Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - July 2025

July was a staycation month for us, no travel, but an opportunity to spend time with friends and enjoy the beautiful area we live in. There is a reason the Algarve is so popular with summer travelers, so why not join them in experiencing what draws so many tourists here? July and August are peak months for visitors in the Algarve, so there is no shortage of festivities happening to keep visitors (and residents) happy. We manage to avoid the crowds most days by seeking out less-traveled activities, but there are times when crowds are unavoidable, so we choose to join in.

The summer weather is living up to its reputation, with warm, sunny days and nights making for perfect times to enjoy the beaches, rivers, and activities on the water. Most days are typical for this time of year, with temperatures of 28-30 degrees Celsius and a few hot days with temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius and higher. Either way, it's still beautiful here. This is why we choose to live in the Algarve.

For me summer in the Algarve leads to many essential choices; Beach or Boat, Shade or Sun, Shorts or Swim trunks, Shoes or flip flops, Grilled Fish or Pork, Sagres or Superbock, white or rose, restaurants with air conditioning or outdoor seating, Figs or Oranges, Chocolate or Alfarroba (Carob), Snack Bar or Tasca. 😎

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In Teresa's garden, we continue to be among the beneficiaries of her incredible crops. This month's harvest includes potatoes, zucchini, aubergine, bell peppers, figs, Mary's chilis, and the first tomatoes of the season. The tomato plants are artistically staked utilizing bamboo harvested from the nearby wild grove, and are growing taller than me. The chili plants continue to produce an abundance, and really love the heat.

Unfortunately, Teresa and Luis are still in France, but Luis is doing well recovering from surgery and is ready to begin his radiology treatments. We keep in touch with them via translated email. Teresa provides us with updates on Luis's health, her longing to return to the Algarve, and her garden. Her sister, with a bit of help from us, is tending to the garden and other chores as they arise. We are blessed to be enjoying the results of her very green thumb and pray for them both as they work through this challenge.

Citrus, pomegranate, olive, and persimmon trees are full of green fruit soon to be ready for enjoyment, while the window boxes and plumeria add color and a sweet fragrance.

We placed a few bird baths among the fruit trees and have seen many visitors taking advantage of them, from birds to bees, and of course, the local cats. The Blue Jays are in the fig trees outside our glass door several times per day, creating excitement for Sonny and Barney as they watch their every move and dream about chasing them. Our very own YouTube channel for the kitties.

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Celebrating the 4th of July in Portugal with a group of international friends and fellow expats/immigrants. A fun afternoon filled with grilled hot dogs, beer, and a plethora of American and international treats. The afternoon was capped with Karaoke in the basement with a few very talented performers. We didn't stay for that portion of the festivities, as we had nothing to offer that anyone would want to hear :-) 😊.

We headed over to Vale de Lobo for Jazz & Blues at Sunset by Gringo's Washboard Band. A small outdoor area at the resort's tennis club made for a fantastic, intimate setting to listen to some good New Orleans-style Jazz and Blues.

Bi-weekly Pétanque winners...Me, and my partner Tom

There were several opportunities for boating this month, so we took full advantage of them and brought along a few friends too.

In the first few weeks of July, Portimao hosts a large multi-day beach concert called Afro Nation. The setup includes multiple stages, food trucks, and retail venues that occupy nearly half of the expansive beach at Praia da Rocha. Nearly 30,000 people are expected to light up the area.

The iconic Portimao bridge over the river Arade

GNR, Portugal's National police, keeping the Algarve safe. Between the south coasts of Portugal and Spain, there are frequent interceptions of boats carrying drugs from South America and North Africa destined for the European Continent. Portugal has been identified as an entry point for cocaine trafficking into Europe due to its southernmost coast. Over 22 metric tons of Cocaine were seized in a recent year, in addition to numerous tons of Hashish, Methamphetamines, and Cannabis. Ironically, Portugal is the chosen entry point, with the country having one of the lowest drug usage rates in the EU. It's good to see the efforts made to thwart the traffickers, but you do wonder how much arrives undetected.

Here are a few recent examples from this year.

• A joint operation conducted by the Portuguese Judicial Police, Navy, and Air Force resulted in the seizure of 1,660 kg of cocaine. The shipment transported via a narco submarine underscores the increasing sophistication and effectiveness of a method used by drug traffickers to move cocaine from South America.

• The Portuguese navy intercepted a submarine carrying 6.5 tons of cocaine about 925 kilometers south of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. The narco sub reportedly departed from the mouth of the Amazon River along Brazil’s coastline. Authorities arrested five crew members who were citizens of Brazil, Colombia, and Spain.

• The GNR seized 1,500 Kilograms of Hashish in Ria Formosa, while the Maritime Police have removed 32 Kilograms of amphetamines from the sea near Tavira.

• The GNR, in collaboration with the Spanish Guardia Civil, detained at the mouth of the River Guadiana two men, aged 19 and 52, and seized two boats and about a hundred bales of hashish.

• An operation that began with the detection of a suspicious vessel entering the mouth of the Guadiana River by the Spanish Civil Guard. The crew of the speedboat, suspected of being linked to drug trafficking, equipped with four high-powered engines, managed to flee towards Spanish waters, throwing dozens of bales of hashish into the sea. Portuguese authorities were unable to intercept the vessel, but they did collect 50 bales of hashish, weighing a total of 1,700 kilos, as well as a satellite phone.

Sunset in Alvor

The town of Silves hosts Sunset, live music, local food, and performances set inside the Silves Castle walls every Thursday during the summer. 10 euros for admission to a nice evening of entertainment inside the medieval castle walls

Wine tasting and petiscos at Wine Castle. We organized a couple of small, private group tastings here for our friends and fellow expats/immigrants to learn more about Portuguese wines.

Piri Piri Chili festival in nearby Guia

Silves beer festival, always good for a craft beer and some good Portuguese BBQ.

Our friend Ken set up a wine tasting at one of our favorite venues, Falesia Wine, the closest vineyard to the coast in Portugal, and a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.

We headed to nearby Lagoa for one of the Lagoa Jazz Fest nights. Set in a countryside park along the river with two different stages for different Jazz groups during the evening.

Back to Vale de Lobo to experience a Tina Turner tribute band. This time, the venue is set on the golf course near the clubhouse. Two years ago, we saw an exceptional performance of a Queen tribute band that featured a 40-piece orchestra and two fantastic and authentic performers. This year's Tina Turner tribute was not quite as elaborate or exacting as the Queen Tribute, but it was an excellent performance to experience, and the setting was awesome.

A nice dinner in the vineyards with music and friends at Quinta dos Capinhas

A few random photos, one of the growing number of vineyards thriving in the Algarve, the work of a new member of our expat group who does some amazing sand sculpting, and a hand-painted tile mural of a local fisherman and his dog tending to fishing nets in the small village of Ferragudo

Lunch with friends at Club Nautico Silves along the river

Some photos of the Food we experienced this month, most of which is typical in the Algarve.

Sonny and Barney are living the dream.

Sonny has a new friend we call Mini Me (mostly because his orange color is similar to Barney's), who has adopted us and taken over our yard. He comes to the screen for a nose-to-nose with Sonny, lounges and sleeps on our patio furniture, or on the window sill in the bedroom that Sonny sleeps in, or just makes himself comfortable just about anywhere. We're not sure if he has a home somewhere or just enjoys the tranquility of our yard, but he seems to like it. Barney, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with him!

Barney's so helpful with assembling things, workouts, etc... until he's not

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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!