Our campsite is part of nature. Weeds don't exist, only plants that are in a place we don't want it. Following this concept we have every year new flowers in between the old ones. It also shows how abundant nature can be if you don't restrict it to your own limited belief of how it should be. It makes you feel alive. It makes that you can deeply inhale and feel happy. Then, we discovered nature doesn't judge which also supports one to feel free. Of course with respect for the environment. Besides these values nature gives us food, also on the campsite.

Convivio is the portuguese word for a get together with food. Friends can organise a convivio, but also a political party can organise a convivio.
On our campsite it means that guests are having dinner together and exchange experiences they like to share.

We came in 2001 to stay for 1 year to rethink our life in Holland. After 3 months we were caught by the atmosphere in Portugal and started looking around how to earn money for a living. After 10 months we found this campsite which was abandoned and decided to take up the challenge. We don't have children but I dare to say that it is about the same. You start something which you try to prepare for, but you cannot possibly know how it will develop, because it overthrows your life you lived uptil then and confronts you with yourself. The one thing we took from Holland was the name Convivio. In Holland we had a multicultural foundation called Convivio and in Portugal we named our campsite Convivio. Coincidence or not that we could prolong this name?

The region Minho is known for its great diversity, which you can experience during the numerous tracks in the area. We have many walks around the campsite on paper and digital, there are signposted walks in nature parks and very regularly walks are organised with guides. You can find some of our walks on wikiloc.com. Every year we check our own tracks and to give you a taste we described one of 2 hours going to the neighbouring parish Cornes.

Semana Santa

The week before Easter is called the Holy Week (Semana Santa). Although more and more Portuguese are not really practising catholics, the tradition
of Semana Santa is still alive. In the one place more than in others. Braga, being the religious capital of Portugal by history, has turned Semana Santa into
one of their most important touristic events. It is famous for all its processions and masses.
I thought it would be nice for once to write the story of Easter and start with clearifying the easter eggs. They are from the time before christianity when the people
would hide easter eggs in the agricultural fields during the time of planting to ask for a fertile season. The Romans tried to fight the figure Jesus. They killed him, but
could not conquer his ideas, so they decided to use the traditional days of offering to change them into religious ones.

Fado is Portuguese style in singing. The word comes from the Latin word ‘fatum’, which means: to have a certain sufferling, luck or love that navigates or commands life. The texts are about the history of a loved one, or the missing of a loved one. In the video you can hear the singer who you can experience when you visit us. She sings every saturday in a traditional setting in a restaurant in our area.

Case 'Vista Gold'

In Portugal we had a case called ‘vista gold’. This meant that rich people, of course who bring money, could get in a very short time all the licences they needed for building a house or start a company. A few years back they were mostly Chinese. Now after it was prohibited for a while it is started again, atracting mostly Turkish people. Even real estate agents advertise with it.

Although it is not called 'vista gold', in 2019 it is made very easy for foreigners to come and work in Portugal. There are not enough Portuguese to do the work.

The Portuguese with an education who left during the crisis, get extra advantages to try to get them back.

Government

The government in Portugal is the PS (Partida Social, middle left wing) with support from the BE Bloco Esquerde, the Communists and os Verdes (all left wing). In the Portuguese history since 1974 (the end of the dictatorial regime) it is the first time to have a construction like this. People were very anxious to see if it would work. Well, after more than a year, the PS has gained trust. In the polls they get more votes. And, even the EU is positive, even more than Portugal itself.

In 2019 the economic is still growing. This provoces that every service paid through the government is striking to get more payment and better conditions.

Comédias do Minho

The government subsidises culture in the region. In the Minho there is a cultural project called Comédias do Minho that includes 5 towns. Every town has about 15.000 inhabitants. Each has contracted professionals. Together they make plays for the community in general and schools. The performances are gratis. A play will rotate between these 5 towns. For instance they rewrote Utopia (Thomas More) into a modern version using modern technics to perform so it was more likeable and understandable for the students. Another time they made a piece on the history of Portugal in comedy form. Really very entertaining.

AHRESP

The AHRESP is the organisation for hygiene and alimentation, so restaurants etc.. They keep you informed on the new laws which we have a lot of these days and organise courses, workshops and seminars to educate us in every possible way. This week we were informed about the law on noise disturbance. After 23h00 this has to be kept to a minimum. We are very excited to see what will happen next season. Every village in the valley has a weekend where they celebrate their patron with an outdoor event. Then, to know that performances only start after 22h00....... It will be a challenge.