Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - June 2025

Early this month, we returned from a fantastic trip to Greece. You can read all about that trip by clicking here.

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Back in the Algarve... traveling is incredible, but it's always great to return home to comfortable surroundings and not have to live out of a suitcase. The weather here has turned to full-on summer since we were away; most days are typical for this time of year, with warm, sunny temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. However, there have been a few hot days with temperatures of 35 degrees and higher, as well as a rare cooler day with fog. Either way, it's still beautiful here. This is why we choose to live in the Algarve.

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In Teresa's garden, we continue to be among the beneficiaries of her incredible crops: beans, cucumbers, lettuce (or salad, as she calls it), zucchini, carrots, onions, garlic, aubergine, and soon, buckets full of tomatoes. Unfortunately, Teresa and Luis are in France for a few months, dealing with Luis's medical issues and unable to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Her sister, with a bit of help from us, is tending to the garden and other chores as they arise. Late in the month, Teresa emailed us that Luis's surgery was a success and he is recovering well. We are praying for them both as they work through this challenge.

Plums and peaches are only a few weeks away

and of course the flowers and chilis!

Early in the month, we attended the season finale of the Jaz nas Adegas (Jazz in the Cellars) series put on by the Silves Câmara (Municipality or Parish). The final event, held inside the walls of the historic Silves Castle, was a perfect setting for a summer evening with good friends, music, and local wines.

We went to a wine festival, and a football match broke out (word play on the saying...Went to a fight and a hockey game broke out).

The annual Lagoa wine festival was happily interrupted by the Portuguese National team playing in the final match of the Nations Cup against neighboring rival Spain. As you can see from the video and photos, it was a close match. Following regulation play, two 15-minute halves of extra time, the score remained tied, ending in a penalty kick shootout. To the delight of the crowd, Portugal emerged victorious and claimed the title. The crowd of faithful Portugal fans were thrilled by the outcome. We managed to participate in the wine show festivities during and after the match, enjoying great festival food, local artisan crafts, and several wineries from around Portugal.

The Mary C was out of the water for a few days mid-month, having her annual hull scrape, anti-fouling application, polish, and service. It's pretty amazing how many sea creatures latch onto whatever they can to create a home. Zoom in on the bow thruster (red propeller) and transom to see what life was clinging to the boat.

A week later it looks like new!

Summer has arrived in the Algarve, and the beaches have come alive with activity. On my walk today, there were groups of young kids and their chaperones enjoying the sun, sand, and sea.

What a difference a day makes...Highs in the 90s the last few days gave way to a rare day of fog today; there was even a slight drizzle while riding my scooter to the beach. Where did everyone go? When I arrived at the beach, it was deserted, passing only a few fellow beach walkers as I made my way down the fog-covered stretch of sand alongside the emerald-green waters of the Atlantic. The cool, refreshing air was a nice change, though.

The next few days were warmer than usual, so today we headed over to the São Vicente coast in the far western Algarve, where it's usually a bit cooler. It's about a 40-minute drive from home to Praia de Monte Clérigos, where we walked the beach, checked out the tide pools, and stopped for lunch at O Sargo.

The latest meeting of the Whisky Appreciation Society of Portimao. During this session, Kevin took us through the Low Lands region of Scotch Whiskies. This region produces Whisky that is more my style, with little to no smoky peat, and aged in Bourbon and/or Sherry casks. Scotch from the lowlands reminds me more of American bourbon. The winner selected by the group was Kingsbarns on the right. It's a little too strong for me at 64% alc/vol. The distillery is near St. Andrews for the Golf fans.

Boat Day! We motored over to the Alvor inlet and anchored near a sand bar for the afternoon. The water was a bit warmer than usual, still cold but shallow enough to walk out to the sand bar from the boat. Hard to believe, but today was my first swim in the ocean since we arrived in Portugal, Finally!

Tuesday afternoon Pétanque (similar to Bocce), a little competition among friends. Shane and I were undefeated until the final match, where we lost to Mark and John. We'll have to step up our game a little to take the trophy home next time.

It's always interesting to see what's in the grocery store chip aisle. These sound like a great pairing with burgers

Another great day on the boat. Anchored near Ponta João de Arens.

This month's AWS event was a luncheon at O Barradas restaurant, featuring the pairing of Vinho Verde wine from Phulia Wines in northern Portugal. O Barradas is a popular local restaurant with a nice outdoor sitting area shaded by very old trees. Located near Silves, the restaurant is an annual favorite among AWS attendees.

Phulia specializes in Vinho Verde (Green Wine), a wine from the Minho region in the northwest of Portugal known for its fresh, light, slightly effervescent wines. Typically white, Vinho Verde can also be produced in red or rosé varieties. The "green" in its name refers to the freshness of the wine, not the color of the wine itself.

Two of the most interesting wines we tasted were the 'Mal Acabado' (which loosely translates to 'poorly finished' due to the Pét-Nat process) sparkling wine and the Desvirtuado Tinto, a rare red Vinho Verde.

The Mal Acabado was our first exposure to a Pét-Nat sparkling wine. Short for Pétillant Naturel, it is a naturally sparkling wine produced using a process that is essentially the oldest method for making sparkling wine. The Pét-Nat method finishes fermentation inside the bottle, creating bubbles, unlike traditional sparkling wines, such as Champagne. Pét-Nats undergo only one fermentation and are typically bottled before the fermentation is fully complete. We enjoyed the sparkling Per-Nat. The Desvirtuado Tinto (red) was equally light in style, served chilled and slightly effervescent upon opening. It was not our style, reminiscent of a fruity sangria.

• Welcome - Mal Acabado Pet Nat 2024

• Starter - Marinated pear, gratinated with sheep cheese, Iberian ham and salad - Phulia Loureiro 2024

• Fish Course - Fish fillet with lemon sauce, grilled mango, broccoli rice - Mordoma Alvarinho 2024

• Meat Course - Lamb fillet topped with strawberries and Port wine, mint sauce, smashed potatoes, and veg - Desvirtuado Tinto ( Vinhao) 2024

• Dessert - Lime Parfait in mulberry sauce - Desvirtuado Branco ( Loureiro) 2014

We bought a new-to-us car this month. Traded in our Renault Captur, the first car we bought when we arrived here. The Captur served us well and saved us from having to spend a fortune renting a car when we first arrived. Back then, at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, rentals were in short supply and very expensive, and cars for sale were scarce.

We were looking to upgrade to a car with more comfort that could better handle bumpy roads here. We found a slightly used Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid that has served us well so far. We'll even save a little on gas by running around the area on electric power, thanks to the plug-in hybrid feature. We're just not ready to go 100% electric, and we do enjoy having the gasoline engine to back us up when needed.

Most of Europe was hit by a heatwave at the end of June. During the last four days of the month, the temperatures in the Algarve were unusually hot, breaking 100 degrees during the day, and temperatures at night stayed in the 80s. Thankfully, we will return to a typical weather pattern once the calendar turns to July, with daytime highs in the 70s to low 80s and nighttime lows in the low 70s.

Sonny and Barney seem very content in their home in Portugal. We often wonder if they realize how fortunate they are compared to the outdoor cats they occasionally see through the windows.

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As always, we hope everyone is doing well, healthy, happy, and thriving. We miss you and love you all...A lot!