them.

They also tend to choose the most unlikely (and sometimes downright dangerous) places to execute their overtaking.

It has however to be remembered that Portugal was western Europe's late starter in terms of economy and infrastructure and, as i once read somewhere, the Portuguese went directly from Donkeys to Datsuns so many current Portuguese drivers have no elder relative whose driving wisdom they can inherit.

In general however i find them very laid back and accommodating, generally in no kind of hurry and quite prepared to adopt the Portuguese "Noa faz mal" attitude to differences of opinion on the highway.

The real joy for me of motoring in Portugal is the lack of congestion.

It is literally like turning the clock back 30 years with miles and miles of clear highway stretching out in front of you regardless of the time of day or your proximity to large urban areas.

The "Infante de sagres" A22 motorway stretches almost deserted into the distance despite it being mid morning on a working week day.

Whilst the village of Santa Luzia can be enjoyed without a car I always like to have wheels available and car hire is relatively cheap in Portugal.

I have found Holiday Autos provide excellent deals.

Use the link on the left hand side of this page for a really keen quote.

Designer Chic.

Snack bar " O Nuno" now reopen following a 9 month refurbishment.

Designer chic has arrived in Santa Luzia in the form of snack bar O Nuno.

Situated two streets back from the promenade in Rua Joao Antonio Chagas Ferriera O nuno is a close neighbour to the writer.

Recently reopened following a nine month remodelling the polished black marble flooring, maroon decor, silvered furniture and ultra modern stainless steel fixtures and fittings of O Nuno would not be out of place in the trendiest bars of Tavira, Faro or even Lisbon.

From the well appointed downstairs bar area a flight of impressive shiny black marble steps lead up to the cosy dining area and a spacious outside terrace.

The good news is that despite the lavish designer surroundings O nuno retains a price list in keeping with it's village location.

On the day we visited for lunch all four in our company elected the grilled Ribalo (Sea Bass) at just €10 per head.

Served with a generous salad and boiled potatoes the fish was grilled to perfection and we choose to accompany it with a bottle of Porta Da Ravessa, a very acceptable white wine from the Alentajo region.

Service at O Nuno is attentive without being intrusive and English is spoken and understood.

The bar also boasts full air conditioning and strategically placed plasma screens both upstairs and down. Serving a full range of national and international drinks including draught Carlsberg it will surely become a firm favourite with the fervent football fans of Santa Luzia.

In a nutshell, old fashioned Portuguese service in modern sleek surroundings make O Nuno a definite addition to your must visit list in Santa Luzia.

Pictures of the new harbour

A view from the eastern pontoon where the smaller boats are moored across to the western pontoon where larger vessels lie.

Looking west from the eastern pontoon an array of smaller vessels lie at anchor.

The inner area of the harbour seen from the access ramp at the eastern end of the village.

Joan and our friends Barry and Netta will be in the village from Easter Monday.

They have booked a one way flight so the lord only knows when they are likely to return.

To beach or not to beach?

Back in cold old England following our short break in Santa Luzia I have to sadly report that we took the English weather with us.

Throughout our stay we were plagued by cloud, wind and the occasional downpour. Whilst the sun shone briefly during the Sunday of our visit the rest of the time was unseasonably chilly and definitely unpredictable.

The locals informed us that just like the rest of Europe the Algarve has suffered an unusually long and severe (by Portuguese standards anyway) winter.

The warmth however of the welcome extended by our Portuguese friends and acquaintances was undiminished and it felt wonderful to be "home".

The new Porta de Pesca is finished and operational and foreign voices were much in evidence along the promenade and in the eating and drinking establishments of the village.

I know I've said this many times before but when we first started to visit Santa Luzia you rarely met an English person in the village even at the height of the tourist season yet on the Monday prior to our departure we called at Cafe Alentejano for a coffee and every one of the dozen or so customers enjoying the brief appearance of the sun on it's outside terrace was English.

I will be posting pictures of the completed harbour installation in the next few days as time permits.

In an earlier post I mentioned that a local contact had informed me that there was talk of the importation of tons of sand to create a small artificial beach in front of the new harbour.

Well the work on the Port, as I said earlier, is complete and there is no sign of a beach, but, roughly in the center of the area concerned there is a surface water drainage outlet and as the picture below shows it has been enclosed in a concrete tunnel to extend it some forty meters into the estuary.

Now why would they do that if not to place something on top of it?