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Archive for February, 2010

Lamprey eel is the focus of a Pousadas de Portugal promotion, where it will will be served up in some innovative ways as part of the Lamprey Festival running  until the 6th of March, 2010. Just two of the Pousada kitchens are involved,  the Pousada de Queluz in Lisbon and the Pousada de Amares in the North. Enjoy dishes such as Minho-style lamprey with rice and roast lamprey. Each meal costs 45 euros per person and includes hors-d’oeuvres, appetizers, a main course, dessert and vinho verde wine. For reservations at the Pousada de Amares, contact tel. (+351) 253 371 970, e-mail: recepcao.bouro@pousadas.pt. For the Cozinha Velha Restaurant in Queluz, contact tel. (+351) 214 356 158, e-mail: recepcao.dmaria@pousadas.pt.

HostelBookers, the budget accommodation specialists, recognized three Portuguese properties in its first ever ‘Hostel Awards for Excellence’, the biggest awards-giving of its kind. The properties have been recognized for their outstanding contribution to the budget accommodation industry, with the top three properties in North America winning awards for: Atmosphere, Cleanliness, and Overall in Europe.

Three properties awarded for their excellence were: Travelers House, awarded the prestigious TOP 3 Hostel for Europe, is considered a peaceful, unique oasis in the heart of Lisbon with a 98%. BiniBag House (that opened on April 1st, 2009) presented with the Award for Cleanliness located in Aveiro and just steps away from major tourist’s attractions with a clean 100%. Kitsch Hostel in Lisbon offering state-of-the art amenities was an obvious choice for Best Atmosphere with a 95%.  

The site features over 17,000 hostels and budget properties on its website in 3,500 destinations across the world. Unlike other budget accommodation awards, all the winners were chosen solely upon Hostelbookers.com customer reviews, ratings and bookings. For full details of the winning properties click on www.Hostelbookers.com

The Oitavos connects the heritage of the local area, the beauty of the sea and authenticity of the Portuguese people, with the contemporary art and design of the hotel. Located in one of the most desirable addresses in Portugal, The Oitavos is just 20 minutes outside of Lisbon, near the town of Cascais, and only 3 hours from major European cities with direct flights. The 142 guestrooms of The Oitavos, includes 16 suites, with at least 64 square meters, with the two deluxe suites double that size, all with a private balcony offering ocean, golf course and mountain views. In addition the hotel will offer: restaurants and bars; Destination Spa;  Outdoor seawater swimming pool; Conference facilities for 300 people with separate access; Business Centre and Fitness Centre.The Oitavos will be opening in the summer/fall of 2010.

Choupana Hills Hotel on Madeira has been ranked with the world’s best resorts by the readers of two European publications, Condé Nast Traveller and Geo Saison. The five-star resort was rated ninth best in Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Spa Awards, the only Portuguese property on the list. Readers of German travel magazine Geo Saison considered Choupana Hills to be one of the top 100 spa resorts in the world.  Set in the hills overlooking Funchal Bay, Choupana Hills is an boutique-style resort offering bungalow accommodations with 58 luxury rooms and 4 suites elevated on stilts with spacious  areas.

A new 18-hole golf course under development on the Alentejo Coast is being built to Ryder Cup specifications in a bid to host the event in 2018. Integrated within the Costa Terra resort complex, midway between Tróia and Sines, the project is expected to cost  30 million euros and will be a candidate for the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is generally considered to be one of most important sporting events on the world calendar. The host will be announced sometime in 2011.

The Serra da Estrela has seen a growing number of tour operators bring Jewish visitors to the region to see its Sephardic heritage. Portugal and Israel and now discussing  direct air link.  More than 1,000 Israelis visit Portugal each year, and 3,000 Portuguese visit Israel. Yet, about  20 percent of Israelis are of Sephardic origin. Last year in Serra da Estrela’s Belmonte Jewish Museum of the 17,840 visitors in total, around 800 were Israeli Jews. Belmonte is rich in the history and traditions of crypto-Jews, who practiced their religion in secret for centuries. The local Serra da Estrela tourism office has prepared an excellent tour of the region’s Jewish heritage (check details under tourism routes and cultural tourism). It was in towns like Belmonte that Portugal’s Jews practiced their religion in secret after the abolition of Judaism in 1496. The village was already famed for being the birthplace of Pedro Álvares Cabral, the first Portuguese captain to sight Brazil in 1500. But, in the 20th century a significant community of cryptic Jews, sometimes called Marranos, emerged. Although they had practiced many of the ritual of Judaism for centuries, they were unaware of their true heritage. Jewish communities around the world came to their aid to help them rediscover their roots, and in 1993 the community welcomed it first rabbi in more that four centuries. Shortly after that Temple Bet Eliahou was built. Amazingly, may of the Jewish families still live in the town’s charming Judiaria, called the Bairro de Marrocos. Other strong Jewish ties may be found at the near by town of Trancoso, where a Lion of Judea relief is still well preserved on the facade of the Casa do Gato Negro, the Medieval Home of wealthy Jewish merchant, and perhaps the local synagogue. The Jewish quarter is well also preserved in this living museum.

The 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition is out today; and it features, for the first time, Portugal as backdrop to some of the most beautiful women and bathing suits in the world. Photos and behind the scenes video of the shoot at now available on http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com

As a city, Lisbon is often referred to one of the most exciting places in Europe with new hotels, museums, eateries, nightclubs and attractions. Add to that it’s 4,000 years of history, and unique pallet of monuments, trolleys and its picturesque setting on the estuary of the Tejo River. And, Portugal is the hot new place to go in the world of wine.

“This is a huge honor for Portugal. A real opportunity to showcase the charms and beauty that Portugal has to offer,” says Jayme Henriques Simões, communications partner to Turismo de Portugal.   “And, how fitting that a model with a Portuguese heritage, Jessica Gomes, was featured in the shoot.”

The 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue comes out at a time when other media outlets are calling Portugal a close and an affordable tourism destination, including recent reports by Hotels.com, Hotel Index and Trivago Hotel Price Index.

The S.I Swimsuit models and crew stayed at the Ritz Lisbon Four Seasons during the shoot, and flew on TAP Portugal to and from Lisbon where they received logistic support by Turismo de Portugal, Associação de Turismo de Lisboa and ViniPortugal.

“I think as readers see the charm of the location mixed on the pages with the beauty of the models they will see why Portugal is such a fascinating destination,” says Simões.

Sports Illustrated Photo Shoot Locations

As a capital city Lisbon is full of life, but just a half an hour away, there is the great extent of beach from the Costa da Caparica to Cascais. Between the south bank of the Tejo Estuary and Cape Espichel, the coastline features a huge 30 kilometers of excellent beaches replete with golden sands, sea cliffs and fossil lined ravines.

Lisbon Region has a remarkable concentration of natural beauties, with the sea to the west, the River Zêzere and the River Tejo to the northeast and the estuary of the River Sado to the south.

All these areas are ideal places for enjoying the very best that nature has to offer.

The natural beauty of the city matched perfectly with the elegant models. The shooting sessions continued in the lively and sophisticated Estoril Coast, well known for beaches perfect for practicing water sports.

Another photo session took place on Portinho da Arrábida beach.  A bay with white sand, framed by the green of the mountains of the Serra da Arrábida Natural Park, where many rare and very ancient plant species are to be found amidst the splendor of the vegetation.

Not too far away, in Azeitão, the models were photographed at one of the finest Renaissance palaces in Portugal – Quinta da Bacalhôa, also famous for their wine. The 500-year-old Bacalhôa Palace, a Portuguese national monument surrounded by botanical gardens, a wine shop, and a lake graced with vineyards. Learn more about the locations used at www.visitportugal.com

About Tourism in Portugal

Portugal saw an increase in U.S. visitors this summer, and set a record for Americans arriving by cruise ship. Americans helped increase the incoming market ranking to the 9th largest and the 6th largest in terms of spending.

What has changed is the traveler’s desire to justify the need to travel. Portugal offers one of the most unique experiences in Western Europe, a fresh culture and new destinations that are distinctly unique. These characteristics are evident from our Fado, to Manueline architecture, to the grilled sardine, and cutting edge new eateries reinventing the best of Portuguese food.

Additionally, Portugal‘s 100-plus unique grape varieties, its ancient history and culture combined with modern hotels integrated into the landscape show progress while maintaining the charm of the ancient culture.

About Sports Illustrated

SI is a multimedia sports brand that takes the consumer into the heart and soul of sports. The SI franchise is anchored by Sports Illustrated, the most respected voice in sports journalism which reaches a weekly audience of nearly 21 million adults, and www.SI.com, the magazine’s 24/7 sports news website that delivers more than 150 original stories to its users each week. Founded in 1954, SI is a division of Time Inc., the world’s leading magazine publishing company and a subsidiary of Time Warner.

The city of Lisbon is on the list of the five Europe cities with the most new hotel projects for 2010, says a report by  Deloitte. There are three hotels with 5-stars set to open; with three 5- stars from the CS/Hersal Group, with a total of  172 rooms, as well as  a high end inn by Hotusa, on the  Rua Cais de Santarém, with 91 rooms. The Vincci Group is slated to open a hotel with 100 rooms. The  Altis Group has two properties, the Avenida and the Prime, and the Hyatt Regency Lisbon, is underway to open in  2011, on the Avenida da Liberdade.

Lisbon is also leading the list with five new 5-star hotels set to open in 2010.  They will offer 671 luxury room to the city of Ulysses.

While occupancy in Lisbon dropped 9.3% in the first 9 months of 2009, prices fell almost 10%. But the Lisbon investment in high end hotels will help the city continue to recover, and attract new markets seeking affordable luxury, compared to other European cities where offerings may shrink, and product will be reduced.

The Museum Centre – The Lime Route has several interests, considering natural and cultural heritage values. Placed at Sítio dos Lameiros, Municipality of São Vicente, this center encloses an area close to 12 000 squared meters where, besides its local landscape beauty, we find two limestone quarries, a lime kiln and other constructions used to support farming and cattle-raising, such as haylofts, cultivation fields and levadas (water channels), very typical of Madeira’s landscape. Near the Barrinho stream, at 475 meters of altitude, there are two quarries semicircular in section, placed at a sea limestone outbreak with fossils from the Miocene (over 5 millions years old) unique to this region of Madeira Island. http://www.madeirarotadacal.com/Default.aspx?ID=12

The cutting edge Vine Hotel in the heart of Funchal, Madeira was recognized for its outstanding architecture and design at the 2009 European Hotel Awards, making it one of Europe’s hottest spots to stay this year. The hotel’s 57 luxury bedrooms and 22 luxury suites offer generous space and a pared-down sophisticated style. The interior reflects the unique vision of award-winning Portuguese designer Nini Andrade Silva, who’s created a harmonious blend of top-of-the-line amenities, high-tech facilities and, in some cases, breathtaking views over the city or harbor. The Vine combines eye-popping decor with personalized service and outstanding hospitality – ideal both for guests travelling on business and those visiting for pleasure. For those looking for an over-the-top level of service, the Vine is willing to accommodate. To ensure guests can begin the process of rejuvenation as soon as possible, the hotel offers in-room check-in or a welcome massage. Guests have access to the hotel Jacuzzi, fitness center and luxury spa that offers therapeutic and purifying treatments. Guests who are looking for a hotel with a flexible schedule will enjoy the lobby lounge, offering all-day dining. On the hotel rooftop, guests will find a swimming pool and open-air bar, named 360º for its spectacular views. If romantic dining is the plan, the gourmet rooftop restaurant called UVA, after the Portuguese word for grape, offers panoramic views and French-Portuguese cuisine. Headed by executive chef Thomas Faudry and under the supervision of three-star Michelin “maestro” Antoine Westermann, the restaurant uses fresh and natural produce from around the island. For business and entertaining, The Vine has event space equipped with all the latest technology, a perfect setting for anything from a conference to a wedding banquet. If you are planning to go to Madeira, don’t miss the opportunity to stay in this award-winning boutique hotel. For more information, got to www.hotelthevine.com or at www.designhotels.com.

Decision-making for ‘Allgarve’ 2010 is being transferred to the Algarve Tourism Board, although the management of the 4th staging of the entertainment program will be handled jointly with Turismo de Portugal. The program will include new features and will last for 12 months. In the line-up for ‘Allgarve’ 2010, street theatre and circus shows will be one of the novelties. The concerts continue, with a particular focus on classical music, as well as events connected with gastronomy which will appear in a new guise. As far as the calendar is concerned, ‘Allgarve’ will include some of the events organized by the municipalities. The funding model retains an investment of three million euros by Turismo de Portugal, to which will be added the contributions by local authorities and sponsors. Allgarve’ was launched in 2007 for a period of three seasons, with cultural, entertainment and sporting events with the aim of enhancing the position of the Algarve as a quality tourism destination associated with “glamour and sophistication.”

The life of José Francisco Trindade Coelho is tied to the rugged Northeast of Portugal where he was born some 200 years ago. This Portuguese writer from the Trás-os-Montes region, born in 1861 in the town of Mogadouro. The town first became part of the kingdom of Portugal in the thirteenth century. The land was then ceded to the Order of the Knights Templar, who founded a castle here, although this now stands in ruins. As Trindade Coelho wrote, the best time to visit this region is in February/March, when the almond-trees are in blossom and the fields are covered with a blaze of white. These beautiful landscapes are best admired from the hilltops of the Serra da Castanheira or from the nearby castle of Penas Róias. Trindade Coelho was also a judge and a politician.  His books chronicled the rural life of his childhood in Trás-os-Montes. He was a strong advocate of the end of Portugal’s monarchy.

In 1891, he wrote this of the Castle of Mogadouro, in Tipos da Terra – Os Meus Amores

Up high, dominating the dark chimneys of the roof tops, the ancient castle, Roman in origin, was saddening with its fallen defenses, and vast walls in ruin.
To its side rose stubbornly
an old clock tower,
in a primitive style.
It was 11 p.m., and it still read 7,
that damned thing never got it right.

From Pedra da Mua, to Cabo Espichel, the area of Sesimbra just south of Lisbon, hopes to be recognized as UNESCO World Heritage. This picturesque fishing port lies about 40km due south of Lisbon and is nestled at the foot of the hills of Arrabida and inside a sparkling blue bay, protecting it from cold northerly winds. Since the 1960’s Sesimbra has become increasingly popular with weekenders from Lisbon, looking for an easy escape from the city and a pretty place to eat fantastic fish, stroll on the promenade or relax on the pretty beach with its enticing clean water. However, with its narrow and often steep streets, a beach still full of brightly colored boats and a large sector of the community still dependent on the catch, Sesimbra retains much of its fishing village atmosphere. The World Heritage List includes 890 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 689 cultural, 176 natural  and 25 mixed  properties in 148 States Parties. As of April 2009, 186 States Parties have ratified the World Heritage Convention.

On the heels of J. Crew’s new shot-in-Portugal catalogue comes a new catalogue from The Territory Ahead, the firm that designs and develops clothing products for men and women. The new catalogue features breathtaking Portuguese landmarks interspersed with their fashions, such as shirts, polos and tees, shorts, pants, sweaters and pullovers, sport coats and outerwear. Just another sign that Portugal is hot, and Portugal sells.

Portuguese Tourism has announced that despite the instability in the world economy, and the until-recently-lopsided dollar to euro exchange rate, U.S. travel to Portugal has remained strong. Overall receipts for U.S. visitors to Portugal rose by +0.1% over 2008 in the first 11 months of 2009 (and 2008 was a record year for Portuguese tourism) – the third best performing market for Portugal in terms of travel.

Overnights stays were flat at an increase of +0.1% for the first 11 months of 2009 compared to 2008, the sixth best return overall in times of inbound markets.

With international markets focusing on the Portuguese economy, Portuguese leaders have responded to speculation about the road ahead.

According to the newspaper Publico, President of the Portuguese Republic, Cavaco Silva, said to an audience in the city of Castelo Branco that it is important for Portugal, which right now is being looked at by intentional investors “to underline the guarantee that the national budget will pass, even before the bill is presented to Parliament. I know these numbers well, and I can say to outside observers that they’re wrong in the analysis they have made. I say to them look at our country and see sustainability of our budget. It is also important to note that it is unfair to compare Portugal with Greece. Portugal’s deficit is much smaller, and we have always acted in a scrupulous and direct way to address it.”

Meanwhile, Portugal’s Minister of Finances Teixeira dos Santos told the Publico in Lisbon that he is working hard to reduce the national deficit to below 3% by 2013: “I reiterate the firm commitment of this government to follow a strategy of deficit reduction to be at lower than 3% of the GNP by the end of 2013.”

Teixeira dos Santos reveled that the Government’s Program for Stability and Growth will be presented to Parliament by the end of February and will outline clear strategies to lower the deficit in sustainable way.

Click here to access Teixeira dos Santos most recent interview to CNN International on this topic.

Visits to Lisbon, Sintra, Oeiras, Mafra and the beaches of Estoril are now easier thanks to the new YouGo Tourism Guides for mobile phones. With a simple click, these guides allow visitors — both Portuguese and foreigners — to choose their favorite tour, enjoy the local cuisine and get updated weather information. Created by M-Insight, the YouGo series includes YouGo Lisbon, YouGo Costa do Estoril, YouGo Mafra, YouGo Oeiras and YouGo Sintra versions. The service may be purchased at 16 tourism outlets throughout the named regions as well as at hotels, restaurants and other retail outlets. Guides can also be bought online at www.YouGoplanet.com and the Lisboa Tourism site www.askmelisboa.com. Foreign visitors will likely enjoy the visitors pass which allows up to three weeks access for 5 Euros. The Portuguese option allows natives to purchase the guides for one year at a cost of 7 Euros. Once downloaded onto the phone, the subscriber will have access to detailed information on what to do, where to eat, where to shop and a listing of the best hotels. Subscribers can gain immediate access to monuments, museums, local attractions, tours, golf courses, beaches, tourism entertainment and nightlife, as well as other retail centers and a wide variety of useful services.  www.visitlisboa.com

In the lands of the Minde, in the county Alcanena, one can still her the Piação dos Charales do Ninhou. In the northeast of the county around Miranda do Douro, the  Instituto de Estudos de Literatura Tradicional, is doing an inventory of traditional literature and story telling. From the Alentejo to the Trás-os-Montes they are offering a journey from north to south through the personal tales of the residents.

It’s the second time that the capital of the Norte offers a flat price to try the best the city ahs to offer. The participating restaurants have created special menus of just 20 euros (w/out drinks), of which, one euro will be given to a local charity – Associacao do Porto de Paralesia Cerebral.

Porto Restaurant Week is happening right now, and lasts until the 12nd of the month. Among the participating restaurants are Artemísia, Bull & Bear, Cafeína, Foz Velha, Góshò, Itamae, Le Coin, Portucale, and Sessenta Setenta. More information at http://www.porto-restaurantweek.com/

Foodies and gourmands can take a gastronomic journey around all of Portugal by simply traveling a mere hour from Lisbon. Two weeks every October for the past 27 years, the gothic town of Santarém has hosted the National Gastronomy Festival, Portugal’s main culinary event. Located on the grounds of the former agricultural fair where campinos — or cowboys — once gathered to show off their herds, the National Gastronomy Festival features cuisine from Portugal‘s 19 districts, including the Azores archipelago and Madeira Island. Culinary connoisseurs sample appetizer portions or sit down to a daily multi-course lunch created by the district’s best restaurants. Both adventurous diners and the more timid palates enjoy offerings that may include: barnacles, wild rabbit with rosemary, mackerel in an escabeche sauce, pork ear salad marinated in coriander and olive oil, cod fish casserole, and carne maronesa, a specialty meat that’s simply grilled with salt.

Close to the sea and with excellent weather, Portugal attracts some of the most discerning golfers in the world, who come to enjoy courses that vary in both design and difficulty. That’s why…

Golf with sea air - Around half an hour from Lisbon, many of these golf courses also capitalize on the beauty of their natural surroundings. Try the Tróia course, located on the narrow peninsula separating the Sado…

The perfect swing – From the western tip right over to the eastern border, the range of golf courses across the Algarve is highly varied. With internationally established reputations, the academies are there to help…

Algarve Golf Offering to Double - The number of golf courses in eh Algarve will double with new courses under way in Loulé, Silves, Castro Marim, Vila Real de Santo António, Portimão, Olhão e Lagos, and others. Today there are 31 golf course in eh Algarve, or more than half al the “holes” in Portugal. That .055 of the world total, and 5 % of the total for Europe, and right now more than 3.300 round are paled each month at the respective courses.

In the first 2 months of 2003 158.897 round were played in the Algarve, an increase of  4.512 in relation to the same period last year. Portugal is one of Europe‘s top golfing destinations. In the Algarve‘s mild climate, golf is played year-round between red cliffs and sea views.

There are more than 30 golf courses in the Algarve, many designed by the best know names in golf. Several courses rated in the finest in Europe, with luxury clubhouses, manicured greens and flawless fairways. All courses are open to visitors.

AMS Gomà Camps, a paper products factory in Vila Velha de Ródão, is a Project in the National interest (PIN) for creating paper products with less boater, and less waste Goma-Camps on Aug. 10 started production at its new tissue mill in Vila Velha de Rodao, Portugal. The mill houses an AHEAD 2.0 line from Toscotec with an overall capacity of 110 tons per day. AMS Goma-Camps, a newcomer into the tissue industry, is a private company owned by the Portuguese’s Grupo Mateus and Simao Rocha and the Spanish company Goma Camps. The plant, designed to operate with virgin pulp and waste paper, will produce both jumbo reels for local converters as well as finished products and will provide the Iberian and North African markets with a wide range of products including facial tissue, napkins, toilet tissue and towels, Goma-Camps said. The mill will also supply Portuguese-speaking African countries and will be active both in the consumer market as well as in the AFH sector, the company added. Toscotec’s “turn-key” project includes a stock preparation plant for virgin pulp, an AHEAD 2.0 tissue machine with 15′ Steel Yankee Dryer TT SYD 15FT, machine auxiliaries, a three ply tissue rewinder (TT WIND-H) with calendar, electrical and control systems, and installation work. The new machine has a design speed of 1900 mpm with a net trim width of 2820 mm and a daily production of 110 tons. According to Goma-Camps, the mill project was based on B.A.T. (Best Available Technology) for tissue production and strongly oriented towards energy savings.

Carnaval de Sines 2010
Program:

06 de Julho (Saturday)
Hall of Music
21h00 – Election of the Kings and Little Kings of the Carnival of Sines 2010

February 12 (Friday)
Avenida General Humberto Delgado
09h30 – Arrival of the Little Kings of Carnival 2010, accompanied by the mascot MERRY
10:00 – 19th Edition of the Carnival of the Little Ones (Ed. JF Sines)

February 13 (Saturday)

10h00 – Arrival of their Highnesses Reias Carnival Sines 2010
Speech by the Royal Castle, animated streets of the historic
15.00 – Hall of Music – Senior Carnival
Masked Ball at the accordion Noemia and Antonio Cardoso
Prizes for best masks (Ed. JF Sines)
22h00 – Largo Poeta Bocage
Masked Ball / Awards for most creative masks
Percussion Group Skalabatuka
Musical entertainment and humor and UBAUBA Passarinhos
DJ Black MANBA (Ed. CMS / Desk Officer for Youth)
23h00 – Sports Park (IOS) Space tent up at 6 am
Carnival DJS PARTY
DJ Rita Mendes – DJ MR Folião and guests

February 14 (Sunday)
10:00 – Animation streets of the City
15:00 – Avenida Vasco da Gama (next to lowest)
March attended by the ambassadors of the Carnival of Sines 2010, Francisco Mendes presenter TOP + RTP1 and Célia Maria singer and actress
Samba schools, floats, bands and revelers
22h00 – Sports Park (IOS) Space Tent
Baile Carnaval with the musical group Brothers Cabin
Animation "Valentine's Night 'offer of a weekend in the Algarve and many surprises for the couple with the most romantic fantasy

February 15 (Monday)
17:00 – Animation streets of the City
21:00 – Avenida Vasco da Gama (next to lowest)
Light, joy and color in one of the best carnivals in the country night. Samba schools, groups revelers, floats, thousands of masked and many surprises and the presence of the ambassadors Francisco Mendes, Célia Maria
23h00 – Sports Park (IOS) Space tent up at 6 am
Masquerade with all the Brothers Music Shack
Animation into the night with DJ and invited Folião

February 16 (Tuesday)
10:00 – Animation streets of the City
15:00 – Avenida Vasco da Gama (with the Bay)
Carnival March to Francisco Mendes, Célia Maria
22h00 – Sports Park (IOS) Space Tent
Baile de Carnaval with the musical group Brothers Cabin
Presentation of the ratings and awards

February 17
22:00 – Focus on Square Tomás Ribeiro (near the old post office)
Burial of Carnival
24:00 – Closing ceremony of the Carnival of Sines 2010 – Speaking Real

The world’s top tennis player will be in Portugal this spring to compete in the Estoril Open, an ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament. Held May 1-9, 2010 the open is one of the rare world tennis events to combine tournaments that count towards the official classifications of the ATP and the WTA Tour. Two competitions held during a single event at the Jamor Tennis Club puts the Portuguese tournament at a select level with only 13 other events. Federer hopes to repeat his 2008 performance at the Estoril Open, where he landed his 54^th career ATP World Tour trophy, when a record 53,888 spectators visited the Estadio Nacional. Tickets may be purchased online at www.blueticket.pt or at a number of locations in Lisbon, including all Lisbon tourism offices. For more information, go to www.estorilopen.net or www.visitportugal.com.

 Winter?