URBAN CANVAS
ARMED WITH SPRAY CANS AND AN EYE FOR DETAIL, STEPHEN JONES IS SET ON CHANGING THE IDEA OF GRAFFITI FOR THE BETTER It may have a negative connotation usually associated to vandalism but, wall by wall, Lagoa resident Stephen Jones is slowly changing people’s perception of graffiti. “Graffiti isn’t just tags and scribbles,” says the 22-year-old artist, “and the only way for people to understand that...
THE ART OF HOSPITALITY
SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE PROFESSIONALS: MEET THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SCHOOL OF PORTIMÃO Tourism is without a doubt the backbone of the Algarve’s economy, sustained by luxury hotels and quality bars and restaurants that provide the finest standards of gastronomy and service. For that, in the most part, we can thank the much-acclaimed Hospitality and Tourism School in Portimão. Created in 1970 ...
SIGNATURE INSPIRATION
JEWELLER NUNO LOPES CREATES PIECES THAT ARE JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR THEM: ONE OF A KIND We first spotted Nuno Lopes at the Fatacil fair in Lagoa, working away on a piece of silver as a couple of children stood by, mesmerised. We later found out that some of these children return to his stand, year after year, to watch the jeweller at work, and often get a simple band as a reward for their curiosity. For Nuno, it’s...
PORTIMÃO CELEBRATES 90 YEARS AS A CITY
Music, theatre, sports, literature and citizenship all featured heavily in the programme that aimed to celebrate Portimão’s 90 years as a city. The official anniversary may have been on December 11, but celebrations took place over a fortnight and marked a number of other milestones within the city. The programme, which “aimed to evoke the past, celebrate the present and, above all, look to the future, giving...
New Book Launched on Birds of the Algarve
‘Birds of Algarve’ is a book published in 2014 by German biologist Manfred Temme. The 256-page volume, features beautiful images and descriptions in both English and German of 190 of the 250 (approximate) bird species recorded in the Algarve. The idea of the book arose from the interest shown by readers of the Algarve’s German-language magazine Entdecken Sie Algarve, in its monthly articles by Dr. Manfred Temme, an accomplished...
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
RSR WANTS TO PROVE THE PORTIMÃO CIRCUIT IS A WORLD-CLASS RACETRACK THAT CAN BE USED ALL YEAR LONG Ron Simons is a happy Dutchman. After racing everything from single seaters to Group C cars, he thought it would be a good idea to teach others how to do it. First he served as expert instructor for Porsche and Ferrari during the Noughties, and then decided it was time for his own enterprise, opening Ron Simons Racing in 2002....
DOM CRISTINA
THE ALGARVE’S BELOVED BRANDY AND HONEY LIQUEUR CHANGES ITS NAME, BUT NOT ITS TASTE Those who love their liqueurs and have visited or lived in the Algarve at one time or another will almost certainly know the name Brandymel. Made since 1955 in Portimão by the local Cristina family and winner of many international prizes, the brandy and honey tipple has recently seen a bureaucratic detail strip it of its name. Now...
CROSSFIT CRAZE
INSIDE CARVOEIRO WAS PUT THROUGH ITS PACES AT PORTIMÃO’S OWN CROSSFIT BOX Looking up at the clock, there are five more reps still to squeeze in. As our arms threaten to give way beneath us, we glance around the room. There’s a distinct feeling that the words ‘giving up’ aren’t in these people’s vocabulary. Some are even smiling. It’s 7.45pm and we’re in a CrossFit class, an...
CÔRTE-REAL COMES TO CARVOEIRO
ONE OF THE ALGARVE’S BEST ART GALLERIES NOW HAS A POP-UP EXHIBITION IN THE CENTRE OF TOWN Set in the hills just outside Paderne, in the beautiful countryside north of Albufeira, those in search of the striking artworks on display at Côrte-Real would usually have to set aside a whole morning or afternoon to fully enjoy this picture-perfect gallery. But thanks to one local estate agent, a sample of the gallery’s...
CARVOEIRO, UNITED
THE PRIDE OF THE COMMUNITY: CARVOEIRO NOW HAS ITS VERY OWN FOOTBALL CLUB They may have only formed officially in August, but FC Carvoeiro United has already taken its place in the hearts of the community. “The name started as a bit of a joke, but it really represents us well. We’re a mixture of Portuguese and foreign players of various nationalities who have all come together to represent Carvoeiro,” said John...
