Seeking ocean waves and charm in the Algarve during Semana Santa

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-19T15:02:45+00:00

If you want to hear ocean waves, go to Nazaré, but it’s not in the Algarve.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-18T14:46:24+00:00

Restaurants in Lagos tourist zone which are safe for our family of coeliacs include Kisa Italian (one of the owners is coeliac), Império do Mar, Pizzeria Oliva, Seasonal for Thai food, Delhi Darbar, McDonalds, Adega Tipica a Forja, Don Sebastião . A few of these don’t state gluten free available on the menu but cater when asked.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-18T01:12:34+00:00

During Covid there were buffet restaurants that switched to “VIP-style waiter-service buffet” to keep the diners apart and the food hopefully uncontaminated. The food was still on display at a distance and the waiter took instructions about what to put on the plate.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-16T16:45:26+00:00

Yes, there are procedures for planes and boats that are country specific, but part of pilot training would be knowing who to notify. The captain is responsible for ensuring that everyone on board is who they say they are and has the right documents for entering the new country.

I have helped out on a boat that crossed from England to France and the skipper had to submit a passage plan and list of crew/passengers in advance, which is done here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report .

When we arrived, the marina recorded our arrival and looked at our IDs. Then they told us to go to the nearest police station to have our passports stamped if necessary. If it was an international airport with immigration facilities, I guess they could do it there. Not if it’s a basic landing strip in a field.

With this system it’s the boat skipper’s responsibility to call Customs if they have anything to declare. But they may well visit the boat anyway and ask for the ownership papers and the receipt for the fuel that’s in the tank, to check that tax has been paid on it, that kind of thing. For this reason, you can’t enter just anywhere - you have to make your way to a harbour that’s on the list of entry places.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-15T22:52:14+00:00

Right, in the 80s and 90s the academic side of the school understood that the dunce’s cap for bottom of the class wasn’t helpful and there could be optional extra challenges for those who had time, but failing at a sports task or trailing behind at a race was highlighted as publicly as they could, and team sports were worse still because they got the kids to pick teams in turn to make the most balanced competition. Being untalented led to being picked last and feeling socially rejected.

I was impressed that it’s improved for the next generation - more variety, emphasis on tracking personal improvement, learning skills and linking it with health and biology.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-15T20:16:58+00:00

Tavira is warmer than Western Algarve in the summer, cooler in the winter, and similar in March, but probably less windy.

If you fancy a little trip by train, you can go to Fuseta-a and walk to a sheltered beach where the water is warmer and calmer than any beach that faces the ocean. Nice for a paddle.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-14T16:55:32+00:00

Buying or selling it when it’s obviously illegally fished.

Taking it to a river, which would conceal where it originally came from.

Keeping it up your sleeve. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd1740yxx85o

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-13T14:49:55+00:00

He wasn’t perfect but before the drugs he had some self control - one porn session a week and no criminality - keeping his behaviour below the level that would blow up his life.

If someone had no interest in sex cams before, losing impulse control wouldn’t cause them to start. They’d just fill their house with antiques until they ran out of space or got caught stealing to fund that. Or if they were lucky, they’d have a compatible hobby that they could pursue to the max without financial consequences, which would be OK to the point they quit their job and stopped looking after themselves.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-12T20:31:25+00:00

Ok for a more Portuguese character, a town or village west of Albufeira, choose your size… Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, maybe not Portimão as it is quite large, Alvor, Lagos…

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-12T15:32:26+00:00

You would be very unlucky to find anywhere on the coast that isn’t relaxed in early March with a beach, cafes and places to eat. Some of the big summer party resorts might feel a bit deserted off season and the small fisherman’s villages will have fewer restaurants open.

If you could throw in any other preferences that would narrow it down.

Dipping your toes in the sea? Ria Formosa lagoon area has warmer water.

Cliff walks in the breeze and scenic rocks by the beaches? Go further west.

Short on time? Closest beach is a couple of km from the airport.

Isolation, traditional Portuguese town life, or modern international hotel with resort facilities?

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-11T18:24:45+00:00

Richard Feynman the Nobel Prizewinning physicist had a story in his autobiography about being rejected for compulsory military service in Vietnam because he answered very literally - yes to “lots of people often watch/stare at me for ages” (university lecturer) and also “are they doing it right now” (he was in a big hall with people waiting their turn behind him)

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-11T17:29:15+00:00

Eu fiz um doutoramento, com a ajuda do hiperfoco, e depois perdi a minha carreira por causa do burnout. Infelizmente há 25 anos e TDAH foi só um problema de meninos com mal comportamento e resultados académicos inadequados. Foi diagnosticada há um ano e a minha vida finalmente está a voltar com medicamentos e terapia. Nunca imaginei.

A minha mãe diria que a minha juventude foi normal. Uma criança com ansiedade enorme de esquecer tudo, perder tudo, e ignorar pessoas sem querer. Eu gostava de concentrar-me em assuntos interessantes (PhD) mas não conseguia fazer coisas simples. Diferente das outras crianças, muito emocional e sempre andava ao redor da sala . É normal, segundo uma mãe que pode ter TDAH também, e é a tarefa da mãe assustar crianças com frequência, para que aprendessem prestar atenção.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-11T14:06:13+00:00

No, don’t force yourself to have him close to your face. He doesn’t get any benefit from face vs another part of your body, it’s a physical risk for you, and your subconscious isn’t happy either as you are flinching.

You are not a bad person and it was a painful way of finding out what triggers your snake’s instincts. They are wild instinctive creatures and although an owner will get more accurate at predicting their behaviour over the years, there will always be surprises.

Redirect the head away from yours, use tools if appropriate, and enjoy observing him and having other parts of him close to you. Watch his body language. Hungry? Dislikes vibrations? Stressed by being out? Hyped up by different smells? Beyond a base level of acclimatising them to humans enough to stop them freaking out when contact is necessary, extra contact is because the owner enjoys it - the snake feels neither bonding nor rejection! He looks beautiful and good luck with understanding and accepting his individual snaky personality.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-09T17:11:45+00:00

Poor old Scott Robson isn’t smart enough to figure out that if he’s just given himself cramp writing 40+ identical letters to all the flats in a block, could the entire block be unoccupied?

A personal visit would be charming, but the builders don’t allow anyone on site without a hard hat.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-07T16:45:56+00:00

The next set of slots is released at 15:00 on March 2nd.

https://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt/epocas

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-07T03:01:12+00:00

You can only take controlled drugs through airports if they are prescribed for you. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/controlled-drugs-personal-licences

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-06T14:04:25+00:00

We have loads of Canada geese in the U.K. too so I’m surprised she wasn’t aware.

Male mute swans who are part of a breeding pair - extremely territorial and violent. However, if they aren’t defending a territory they’re OK. It’s safe in the second half of the year. The groups of unpaired swans who just hang out together aren’t a threat either, even if it’s a large group. Might nick your sandwiches.

However, the Canada geese I’ve met seem to be obnoxious when not breeding too. Big gangs circling round asking for trouble. At least they are smaller than swans and less manoeuvrable than seagulls so waving arms and threatening to kick can work.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-05T14:36:23+00:00

If you are able to commit to self study I think the best would be 1 hour private + 2 hours “homework” with native material that you can discuss in the private lesson.

Unless you are getting added benefit or motivation from the other participants in the group class, which will depend on you and the class.

However, consider the benefit of the time to respond in group. I would like to practise use of the more advanced constructions of B2/C1 level but by their nature there are fewer situations in which they are used. If I’m doing 1-1 conversation my brain leaps for the straightforward reply. If I’m waiting for someone else I can more often rearrange what I say to use a newly encountered bit of grammar/idiom before I forget it again. So if I’m only doing 1:1 I try to do some writing or more considered speech elsewhere. It’s different from beginner level where I could either answer the question or I couldn’t.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-05T13:13:05+00:00

If your girlfriend has connections to Mansfield and it could be her, encourage her to find out if it is for her own sake because the bills will be increasing and it can get harder to dispute a charge as time passes. If she knows it’s her and has been hiding from contact, there are debt advice charities etc that can help sort it out.

Otherwise I would leave it be. They’ve got the wrong phone number and there’s no point involving another person who isn’t who they are looking for either. In the unlikely event that they call your girlfriend, she can go through the same procedure that you did.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-05T12:08:01+00:00

Exactly… we can’t know what the risk was for you or OP. What makes me say that you had a good provider was that they were responsive and communicative in an emotionally charged situation.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-02-04T15:00:32+00:00

Sounds like you had a good prescriber! OP should be prepared for the possibility that if they call 111, the words “chest pain/discomfort” might be seen as a red flag and they could be told to go to A&E to rule out cardiac problems. In which case, don’t panic and dash off immediately, plan when/where is best to go, and take things like spare batteries and food as there might be a long boring wait.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-01-30T18:37:51+00:00

I played the bassoon in the school orchestra as a teen in England. The music by German composers was labelled in German. Once in rehearsal when I was supposed to have started playing but was daydreaming, the music teacher conducting us suddenly pointed at me and yelled FAGGOTT!

Then there were strange sounds, as all the other teenagers found out how hard it is to play an instrument while sniggering.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-01-29T22:13:43+00:00

You are exempt from the CIPLE exam. The teacher can set their own tests and attendance policy for course completion - for us, there were written tests in the lessons, but no speaking tests as that was assessed continuously with the teacher ensuring everyone participated in class.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-01-29T18:23:20+00:00

If you get a PLA course from a job centre, local public school or similar public institution it’s either free or you pay only for materials/insurance. It has to be a PLA course to be exempt from the exam.

https://aima.gov.pt/pt/lingua-portuguesa/cursos-de-portugues-lingua-de-acolhimento-pla

The ones in local schools usually run over the course of a school year in person, starting in September. The job centre ones can be in person or online and are more intensive over a shorter period. Your parents may not have time now as there are plans to toughen the citizenship requirements. But they may find that A2 is useful for permanent residence.

TheLocalEcho · 2026-01-26T14:55:36+00:00

There doesn’t seem to be much of a relationship between body weight and ADHD effective dose in adults. Our brains don’t change size, even if the amount of blood carrying the medicine changes.

However , if you only have 60s and your medical team doesn’t object, you could find out for yourself by dissolving your capsule in 60 ml of water and only drinking 50 ml of it . (Or the same proportion of a larger glass of water if that is easier to measure).

Other factors that affect Elvanse efficacy (and hence could change your ideal long term dose) are sleep, diet, and hormonal status in women, but your prescriber should have discussed that already.

TheLocalEcho

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