Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - October 2025

Another month of living the dream in Portugal, great weather, fewer visitors in the Algarve, and more travel to fantastic nearby destinations. These, after all, are some of the main reasons we chose to live here.

We were away traveling for more than half of this month, which means there were fewer activities for us in Portugal; thus, our Portugal Journal is a little shorter this month. Our travels in October took us to Italy, visiting Napoli, Capri, Positano, and the Amalfi coast (You can read about that trip here). We also spent a few days in London.

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In November, we're taking a road trip through southern Spain, visiting Seville, Rhonda, Málaga, Gibraltar, and Jerez. Check back for details on this trip.

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During our limited time at home in the Algarve this month, we managed to enjoy our surroundings and spend quality time with friends.

October tends to be a month of variable weather and fewer crowds; we see fewer visitors, more familiar faces, and hear more Portuguese being spoken than other languages. A definitive difference from the peak months of summer.

The month began with the perfect Fall weather that one would expect at this time of year. Sunny, warm, with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius during the day and mid-teens Celsius at night. The back half of the month saw more clouds mixed with sun, a few scattered rain showers, higher humidity, and temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius during the day and high teens Celsius at night.

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Fall in Teresa's gardens is a time for pruning and cleaning up the remains of the summer's crops. Gone are the tomatoes, beans, and vegetables, with the remains now piled up ready for early November burning. The ash from the burn piles is tilled into the soil as an amendment, preparing the soil for the next crop.

Pomegranates and Guavas are flourishing, Roses are in their fall bloom, and the first few oranges are just about ready to eat, with the rest to follow in November. Mary's Chilis have been harvested, but new buds are already abundant for the next round.

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Our annual trip over to Porches and the Vila Vita Biergarten to celebrate Oktoberfest. I do have to admit that the biggest draw for me here is the Pork Knuckle.

Out on the boat early in the month with friends Revilee and Steve, we had another fantastic day on the water as we motored west along the coast to Luz today. Beautiful coastline, Dolphin sightings, and a Polish sailboat sighting along the way. We anchored just east of Luz for a bit and caught a large rock on the anchor. The rock was so heavy that the anchor winch couldn't haul up the anchor and rock all the way, so we had to manually assist to get it high enough into the anchor keep. When we returned to the marina, one of the maintenance crew members helped us remove the rock from the anchor. It was so tightly wedged in that he had to use a pry bar and hammer to pry it loose.

I had just read about a gathering in Portimão of the Portuguese chapter of CEUCO - Conselho Europeu de Confrarias (The European Council of Confraternities). A European organization whose purpose is to promote and defend quality agri-food products and gastronomy from the respective countries of the European Union.

As we were walking through the center of Portimão, we ran into the group as they gathered for a photo op. This particular chapter focuses on Portugal to maintain its historical legacy and customs, with the aim of preserving the traditions and culture of wine and gastronomy. If you look closely at the banners, you will notice subgroups that focus on specific areas, such as the Brotherhood of Tuna, the Brotherhood of Wine, the Brotherhood of Chicken of Guia, the Brotherhood of Beer, and the Brotherhood of Gastronomy of the Algarve. Others of interest include the Brotherhood of the Bread, the Brotherhood of Marmalade, the Brotherhood of the Goat, the Brotherhood of Cheese of S. Jorge, and the Brotherhood of the Pig Slaughter.

We attended a gathering of our own brotherhood of food and wine at Casa da Tocha Enoteca, to celebrate Tom & Bobbie's return home from a long trip to South Africa.

On our last night here before heading out to Italy for a few weeks, we had dinner at Restinga restaurant on the beach in Alvor. A spectacular night for a sunset and fresh fish, setting the tone for our travels.

In the last photo, you can see the lights of small fishing boats out on the water that gather just after sunset to fish the local waters for squid.

Its always good to return home after traveling to a gathering of good friends

A little Halloween shenanigans hosted by S&R

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Sonny and Barney are living the dream.

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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!