A Portuguese Love

Cristiano Ronaldo is a famous world soccer player and he is Portuguese as many of you know. Usually, I don't write about football. This time I will not do it either! But a friend just sent me this photo and caption to tease me! I am always saying how good Ronaldo looks in photos as a model. She disagrees. Once more I have to say that in my humble opinion he looks great and I also like the clothes he's wearing. I like the color red and the mix between serious and sportswear. In fact, I don't know why men can't wear more happy colors. It's just a question of fashion and culture. In Africa men and women of all ages dress in colorful clothes and I like that! He's the cover of the spanish magazine GQ for March and inside there's an interview where he says: Criticism is part of our business, we have to live with it. What hurts me the most is criticism for issues outside the pitch. I do not mind when it comes to my game, because again, I am the first to realize w...

   Video TAP PORTUGAL - Have you flown with Portuguese TAP? Operating since 1945, the airline’s hub is in Lisbon operating an average of more than 2,250 flights a week. This video was made with the help of 259 customers who were invited to the boarding gates to become actors while they waited for their respective flights. So real passengers are the stars of the new film shown on board the airline’s aircraft. On YouTube, the video has already been viewed more than 200,000 times in just three days. "The year 2012 will also bring a repositioning of the TAP brand and the philosophy that guides its relationship with its customers with the launch of a new campaign centered on the concept of “TAP with arms wide open”. The slogan translates into the Portuguese airline’s extending a warm welcome and broadly embracing the cultural diversity and multiplicity of the destinations its network serves throughout the European, African, and South American continents, symbolizing TAP’s...

Vamos Lá (Vídeo Oficial) *Letra* .TMN. - Som som feat. Mel do Monte It has been some time since I shared some Portuguese music on this blog. It feels like the right moment as I am so tired I could fall asleep at this precise moment! We had a Winter Hour change last weekend and I am still not feeling comfortable with it! It's 02:26 but I feel like it's 03:26 already or more. So this is what I think - let's go sleep! No more hard work! ...But before let's enjoy this song. It's from a Portuguese TMN commercial. TMN is one of our mobile communications operators. The purpose of this 2012 campaign of TMN company is to give voice to those who, despite adversity, believe that they can achieve their goals. This communication campaign's theme is "Portugal is calling. Come on! " This music was created by the Somsom project. Somsom project is Fred and João Barbosa (aka J-Wow/Lil’John). They are producers of the same big music Portuguese names like Orelha Negra ...

These shoes are really cute! The designers found inspiration in Portuguese traditional motifs that you already know so well - the lover's handkerchiefs hearts and flowers. This is what they say about their brand: " rutz was born from a passion for women’s footwear and a desire to go further and innovate, by uniting two of Portugal’s major industries: Footwear and Cork. However, its uniqueness is based on its design and color – a true passion for shoes as urban art pieces. The brand name recalls our “roots”, our Portuguese origins and traditions which will inspire our collections. On the other hand, the name shows us our “routes”, the paths we will follow towards to a better future: the eco-friendly choice of material and the concern with lightness and comfort. Rutz intends to bring together conflicting concepts of past and future, tradition, and modernity - a current trend known as “rurbanism”.Our proposal is simple: "to make women fall in love with this reinvent...

The International Product Design Awards is on and Munna Design, a Portuguese Company, is on the run for two prizes. The International Product Design Awards form part of The International Design and Architecture Awards celebrating the best in interior design, architecture, and innovation from throughout the world. Their aim is to celebrate design, recognize talent, create opportunities, and quite simply offer inspiration. Like other design and LUXE awards, the difference between these awards is that they will be judged online by other industry professionals, readers, and subscribers to the magazine and the general public. In other words, the people that matter and your new prospective clients. So, what do you think about Munna Design's proposals?

Sandeman , the world’s leading port and sherry company is celebrating warmer days and sunny skies with sangrias. It's a great drink for summer days so I picked two ways to prepare it and I am sharing it with you! Watermelon and Strawberries Mint Sangria Ingredients 1 bottle of Sandeman Porto wine 12 oz lemon-lime soda 1/4 watermelon, muddled and strained for juice 20 mint leaves 10-15 strawberries, halved How to prepare it? Slice strawberries in half and set aside. Slice watermelon, and strain for juice. Mix Porto Wine, lemon-lime soda, and watermelon juice in a pitcher. Add strawberries and let sit for 8-12 hours (or overnight). Muddle mint leaves and add to the pitcher before serving. Sweet and Salty Watermelon Sangria Yield: Makes 1 large pitcher, about 12 cocktails Ingredients: 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon, divided 2 cucumbers, peeled, and divided ½ cup simple syrup ¼ cup fresh lime juice 1 750-ml bottle Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto 12 ounces of club soda ...

It's Easter time. In many countries, it is traditional to eat almonds at this time of the year. The small fruit is often covered with colored sugar or chocolate. We eat those almonds too. But in Portugal, there is a special kind of almonds that I believe are unique in the world. They are called Bonjour Almonds and their price is high, 36 euros per Kilo. It's a small luxury. That small amount you see above cost me more than 5 euros. In fact, they are not exactly almonds, they are dragees. You can buy these anytime of the year in a little store at Oporto. It's called Arcádia. The small and traditional shop is the visible face of Arcádia, the candy factory. Skillful hands create delicious treats, almonds, and chocolates. Margarida Bastos, along with his brother, John Bastos, manages the Arcadia. The grandfather of Margaret and John opened the Arcadia in 1933 and Bonjour Almonds were inspired by a recipe that he has brought from Paris. Inside these almonds, there aren't ...

Porto has lots of shoe shops. You can find designer shoes and simple ones, cheap and expensive ones all in one street. As it was sales time I could not resist returning home with a new pair of shoes for half price! Portugal is the world's eighth-largest producer of wine (Port Wine, Vinho Verde, and Madeira Wine) and the world’s largest producer of cork. Other major exports are clothing, synthetic fibers, paper products, and footwear. From January to June of 2011, Portugal exported footwear to over 130 countries on five continents. More than 95% of Portugal's production was exported. "The Portuguese footwear industry, a youthful, sexy, modern, forward-facing industry that combines tradition with cutting-edge technology and know-how with the best in design, is constantly evolving." - Check the blog Portuguese Shoes for all information on Portuguese shoes if you are curious! Well, I bought a pair of Aerosoles shoes. I like this brand a lot. These shoes are very comf...

The place where wooden toys are made! Meet Azimov, the wood robot with a heart! Cute scooters made of wood! Want to discover more? Go to Oficina dos Brinquedos blog! Check also Facebook for more wooden work. Wooden toys with love Oficina do Alfredo is a family project. We use local sustainable resources and our manufacturing is characterized by handmade and small series. Our goal is to make genuine objects, made by people, with tools that help Man instead of replacing him. Creating soulful toys, wooden toys that can always be repaired and passed from generation to generation, and even become collector’s items. A child’s interaction with these toys opens the doors to their imagination, and the possibility of personalizing and repairing them, and awakens the creativity and sense of conscience that things shouldn’t all be disposable. Stimulating an ecological stance of conservation through play.

Planeta Tangerina made the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award´s list. Astrid Lindgren is one of Sweden’s most important authors. Her works have been translated into more than 90 languages. She renewed children's literature and combined artistic integrity with a commitment to the rights of children and young people. Astrid Lindgren passed away in 2002 at the age of 94, but her stories will live forever. To honor her memory and to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature around the world, the Swedish government has founded an international prize in her name, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. 184 candidates from 66 countries are nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2012. This was revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Thursday, October 13th, 2011. Over one hundred expert organizations from all over the world have nominated the candidates. The recipient or recipients of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be announced on March 20th, 2012. The award is p...

   OMG, I can't believe that next week summer will end and that I just bought myself a new bikini...! Last week I got lucky enough to watch the marés vivas - some photos here - at the beach for the first time. Huge waves, quite a show. Ice cream is something we associate with summer. I want to tell you about Portuguese ice creams. It will be a sweet post! I am not sure but I think this video is a collage of Olá Ice cream commercials. They still use the old logo. Olá is the most popular ice cream brand in Portugal. Olá began to manufacture ice cream in 1959. Portuguese do not eat a lot of ice cream. In Europe, my country is second with lower consumption. Finland consumes lots of ice cream as a dessert especially and it's at the top of the list. The country that consumes more ice cream in the world is the USA. You can find it everywhere. But beyond this brand, there are several smaller brands that have great quality and that built quite a reputation. If you visit ...