Dia de Sao Valentim

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Next Tuesday is Valentine's day, in Portuguese – Dia de São Valentim or more commonly Dia dos Namorados.

And what more beautiful a romantic tale than that of the young Moorish king and his Nordic princess…

Legend has it that when the Algarve was still called Al-Gharb and ruled by the Moors, a young king, Ibn-Almundim, fell in love with a blue-eyed, golden-haired Nordic princess, whose name was Gilda. They got married, made their home in the Varandas Palace in Silves and the king loved her very much. But gradually as each day passed she became more depressed and she would sigh and shed tears of longing for her homeland. The king vowed to find out how he could cure her sadness and according to the tale, an elder told him that the Nordic princess missed seeing the snow she was so used to in her home country. The king ordered that thousands of almond trees were to be planted outside the palace.

February soon came and one morning when the Princess looked out of the window of her palace, she could not believe her eyes! The almond trees were covered in blossom and the fields were covered in a blanket of white petals like freshly fallen snow shining in the sun. The princess was cured of her sadness almost immediately and the king and his princess lived happily ever after.

Almond trees are in bloom throughout February and March. Almonds are everywhere here – with huge vats of nuts on sale at every market and almond-based colourful sweets at pastry shops and cafés. But because most people head to the Algarve for its beaches in the summer, they miss out on the stunning beauty of the pretend ‘snow’ lit up by the warm sunshine.

So what better time to escape the winter blues – come visit the Algarve and let us help you choose your perfect Portugal property. Contact us: hello@portugalproperty.com or call us on +351 308 800 878 or 0800 014 8201 free from the UK.

Published in: Guide to Portugal / Miscellaneous / News and Updates / Portuguese Life