Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - March 2026
- Tony
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Another blissful month living in Portugal, filled with more sun than rain and signs of spring popping up everywhere. In addition to enjoying life locally, this month we traveled to the Azores Islands of Sao Miguel and Terceira, located in the middle of the Atlantic between Portugal and the US. The lush green volcanic islands are a patchwork of small villages and expansive pastures for grazing the numerous cows, which outnumber humans by over 2:1 on the island and provide some of the best dairy products in Portugal. The black volcanic rock contrasts with the bright green fields, where it is used for stacked walls along rural roadways to divide pastures and, at times, to block the wind and provide stored heat for animals and vegetation. Forests of Japanese cedars fill the mountain tops, reminiscent of the Redwood Groves of Northern California, and where roads are lined with wild Hydrangeas and Azaleas. More on this trip to the islands in our next post, coming soon.
Back in the Algarve and in our gardens, most of the fruit trees are beginning to bloom, peach, apple, pear, and plum showing off their beautiful flowers. Even the fig trees, barely showing their new leaves, already have new fruit on them.
Teresa and Luis have been busy preparing and planting their garden, and most plants are already showing new sprouts. They have planted potatoes, Fava beans, Peas, cucumbers, and lettuce.
A few projects around the Portimao Harbor and Marina are occurring, designed to accommodate larger cruise ships (ugh!) and increase the capacity for tenders for those moored offshore. A big dredging operation is underway in the river inlet to the Portimao harbor. The plan is to create an even deeper channel for the larger cruise ships to dock and maneuver. I'm not sure I like the fact of larger ships and more people descending on our beautiful shores, oh well, that's progress.
If you have ever wondered what voting looks like in other countries, here's an example of a recent referendum ballot that I received from Italy. Simply put an X through the choice you don't want, put it in the envelope and send it in.
Our latest WineMine dinner at Veneza featured wines from the Douro region by Celso and Jorge from Quinta do Tralhão. Having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, they now produce a full range of white and red table wines using only Portuguese grape varieties. The food and the wines were good as always at Veneza.
A newly opened Texas BBQ restaurant in the Algarve. 125 Smokehouse is a roadside cafe with pretty authentic Texas-style BBQ, well, at least the best we've found over here.
About once per quarter, the WineMine group holds an educational session for members at About Wine in Faro. Luis, the owner, is a level 3 sommelier who always does his best to educate us on Portuguese wines. For this session, he made us work hard, teaching us about the primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas and flavors of wine.
A few examples,
Primary comes from the grape and fermentation: flora, fruits, and herbs.
Secondary from intervention during post-fermentation and the winemaking process: Yeast (bread, yogurt, cheese), Oak (smoke, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, coconut), Malolactic: (cream, butter).
Tertiary from age: Red wine (leather, earth, tobacco, caramel, coffee, dark chocolate). In white wines (honey, orange marmalade, hazelnut, almond, cinnamon, ginger).
The Quinta do Poco do Lobo Reserva from the Bairrada region was our favorite. A rare Cabernet Sauvignon (not widely planted in Portugal), 1996 vintage, so it has some good age to it. A relatively expensive but great value wine at 35€ (expensive for Portugal). Second was the Badoxa 2023 reserva from the Douro (typical Douro blend of the three Touriga grapes: National, Roriz, and Franca) for 9.95€
The Sunday Farmers' market along the riverfront in Alvor. Always a great selection of produce and local products.
A spring like evening sunset in Alvor.
Our friends Steve and Revilee are known for hosting great gatherings at their home in Portimao. St Patrick's Day was the theme for this one. Everyone brought a dish to share, so the food was plentiful and good. It was a night filled with great conversation and a few shenanigans, including those talented enough to perform Karaoke for the rest of us.
The first day of spring? Heavy rain and high surf throughout the day
A second and even larger dredging ship arrived later in the month to assist with the dredging operation along the Portimao riverfront and harbor.
A stormy day in Portimao kept all the fishing boats lined up at the dock. A full house at the Docapesca.
At the small airport near our house, we have noticed that the Portuguese Civil Protection has been testing several drones. It doesn't appear to be related to the recent events in Iran, since they began testing before the conflict. They have set up temporary operations, including a tent to store the drones in. The latest drones have a logo for EMSA on them, the European Maritime Safety Agency. Researching the agency, they provide maritime services for mapping, surveillance, vessel tracking, pollution monitoring, and more. While we are not sure why they are here, I assume they are gathering mapping data on the waterways and possibly conducting surveillance.
As we approach Easter in Portugal, I thought I would share a little information about the celebration here. With over 80% of the population being Christian, Easter is one of the most significant celebrations on the calendar. The festivities may vary from region to region, but they share a common bond with religious, cultural, and familial traditions, reflecting the importance of celebrating life, renewal, and family unity.
During this festive season, traditions come alive in every street and home as the aroma of traditional Portuguese food fills the air. Families gather around the table to enjoy traditional dishes, such as cordeiro assado (roast lamb), traditionally served for Easter lunch, with potatoes, vegetables, and rice, and of course, Folar de Páscoa, a sweet bread filled with eggs or cured ham, which symbolizes the renewal of life.
My paternal grandmother's family emigrated from the Azores, Portugal, in the early 1900s. When we were young, I remember visiting Grandma Bondi's family around Easter, where there would always be plenty of freshly baked Easter bread. I'll never forget the round, golden brown loaves of sweet bread with an egg baked into the top, symbolizing the resurrection.
Since living in Portugal, we've learned that there are many variations of the coveted loaves by region (Portuguese love their breads)
Here are the main variations of Portuguese Easter bread:
Folar com Ovo (General): The most traditional version found nationwide, which is a sweet bread ball with one or more whole eggs boiled and placed on top.
Folar de Olhão (Algarve): A popular sweet, layered, and gooey bread made with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter (similar to a large cinnamon roll).
Northern/Tras-os-Montes Folar: A hearty, savory bread stuffed with pork, ham, and sausages (sometimes chicken or rabbit).
Central Portugal/Beiras Folar: Typically a sweet, dense bread flavored with anise and lemon, featuring a whole boiled egg on top.
Folar de Folhas (Algarve): A sweet, layered version often filled with cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon, similar to a pull-apart caramel cake.
Empenadinhas da Páscoa: A version found in the Covilhã region, often a savory, meat-stuffed bread.
Alentejo: In Elvas, the cakes are made in animal shapes, such as lizards, lambs, chicks or pigeons, being decorated with almonds and the typical boiled eggs.
In Castelo de Vide lovers exchange among themselves folares in the form of a double heart.
Sonny and Barney continue to entertain us, at least for the few hours they are awake.
More fun with the Roomba...
Local resident, whom we nicknamed "mini-me," loves to hang out around our house and has recently discovered the cushioned chair on the patio where we find him deep into his mid-morning nap on most days.
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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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