The gray horror (last week’s HighwayHanger) is in the Basque Country. The campsite, by the way, where you’re not allowed to bring your dog and where you have to pay 46 euros a night, is only a few hundred meters away. So maybe we’re not so bad off after all. We can easily go a […]
Part Three of Journey to the End of the Noise – Comparative P Research Read More »
We’re off again with four wheels this week, dear readers! When returning the rental car, we passed an estante, a car dealer of which you have many in Portugal. Often many together. Handy if you want to buy a second-hand car Now I wasn’t immediately looking for pre-owned wheels, but my eye fell on a
Buying a second-hand car? Read More »
“I don’t know if I’ll make it,” Astrid texts, “because my handle didn’t work.” You have to read between the lines, otherwise you won’t understand anything When you fly, you have to operate with moderation Some airlines are stricter about the rules than others. Astrid was able to fly from Rotterdam to Lisbon with Transavia
Flying with moderation Read More »
“I’m now at about three and a half thousand kilometers,” René says nonchalantly, and I almost fall backwards. That doesn’t seem to be a big deal for a passionate cyclist; last year it was six and a half thousand. René is the first guest via Friends on the Bike – dutch organization “Vrienden op de
Friends on bicycles Read More »
More and more foreigners in Portugal. We won’t ask whether these are the people who vote for political parties, which ironically want to keep foreigners out of their own country. According to neighbor Paddy, who apparently regularly encounters foreigners in the supermarket and then has politically tinged conversations with them, yes, that is so. In
Rent, buy or book? Read More »
Why is the buzzing of a fly so annoying, while that of a bee is not? The buzzing of bees sounds intensely satisfied, that’s why If you have ever stood with your head in a huge wisteria (like me), or near a “wall” of jasmine, then you understand. Imagine you’re a bee or a bumblebee,
I put the key in the lock and turn. Nothing happens. In my mind I was already inside, almost outside again; just grab my sunglasses, and go for a walk. The key refuses to work – or rather: the lock refuses to open I know the phenomenon. Fortunately, because otherwise you will first have to
“Girls!” I shout with my arms open, “That is a long time ago!” We hug each other warmly in the parking lot at the station where I pick them up. The last time they were there was 14 years ago, mother Astrid and her two daughters. As a single mother on holiday with your two
Single mother with two daughters on holiday Read More »
“What do you think? Is cronyism a stop on the way to corruption?” I ask that question to a few people I know well, because it has been a theme since our previous government was accused of corruption. Last Sunday were the Portuguese parliamentary elections The previous government fell because there were serious doubts about
The Portuguese elections Read More »
They always hear that I’m not really portuguese. My accent betrays me – apparently, but I don’t hear it myself. I can always tell about other foreigners from which country they originate, with the english being the easiest, followed closely by the germans. Language experts claim that portuguese is five times more difficult to learn
Portuguese language and pronunciation Read More »
