News and current affairs from the Portuguese Algarve.

[jassi]

I imagine the Algarve will be a much pleasanter place without the British horde.
I've no doubt other Europeans will replace them in due course.

[Venturi Swirl]

I imagine the Algarve will be a much pleasanter place without the British horde.
I've no doubt other Europeans will replace them in due course.

Yeah, how pleased everyone in The Algarve will be when there are no gruesome Brits abandoning their babies, falling off hotel balconies, driving the wrong way down the motorways and spending all their revolting holiday money on hotels, food and booze.

[Robittybob1]

Karma anyone?

I prefer tea.

[ShiningInLuz]

Snippets of news about changes in Luz.

Chaplin's has been sold.  It is now a Japanese restaurant.

The proprietor who ran Chaplin's has opened an alternative in Lagos.  At this point in time, it appears to be an unsophisticated burger bar, but we have received a recommendation for it, so it is on our 'to eat' list.

One of the Indian restaurants just south of the church has been sold, but it appears to have been replaced by a new Indian restaurant.

Basically, the number of people with first hand knowledge of Luz in 2007 is decreasing as people die or move away.

[barrier]

Snippets of news about changes in Luz.

Chaplin's has been sold.  It is now a Japanese restaurant.

The proprietor who ran Chaplin's has opened an alternative in Lagos.  At this point in time, it appears to be an unsophisticated burger bar, but we have received a recommendation for it, so it is on our 'to eat' list.

One of the Indian restaurants just south of the church has been sold, but it appears to have been replaced by a new Indian restaurant.

Basically, the number of people with first hand knowledge of Luz in 2007 is decreasing as people die or move away.

With it one imagines (if there indeed was) interest of the McCann affair registers zero.

[Miss Taken Identity]

Snippets of news about changes in Luz.

Chaplin's has been sold.  It is now a Japanese restaurant.

The proprietor who ran Chaplin's has opened an alternative in Lagos.  At this point in time, it appears to be an unsophisticated burger bar, but we have received a recommendation for it, so it is on our 'to eat' list.

One of the Indian restaurants just south of the church has been sold, but it appears to have been replaced by a new Indian restaurant.

Basically, the number of people with first hand knowledge of Luz in 2007 is decreasing as people die or move away.

My father, grandfather and uncle have  all visited Portugal over the years for the golf. They have never encountered any criminality. They have commented on the 'roudy NEDS' from the UK.

[Erngath]

My father, grandfather and uncle have  all visited Portugal over the years for the golf. They have never encountered any criminality. They have commented on the 'roudy NEDS' from the UK.

Is Portugal " NED" free?
No criminality at all?
All law abiding citizens?
Sounds idyllic.

[Venturi Swirl]

Is Portugal " NED" free?
No criminality at all?
All law abiding citizens?
Sounds idyllic.

What does NED stand for?  Nasty English Degenerate?

[Erngath]

What does NED stand for?  Nasty English Degenerate?

I'm not too sure what "NED" stands for.
However the rowdy NEDS in Portugal are from the UK.
Therefore not just English NEDS but Scottish NEDS , Welsh NEDS and Northern Irish NEDS!
No Portuguese NEDS obviously!

[Venturi Swirl]

I'm not too sure what "NED" stands for.
However the rowdy NEDS in Portugal are from the UK.
Therefore not just English NEDS but Scottish NEDS , Welsh NEDS and Northern Irish NEDS!
No Portuguese NEDS obviously!

Of course not, the Portuguese are simply the last word in manners, grace, humilty, intelligence and all round gorgeousness.

[G-Unit]

I'm not too sure what "NED" stands for.
However the rowdy NEDS in Portugal are from the UK.
Therefore not just English NEDS but Scottish NEDS , Welsh NEDS and Northern Irish NEDS!
No Portuguese NEDS obviously!

NED is, apparently, a Scottish term meaning non educated delinquent.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_(Scottish)

[Robittybob1]

https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/mccann-parents-taking-legal-action-against-portugal/52927?fbclid=IwAR0qIluqPbUCM53gpqN7oG7ooNvRpSdw86kGKuglJhGlxHgRGlMj9XiGB1M

McCann parents taking legal action against Portugal.

[ShiningInLuz]

Three minor developments in Luz 2020.

The Japanese restaurant that was Chaplins has failed after a single season.  I never visited it personally, but it was reported to be mediocre.  That's a sure fire recipe for death, as one can partake of better in Lagos.  The word on the street is that it will open this season as a Tapas Restaurant.  I'm going to have to get into that quick.  That idea will last for just a season before the venture folds.  It's a wrong business model in a wrong location.

Speaking of Chaplins, a visit to that lady's new venture in Lagos is high on our must-visit list.  Beaches are filling up fast now, so places that are a little off the beaten track are rising to the top of our to-do list.

We made enquiries about the derelict property directly opposite the church in Luz.  It has potential for a small morning-only take-away, because of the pedestrian traffic and ample car parking.  There we hit a brick wall.  It was bought 3 or 4 years back by an Englishman for €400,000 and he wants to make a profit from it.  One can turn that site into a business, but I'll be dead long before it makes money.

The Galley, known in MBM's day as The Well, is also changing.  It is to become a Thai/Malaysian restaurant.  I would also predict that will fail within a year.  The Galley flogs expensive British food to Brits (mainly) on the back of its major asset.  It has an absolutely stunning view over the sea.  Of course, that's useless in the evening, or when it's cold, or when it rains.

Chaplins, aka the Luz Japanese, almost certainly employed no Japanese staff.  The Galley, aka the Thai/Malaysian will probably never have a Thai/Malay chef.  Wrong offering in the wrong location, so I'm going for 1 season max.

Outside of Luz, the Brasilian to the east of Luz has a sign up, saying it is closed.  At the moment, I have not worked out whether that is for winter, or whether it it is permanent.

There you have 4 small stories of MBM Luz 2007.  The scandal at Chaplins.  The body in the disintegrating lot opposite the church.  OG tucking in to a Brasilian in 2014.  The mysterious passageways under Luz that only the children know about.

You can do a pub crawl in Luz, if that is your inclination.  At the moment, I am thinking of a food trawl.  I could as fat as a pig by the end of the season.

Whoops, the Pig's Head.  Yet another story.

[sadie]

Three minor developments in Luz 2020.

The Japanese restaurant that was Chaplins has failed after a single season.  I never visited it personally, but it was reported to be mediocre.  That's a sure fire recipe for death, as one can partake of better in Lagos.  The word on the street is that it will open this season as a Tapas Restaurant.  I'm going to have to get into that quick.  That idea will last for just a season before the venture folds.  It's a wrong business model in a wrong location.

Speaking of Chaplins, a visit to that lady's new venture in Lagos is high on our must-visit list.  Beaches are filling up fast now, so places that are a little off the beaten track are rising to the top of our to-do list.

We made enquiries about the derelict property directly opposite the church in Luz.  It has potential for a small morning-only take-away, because of the pedestrian traffic and ample car parking.  There we hit a brick wall.  It was bought 3 or 4 years back by an Englishman for €400,000 and he wants to make a profit from it.  One can turn that site into a business, but I'll be dead long before it makes money.

The Galley, known in MBM's day as The Well, is also changing.  It is to become a Thai/Malaysian restaurant.  I would also predict that will fail within a year.  The Galley flogs expensive British food to Brits (mainly) on the back of its major asset.  It has an absolutely stunning view over the sea.  Of course, that's useless in the evening, or when it's cold, or when it rains.

Chaplins, aka the Luz Japanese, almost certainly employed no Japanese staff.  The Galley, aka the Thai/Malaysian will probably never have a Thai/Malay chef.  Wrong offering in the wrong location, so I'm going for 1 season max.

Outside of Luz, the Brasilian to the east of Luz has a sign up, saying it is closed.  At the moment, I have not worked out whether that is for winter, or whether it it is permanent.

There you have 4 small stories of MBM Luz 2007.  The scandal at Chaplins.  The body in the disintegrating lot opposite the church.  OG tucking in to a Brasilian in 2014.  The mysterious passageways under Luz that only the children know about.

You can do a pub crawl in Luz, if that is your inclination.  At the moment, I am thinking of a food trawl.  I could as fat as a pig by the end of the season.

Whoops, the Pig's Head.  Yet another story.

Thank you SIL.  I remember Chaplins as being a pleasant lively restaurant with very passable food.  Shame that has gone.



The derelict property directly opposite the church in Luz is in an amazing location and i am not suprised at the price that was paid tbh.   Standing in the centre of Luz, on a small cliff top and next to the Forteleza da Luz, opposite the pretty church and with amazingly panoramic views of the ocean and coast line from both the back and from the front, it shouts out as being way the best plot in Luz.  Also a quiet beach below, down some near hidden steps must make it the quietest and most private beach in Luz.  All it needs now is a private passageway down thru the cliffs to the quiet beach below ... and I wonder if it is there already, but completely hidden?

When I went down the near hidden steps behind The Bull  there was a paved flat area half way down, near the Fonteleza and the back wall of the garden of the derelict property, and it had collapsed immediately adjacent to that wall.  I decided not to go too close to this big hole, but I could see a big cave like void inside.

Did this connect to the beach ?  And to the opening into the cliffs off the beach below, that the brave ex soldiers  Colin Sahlke and Stephen Taylor so caringly and generously explored in an effort to try and find Madeleine ?

https://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/Nigel/id340.htm



https://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/Nigel/sitebuilderpictures/sahlketaylorsearch8.jpg




If the garden to the derelict house does connect to the private beach tunnel, then Gawd only knows how much that derelict house with all its positional advantages would be worth ?   Apart from its charms think how that (and maybe has been?) private route up could be used for nefarious gain.  Trafficking and drug running to name a couple.


To me the strange thing is that this entrance from the beach, which it seems runs underground to the nearby collapse was blocked off some years after Madeleine disappeared and so successfully disguised that our master slueth * Heriberto * did not recognise that a tunnel had ever been there at the time he searched.  The entrance, seen in the photo, had been filled in so cleverly that there as no sign of a tunnel there.   It was a very convincing professional hiding of the tunnel.  I wonder why? 


Why the subterfuge?

[ShiningInLuz]

https://eco.sapo.pt/2020/03/05/ha-mais-dois-casos-de-coronavirus-em-portugal-sao-oito-os-infetados-em-portugal/

As of 4 March, Portugal has 8 people in hospital with coronavirus.  6 are in Porto (basically the north of the country) and 2 are in Lisbon (basically the middle of the country).

I am tracking the spread of cases in Portugal, because at the moment we have 5 high-risk individuals in our house.

I don't have details of all the origins of infections, but one source seems to be holidays in Northern Italy, while there are instances of person-to-person infection.

81 people are being monitored, with 117 on the suspect list.

I was hoping that the warmer weather we already have in Portugal would limit the spread of the virus, but that does not seem to be the case.

There are no reported cases on the Algarve as yet.  However, there is traditionally are a large uptick in holidaymakers from Porto and Lisbon around the holidays of 25th of April and 1st of May, in Luz and Lagos (and presumably in other holiday choices on the Algarve) so it looks like it is just a matter of time.

The authorities have not declared a state of emergency.  I haven't yet heard of schools being closed or sporting events being cancelled.

The only noticeable sign on the Algarve at the moment is that supermarkets are running low on 'emergency' medical products.  This could become an issue because many supermarkets are notoriously slow at replenishing goods which run out of stock.