Nave Lagoa
en

Tag: Oeste de Portugal

Plogging?

A few years ago, a small video of a child asking “what do you practice?” went viral all over the world.

With his expressiveness and eloquence he managed to get many people to pay attention to the message, simple but deep: based on practice you get to become an expert in anything; if you practice joy and happiness you will be joyful and happy; but if you practice anger or disappointment you will also be very good at it and you will be able to find reasons for anger at all times.

If you do not know the video, it is worthwhile to click on the link, dedicate a couple of minutes to see it and then take a good walk to think about the idea, because we can all always learn and improve.

The content of the message is not so recent, it is from the famous Indian guru Prem Rawat, who has been spreading messages of peace and well-being throughout the world for fifty years and leads a foundation for development.

The message is also especially important for those who are parents because their children often follow their example and learn through what they see them doing. It is estimated that about half of the abusive adults witnessed or suffered situations of abuse in their homes when they were children. It is a terrible statistic. But it also has the other side, which does not appear on the news, and is infinitely more numerous, all those parents who have been a good example for their children and have managed to instill positive values.

Well, today’s entry seeks to make better known a very interesting initiative, in which we can all participate and give a positive example for future generations. The idea started in Sweden in 2016 and has spread rapidly throughout Europe. It is called plogging, a word that comes from combining the term jogging and the Swedish expression plocka upp, which means collecting litter. It is that simple, it is just about running and carrying a bag, so if we see some litter we can make a squat, pick it up, and keep running. Obviously, the goal is not to collect a lot of garbage, but that little by little we all become aware and avoid generating and dispersing so much waste. And that one day, when going out to run, there is nothing to pick up.

There is a Facebook page as a platform to facilitate meetings and photo-blogging, but in parallel there are now also many local initiatives, organizing meetings and activities in each area.

In a similar line, in Portugal, it is very remarkable the activity of the Brigada do Mar organization, which carries out cleaning campaigns on beaches and has had more than 50,000 volunteers taking part. And public-private initiatives are also emerging, such as those with the company Sirplaste of Porto de Mos, or Revalor in Alcobaça, which are collecting, recycling and giving new uses to tons of plastics collected in the sea and beaches. But success will really come when our children see that we try not to generate so much waste and that we treat correctly the waste we generate and never litter nature. And then, to the question “what do you practice?” we will be able to answer that we try to take care of the planet in which we live. Because as the popular slogan says, “there is no planet b“.

Oeste with kids

There are studies that have calculated that children smile on average 400 times a day while adults only smile between 30 and 40 times a day. There are also several studies that have analyzed that children are much more creative than adults because they see life as a game and are able to imagine playful situations in any scenario.

Fortunately, there are times in adults’ lives when they have the opportunity to recover some of that joy, sharing games with their children, nephews or grandchildren. For that, it is enough to let go, get some imagination and let yourself be carried away by the little ones.

For several reasons, the Oeste region of Portugal is an ideal setting for children. In the first place, because it has a climate that favors all outdoor activities; the temperatures are mild all year round, never too cold or too hot. Second, because it has more than 100 km of coastline, with dozens of beaches, which are, as is known, the preferred scenario for children to play. And, thirdly, because it is still not a saturated destination, and does not have the long queues that always characterize the most typical children’s destinations.

So today our recommendation is that we all fit imaginary cowboy boots and hat, that we take our horses and that we throw ourselves to the great adventure of the conquest of the West.

The route can begin in Óbidos, which with its castle and its walls can be the best inspiration for any adventure. If we need a certain atmosphere to warm up, the ideal moment would be in summer, while the medieval fair takes place, with its famous combats between knights. During those days, costumes are rented and anyone can feel for a few hours the lord of the castle.

Another very appropriate time to go to Óbidos with children would be in December, during Vila Natal, when the whole town becomes a large theme park of games and activities related to Christmas. You can check in the city council website for dates and schedules of these two events: www.cm-obidos.pt

The beaches of the region are known worldwide thanks to surfing. The Praia Norte in Nazaré, with its giant waves, and Supertubos in Peniche, with the World League events, are the most famous but almost all have a surf school and instructors to show you how to start with this spectacular sport. We tend to think that surfing is not suitable for small children but in reality, as soon as they know how to swim well, they can start jumping on the board and at those ages it is when their approach is simpler and more natural and they immediately dominate the movements. For the little ones, the ideal is to start on beaches with little waves, like Gamboa in Peniche, where the veteran Escola Surf Peniche offers its courses.

For those who do not dare to try it, another fun and different beach plan is the Parque Acuático of São Martinho do Porto, a set of slides and jumps that is installed during the summer in the sea, a few meters from the shore.

And for children and not so children, an option that never fails to make you have a good time with friends is a kart race. In the region there are several kart tracks, all quite good, such as the Kiro Kartódromo do Oeste in Bombarral, the Dino Kart in Lourinhã and the Euroindy near Batalha. There is even an option for rainy days, the Indoor Karting Caldas da Rainha, which is somewhat smaller but also great fun. It is advisable to check beforehand the minimum ages, although most of them have different options to welcome the smallest too.

We can continue our adventure in the Jurassic period, looking for fossils and discovering all the secrets of the dinosaurs in the Dino Parque de Lourinhã.

And finally, for those who want to make the most of the boots and hat that they put on at the beginning of this entry and prefer not to bring their own horse, there are also several first class equestrian centers where you can give free rein to the cowboy you carry inside. We highlight the Alfeizerão International Equestrian Center, with very complete facilities and all kinds of services, and the Quintas de Óbidos, which also has magnificent facilities and is gradually starting up after some very troubled beginnings due to the crisis.

With all these elements and a bit of our imagination we have more than assured the smiles of children and adults.

Happy Earth Day!

O Dia da Terra é um evento anual em 22 de abril para demonstrar apoio à proteção ambiental.Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

It was first held in 1970, when more than 20 million people went out on the streets of the U.S. to show their union behind this crucial cause.

Each year a theme or group of themes is selected to focus especially on them. This year one of the themes is Food and Environment, something we can all easily improve in our daily routines.

In Nave Lagoa we are fully committed with the environment and we try whenever is possible to work with local suppliers and natural ingredients, to achieve a gastronomic experience that is both delicious and sustainable. It is true that in the Oeste region of Portugal we are very fortunate, and we have a local gastronomy that is especially healthy, rich, and varied. But if we all make a small effort, within our own possibilities, the Earth will surely appreciate it and we will all end up benefiting from it.

Happy Earth Day!

Better air quality helps you live longer and better

Studies about countries with the highest life expectancy always mention common elements such as good nutrition, a reliable health system, plenty of physical activity, and active social life.

In longevity, as in happiness and many other things, money is not always the most crucial factor. For example, it is significant that the United States, despite having high income per capita, always appears in the middle of the ranking and has never been rated highly in that respect. Inequalities in access to healthcare, and high rates of obesity and violent crime, are undoubtedly the cause of this poor result.

An interesting study by the University of Chicago provides a new vital factor in considering life expectancy: pollution levels. Analyzing microparticle data in the air and comparing the life expectancy in the population of a region of China more exposed to pollution against another area with lower pollution levels, the study reaches devastating conclusions about the effect of pollution on life expectancy.

The study showed areas with high air pollution could result in a decrease of up to six years in life expectancy. Or, in other words, the mere fact of living in an area with poor air quality can mean a significantly earlier death for inhabitants of that area. The authors emphasize that these data suggest that pollution is a more relevant factor in mortality rates than elements we know to be harmful such as tobacco addiction.

The Iberian Peninsula generally gets good results in the University of Chicago study, with only a few months of loss of life derived from pollution. However, as the study identifies combustion derived from transport, heating, and power plants based on fossil fuels as the leading causes of these problems, it can easily be inferred that large cities and highly industrialized regions will be where life expectancy is more adversely impacted by pollution.

The good news is that the damage caused by pollution on the body is not permanent and can be remedied in certain situations. In the same way that research has shown the lungs of an ex-smoker can, a few years after stopping smoking, recover most of their initial good condition, eliminating or reducing exposure to significant air pollution also allows our body to clean itself and heal slowly.

Praia de Baleal

And that is the positive message that we wanted to share today. That we still have the chance to improve our life expectancy. If we are citizens of the European Union, it is as simple as buying a plane ticket and coming to live in Portugal, which due to strong sea breezes, low industrial density and transport, and the high percentage of renewable energy in electricity production, is one of the best places in the world to recover our lungs and general health. In many cases, we can even benefit from substantial tax advantages, which is also a factor of increased wellbeing for many people. And if you are from outside the European Union, you can move in via the golden visa, a visa regime that grants access to EU residence with an investment of 500,000 euros in real estate or 1 million euros in financial assets. It may seem a lot, but how much do we value each year of our life? And what about our children’s lives?

If we add to that the quieter pace of life, excellent food, the possibilities to do all kinds of sports, and the kindness of the people here, we see that the equation adds all the recommended elements. So perhaps we should reformulate the previous question towards the famous song: tell me quando, quando, quando.