lunes, 2 de octubre de 2017

remembrances of places where I used to live

There's a little story to tell about my holidays.
Some years ago, we lived in the south, very near of the Algarve, so we were used to visit some of their villages every few weekends, even to do our groceries shopping there. I still miss some of those colorful local markets!
We enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and visited some local restaurants, wich were really unpretentious and served the best quality fish. We were usual costumers!. Sometimes we commented on how lucky we were, because we lived so near these fabulous places, even if it was also sad to see some ruined buildings and lack of business. We hoped to see more visitors, but not mass tourism.
We moved in 2011 (to a northern city), and came back, only for holidays, in 2015, and we've kept on visiting Algarve every year!. The places we loved were still lovely, but the tourism had arrived with all its advantages and disadvantages. Some new fast food restaurants were open to please the tourists, which were so impertinent to not even try to speak a word of portuguese, nor even eat some local food. This year we've realized that twelve real estate agents opened their business in a little village where we used to stay, so it looks like there's some property speculation rising!
But we've also saw some interesting business opening, local artisans fairs, cultural activities, some beautiful art, and that's something positive for the region. It's not only bad news!

(I've recapped some of the pics I shared years ago, when we were used to visit those places frequently, sometimes it's really useful to have a blog!)

Hay una historieta que contar sobre mis vacaciones.
Hace algunos años, vivíamos en el sur, cerca del Algarve y solíamos ir a visitar los pueblecitos de por allí, cada pocos fines de semana, incluso íbamos a hacer la compra al mercado. Me encantaban esos mercados!. Y me gustaba mucho el ambiente tranquilo, y los restaurantes pequeñitos, nada pretenciosos y con un pescado buenísimo. Éramos clientes fijos. Muchas veces comentábamos la suerte que teníamos de tener estos sitios tan chulos al lado de casa, y poderlos disfrutar, aunque a veces daba penita ver que algún edificio estaba hundiéndose y que tampoco había muchos negocios. Esperábamos ver aumentar los visitantes, pero tampoco turismo en masa.
Nos mudamos en 2011, y no volvimos hasta 2015, ya sólo de vacaciones (desde entonces vamos cada año). Los lugares que nos encantaban siguen siendo encantadores, pero el turismo ha llegado con todas sus ventajas y desventajas. Demasiados restaurantes de comida rápida al gusto de los turistas, que además son tan impertinentes que ni intentan decir alguna palabra en portugués, ni probar la comida local. Este año nos hemos dado cuenta de que han abierto lo menos doce inmobiliarias en un pueblo en el que solíamos quedarnos, así que parece que la especulación inmobiliaria va creciendo.
Pero también hemos visto abrir negocios interesantes, ferias de artesanía local, actividades culturales, exposiciones de arte y otras cosas muy positivas para la región. Así que no todo es malo!
He repescado algunas fotos que publiqué hace años, cuando solíamos visitar estos lugares a menudo. A veces es muy útil tener un blog!





Ag2010
Nov2010


En2011


May2011

Jun2011

Jul2011



Sunny Days & Simple Things, Oct2011


Nov2011


Holiday Jun2012

9 comentarios:

  1. What an enchanting place! I can understand why you keep coming back. And so nice to see all your different outfits too. Good to hear it's not all McDonald's restaurants and Pizza Hut now. Culture is so important as it can attract other types of tourists. Let's cross our fingers and hope development will take a turn away from drunken youth towards more grown up types!

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  2. I loved seeing photos of you and your fabulous outfits through the years. Having lived so near, it must almost feel like coming home each time you go on holiday in the Algarve. But indeed, tourism does have its advantages and disadvantages: as long a there's no mass tourism, and the emphasis is on cultural activities, the area should be fine. Besos xxx

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  3. Some wonderful photos here, Monica. I could almost feel the sun...

    xxx

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  4. I enjoyed this time travel. What a pity when places become generic - it becomes harder and harder to tell where you are. I'm glad, however, that you see the good parts too, always there, just maybe they take a little more effort to find. xo

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  5. I loved this post! You've hardly changed and you're just as cool a dresser now as you were a few years ago.
    I haven't visited the Algarve since 1988, I'm worried its changed beyond recognition and full of horrible British lager louts. looking at your pictures makes me want to return. xxx

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  6. Wonderful journey through the years! And you're always looking so stylish, xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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  7. Thanks for this round up - it's good to see this review. My best friend lives in Portugal and I really love the laid back life she live there. It's so beautiful and (as yet) unspoilt.

    Anna x

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  8. Very interesting post, my dear! I know what you mean, we also have such villages around here that used to be peaceful and out of the way and became more commercial in recent years, which is both positive and not so positive. We still love visiting them and it's good to see that locals are thriving, but housing prices are definitely artificially are rising up.

    It's marvelous to see your outfits from different years in this beautiful setting! I love seeing how our style develops over time! You look wonderful, lots of colors! I think the core of your style is still the same, but it got more detailed, or refined over the years!

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  9. Your hair changed a bit over the years, but your style has remained consistent, and I enjoyed this parade of your outfits! It is always a bit sad when tourists discover a little place that you love, and then it changes the feel of the place.

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