PORTUGAL is one cool country to spend Valentines. First of all, most of the resorts here in Portugal are located in the Mediterranean area and the climate here is temperate especially nowadays that spring is fast coming. Even though most of the population here is Roman Catholic, there are also lots of nudist resorts here in Praia da Luz and the rest of Portugal. The best way to enjoy skinny dipping is during a moonless night. This 2008, new moon in February fell last February 6 or barely eight days from February 14. This Valentines on that date, there is relatively a quarter of the moon that you will see and therefore, a nice time to skinny dip at the nudist resort. There is one reason why swimming naked on a moonless night is cool. Aside from being sweet for romantic lovers, there are also planktons illuminating your body underwater eliminating the relevance of moonlight hovering above.
But it’s not just the Mediterranean coastlines in Portugal such as Praia da Luz which are attracting tourists nowadays even on St. Valentines Day. Even in inland regions such as Lisbon and Santarem, there are already lots of Scandinavian and British tourists descending in this country. Some of them who have experienced Valentines Day here choose to ultimately settle in Portugal for the rest of their lives. They feel that it will be a day of love for all the 365 days in the year. Even though the Santarem Hotel in the same city bearing its name is just a four-star hotel for example, the suite is already perfect as a lover’s nest to stay during Valentines Day. For in every suite at the Santarem Hotel, there is a mini-bar and during Valentines and only during that day, it will be filled with cognac and other spirits dedicated for lovers only. But if you feel lonesome and you are stuck here in Portugal for pressing work-related concerns during Valentines’ Eve, then there are also masseuses who will accompany you for a massage session at your stay in any hotel here in the country.
At the Santarem Hotel for a Valentine’s Day package, you can stay there for one night only at 150 euros per two persons. That already includes a free buffet breakfast the next day after an assuming night of passion. Beyond Valentines though, Santarem is the only agricultural city in Portugal. Of course, there are lots of urban centers in the country such as Lisbon and numerous agricultural areas as well but Santarem is different. It is the only urban center where farms abound and produce by the farmers are displayed at the hippest agricultural fairs throughout the year. Now here’s a piece of trivia for you – during the Roman era, Santarem is known as Presidium Julium. There is also a church there erected in the 14th century which features a famous rose window. So come now to Portugal and enjoy a romantic Valentines.
THE United States is in the brink of recession. Once the recession will be materialized, then every economy in the world will be in danger. It’s just like the doomsday of the financial world. In order to prevent that, we all ordinary people can certainly help in our own little ways by bailing out our money and spend and shop on everything.
If you have just retired from the New York Fire Department at the age of 40 and will like to venture out looking for a new spouse in Portugal and stay there for the rest of your life, now is certainly the right period for doing it. Besides receiving a humongous monthly pension, you will also receive a lump sum right after retirement as a way of thanksgiving for risking your life day to day at the New York Fire Department battling arson incidents and accidental blazes in the steel jungle that is Manhattan.
Because you have Hispanic roots and you are still a very much eligible bachelor (considering that you have not married because of the high risk of your job), you aim to spend your retirement in Portugal. And you are right. Portugal is the in thing these days because they just love everything about here. It is a beach paradise considering that the whole stretch of coastline is located in the Med. And the climate is temperate all year round, even at the peak of winter which is right about now although you have to wear an extra layer of clothing during these times though. But don’t wear anything cottony because cotton tends to absorb moisture. But hey you already know about these things right because you’ve lived in New York City.
However, Portugal is really very different from the bustling and hustling in Manhattan. Even in downtown Lisbon, there’s an air of gaiety. It seems that everybody here is just contented and happy, never thinking about the economic crisis that has put Americans already crazy and living in day to day fear. I’m pretty sure you’ll be living a satisfactory life here in Portugal.
In fact, the beach resorts here are among the best in Europe. Theirs are constantly checked every quarter by the European Union for quality assurance. And when they have passed the inspection, they will be marked the blue flag accreditation. One of the measures that they have instituted just in 2007 was the establishment of nurseries in every hotel here. It’s not mandatory though but it has become a mark of competition in the hospitality sector here. The nurseries were instituted so couples who bring their kids and who would like to spend an intimate hour alone in their hotel room can strap their kids to the nursery. This is to prevent another Madeleine McCann case wherein the poor girl’s dad and mom have to leave their kids to have romance elsewhere. So go ahead, come to Portugal now.
PARTIES and parties, lots of them, will continue to dominate in Portugal this year. Even though there is a burgeoning housing crisis in the United States across the Atlantic, Portugal has a reason to celebrate because the crisis has simply not affected the country. Portugal actually continues to be the fastest growing tourist haven in Europe so let’s now take a closer look at other opportunities that you may enjoy this year while you’re here in Portugal.
In the last week of June, the World Masters Orienteering Championship will be held in Leiria. Orienteering is really an exciting event because it covers five days and participants and teams have nothing to guide them except a compass and a map. The World Masters Orienteering Championship will of course be broadcast live on television at a 24-hour pay-per-view channel dedicated for the purpose. This development comes at a time when Portugal has announced the creation of another government-owned television network to welcome the new year. The network will of course aggressively push for more tourism awareness in the region and is aiming to snatch Spain at the topmost destination in the Iberian Peninsula.
Economic confidence in Portugal is so much that the leading financial institution there, Banco Internacional du Funchal, has decided to open 30 more branches across the country in a three-year period. By the end of 2008, they will have 300 branches from all over the country. Even the Portuguese defense forces have never been this technologically advanced. Lockheed Martin has just awarded the Portuguese defense forces with a $141 million missile contract.
In fact, the Portuguese are so famous outside of the country that Iran has appointed a Portuguese as its football coach. The Portuguese coach’s name is Artur Jorge. He will be overseeing the Iranian team’s capability to handle the World Cup qualifier in February. Originally a Portuguese national team player, Jorge who is now 61 years old but still a fighter has likewise previously coached the Cameroon and the Swiss teams. He has also held extensive influential positions with the French, Spanish, Danish, Russian and Saudi Arabian teams.
Flooding may have inundated certain parts of the peninsula sometime last Christmas and New Year’s celebrations but forecast for the next week indicate that the rest of the Portuguese winter will have a very calm front. And this is hoped to last for seasons to come. Of course, the Portuguese government especially the tourism minsitry has nothing but safety to its tourists and expats. That is why the tourism ministry is constantly issuing weather forecasts to tourists so they will know where the next thunderstorm will strike. Another safety measure that has been instituted in hotel inns around the country is the instituting of nurseries in each hospitality resort. These nurseries have been put in place following the Madeleine McCann kidnapping last year. Each nursery is equipped with state-of-the-art playstuff and handled by child pscyhologists for your child’s utmost safety.
