Living in Portugal - March 2025

So much for an early spring in the Algarve! Some say that we are spoiled, living the dream of numerous days on end filled with sunshine and blue skies, but throw in a few days of rain and we soon begin talking about climate change and what it's like living in the "Seattle" of Portugal. Well maybe not so dramatic, the North of Portugal does get significantly more rain than the South and truly owns that title when it comes to wet winter days.

March did bring us several consecutive days of rain heavy at times from the four major tropical depressions Jana, Konrad, Laurence, and Martinho that anchored themselves in the Atlantic just off the coast of Portugal. Some reports say that this months rain has set records for the Algarve, the most rain for the season the area has seen in over 20 years. We would agree that its the most that we've seen during our short time here. The good news is our reservoirs are filling fast alleviating a long lasting drought in the Algarve. Oh and April is traditionally the wettest month in the Algarve :(

We live here expecting perfectly sunny weather year round so we can participate in outdoor activities and enjoy the magnificent scenery but it's the few days of rain that we endure this time of year that makes this all possible. Now bring on the sun!

At home the gardens are taking full advantage of the rain to prepare for strong production and harvests. The citrus trees continue their incredible cycle, with ripe fruit still on the branches, new buds, flowers, and fruit are starting to appear. The mandarins are juicy and sweet, and we still enjoy fresh juice from the Navel trees. The fig trees are also starting to show new leaves and a few early young figs are growing

Neighbors Banana trees beginning to show fruit

Teresa and Luis have been on a planting mission lately, including cucumbers, carrots, fava beans, onions, garlic, and, most recently, several rows of potatoes.

Mary's Chili's seem to be in perpetual production as we find new fruit on them just about every week.

First blooms of our California Poppies. This is their second year growing in Portugal. We left them in the ground last year and they have spread so much we had to weed a few out. The leaves are a beautiful dark green and have formed a carpet under the Bird of Paradise

I have moved our restaurant experiences to this sites "EAT & DRINK" section. If you are curious about the food we experience, click here.

Portugal is not exempt from political drama, although usually smaller scale and less chaotic than others. In a nutshell, the Prime Minister is accused of conflict of interest as his company is still receiving significant money from private businesses for unexplained "consulting". He transferred ownership of his company to his wife and two children shortly before taking his post as PM, but come on, really.

This week, during a failed no-confidence debate in Parliament over his family’s business, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called a confidence vote in the center-right Government. This also failed triggering a collapse of the Government, transitioning into a caretaker role while President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sets a May date for elections to replace the Parliament and PM - Portugal’s third in three years.

To make matters worse the Prime Minister was seen playing golf with the owner of Solverde casinos (one of his biggest private "consulting" clients), just two days after the first no-confidence vote. the golf outing coincided with his absence from an important international event - an absence his office had previously attributed to "scheduling issues."

Santander Totta’s CEO Pedro Castro e Almeida agreed that it is difficult to run a company with so many transitions of Government, not having confidence knowing which direction the new body will take for the future. He likened the political landscape as a bit like Portugal competing in a car race, but pulling over after every lap to change drivers.

I bought a new Bike! My first in Portugal and it's a beast of an electric mountain bike! Several rides on it through Alvor and Portimão dirt paths and roads and it performs like a gem. Friends who also ride have formed a group of Biker Dudes to ride together and explore Portugal on two wheels. So far with all the rain our group rides have been few.

Rode over to the Marina today taking advantage of the sunshine and a break in the rain to check on our boat. All is well

The Portimão junior Surfest is taking place along Praia da Rocha this week. Although the waves were small today there were a few out there trying out their boards. Five meter waves (16 feet) are projected for the last three days of the competition so it should get interesting quickly!

What a difference a few days make. The Surfest in Portimão continues but with much different storm waves. The open ocean was a bit unhinged so they were surfing in the mouth of the Arade river.

A Sunday afternoon drive over to Sagres on the west coast of the Algarve to see some of the large surf projected for the day. Swells were forecasted to be up to 10 meters (32 feet). From the cliffs above the lighthouse you could see the large swells coming in and crashing hard on the cliffs below. In a few of the photos you can see people on the top of the cliffs to give a little perspective.

Along with the recent rains and storms we get a few amazing sunsets and cloud formations

A "Portuguese Blues Reunion" tonight at the Portimão municipal theatre featuring well know Portuguese musicians Budda Guedes leading the group, with Mario Laginha and Frankie Chavez. Not knowing what to expect it turned out to be a pretty good show. Most of the music lyrics were in english but the commentary and banter within the band in Portuguese which makes it more interesting. We catch a few words in the conversations but mostly its the reaction of the crowd that helps us to understand. These shows put on by the municipality have been gems for us entertainment wise, hosted in a small modern theatre and with tickets at 15 euros it's hard to pass them up.

Taking advantage of a few breaks in the weather for a bike ride through the estuary trails and a beach walk in Alvor.

Walking along the boardwalk at Praia de Rocha. The beach is so large that you can find a large beach volleyball tournament in one area, some guys playing a variation of Footvolley, and a serene and vacant section of sand.

We're heading to Morocco at the end of this month to spend a few days exploring northern Africa. A short two hour drive to Sevilla in Spain then a quick hour and a half flight to Marrakech. We're looking forward to our time in Marrakech, Fes, and Casablanca exploring the colorful souks, architecture, history, culture, and of course the food!

The rest of the family continues to thrive in Portugal.