Portugal State Budget 2024: what you need to know
The Portugal state budget for 2024 is currently working its way through parliament. Nothing is yet finalised, and it’s important to note that it’s far from unusual for amendments to make their way into the final legislation. However, with the full text of the budget available to the public, it’s already possible to gain a sense of what’s in store.Read more...
The new Normandy conquest
950 years ago on 14th October, the Normans defeated the English army at Senlac Hill in Sussex. These days the traffic is the other way, as the British pop across the Channel to grab a piece of the lovely towns, pretty houses and beaches of NormandyRead more...
Portuguese house price rises: steady, slow, sustainable
The two key themes of the Portuguese property market today are shortage of supply and increasing demand. For people with a financial stake in the country, that adds up to a good thing.Read more...
Five Wonderful Things About Living in Portugal
While no country is a utopia, living in Portugal comes quite close! Our writer in Portugal would like to offer five great reasons to join him When I first moved to Portugal, I had a clear idea in my mind of what things would be like. As with so many events in life, nothing turns out exactly as predicted, but the fact remains that there are many factors that make a life in Portugal a very pleasurable one. Here are five things that really stand out in my mind:Read more...
Rural living Italian style
With eight acres of land to care for, each season nature brings something new and beautiful to discover in the Italian countryside.Read more...
Grape expectations – buying a vineyard
Imagine owning a country house in Italy with your own vineyard, sitting on your terrace, overlooking your own fields, with a glass of your own wine. You could be, explains our writer in Italy.Read more...
Making friends and influencing people, French style
Greetings and goodbyes can be awkward affairs in Britain. In France they have this down to a fine art, including the required number of kisses.Read more...
Costa Blanca valleys offer value and rustic charm
Little wonder England manager Sam Allardyce bolted to his Spanish home last week – it’s in a part of Spain with stunning natural scenery where switching off comes with the territory.Read more...
The 20 best international schools in Europe
If only the best is good enough for your little ones, where is Paris’s answer to Eton, Madrid’s version of Harrow? Here are the best European schools beyond our shores. Even better, some of them are free. FRANCE 1. Lycée Henri IV LOCATION: Paris PUPILS: Day school accepting pupils from 13-18 FEES: Free ALUMNI: Jean-Paul Sartre, Guy de Maupassant, Sir Christopher Meyer (British Ambassador to US)Read more...
100 days of Brexit
What has happened since Britain’s historic and unexpected decision to leave the European Union?Read more...
A walk down the aisles of Spanish supermarkets
Where should you go for your favourite brand of English tea? Can you get horseradish sauce? With so many supermarkets in Spain, which might offer what you want? There certainly is no lack of supermarkets in Spain, every town will have several. For example, the town of Palafrugell in Catalonia with a population of nearly 23,000 currently boasts 10, some large others small.Read more...