C is for Casal Garcia

Casal Garcia – the wine, was firts launched in 1939. The French winemaker Eugene Helisse saw a beautiful vineyard on his way to Oporto and decided to meet the owner – Roberto Guedes. In the end, Eugene, got hired at the vineyard for his (intriguing!) ideas regarding the vinification method and process. All his ideas ended up being a great success. The wine was surprisingly fresh and bright. It’s said, that while wiping off the dust from a bottle, his very thin handkerchief got stuck on it and he couldn’t remove it. The pattern of it is still present on current labels.

Ever tried Casal Garcia when in Portugal (or even outside)? No? Impossible, correct your mistake right away! I’m a great “fan” of vinho verde (green wine) as well as rose. It’s brilliant for warm weather, slightly chilled with any meal (at least to me) – it’s perfect. Both, rose and green have around 10% alcohol content, both are fruity and very fresh. Recommended by producer as appetizers or light meals (salads, fish, seafood). When the heat wave strikes, enjoy an evening with a slightly cool glass of Casal Garcia and appreciate every sip of it.

Casal Garcia is the most sold vinho verde in the world (yaaay!). Avg. price in shops (PT): 4 euros per 0.75 bottle.

My A to Z challange - C is for Casal Garcia

"If you love the Algarve why not make it your home?"

A new movement called Algarve - Come and Live here has been started by Constantino Jordan. The action has been created to promote Algarve, make people move there to help Algarve grow. Algarve has been a great place to invest or go on holidays to but as Constantino stated it's time to go to the next level and make it a place to live permanently. Indeed, Algarve grew, Faro Airport, A22 motoway, more and more shopping centres, trains, buses, international schools, private hospitals etc. Every year lot's of people decide to take the step and move there and call it home. Constantino wants to spread it even more. There's a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/algarvecomeandlivehere and a webpage http://algarvecomeandlivehere.com/ (where we can dowload a whole "starters kit" with pictures, read all the information "Why Algarve" and also about the movement itself).

Personally I think that's a brilliant idea. Algarve is stunning, beatutiful and has loads of potential. Especially with all the tourists almost all year round. I'm definitely going to join in and help to spread the word about the action. Crisis might stop some people but on the other hand, a lot does freelance jobs or can do their jobs remotely. In addition foreign languages teachers or IT engineers shouldn't have any problems at all to find some job to start. For a life in neverending spring/summer and delicious food..? Yes!!! :-)

Busy times!

Oh dear, it's been so long since I've written anything! Lately I am so busy, got not will to do anything. What happened? One of my work mates went on a medical leave, she's pregnant and her results weren't very good so the doctor sent her home. We didn't have any replacement for her hired so... all her work is on me now. I feel like a little robot, a machine. Leaving my computer for a few minutes = usually 10+++ mails and internal communicator flashing madly. By 8pm I'm already falling asleep. I am SO looking forward to a new person to take all this additional stuff off of me.

Easter passed very calmly. Just lunch/dinner with family. My sister-in-law prepared something absolutely delicious. We call it simply - ham in bread. Unfortunately I couldn't find the English name or recipe.. Basically it's a whole, nice ham firstly cooked, then we prepare bread dough, put the ham and bake. Voila!  Of course it's a bit more complicated than that but wanted to make it as simple as possible. :)  Just thinking of it made me hungry..

Also, yesterday I've purchased a "Beauty Balm" by Garnier. At 1st most of the customers might think the "B.B" stands for "Blemish Balm" so famous in Asia. Unfortunately it's not but I can't complain about the balm itself. I read a lot of absolutely "yes yes" as well as "hell no never" opinions. B.B by Garnier is a mix of moisturizing balm and light foundation (brilliant for summer!!!). It brightens skin, evens it, softens, covers imprefections and also contains UV protection (SPF15). Let's face it, Garnier promises 24h hydration, that I won't believe (also because I shower more often than every 24h :-) ). The balm is a bit slicky, easy to use but dries really fast. For a few minutes our face will be quite shiny, and I would say people with oily skin might find out that after 2-3h they're shining even more. Pressed powders and facial blotting tissues fix that problem. So to sum it up: B.B by Garnier is worth recommending for hot weather or for anyone who doesn't feel like wearing normal, full foundation.

Can't believe it.. past few days it's 24 degrees ++ and all sunny and clear skies. Such days make me long for beaches, peacefull, slow paced life, ocean.. ;(

Such a girly post today :))

Easter :)

Easter is here, going for a breakfast + lunch tomorrow to my brothers parents-in-law. Mine are away... Does make me sad, to be honest I'd prefer to stay at home instead of going somewhere without them but oh well. :)

HAPPY EASTER! FELIZ PASCOA! WESOLYCH SWIAT!

All the best to everyone, have a calm and relaxing Easter with the ones you love. :)

 

Colourful... VITASIA?

On Saturday I was left alone since J. went to play football with some friends. The weather outside wasn't very convincing (it was snowing actually...) I stayed in. We often shop in Lidl for brand and their branded products, from time to time Lidl does country weeks like "Asian week", "Swedish week" etc, promoting food products from these. Best ones are gone very quickly, oh well. I really like asian cuisine but even thought Warsaw is flooded with asian/thai/vietnamese etc bars, it's actually pretty difficult to find a decent place with great meals.

A while ago Lidl did "Asian week" theme, and I found VITASIA fried noodles dishes. Well why not give it a try?.. So on Saturday I remembered I had bought it and decided to prepare for myself. The preparation is absolutely easy. 300ml of water to warm up in a frying pan, add the packet, braise until the noodles take in all the water, then fry for +/- 3 minutes. Obviously, the meal wasn't of any heavenly taste but I do think it was OK. Even a bit spicy. Packet said "2 servings"... really? it was like 1 full bowl. In total 3.5/5.

 

Also, I commited a crime, well, not literally but it feels like. I went yesterday to H&M. Found some tops, dress etc. and went to try them on. Picked 2 things, went back to leave the rest.. and J. looked over to the jeans (new collection) side.. All colourful, yellow, beige, blue, pink.... I ended up with a yellow and pink pair... Do I have to mention that I will resign from black only if they find a darker colour? Well ok, I do admit they look nice and I like em but.. me and pink? Always seemed like a bad idea, although they seem to suit me..

A is for Almancil

Almancil, Almancil... is a small town nearby Loule but most importantly it's a town I lived in;
.
Almancil is about a 15minute drive from the Faro airport and has became an important centre for service providing to the two luxurious residental areas: Quinta Do Lago and Vale Do Lobo (a must destination for the important and famous). These two residental areas make Almancil, in summer, as busy as an ants nest. Great variety of restaurants, pubs, cafes, real estate offices, furnishing shops etc etc. Apolonia supermarket is always absolutely packed since it's offering all the goods from the UK..

The church of Sao Laurenco, at the east of the town, is beautifully covered with 18th Century ceramic tiles on the inside. The azulejos tell the story of the churches patron saint and the whole work dates back to 1730. Additionally it was made by the azulejo masters of that time - Policarpo de Oliveira.

As for Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo (which means "Valley Of The Wolf") both are extremely impressive with prices to match. Vale do Lobo, created in late 60's, before the end of Salazar dictatorship, had the role of helping the Algarve as a golfers paradise. The famous British golfer Henry Cotton designed the golf course. Quinta Do Lago offers four championship sized golf courses alongside of the Rio Formosa Nature Reserve.

I used to work in a property management company in Quinta Do Lago. Some of the properties are absolutely stunning.. I must admit at firts I was somewhat shy to be around them or in..

-> http://myatozchallenge.com/

Welcome Back!

Enough of being lazy, time to dust this poor blog and get back to posting again :-)

Even though I'm not in Portugal at the moment, I am really willing to go back one day (hopefully) but this time plan all carefully instead of rushing with all.

Welcome to anyone who is willing to read my (I assume) sometimes boring thoughts and stories.
I added a few photos in My Picasa (link on the right hand bar) :-) Enjoy!

Noite Branca / White Night 2011 Loule

CANCELLED
probably most of you knew about it already but just as a reminder

" Câmara Municipal de loulé cancela noite branca algarve 2011
Autarquia prefere não comprometer a qualidade do evento

A Câmara Municipal de Loulé, entidade organizadora e promotora da Noite Branca, torna pública a decisão de não realizar, no corrente ano, esta iniciativa.

A decisão tem por base a necessidade de contenção orçamental da autarquia, dado que este é um evento que envolve um grande investimento e que, por ser gratuito, não gera retorno financeiro directo. Assim, a autarquia preferiu não comprometer a qualidade do evento com uma edição mais simples, e adiar a sua realização.
Esta decisão surge também da necessidade de definir prioridades de investimento num momento em que o país atravessa sérias dificuldades.

A Câmara Municipal de Loulé, com esta decisão, procura assim uma melhor racionalização do erário público, focando a sua atenção no apoio às pessoas, nomeadamente os grupos sociais mais frágeis. O momento difícil pelo qual estamos a passar exige uma grande responsabilidade por parte das organizações públicas, pelo que esta decisão, que foi bastante reflectida, assume também ela um carácter simbólico que importa realçar, num quadro de empenho global para a recuperação económica da região e do País.

Este cancelamento tem um efeito pontual, sendo objectivo da autarquia retomar a organização do evento assim que se reúnam as condições necessárias para a sua realização."

Source Município de Loulé - Câmara Municipal de Loulé official site.

News + Fiesa 2011

Since I moved out from Portugal I find it hard to focus on this blog. It's not like I have nothing to write but my days just fly by. Seems I ended up again in the typical European speed of life. I do like it because I enjoy being in a rush but then again I miss Portugal and it's slow pace. Tourist season in the Algarve is starting, while last summer I experienced it, this summer I can't stop thinking about it. These sunny days in Poland, on my way to work, I have enough time to rethink and remind myself of all. Maybe I should have given more time, or be more determined? On the other hand, it would be difficult to find anything without good Portuguese. Short before I left some teachign centre (one in Almancil and one in Faro) started looking for teachers (English & German). Now it makes me think maybe I should have applied and become German teacher? Also from September/October I'd like to rejoin my Portuguese language course since I enjoy the language and who knows, maybe I'll go back on day. Through Remax I found a house in Tavira I adore. I think I'll start playing the lottery :)
As I mentioned above, time is flying by and sometimes I wish I could convince J. to negotiate something about his fathers company, because this would mean a chance to go back. At the moment this doesn't seem to be possible though, also because he said he doesn't want to really go back to PT. I'm staying optimistic though..

Ahh.. FIESA 2011! :) http://fiesa.org/
"This year's theme is Animal Kingdom where animals are represented in a humorous manner, personified in human behavior and honoring characters from children's and adult fiction. Concern about the environment and the preservation of species is also reflected in this year theme, with scenes of animals in danger of extinction, represented in their natural habitat."

Opening times:
April 15 - June 09 from 10 am until 8 pm.
June 10 - September 14 from 10 am until 11 pm.
September 15 - October 15 from 10 am until 8 pm.

Tickets
Up to 5 years: Free.
From 6 to 12 years: € 4.50.
Adults: € 8.
More than 65 years: 15% discount.

a must see! :)

~ Bookstore: Ana Veloso ~

A while ago, in a bookstore, I bumped into Ana Veloso's books. Ana was born 1964 in Koblenz (Germany), she studied Roamnce studies in Rio de Janeiro. Most of the years she spend on a Coffee plantation, which ended up being an inspiration for her 1st book (in 2005 "Der Duft der Kaffeeblüte" / "The scent of the coffee blossom").
I don't know why, her name? or her books titles? made me reach for the 1st one which was "Das Mädchen am Rio Paraíso " / "The girl at Rio Paraíso". A story of a great dream, hope, violence and love set in the dangerous times of slavery in Brazil. The novel is simple, but lovely to read.



The other one I found totally amazed me, I couldn't stop reading. It was "Lebwohl, Lisboa" / "Farewell, Lisboa". It's a family saga taking place in Portugal (mostly Alantejo and Lisbon). A story of 2 families, rich and poor joined by a baby. Love between a girl from a wealthy home and a poor, farmer boy. Although both start their "proper" families their love never fades. The author created a story full of events and details, showing everyday life of four generations, during the moral and social changes in Portugal during the XX century up to the Carnation Revolution(Revolução dos Cravos) in 1974. This novel made me miss Portugal a lot, reading it, I felt like I'm in Portugal, "seeing" the scenery, houses, villages with my own eyes. I think, if you've never been to Portugal, you have a chance to find it in this novel, if u have been or live there, u'll feel like it's a story about a quinta next to you.