On the wings of childhood fantasy
- Written by Natasha Donn, Algarve 123
It all began on a rainy day: a nine-year-old girl and a 50-year-old artist decide to paint a “really big, colourful picture” (“it was a very rainy day”, explains the artist). When the sun finally comes out, and their joint effort is complete, they are amazed to see it purchased “almost straight away” by one of the first people who clap eyes on it.
All about adrenaline!
- Written by Natasha Donn, Algarve 123
Meet Max Fire: dare-devil biker and fire-breathing circus performer. The 39-year-old who winters in Portugal when not working the summer fairs in UK has come up with a refreshing initiative for the western Algarve. It’s “all about giving people a buzz” - with any form of money-making very much relegated to a back seat.
21st century treasure hunting
- Written by Bruno Filipe Pires, Algarve 123
It’s catching on fast. All you need is a GPS (the one on a cellphone will do), a love of nature and a lot of curiosity. You can do it on your own, in a group or with your family. The objective is to find something that someone’s hidden (a cache) - the coordinates of which are published on the Internet.
How to live without money
- Written by Bruno Filipe Pires, Algarve 123
Many Portuguese are worried. They blame the crisis and think (even more) misery is on the way. But, in the end, penury has become the new philosophy for life: a way towards a happy existence. It already has a number of followers spread across Europe.
Portimão sinks an armada
- Written by Bruno Filipe Pires, Algarve 123
Corvette (light destroyer) “Oliveira e Carmo” - weighing roughly 1400 tons, 85 metres long and 10 metres at the bows - arrived in the Algarve last Saturday 11th February. It was her last voyage. A veteran of service spanning from 1975 to 1999, she is the first of a group of four naval vessels donated to Portimão by the Portuguese Navy to be sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Sculptress of the Airport 'Observers'
- Written by Bruno Filipe Pires, Algarve 123
The sculptures at Faro Airport are some of the few pieces of public art in the Algarve that have become symbols of the region. Almost 10 years since their placing, “The Observers” hold their intrigue. The work’s creator Teresa Paulino is not as well known as the pieces themselves, although she’s done other sculptures throughout the Algarve.
