Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - June 2026
- Tony
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Summer has arrived in the Algarve! Temperatures are warm, the beaches are filled with visitors, and the festival schedules are in full swing across the region.
For us, other than a week spent in France early in the month and enjoying time around home, it was a fairly quiet month focused on our health and well being.
In early June, we spent a week in Bordeaux, experiencing the city and the surrounding countryside, and, of course, some of France's finest wines along the way.
Teresa's garden continues its amazing cycle, full of life. She harvested eggplant, potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, beans, peaches, plums, and apricots this month. The tomatoes have quickly grown taller in the June heat and are already bearing green fruit that will be ready later in July.
The fruit trees are full and ripening quickly in the warm summer sun. Peaches are being harvested; apples are just about ready; pears and figs will be ready in about a month; and pomegranates are beginning to develop for an early fall harvest.
A recent harvest delivery from Teresa. Beautiful red potatoes, plums, beans, cucumber, zucchini, and eggplant. All straight from the garden and delicious.
In our gardens, the flowers and blossoms are still the main event. Mary's Hydrangea is full of flowers, although starting to wane in the heat. The roses are on their third blossom of the year, the Dahlias are beginning to bloom, and the plumeria tree that started as a small stick cut from Teresa's tree has taken hold and begun to bloom, perfuming the yard with its sweet scent.
With the World Cup commanding the attention of European fans everywhere, Portugal continues to be enamored by its national team. Game day fills restaurants, bars, and watch parties with passionate fans as other businesses seem to come to a standstill. Portugal jerseys and flags are everywhere, and as Portugal's team progresses in the competition, you can feel the anticipation across the country. GO PORTUGAL 🎉
The first weekend in July welcomes one of the largest music events in the Algarve as Portimao and Praia da Rocha welcome the three days of Afro Nation. Nearly half of the large stretch of beach is taken over by the festival grounds, two main stages, VIP tents, food trucks, multiple beer stations, and what seems like thousands of portable toilets. The photos show some of the final set-up occurring a few days prior to the start of the festival.
Meanwhile, beaches are filling up with visitors and locals seeking to beat the heat and enjoy some time in the sun, sand, and cool water.
If you happen to be of school age, this is what your classroom looks like on a Thursday.
A few random sites from the area.
Our niece and Goddaughter Valerie continues to grow up and doesn't stop amazing us with her accomplishments. She's heading to UC Berkeley in the fall to the Haas School of Business, ranked among the top undergraduate business programs in the nation, to pursue a major in business. Meanwhile, she's working on her pilot's license and just completed her first solo flight. We're so proud of her and look forward to seeing what she accomplishes next!
Our weekly Pétanque matches bring out the "friendly" competition.
A much-needed day out on the water
Sonny and Barney continue to entertain us. The first two photos are from the pet sitter while we were away in France. They seem to both be asking when we will be coming back. The other photos are the usual shenanigans around the house, including an impromptu battle with the bathroom rug.
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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!
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