Press "Enter" to skip to content

Public Holidays 2019 / 2020

Oct 5 - Republic Day
Nov 1 - All Saints
Dec 1 - Restoration of Independence
Dec 8 - Immaculate Conception
Dec 25 - Christmas Day

2020
Jan 1 - New Year
Feb 25 - Carnival
April 12 - Easter
May 1 - Worker's Day
June 10 - Portugal Day
Aug 15 - Assumption
Oct 5 - Republic Day
Nov 1 - All Saints
Dec 1 - Restoration of Independence
Dec 8- Immaculate Conception
Dec 25 - Christmas Day

Autumnal Levada Walking

Experiencing Madeira though its levadas has to be one of the most thrilling and enjoyable activities you can do while you are here. And now that the weather is cooler it’s the perfect time to pick up a pair of hiking boots, grab your phone (for emergency calls and back up torch) and either head out on one of the more relaxed walks with a couple of friends or go out with a tour and experience the challenges the ‘Madeira rockers’ faced when they built the islands historic waterways.
This time of year, with the leaves of the deciduous trees turning into their autumnal hues, the landscape is a kaleidoscope of oranges, yellows and reds against a backdrop of evergreen and silver-grey eucalyptus. The walks themselves are graded from one to four, with four being the hardest, so now is a perfect time to break in those boots with a couple of beautiful easy walks such as Levada dos Tornos (Camacha to Monte), the Balcony at Ribeira Fria and the beautiful levada da Serra do Faial.
And remember ‘your boots were made for walking!’

Not Everyone Can Afford a Holiday

31st July 2019

According to data released by Eurostat, approximately 41.3% of the Portuguese population could not afford a one week holiday last year. Although this is higher than the European Union (EU) average, the figure is an improvement on the 2009 figure of 63.3%.

These figures place Portugal as a whole in eighth place among EU Member States whose citizens are unlikely to be able to afford to pay for a week’s holiday away from home. Romania heads the list at (58.9%), followed by Croatia (51.3%), Greece and Cyprus both at (51 %) and Italy (43,7%). On the other hand, citizens living in countries such as Sweden (9.7%), Luxembourg (10.9%), Denmark (12.2%), Austria (12.4%) and Finland (13.3%) are far more able to afford a one week vacation.

The report also shows that on average in 2018, 28.3% of citizens across the EU were unable to afford a holiday. Again this is an improvement on the 39.5% recorded in 2013.

Data released by Eurostat is based on surveys of EU citizens aged 16 and over.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com

Hits: 17

Comments are closed.

Autumn Gardening Tips

After perhaps the most topsy turvy year I’ve experienced weather-wise, it’s time to look at its effect on our gardens.
If like me you have spent most of the summer watering, you are probably relieved that the cooler weather is at least giving our gardens a bit of well-deserved respite. However, it’s not over yet as the long dry spring and summer has certainly taken a toll on my borders and garden as a whole. So now, before the rains (hopefully) set in, it’s time to take a cold, hard and ruthless look at your garden and decide what has to go! It may feel cruel, but straggly bedding plants, faded blooms and woody perennials are not going to recover, so the best thing is to pull them out.
Once you’ve been brutally honest and before you do anything else, dig over and rake affected areas and give you garden a thorough composting if possible. Your roses will love it! And now, it is one of the best parts of the season, planting bulbs for next year. Freesia’s, daffodils (if you’re cool enough), anemones and a whole abundance of bulbs are available for you to create your late winter and early spring borders come alive. My Narcissus are already poking their heads above the soil, and hopefully the two Camellia seedlings I’m nurturing are not thugs in disguise.
Don’t forget to trim back shrubs, cut hedges, prune roses and give everything a well-deserved feed. And above all else, enjoy your garden and the joy it brings.