Portuguese museums from north to south will offer extended hours every Thursday until the end of September, 2009. They will be open for 6 p.m. to midnight in an effort sponsored by the Institute of Museums and Turismo de Portugal. http://www.imc-ip.pt/ 

A trip to the mountain town of Fundão is the chance to visit the archaeological museum José Monteiro. This museum is located within a beautiful 18th century manor house and is dedicated to Prehistory and to the Roman era. Its library is specialized in Archaeology and History.

One of the Algarve’s most beautiful and historic towns just got more interesting. Recent construction of a parking lot in coastal Lagos unearthed a series of remains from the 15th century – a period when the town was a hub for exploration ships. Workers have thus far excavated a leaper’s hospital, trash dump and cemetery.This recent discovery simply adds to the wealth of historic sites within Lagos. The town was once the base for Henry the Navigator during the early days of the African slave trade. Remnants of this era still remain today in Lagos, including a building that dates to 1445 and is considered Europe’s first slave market.Although much of the old town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755, the beautiful “gold” church of Santo Antonio still stands today. Strolling along the waterfront, visitors can also view the remains of Lagos’ once impenetrable walls and fortifications, including the Forte da Bandeira, constructed in the 17th century at the entrance to the harbor.

Green Cork has launched the Portugal’s first recycling program for cork stoppers aimed at preserving both the environment and the country’s important cork forests. In its first six months, Green Cork collected 12 tons of used cork stoppers from more than 3 million bottles. The revenue raised from recycling this cork is being used to finance nature recovery and conservation programs, including planting indigenous trees and cork oak. Portugal is the world’s top producers of cork and there are approximately 2,700 square miles of cork forest under cultivation.The Green Cork program is also using existing distribution networks to transport the old stoppers, which result in a zero increase of CO2 at no additional costs. This ensures 100 percent of revenue is returned to conservation programs.

At the Gulbenkian Museum’s Temporary Exhibitions Gallery from 15-Oct-09 to 03-01-10. This exhibition is based on this ambiguity – a “singular unit” - gathering only works from the best artists and the most famous manufactures and ateliers, selected for the 1925 Exhibition. Many of the works presented there integrate the current exhibition, such as Spring, from Janniot, a composition expressly created for the Ruhlmann Pavilion (Hôtel d’un riche Collectionneur), acquired by Calouste Gulbenkian in 1939 Curators: Chantal Bizot and Dany Sautot, Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Museum, one of the world’s great museums and one of Europe’s unsung treasures. Part of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, it houses a magnificent collection of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Islamic, Asian, and European art. http://www.museu.gulbenkian.pt/ 

Azulara, a luxurious five-star off-plan residential resort, located on, Madeira, will eventually consist of 112 apartments and 61 Villas. Set on a hillside above Madeira’s capital of Funchal with panoramic views across rolling countryside and the azure Atlantic below, Azulara offers one of the most charming property developments available anywhere in the world today. Although far from immune to the global financial turmoil, the local economy in Madeira, supported by strong year-round tourism levels, is buoyed by mass infrastructure improvements, and the introduction of low-cost airlines, such as My Travel and Easyjet, means the island looks well equipped to whether the storm. Local government statistics point to occupancy levels for five-star tourist apartments on the island at 91.1% for 2008, with some months being as high as 99%. http://www.azulara.com/

For 2300 euros per person, visitors can stay for a week in the Alentejo region and learn its traditional cuisine and wine-making skills. The rejoin lies to the south of Lisbon along the Tejo River and its agricultural roots include wheat fields, olive trees. The region is full of castles and, in the spring, wildflower that blossom on the hillside. http://204.3.200.25/portugalcooking.htm 

The Energy Globe Award in the Environment and Energy Management field as gone to “Rock in Rio 2008 – Escola Solar” had also won the National Award for Portugal as the best national project and now in the world-class category “Youth”, this innovative project developed by the Rock in Rio in partnership with ADENE and with the technical implementation. The winners in each category were awarded with 10.000€. In the case of “Rock in Rio 2008 – Escola Solar”, the money will be donated to charity. About 200 High-Quality photovoltaic Modules type Renewis® PV175-M were installed on the World Stage “Rock in Rio Lisboa 2008.” They served as scenic element and promoted contact with the technology to millions of viewers on site and on TV of the world’s largest concert. This structure was then moved to Madrid. After the “Rock in Rio Madrid 2008″ the installation work  of the 20 photovoltaic systems has started, distributed over the 20 winning schools. The overall installation includes about 400 High Quality modules Renewis® PV175-M , 20 Siemens Sitop Inverters, Support Structures from Sikla.

South Portugal’s Algarve region is known for its bustling cities and luxury beach resorts, but a trip to the regions’ western coast reveals protected and pristine lands perfect for quiet walks and bird watching. Situated within close range of the best birding spots and scenic areas Aldeia de Pedralva is the perfect home-base for a walking tour or birding vacation in the Algarve. The coastal land preserve was named a “Special Area of Conservation” of the European Natura 2000 network and an “Important Bird Area” by Birdlife International. The southwestern coast has an impressive, rugged coastline, marked by remote, sandy beaches cut within the steep cliffs. Small estuaries and rolling dunes head from the sea into the countryside, where nature lovers will find flowering scrubland, small lagoons and lush pine and cork oak woodlands. This variety of habitats, as well as the mild, dry winters and warm, breezy summers, make the Algarve’s West Coast a prime spot for casual outdoor activities all year long. Flowers start to bloom as soon as February and come to a spectacular peak in the spring. The floral scenery is complemented by the region’s lovely churches and chapels, old forts and the nearby historic towns of Lagos and Sagres. Bird enthusiasts will find the various habitats draw a highly diversified bird population and more than 40 bird species found here are considered rare finds in Northern Europe. Resident birds include little egrets, hoopoes, Sardinian warblers and winter dwellers such as crag martins, alpine accentors and black-shouldered kites.

Bird watching and wildlife holidays in Portugal (and Spain) with experienced guides. Visit two completely different habitats on a 7-day tour.  All meals included (breakfast, light lunch and dinner with wine). http://www.terracottajourneys.com/trip.php?id=63