"April has just broken up and in Tavira the weather is not cold, but it is still not on the terrace. The Três Palmeiras restaurant, on the south bank of the Gilão river, is the exception. Outside, the tables are filled with foreigners who arrive in the Algarve looking for beaches with warm water, clean sand and freshly grilled fish. There is no way, however, to go to the island of Deserta, at this time of the year only within the reach of those who have their own boat. "It is our little paradise", says João Diniz, resident and surfer of habitual presence in the island. There, the sand is "white, white" and the water "the most clear of the Algarve", describes.
A few weeks ago, the scenario changed. The rising wind that comes from the Strait of Gibraltar and causes waves with more than two meters brought more than changes of tide. Old rags, tires, appliances, shopping trolleys and much plastic left the shore leaving a litter carpet in the sand."
From today's Diário de Notícias.
There's more, but unless you want to pay for a premium account, there is no point in pasting the link.
Luz is in western Algarve. Tavira is in eastern Algarve. The only connection to Madeleine's disappearance that I know of is a very obscure one.
'My' Luz is properly called 'Luz, Lagos'. That means Luz in the district of Lagos. That's because the district of Tavira also has a Luz, more properly called 'Luz, Tavira'. I'd guess they also have a church called Nossa Senhora da Luz.
I have eaten in the town of Tavira, in pre-MBM days, so I wasn't looking for anything other than a restaurant. My only memory is that we drove around the town 3 times not finding a parking space, and my beloved had lost the will to live. She was saying loudly it was time to head back to base.
I got out and put her in the passenger seat. She does not do 'Portuguese' parking. I do. I stuck the car half on half off a pavement on a corner. It would either survive or it wouldn't. We went off for a stroll in Tavira and a meal. The car was non-dented and non-booked when we came back to return back to our holiday home.
The word Luz is used for other reasons. One team in the Portuguese first division plays home games at the Stadium of Light. It is also used in offers of joint electricity and gas from one supplier, when electricity is often referred not as electricity but as luz, or light.
