For all the detailed information, please click on the attached PDF animacao_verao_2013
Yearly Archives: 2013
Vale da Telha Festival da Música – Update
The Vale da Telha Music Festival is back!
After a year’s hiatus our very own outdoor feast of live music is returning to the Old School House at Vales.
And once again admission is FREE!
Amovate’s Vale da Telha Music Festival 2013 will be staged on Saturday August 24th so mark the date down in your diaries.
The bars will be open from 7pm, with the live entertainment expected to begin around 7.30—7.45pm running through to approximately 12.30am.
There will be three bars—two beer bars and the third selling wines, spirits and soft drinks.
We are in talks with the Bombeiros, who we hope will make food like bifanas available to buy from a food stall operated by them. We will post updated information here once we have made all the arrangements.
Amovate has asked Brian “DJ Rockindad” Jutsum to host the event and will be introducing three wonderful acts to keep you entertained—and dancing!
Amovate would also like to thank the three acts who have generously reduced their normal fees, as our Music Festival exists to raise money for our charity fund and because we are not charging admission.
The acts we have booked (with Brian’s mini-review on each one, and in the order in which they will be performing) are:
1: Ana Messias:
“Ana is a solo singer with a fantastic voice and she will be singing everything from Adele to Gloria Gaynor. When not performing solo she has her own hard rock band Orange, so maybe she will throw in a little bit of AC/DC as well!”
2: The 1st of the two bands is Claudio and da Gang:
“They are a 5-piece Classic rock band. Claudio and the two lead guitarists have a residency in Alvor, and perform as the Buff Band. On special occasions they perform as a 5 piece band—and the Vale da Telha Music Festival is one such occasion. Music from the bands Free, the Doors, U2, Kings of Leon etc will be on their set list, so prepare to boogie!”
3. The 2nd band, which will be wrapping up the show, is Os Compotas Band.
“This is a 5-piece outfit performing only the funkiest of soul music. They are just back from wowing Lisbon, after a series of shows in the capital and will really get the place jumping. Any Sex Machines in the audience will not be disappointed; as James Brown would say I’ve got ants in my pants and I wanna dance!
Also, DJ Rockindad will be plugging any gaps in our musical menu, and
has promised some new gems in his musical mix.
AND DON’T FORGET! THERE IS NO ENTRANCE FEE—ADMISSION IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!
(Incidentally, one of the guitarists from Claudio and Da Gang has asked Amovate if anyone can provide accommodation or b-and-b for himself and his wife and two children. If anybody can do this could they contact us at info@amovate.com and we will pass on the details)
* * * *
Here is another important date for your diaries—more detailed information to follow.
On Saturday September 28th Amovate will be staging a Gala Ball in the Marquee at the Hotel Vale Da Telha at the Pines Roundabout.
The Ball will be similar to last year’s extremely well-attended Summer Ball at the same venue, although there will be one or two changes and improvements which we hope will heighten your enjoyment of the occasion.
David Cameron visits Aljezur
by Matt D’Arcy
SO, even Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has stumbled upon one of the Algarve’s best-kept secrets—the attractions of Aljezur.
This could be the end of life as we know it!
Suddenly the spotlight of the British media—closely followed by much of the world’s media with his visit even appearing in Chinese newspapers!—has focussed on our little town isolated out here on the gorgeous West Coast of the Algarve.
This morning the name “Aljezur” was on the lips of the presenters of morning TV programmes on the BBC, ITV, Sky et al.
They’ve found us—we are no longer beneath the radar!
We did fear the worst, as newspaper Travel Sections in the UK and various North European countries began to extol the virtues of the Rota Vicentina. We even spotted gushing reviews of this fantastic coastal walk in a South African newspaper.
We began to wonder if our idyllic paradise up here on what some call ‘The Plateau of Perfect Peace’ was going to be disturbed forever by a huge influx of people curious to know more about our well-kept secret, where detached villas with pools can be bought for half the price of similar properties in Lagos, just a half-hour drive away.
But now the cat really is out of the bag, thanks to that dratted David Cameron!
Google, Yahoo and other search engines are creaking under the weight of curious hordes Googling the name “Aljezur” to see what brought the Camerons to our doorstep.
Apparently the Cameron family is staying in a rural tourism unit in the Monchique area after arriving on Thursday for a 12-day break. On Friday morning they decided they would like to have some fresh seafood, and were advised to visit the fish market in Aljezur where it doesn’t get much fresher!
(So that explains why they finally got round to repairing the road between Monchique and Aljezur earlier this year! They obviously knew something we didn.t…).
And apparently on Saturday, according to Bergy on his website valedatelha.eu they lunched at Gabriel’s cliff top restaurant on that wonderful vantage point over looking Amoreira beach straight ahead, the Atlantic to the left and down the river valley to the right.
What next? I suppose they’ll be turning up at O Paulo’s in Arrifana, now one of the finest restaurants along the west coast.
Mind, it’s a pity WE didn’t have advance warning—we could have lobbied the Prime Minister about keeping the Winter Fuel Allowance!
Suddenly we’re on the map, with the Prime Minister’s visit coming after all the great publicity in the British press for the Rota Vicentina.
The Press Association—one of the leading global wire services–quickly sent the story to every news outlet around the world, as did Reuters, making sure that billions of people in all corners of the planet became acquainted with the name Aljezur.
Needless to say the PM’s visit triggered the pun sensors in the brains of Fleet Street’s finest headline writers.
The Daily Mail boomed: Cameron’s squids in! Chillax Dave and SamCam head to the Aljezur fish market on first day of their EasyJet holiday in Portugal
- David and Samantha Cameron are on holiday in the Algarve region
- Couple were pictured picking up some squid for dinner in town of Aljezur
- Mr Cameron sported a pair of brown loafers (without any socks)
David Cameron may have used EasyJet to fly off on his summer holiday, but now he is in Portugal he seems to be having a rather more exotic time.
The Prime Minister was pictured today picking up local delicacies in an Algarve market with his wife Samantha.
The couple bought some fresh squid from a fishmonger’s stall in the coastal resort of Aljezur.
The Times declared: Camerons go fishing in Portugal for a quiet holiday haven
The Independent wrote:
David Cameron and his wife Samantha have begun their summer holiday with a visit to a Portuguese fish market.
The couple strolled around the stalls at the market at Aljezur on the Algarve before settling on some squid for their supper.
According to the Daily Express: David Cameron nets a fish supper…
David Cameron is squids in after browsing the slabs of a fish market during his summer holiday.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife Samantha, settled on the delicacy after a good look round the market in Aljezur.
The Mirror reported: David Cameron gets fishy on holiday in Portugal with wife Samantha. David Cameron is used to dealing with slippery issues as Prime Minister – but he lets a market trader get to grips with his supper on holiday in Portugal.
The Prime Minister and his wife bought some squid for supper from the market at Aljezur on the Algarve.
The Sun, surprisingly, resisted the temptation for fishy puns and simply reprimanded Cameron for his fashion sense and for the fact that his cheap £9 shirt needed ironing!
According to The Telegraph: “The couple arrived with their three children in Portugal on Thursday and are expected to spend two weeks relaxing in the sun before flying back to England.
“They were photographed strolling around a fish market in Aljezur on the Algarve shopping for some squid for their supper.
“The fish merchants of Aljezur can only have admired his chambray-effect short sleeved shirt and olive green shorts (blessedly all-cotton and free of combat pockets).”
The globally-read blog the Huffington Post, which has hundreds of millions of readers might have been a little huffy about our hitherto-unknown little town, reporting:
Can You Lend Me A Squid? Holidaying Camerons Visit Fish Market
“During the trip, the couple strolled through a fish market in Aljezur, browsing the selection before leaving with a bag of squid.
“More used to dealing with slippery issues around Westminster, the couple looked relaxed as they entered the fish market and got on with the business of sorting out the night’s dinner.
“Hey, kudos to the Camerons for turning it out in one of the least glamorous places we can think of.”
(Sorry, Huff old boy, if we’re not St Tropez or Portofino. But then St Tropez and Portofino certainly lack the natural charms of our neck of the woods!)
The Portuguese paper DB Pessoas reported (English web translation): David Cameron live your week of summer vacation with ease, despite the heavy security surrounding it in the Algarve. Today the British prime minister insisted on going with his wife to buy fresh fish at the market in Aljezur.
According to sources, the family of the British prime minister settled into a rural tourism unit in Monchique, away from the most famous luxury resorts of the Algarve, such as Quinta do Lago. The family travelled from England to Portugal yesterday on a flight of low cost airline EasyJet.
America’s NBC News covered the visit as did the home pages of MSN, Yahoo, Google, and the Portuguese website Algarlife wrote:
David Cameron was photographed in Aljezur market with his wife, where they bought fresh squid and various other local delicacies in the stalls.
So, our cover is blown!
Brace yourselves for a mass invasion of tourists, developers, and home buyers…
On the other hand, maybe it’s just a one-day wonder and we can all go back to slumbering in the sun in our quiet outpost on the bottom left hand corner of Europe where the quiet beaches are beautiful and the surf is sensational.
Yeah, that’ll do…
Car Boot Sale – 4th August
There will be another Car Boot sale at the Old School House on Sunday August 4th as Amovate tries to breathe new life into a traditional monthly event dealt a devastating blow by new Government legislation concerning such fairs and markets.
You may recall an article 2 or 3 weeks ago in the local English newspapers reporting on our attempt to re-launch the Car Boots by following the original concept of these gatherings.
The article read:
Death of the Car Boot Sale?
Expats on the Algarve’s West Coast are asking: “Has the Portuguese Government killed off the traditional Car Boot Sale?”
Residents Association Amovate, in Aljezur, decided last Sunday (July 7th) to re-launch its monthly car boot, but this time strictly adhering to its original concept of selling only still useful but unwanted domestic items that otherwise might have been thrown away.
Professional traders and people making goods, or growing plants and foodstuffs, to sell on for profit were asked to stay away.
Amovate (Association of Residents and Friends of Vale da Telha) had suspended their car boots sales—proceeds from which go to charity—following the outcry of the police raids on the Barão de São João flea market.
They were hoping that the re-launch would rekindle the community spirit of the monthly gatherings—a hope their spokesman admitted was quickly dashed.
“We usually attract between 30 and 40 stalls to the grounds of our Old School House headquarters, but this time only six stallholders fulfilling our requirements turned up,” he said.
“Although the authorities showed no interest in the resumption of our car boot, people are now obviously afraid that they run the risk of arrest and fines if they sell goods at such fairs and markets and therefore decide they can no longer afford to take that chance.
“It really is a sad state of affairs that law-abiding people who enjoy such a harmless activity are now denied that opportunity.
“And unless the authorities re-think their strategy and ease people’s fears in this regard we fear that we are seeing the death knells not just of the car boot sale in Portugal but also of some other traditional and wonderful markets unique to this lovely country.
Despite that setback Amovate has decided to give the Car Boot another go, in the hope that people’s confidence is being restored, and will be open for business on Sunday August 4th, the gates opening at 9:00 am for stall holders.
JUST TO RECAP ON THE NEW REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE LATEST LEGISLATION:
The Portuguese Government crackdown on tax avoidance is clearly intended to target anyone who sells goods at a higher price than they paid to buy them in the first place, or who sells items they make to sell on for profit
Sadly, in order to comply with these new Government legislations covering markets etc, we can no longer allow professional traders to pitch their stalls and sell their wares on Amovate property.
That means we can only permit access to those people selling their own unwanted goods in the original spirit of the car boot sale; i.e. (as the article above stipulates) unwanted domestic items that might previously have been thrown away but are now being sold for less than the price originally paid for them.
Nor can we allow access to anyone selling foodstuffs or fruit and vegetables as these almost certainly require separate licences and are subject to health and safety issues.
We believe that this decision to go back to the original Car Boot concept satisfies the spirit of the new legislation.
Hopefully it also falls in line with the anticipated decisions of a review apparently planned by the Government and tax authorities to address those parts of the legislation causing confusion in relation to such informal markets.
So, if you are planning a stall at Amovate on August 4th, please make sure you comply with these requirements.
That way we should all enjoy a traditional, old-fashioned car boot sale…
Silves Medieval Festival 2 – 11 August
Silves Medieval Festival
2 – 11 Aug 2013
Step back in time as the streets of the historic town centre are transformed with typical scenes from everyday medieval life. Beggars, travelling musicians, jugglers, exotic characters and processions of wealthy citizens are among the attractions.
Open: From 6pm-1am
