sexta-feira, 13 de abril de 2012

Portugal is THE vacation destination for europeans

While the north americans and south americans go to France, England and Netherlands for vacation, the english people, the french and the dutch choose Portugal for their touristic destination. Porto is one of the cities with the highest increase of visiting tourists, not only because the city is beautiful and there is a lot to do and to see (and to eat), but also because Ryan Air, and Easy Jet, low-cost airlines operate here.

The food in Portugal is the best in Europe, along with french and italian, with two advantages:
1) You can eat very well in any restaurant in Portugal, even in the simplest ones. And that is not always true in France or Italy.
2) The price of food and drink in Portugal is very low for european standards, specially outside of Lisbon.

More reasons to visit the extreme west europe? Excelent beaches! Nice people! Great wine! Historic heritage, and outstanding landscapes :)

sábado, 3 de maio de 2008

There is no economic crisis in Portugal, just "costumes brandos"

Everybody believes there is a centenary economic crisis in Portugal, but that is not what really happens. What we have here is something that can be better described as an economic condition.

Portuguese workers are quite under qualified, elementary and middle school educational rates are between the lowest, comparing with other european countries, bad government policies and bad EU funds investiments, burocracy rules, and the country is very much dependent in importations. As in many european countries, population is quite accomodated, since some social standards are garanteed by the State, people do not have the habit to do serious complaints, protests, or demand changes, contrasting with mass protests that are common in Argentina, Brasil, and Chile, for example.

Another factor that can explain the reality of the economic condition in Portugal is the so called "costumes brandos" (mild costumariness)(If you have a better translation, please, be my guest): that is how the portuguese people describe their own social practices. Cool is good, but too cool can be a problem. There is a low self-esteem, that doesn't help business and cultural initiatives.

So, where is the good news here? It's simple, Portugal is a land of opportunities in Europe. While more developed economies are facing a real crisis, with economic rates slowing down, Portugal is in the opposite movement, still slowly improving its economy. Labor force is cheaper in Portugal, and infrastructure is good, so there is a lot of investiments comming, while German, France and Spain, for example, have to deal with a bigger saturation of products and services. Inspite of all difficulties, Portugal is a sunny plataform of things to do.

terça-feira, 29 de abril de 2008

Things are hardly stolen here: the safest country in Europe

Portugal is the third safest country in Europe, according with theft criminal statistics. Our rival neighbour Spain, an example of economic growth, and cultural vitality, unfortunately is the third one in Europe with the biggest theft rates. So, when considering moving from Portugal to Spain, take that into consideration. (anyway, sometimes it seems better to have a stolen wallet full of money, than an empty one safe in the pocket).

Biblioteca Almeida Garret and Solar do Vinho do Porto

Two confortable places, nearby in Porto.

The Almeida Garret library, located inside the beautiful Palacio de Cristal park, is a very nice institution. The building is a fine example of contemporary architecture, and inside, not only books, there is a great art exhibition room, free internet access, computers provided, also wireless system, free DVD movie rental, thousands of music CDs, international magazines, newspapers, desks, sofas, restaurant. It is a good place to be.

Behind the library, but walking from outside the park, you can visit also the Solar do Vinho do Porto. It is a very nice bar, with a romantic garden and an oustandig view of the Arrabida Bridge over the Douro River. In that hidden bar you will find a big menu of simply ALL the porto wine existing varieties, ALL brands, from the most popular to the most expensive ones. Our suggestion: try the Porto Tonica, a fresh long drink, made of white Porto, tonic water and lemon juice.

This blog really works

I started to write down some good things and that became quite a relief. Reading portuguese newspaper can be very depressing, wachting TV news too. Jornalists, and comentators, even the common citizen, show to much criticism and pessimism. There is a polemic common sense that says that pessimism is a trace of the portuguese culture. No way, not around me. Breathe Portugal! Stand up and take a good breath of fresh air.

Free Porto wine at Croft cave: every day!

Most caves, in Vila Nova de Gaia, dedicated to Porto wine tasting and guided tours charge around 2 euros each visitor, but Croft doesn't! Since their warehouse is not as visible, located behind the pier avenue they invite you to go there check it out. It is not only free, it is one of the best Porto brands, the visit is very good, and there is a nice wine shop too.
Croft Visitors’ centre
Address:
Rua Barão de Forrester nº 412 – Vila Nova de Gaia
GPS coordinates: 41° 08’ 06’’ N - 08° 36’ 55’’ W
Tel. + 351 22 374 2800 * +351 22 375 6433
Opening hours:
Open all year round, seven days a week from 10 am to 6 pm, except January 1st and December 25th

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Why is your blog black?
Because the color black is common in Portugal, black is chic, black is cool, black is british, black is discreet.

Why good news only?
As a good form of art, this blog will not be totaly coherent. Eventually some bad news will be focused. I decided to start this blog to save three entities: myself, my family, and Portugal.
What is good for this country, is good for me. All the serious and long lasting problems here are very well known, so let me give you just one quick worrying blog justification: Portugal is among the european contries where bicicle is less used. That fact, combined with other bad statistics that need not to be mentioned, makes a very dramatic social/cultural picture, that needs to change very fast.

Why writing in English?
O inglês é mais do que a segunda língua em Portugal, está em toda parte, é quase uma lingua oficial, e reflete a necessária internacionalização do País. Roubo de carros chamam "car jacking"... Apesar disso não é tão falado como se imagina, ou como deveria. O Governo de José Sócrates implantou finalmente o inglês obrigatório no ensino primário, em 2005!(!?!!!). Is that good news? Anyway, since many portuguese rock bands sing in english, and we do need to exercise, so, why not?! Lets do some conversation, portuguese is 100% welcome too! (please correct my language mistakes).

Can the readers send good news contributions?
Oh yes, please!! Thank you so much!!

Will be there good news from other coutries too?
Yes, Portugal Good News Only is just a name. We really need world wide good news.

Isn't Portugal Good News Only an over sized name?
I like big names. There is a huge multinacional ice cream company in the USA called "I Can't Belive It's Yougurt". There is also a very important rodeo competition called "Bull Riders Only". And there is a famous cooking product called "George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine".