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So often in surfing it’s the unplanned windows that end up the best windows
You book a weeklong trip and it’s pumping off its rocker the day you show up
The same holds true even for the World Surf League Championship Tour
In the lead-up to the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal
surfers were greeted with what will likely be the best waves they’ll see during their time in Peniche
a routine started to form each day after they arrived
drive to the beach and surf bigger and better waves than the day prior
I was attuned to Crosby and Griffin’s drawn-out bottom turns and backside bashings
but there’s something timeless and gratifying about using a bunch of speed on one
the Colapintos (and this track from Rio Waida
In the women’s semifinals, Molly Picklum will go up against former event-winner Caroline Marks
And Erin Brooks looks eager to make her first final at a full-time CT surfer
but she’ll have to go against an in-form Gabriela Bryan
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En español
The Peniche family is a dynasty of Mexican actors who have starred in major Televisa telenovelas
Patriarch Arturo Peniche established himself as a major talent
to break ratings records with his latest telenovela 'Las hijas de la señora García.' However
their relationship with the network has not always been smooth
Brandon made his acting debut in 1998 with a brief but notable role in 'Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real,' the anthology series created by the late Silvia Pinal
His first official Televisa telenovela came in 2009 with 'Verano de Amor,' produced by Pedro Damián
This project helped him grow as an actor and secure roles for nearly a decade
In 2019 Arturo shocked fans by announcing his sudden departure from Televisa
A post shared by instagram
Initially reluctant to share details, he moved on to TV Azteca
hosting 'Venga La Alegría.' Two years later
While acknowledging that Televisa launched his career
The breaking point came in 2016 while filming 'Un Camino Hacia el Destino' alongside Paulina Goto
a project that didn't meet his expectations
"They promised me things that never happened
and I was coming off a huge success with 'A Que No Me Dejas,'" he added
Brandon Peniche eventually returned to Televisa in 2021 to star in 'Contigo Sí,' a role that revitalized his career and positioned him as a leading face of the new generation
Though details about his return are still unclear
he landed consecutive lead roles in 'Nadie Como Tú' (2023) and 'La Historia de Juana' (2024)
This momentum led him to be cast by José Alberto Castro as the lead in his adaptation of the Turkish telenovela 'Mrs
'Las Hijas de la Señora García.'
a "free-spirited womanizer transformed by love." The telenovela
performing better in ratings than the hit reality TV series 'La Casa de los Famosos.'
Unlocked: Jai Glindeman’s Stab Edit Of The Year Entry
Stab Interview: WSL CEO Ryan Crosby On The Tectonic Shifts Coming To The Championship Tour
Isabella Nichols + Jack Robinson Win Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
The 7 Personality Types That Get Waves In Any Lineup
The Electric Acid Surfboard Test With Dave Rastovich
Whole lotta turns and airs for a place called ‘Supertubos’
has spent the past week drenching the Iberian peninsula in rain — and buffeting it’s surf lineups with wind
“Unfortunately, this week’s deluge is only the beginning,” reports EuroWeekly
“Another DANA is set to roll in from the northwest on Friday
This shift in the weather pattern will likely stall over western Iberia
feeding in more heavy rainfall and even mountain snow across both Spain and Portugal.”
In our provincial periphery of polyurethane
this weekend also marks the beginning of the waiting period for the third event of the 2025 Championship Tour — the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal
you can watch the world’s best warming up in conditions that may well depict what we’ll be seeing through the competition window
We’ll have a full preview coming Friday, and you can read about all of the wildcard decisions here (and watch a wildcard hype reel here.)
Caroline Marks Win Big at 2025 MEO Rip Curl Pro PortugalYago beats world No
1 Italo Ferreira in the final while Caroline gets her second Peniche title
I had two finals and it felt like I was the in-form surfer of the event
but I ended up falling short in the end,” said Yago
who shot up 11 places with the win and is now ranked No
The word “challenging” is an overused term to describe waves most surfers would shake their heads at
but that’s conditions that plagued this event almost from the start
things finally shifted in WSL’s favor as the wind turned offshore and solid six-foot ramps presented themselves on the lefts
taking to the air multiple times throughout the day and in their final matchup
but couldn’t match Yago’s wave selection and bag of tricks
and he narrowly bested Italo 13.37 to 12.43
In the women’s draw, Caroline Marks earned her seventh career victory
by taking down Gabriela Bryan in the final
It was a low-scoring affair (7.90 to 6.97)
and the two exchanged waves and priority without dropping significant scores
A strong rip current made things even more difficult
but Caroline hacked her way to the lead and then played defense in the waning minutes
it felt like I was building momentum in the second half of the season
so to start off with a win and just be really consistent to be in the Finals Day for every event so far has felt really good
It’s just been such a good environment around here
it feels really special to share this one with my dad
The CT next jets off to El Salvador, where, guess who will be the favorites? Caroline, the two-time reigning champ, and Yago, who flipped his way to the final only to lose to John John Florence (who is not competing this year)
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 8.53 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 7.50
HEAT 2: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.50 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.96
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If you were watching John John maneuver like a Ninja
or Kelly gracefully walking away from the competition to spend a little healing time
If you've been watching Italo throw airs or Charlie Quivront rip contest waves
Peniche itself may be off this year but shoots
we've watched many a Pipe Masters where there were no Pipe at all and less than head-high Backdoor peaks too
That's the bet you can't secure from our mother ocean
But everyone can agree Portugal's long ruler-edged coast has a LOT of good surf
And Peniche – the little fishing village that is the site of the event – is for contests what Nazare is for big waves: the top spot
The Rip Curl Pro Portugal puts the world's best men and women to the test at Supertubes
It's the pride of Portugal's contest sites
The event may have had to wait out a storm
but as more than one contestant has mentioned right on TV
There's a wave here for every taste and a menu for every palette
Peniche sits along Portugal's long coast in the historic region of Estremadura
It's a great place to visit if you want to explore some interesting historical sites
as well as experience great local food and culture
And most of these places have great surf too
the delicious dish below at one of the many fine local restaurants
If you have been watching the show on your screen
try cooking this for dinner – it too is the pride of Portugal cuisine
is light and flavorful and infused with saffron
Serve it with crusty bread to mop up the flavorful saffron broth
such as the ones made with Cod (Bacalhau) or mussels and squid
Some even say that the best Caldeirada is made with just one kind of fish
all the Peniche fishermen are unanimous in saying that the best Caldeirada is one that allows you to create your own recipe
This Portuguese fish stew comes together in under 30 minutes
· 2 large fillets of Halibut or other white flaky fish
· 12 ounces peeled and deveined tail-on raw large shrimp (about 18 shrimp)
cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups)
· 1 large bell pepper sliced into thin wheels
· 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can of whole peeled tomatoes
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high
Add wine to the mixture in the Dutch oven; cook
scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven
Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 minutes
Cover and increase heat to medium-high; cook until clams open and shrimp and fish are just cooked through
Portugal Announced As 2009 Rip Curl Search Event LocationWave Slated As “Supertubes”
the Rip Curl Search will be heading to Western Europe and the reportedly near-flawless beachbreak tubes of Peniche
Renowned for its solid sandbank setups and a laidback lifestyle
the wave slated to host the fabled floating event has been dubbed “Supertubos” and by all accounts consistently lives up to its moniker
According to Rip Curl Marketing Director Dylan Slater
“We’ve been checking out Portugal as a potential location for the Search for about a year now
We’ve been all over the globe in the past and we wanted to bring the event to Europe this year
and this year we wanted to mix that up with some coldwater surf
That’s what we’re really trying to do…you’re guaranteed a curveball with the Search.”
are said to be among some of the finest Europe has on offer
To be blunt: it gets damn-near perfect with alarming amounts of frequency
Rip Curl’s history with the town of Peniche has proven to be long-lived as well with the company sponsoring events in the area for nearly 20 years
and Mikael Pikon have found success in Peniche and at Supertubes on the junior and ’QS levels
the Europeans will undoubtedly have an edge when the tour makes landfall on October 19
To further the drama at the comp, in the past three years, the Irons Brothers have won every Search event—Andy claimed wins in Mexico and Chile while Bruce took a scalp in Indo last year— with the exception of Reunion Island in 2005 where Mick Fanning took the inaugural win
With the Brothers Irons enjoying the good life on the Garden Island this year
that leaves Fanning as the only current competitor on Tour to have found glory in the history of the Search
the Search will occupy a new position on the Tour’s schedule in 2009
the event will be run as the second-to-last stop
leaving the possibility for World Tour fireworks to blow up all the way down to the finish line
“The hype of possibly crowning the ASP World Champion is an awesome by-product of the date change
but the main reason the ASP surfers love the Rip Curl Pro Search is because it has delivered perfect waves and amazing experiences in each of the four years its been held in Reunion Island
we’d definitely like to present both the Rip Curl Planet Trophy and the ASP World Title Trophy on the same stage!”
This year’s Search event will also include a stop for the Women’s World Tour in Portugal as well
According to current Women’s World Tour champ Stephanie Gilmore
“…I think it’s really exciting that the ASP Women’s World Tour is jumping onboard for the adventure.”
Griffin Colapinto takes to the air at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal
There are always a host of shifty and powerful sandbars on offer at the main site in Peniche
and there are plenty of backup sites that the event could move to with the wind likely to shift directions a few times during the waiting period
All are very well capable of holding their own and excelling in heavy conditions
No injuries to report on the women's side
but this is likely to be one of Defay's last events of the year as she recently announced that she is pregnant (Congrats Johanne!)
And as any ardent follower of the World Tour will know
so adjust your internal body clock / phone alarms accordingly
Portugal is 4 hours ahead of the US East Coast and 7 hours ahead of the US West Coast
First call is at 730am local time on March 15th
Select your Fantasy Surfer teams NOW at FantasySurfer.com
Heat 1: Caroline Marks, Lakey Peterson, Sally FitzgibbonsHeat 2: Molly Picklum, Erin Brooks, Luana SilvaHeat 3: Caitlin Simmers, Johanne Defay, Yolanda HopkinsHeat 4: Brisa Hennessey, Vahine Fierro, Isabella NicholsHeat 5: Tyler Wright
Bella KenworthyHeat 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb
Matthew McGillivrayHeat 11: Kanoa Igarashi
the world’s best surfers descended on Praia de Supertubos
for the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal – one of the most unpredictable and exhilarating stops on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour
the name given to both the beach and the iconic wave
is revered as one of the best beachbreaks in the world
often earning comparisons to Hawaii’s Banzai Pipeline
forming thick-lipped barrels that explode over shallow sandbanks
This phenomenon is due to the unique bathymetry of the seabed and a combination of strong Atlantic swells
Unlike reef breaks that maintain consistent wave forms
Supertubos’ quality depends on the shifting sands beneath the water
Seasonal storms and currents sculpt the underwater topography
making each year’s wave dynamics slightly different
the sandbars create picture-perfect barrels; in others
keeping surfers on their toes and the event unpredictable until the final moments
Portuguese surf culture has exploded over the past two decades
and Supertubos is now a pilgrimage site for European surfers
A small fishing town located on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic
Peniche was historically known for its fishing industry
and lace-making traditions (Renda de Bilros)
Peniche has evolved into a global surf hub
attracting wave riders from across the world
Its transition into a surf tourism hotspot has shaped the town’s economy while maintaining respect for its cultural heritage
The ideal season for surfing Supertubos is from September to April
The winter months (December-February) produce the biggest and most powerful waves
while autumn (September-November) offers a mix of solid swells and favorable weather
For travellers looking for a more relaxed beach experience
summer (June-August) brings warmer temperatures and smaller
making it a great time for beginners and families
While Supertubos is a dream destination for surfers
Peniche and its surroundings offer plenty for non-surfers and those looking to take a break from the waves:
For more information see visitportugal.com, worldsurfleague.com and redbull.com
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Supertubos Beach, in Peniche, will host the third stage of the main circuit of the World Surf League (WSL)
with Portugal hosting the event for the 22nd time
Peniche has welcomed the best surfers in the world and thousands of surfers in the world to its waves
currently becoming the only place in Europe where the World Tour will take place"
highlighted the organisation in a statement
Peniche will host the world surfing elite for the 16th time
except for the interruption caused by Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021
after championships have already been held in three other locations
“More than 150 thousand people passed through the Supertubos beach during the several days of the event
which proves that thousands of people have already fallen in love with the quality waves of this beach
its gastronomy and the hospitality of the people of this town "
"This is one of the best waves in the world, it has a brutal consistency, there is always a good wave, that's what makes this region so fantastic", highlighted Francisco Spínola, general director of the WSL for Europe
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Eduardo Peniche came to the United States to obtain an education and became a decorated war veteran and proud American in the process
Top Image: Still from Eduardo Peniche’s 2005 interview with The National WWII Museum
Seventeen-year-old Eduardo Alberto Peniche y Carvajal arrived in the United States in 1942 with the singular aspiration to become an educated man; less than a year later
the US military inducted him into its ranks and prepared him for combat overseas
Peniche was one of approximately 15,000 Mexican nationals who served in the American Armed Forces during World War II
Many of his compatriots enlisted for the opportunity to secure citizenship
some welcomed the chance to demonstrate loyalty to the United States and support for the Allied cause
and others simply complied with American conscription laws
service was merely the cost of obtaining an education and the promise of a better life
It was a price he paid happily and honorably
1925 in the small fishing village of Progreso
situated on the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula
He spent his formative years playing sports
Peniche’s parents fostered his intellectual curiosity and innate sense of integrity
he cultivated a passion for learning and a “can-do attitude” that he later credited with making his many successes possible
The budding port city of Progreso offered little in the way of formal education—and Peniche had grand ambitions—so the aspiring scholar looked to distant lands for intellectual enrichment
but the outbreak of war in Europe the year prior
coupled with a mounting fear of foreigners across the United States
spurred the State Department to stiffen visa regulations
Two years would elapse before he received a response; by then
the United States was firmly embroiled in a global conflict
Legislation governing visas stipulated the need for two sponsors
each of which had to be an American citizen or have permanent resident status
Many hopeful immigrants found this the most challenging barrier in the visa process
but fortunately Peniche’s Aunt Pilar—his father’s oldest sister—and her husband Eduardo Menendez relocated to Paducah in western Kentucky at the end of World War I
They agreed to facilitate their nephew’s education and completed the necessary forms
The demanding qualifications and extensive documentation required to sponsor or acquire a visa were staggering
Though the United States was still recovering from a crippling recession
Peniche’s relatives had to provide proof of home ownership
that at least one of them had gainful employment
and that they had a minimum of $2,000 in accessible savings
they had to convincingly demonstrate that they were more than responsible and productive members of society that could capably support a dependent
Peniche had his own harrowing task list to tackle
He had to submit moral affidavits completed by several disinterested persons attesting to his character
a certificate of good conduct from local authorities
and a host of medical files—which included at least 11 x-rays taken over two years—showing that he had no infectious diseases
After surmounting numerous bureaucratic hurdles, Peniche finally embarked on his transformative journey across the border. Equipped with little more than his optimistic disposition, he entered the United States on December 7, 1942, the one-year anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor
It was an emotionally charged day for many Americans
but Peniche brimmed with excitement at the opportunities that awaited
just three months after Peniche enrolled in high school
It informed him that—despite not being an American citizen—US law subjected him to the draft and required him to register in advance of his 18th birthday
Peniche wrote home to solicit his father’s advice
and his dad counselled him to obey the law
If his son could take advantage of the American education system
he could make a personal sacrifice for the nation in its time of need
Peniche agreed; he had a moral and legal obligation to answer if called upon to fight
Soon enough the military declared its intent to draft Peniche
he volunteered for the newly created V-12 Navy College Training Program to continue his education and become a fighter pilot
Since the Navy created the V-12 Program to fill the growing demand for commissioned officers
qualification required proof of citizenship
He officially became a soldier in the US Army in September 1943
shipped out to basic for training in field artillery
and proceeded to advanced training as part of a Forward Observer team
Peniche had “caught on to the patriotic fervor permeating the nation.”
Peniche set sail with a contingent of replacements and alighted off the coast of England nine days later
he happened upon a paratrooper recruitment presentation that he would later consider part of his destiny
Inspired by the speech—and partially incentivized by the additional monetary compensation—Peniche resolved to join the airborne
only to learn that at five-foot-five he stood one inch too short for admission
a small band of loyal friends threatened to rescind their respective commitments if the airborne upheld its rejection
If that did not provoke the sergeant enrolling the volunteers to overlook the height issue
Peniche’s interest in filling the incredibly dangerous and desperately needed role of “bazooka-man” certainly did
The sergeant pointed Peniche in the direction of the 101st Airborne Division
Charged with preventing the infiltration of enemy forces and keeping communication lines open
Peniche spent the next month and his 19th birthday “in a foxhole…eating K rations.” He experienced little combat in those early days of his first assignment
the airborne divisions regrouped in England to plan the next offensive
At a Revolutionary-era country house called Basildon Park
Peniche tacked on another piece of insignia to his uniform when he completed glider training
He learned the intricacies of properly loading the engineless
wooden aircraft with heavy artillery equipment and jeeps
Command then reassigned him to Charlie Company of the 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion (AAA)
a special force designed to support parachute infantry regiments with artillery
the ill-fated Allied assault on Holland by land and air
C-47s destined for the front towed nearly 90 gliders with reinforcements
Less than 50 made it safely to the designated landing area
ominous puffs of smoke from German flak dotted the sky
and Peniche saw planes engulfed in flames plummeting to the earth as well as the occasional glider—tellingly referred to as a “flying coffin”—bursting into splinters “like confetti.”
He could not avoid the thought that his plane might be hit or that he could be next
he reminded himself that he could do nothing to change the situation
Peniche and his crew scrambled to free the artillery equipment from the damaged plane while mortar fire exploded all around them
Peniche turned inward and relied on a clear mind and spiritual strength to see him through
“there is no way I am going to be a bad-buttocks paratrooper,” so mental fortitude and prayer became his strongest weapons on the battlefield
soldiers tended to express their fears and frustrations with expletives
the 81st was tasked with providing support for the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment by keeping the infamous Hell’s Highway clear of German tanks
flat country of Holland every exposed soldier on the road made an easy target
Peniche compared the men to the ducks in carnival shooting galleries lining up to get shot
his battalion successfully accomplished its goals and ultimately endured over 70 days of continuous combat—48 of them directly on the front lines—before withdrawing to France for some rest and recuperation
The 101st was called into action again after the German military unexpectedly initiated an offensive through the Ardennes Forest on December 16
The division received orders to deploy to the critical town of Bastogne to secure and defend a highway and railroad juncture that could prove vital to the German effort
and Peniche’s battalion set up in a nearby village to the north called Longchamps to guard the main arteries into the town
he always found himself in the very front lines
a position he cheerfully called “preferential treatment.”
In what became known as the Battle of the Bulge
the Screaming Eagles endured ceaseless enemy fire and deplorable conditions in the snow-covered woods for more than a week before General George S
Patton’s Third Army provided much needed relief on December 26
the division’s soldiers faced their bloodiest encounter on January 3
when German tanks attempted one final push
A rain of shells signaled the armor’s advance
trees fell “like toothpicks” in a brutal “hurricane of fire.”
Peniche’s convalescence in the hospital lasted for two months before he rejoined his outfit in Germany and served until the war ended in May of 1945
and he refused to reside in the US illegally or become a “public charge” (a disparaging term used to describe immigrants considered a drain on the national economy)
Peniche was informed that he was entitled by virtue of his military service to apply for a permanent visa
Ed Peniche attends Pathfinder and Air Transportability Courses at the Infantry School in Fort Benning
GA as an Allied guest student in January 1948
Ed Peniche jumps over Balbuena Air Force base at the outskirts of Mexico City in April 1950
Peniche continued his service in the Vietnam War as a linguist in an intelligence unit until he formally retired in 1970
He used his GI Bill—which he called the “greatest investment the US made in this country”—to obtain his undergraduate degree
while a fellowship helped pay his way through graduate school
education provided the foundation for occupational advancement and financial stability as he went on to become a successful college professor
“If that is not living the American dream,” Peniche asserted
Blessed by higher education and blessed by the honor and privilege to serve in the United States Army.”
In an oral history interview conducted by Betsy Plumb with The National WWII Museum in 2005
Peniche explained that he could not possibly talk about his life without acknowledging two facts: that he served honorably in one of the most distinguished divisions of World War II and that he became an educated Mexican American
and—before Peniche’s death in 2008—he was writing a memoir of his experience emphasizing the role of his service in paving the way to an education and his own American dream
Peniche’s account would have certainly shown that brave immigrants like himself “measured up” when it truly counted
Watch Eduardo Peniche’s interview on the Museum’s Digital Collections website
Follow Eduardo Peniche’s path by joining staff from America’s official WWII museum and notable historians for the real-life epic journey across Europe
Chase Tomlin is an Associate Curator at The National WWII Museum
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While becoming an "ace" pilot requires a number of finely honed skills and exceptional aeronautical ability
it is even harder to achieve this status in only one day
Company E far exceeded the simplistic expectations of “Americanization” that marked its beginning
and its men went on to prove what it meant to be truly American.
“No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle,” General Douglas McArthur noted after the war of the 158th Infantry Regiment “Bushmasters,” which was made up predominantly of Mexican Americans and members of the Pima and Navajo tribes from Arizona
drew national attention to the systemic discrimination that Latino Americans faced and served as a rallying point for the American GI Forum’s campaign against pervasive racism and inequality
received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions near Artena
Manuel Pérez participated in the horrendous fighting with the Japanese in the Philippines' capital city of Manila
the scene of some of the bloodiest urban combat of the war
Mendoza garnered a special place in the history of Nazi Germany’s defeat
A single squadron of Mexican flyers completed nearly 800 sorties—individual aircraft combat missions—in the waning days of World War II
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Parisian barge parties have something to seduce even the most homebound of us
Their "feet in the water" location and exceptional panorama
attract all night owls in search of escape
the festive island is divided into several spaces for maximum fiesta
The rooftop canon and covered terrace with views over the Seine and its monuments
a huge indoor hall of over 300m2 and bars dotted around each floor of the barge
washed down with a variety of cocktails and beers flowing from giant vats
strings of lights give the spot a floating guinguette feel
and the dancefloor takes over until the wee hours
Wednesday, May 28, 2025: Guilty Pleasure Friday, May 30, 2025: JetLag Reggaeton BoatlinesSaturday, May 31, 2025: Chronologic
Saturday, June 14, 2025: Mazette, 5 years already!Friday, June 20, 2025: ChronologicSunday, June 22, 2025: Jetlag - Domingo de Perreo
Saturday, June 28, 2025: KIKI PRIDE by Discoquette
Sunday, July 13, 2025: Jetlag - Domingo de Perreo
Sunday, August 17, 2025: Jetlag - Domingo de Perreo
Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health
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Meanwhile, in Peniche, Saturday, the 15th of March, saw the opening day of the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, the World Surf League Championship Tour (WSL CT) event currently underway in Supertubes Beach
Surf conditions preceded the event hailed as “Epic” by reigning women´s champ Caitlin Simmers
who could hardly wait for the pre-event presser to be over so she could jump in the water
declaring that Supertubes is one of her favourite waves
who is currently leading the tour for the men’s division
had to be called out of the water to attend the presser and joined
“I have many good memories here,” stated the Brazilian
“I won this event twice and was always well received by the locals and the good waves
I am coming to this event after a win in the last CT event
The weekend waves allowed the event organizers to complete the opening and elimination rounds for the men´s division
seeing outstanding performances from Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Ethan Ewing (AUS) and Kanoa Igarashi (JAP)
who was awarded a wild card invitation after being dropped off the CT mid-last year and suffering an injury last December
Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Gabriela Bryan (HAW) excelled in the early rounds and secured their place in the upcoming quarter-finals
Also to secure a place in the quarter-final is Johanne Defay (FRA)
who made headlines by competing in the event while four months pregnant
survived the elimination round but lost to the leader of the pack
The weekend in Peniche also included hard partying by surf fans in the different bars and surf shops around Peniche and an official party Saturday night with former three-time world champion Gabriel Medina popping by for a quick hello
graced the event with his presence and was enthusiastically welcomed by the many surf fans visiting Peniche for the competition
The first days of the coming week are expected to have good surf conditions
to see if they can secure a win in Supertubes yet again
Yariv Kav moved to Portugal´s wave capital from his native Israel
He was awarded a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manchester back when Oasis was still cool
and a diploma with distinction from the London School of Journalism in Feature and Freelance Writing
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and Peniche is one of its finest examples.Located on the west coast of Portugal about an hour northwest of Lisbon...","breadcrumb":{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://internationalliving.com/countries/portugal/peniche-portugal/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://internationalliving.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Peniche Portugal - What to Do
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White windmills perched high above scenic harbors
their brightly painted boats waiting patiently in the clear waters
Women working magic as their fingers deftly create delicate lace patterns using a technique handed down over the centuries
Located on the west coast of Portugal about an hour northwest of Lisbon
Its geographical prominence made the sleepy fishing village a target of invaders since the 16th century
These walls kept out some—like marauding pirates—kept in some—like political dissenters of Prime Minister António Salazar in the 1950s and 1960s—and offered a warm welcome to others—like refugees from former Portuguese colonies in Africa
read on for my suggestions about where to stay
and more in this delightful gem on Portugal’s Atlantic Coast
Note: an extra plus in this area is the ease of finding English speakers
This is an international resort destination
so many of the area’s residents speak enough English to accommodate frequent tourists
a three-star site on the marginal about a mile from the fortress
Next time I might bring friends and try Nokori
you’ll find a variety of rental and property purchases available on or close to the ocean or in the neighboring hills
one-bathroom totally renovated apartment was available near the beach for under $500 per month
consider some of the regional countryside specialties: favada à Portuguesa
a simmered dish of various cuts of pork and butter beans
Os Americano’s serves up not what you would expect from the name
order the cheesy stuffed peppers appetizer with Bolognese-style sauce ($5.70 for a half order of four)
The chicken cordon bleu was enough for two to share
but the New York style cheesecake looked like a dream
walk through the past in the main building of the fortress
You can also discover the city’s long history of lacemaking here
By the 1800s Peniche boasted almost 1,000 skilled artisans creating their exquisitely fine masterpieces
when an international bobbin lace exhibition takes place
Consider taking a boat from Peniche to the Berlengas Islands
and flora and fauna in one of the world’s original nature reserves
Sunseekers head for Peniche’s long and sandy beaches
is that these areas are consistently windy
With its fast-forming waves and powerful tubes
the area has been called the “European Pipeline,” a reference to the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu
Óbidos is a town literally fit for a queen: it was given as a wedding present in 1282 by King Dinis to his bride Isabel
Walking the main street through the ancient gates uphill to the castle at the other end of town
one will find artisan shops of local handicrafts
Be sure to sample the local liqueur made from dark cherries
it’s served in edible chocolate shot glasses for $1.25
Visit in April for the annual Chocolate Festival
a lovely option is stay in the aforementioned pousada in the town’s castle
The climate in Peniche runs cool compared to the inland Alentejo region and the warmer
January and February are the coldest months
with highs of 57 F and overnight lows of 50 F
Summertime temperatures range from about 70 F down to 63 F
it compares well to the much wetter Porto to the north
One ideal time to visit is on the third Sunday of July
Lacemakers from all around Europe—even India
where the Portuguese introduced lacemaking in Goa—gather to preserve and celebrate their craft
you may want to wait until the fall to visit
That’s when an annual surfing competition on Superturbos beach
the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal brings fans flocking every October
Fly from New York’s JFK to the capital, Lisbon
rent a car and you’ll arrive in Peniche in an hour or so
you can also see popular sites like Fátima
home to the Convent of Christ of Knights Templar fame
The budget-conscious will be happy to hear that Portugal has the second lowest cost of living in Europe after Bulgaria
but if you planned on a monthly rental of $500 as noted above
that Peniche proper does not have its own station
so you’ll still have to take a taxi or Uber or bus into town
Featured Image Copyright: ©iStock.com/Xsandra
Portugal Deep DivesClimate in Portugal
The extreme wind phenomenon that hit Peniche on Sunday
with gusts between 90 and 120 kilometres per hour
“It was effectively a tornado for two reasons: the type of damage that occurred in very limited areas
we have a photograph that clearly shows the vortex over the water a kilometre or so southwest of the city of Peniche and which will have spread over the water before reaching land”
based on calculations from the Fujita and Torro climate scales and taking into account the type of damage caused
the meteorologist estimated that the tornado produced gusts “between 90 and 115 to 120 kilometres per hour”
It occurred around 3pm and “wouldn’t have lasted much more than a minute
the North and Center regions of Mainland Portugal were hit by a cold frontal surface associated with the Floriane depression
Despite the nucleus being located in the southwest of Ireland
around two thousand kilometres from Portugal
the cold frontal surface moved “quite south and it was this activity that developed
the existing weather conditions were not predictable and “were very early” for the occurrence of a tornado
The tornado caused damage to 21 houses in the city of Peniche
without causing any victims or displacement
The Portuguese stage of the main circuit of the World Surfing League (WSL)
and the big wave event in Nazaré produced revenues of over 23 million euros in 2024
Lisbon School of Economics & Management
The 'lion's share' of revenues is related to the consumption of goods and services during stays to observe the events
with Peniche spectators spending 13.3 million euros and Nazaré fans 1.7 million (in a single day)
transport 2.5 million euros and food 2.8 million euros
while 3.5 million euros came from other sectors of activity
accommodation €567,000 and the other €601,000
the Peniche stage reached 3.5 million euros and the Nazaré stage reached 800 thousand euros
the amount spent by the event sponsors was not taken into account
nor were the economic impacts related to the image as a result of media exposure (written media
television and internet) taken into account
When it comes to the origin of foreign visitors
Italy and Canada are also among the countries of origin for a significant proportion of visitors
whose responsibility for collecting and processing data lies with the WSL
and which is based on 1,500 questionnaires
a sample error of 3% and a confidence level of 95%
shows that the majority of spectators are between 18 and 44 years and that 94% have academic studies
It was the small and enigmatic Berlengas archipelago that drew us to Peniche harbour
but the islands off its coast often get overlooked
Every morning a couple of hardy passenger boats bounce over eight miles of waves from the peninsula of Peniche to Berlenga Grande
We took our seats on deck between sacks of onions and oranges and
flecked with sea-spray and followed by flocks of screaming gulls
we watched green hills emerge from blue waves ahead
the goods are unloaded with gulls wheeling and cawing overhead
Seabirds nest everywhere: in the island’s grass
we followed a footpath to a pair of sandy beaches
The sea is warmer here than at the more open mainland stretches and
it is as still and clear as sea-green stained glass and offers fantastic diving
An arched bridge zigzags from the main island to the 17th-century fortress of St John the Baptist
Monks used to provide shelter here for seafaring people
whose water lapping inside is lit up by its quartz stone walls
View image in fullscreenPeniche beach. Photograph: Edwina PitcherWe explored nearby caves with a snorkel but took a trip with AcuaSubOeste to sea caves such as Cova do Sonho and the shallow wreck of an Italian steamer
its cargo of marble has created a rich and strange habitat that attracts lobsters
Restaurants facing the seafront and old fortress offer seafood: razor clams
mussels and local delicacy percebes (gooseneck barnacles)
We headed into the tangle of streets and bars behind to the colourful Bar São Pedro
which had caldeirada (Portuguese fish stew) chalked up on the menu outside
Our favourite haunt was the Sol é Vida snack bar
where we ate the freshest of dressed crab while looking out to sea
The west-facing Peniche peninsula is perfect for sunset
once thought to be the most westerly tip of Europe
have been sculpted by the ocean over millennia
we left the buzz of town for coastal paths looking out to Nau dos Corvos
a rock pinnacle resembling a half-shipwrecked vessel
and followed steps down into smooth caves at Gruta da Furninha and Varanda de Pilatos
and here we watched the sun slip into the ocean behind the archipelago
Sandwiches and fresh fish fuel a day trip to the Berlengas Islands
Welcome back to Travel, Eat, Repeat: Eater’s new series produced, edited, and hosted by filmmaker and vlogger Iz Harris
On this episode the Harris family is headed to Peniche — a small city most known for its beautiful long beaches and for being a very popular destination among surfers
and other breakfast favorites at Celeiro Cafe — a small cafe in the city center — Harris and her family get ready for a day voyage to the Berlengas Islands
a group of islands and natural reserve just off the coast of Portugal
The real highlight of any trip to Peniche is the family’s meal at Profresco — a seafood market and sit down restaurant serving only the freshest seafood from all along the coast
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Surfetv, and Alex of Hidden Bay Resort were somewhere behind us, while Pedro Boonman was somewhere ahead of us with one of the best surf photographers in the business, Andre Carvalho
We finally were made aware of our destination: Peniche
my hopes were dashed by my own (lack of) talent and the fact that when we would pull up at dawn the next morning
as Pedro Boonman would put it with a slightly awed look on his face
“one of the biggest days I’ve ever seen there.” Since it was my first time seeing it
it was bigger than I’ve ever seen it
Leaving Cascais and heading north up the Portuguese coastline is a trip made for van camping
I will return and be a cliché in a rented van chasing waves
Portugal truly is a stunning place — all white painted concrete houses
splashed in places with colorful tiles and terra cotta-style roofs
hanging off a thousand balconies overlooking the Atlantic
Immense fields of grapes stretch over the land
waiting for the day they begin to bear the fruit that creates some of the finest wine that’s ever passed my lips
thirsty Norfolk pines sit along the roadside
backed by rows of planted eucalyptus draining the soil of all moisture
something occurred to me: everything moves slowly in Portugal except the traffic
It’s as though the drivers all realized that they have spent far too much time drinking wine and laughing with friends in beautiful cafés
and now they must make up for it by driving as though they have a baby crowning in the backseat and the hospital is still an hour away
because it turns out that it’s just as nice — if not nicer — than Cascais
Everything was white and bright when we arrived
the wispy cirrus clouds drifting to wherever clouds drift to
Stunning golf courses roll towards the sea
their perfect green fairways butting into the dunes standing guard over miles of empty beaches
a Von Froth sweatshirt on his back and a freshly minted third Perfect Chapter title under his belt
an exceedingly friendly surfer from São Tomé was there with him
the latter of which had a freshly minted Perfect Chapter second-place finish under his belt
Surf check with Nic von Rupp, Ace Buchan, and Mikey February. Photo: Andre Carvalho
The breeze was unseasonably cold and the surf was rudely shoved from behind by the onshore wind
“Looks like California,” he responded
they are professional surfers and there were waves
so the boards came out and so did the wetsuits
The water here is warm by my Canadian standards
average by Mikey’s South African standards
and fucking freezing by Clay and Ace’s tropical standards
As we stood on a bluff overlooking what was
rubbing his hands together the way he does when he’s excited
It’s as though he’s trying to start a fire with two sticks
“There’s no one on it!” There was no one on it
Clay paddled out to this wave that did not not exist
picking his way carefully over the dunes towards us with a towel draped over his shoulder
“I just see a wave with no one on it,” he told me
“and I try and make something out of nothing.”
Clay Marzo, making something out of nothing. Photo: Andre Carvalho
windblown trash waves into stunning little canvasses painted with the finest of brush strokes
The photographers were hidden in the dunes like peeping toms with only the best intentions
The waves that day, just a day or two after the Perfect Chapter ran in conditions that were far better than anyone could have hoped for
“Rui made the best call ever,” Boonman told me as he was toweling off
“That was the best day of the year at Carcavelos
There are so many moving parts with a contest like that
so making the call with 72 hours notice must put so much pressure on him.”
we packed up and headed to our new digs in yet another stunningly pretty town called Caldas da Rainha
We ended up at yet another restaurant called Tasca do Joel that served one of the best dishes I’ve had so far in my life
Pedro Boonman, Mikey February, Nic von Rupp, and Ace Buchan, happily digesting. Photo: Andre Carvalho
Food and drink is life in Portugal — long lunches and longer dinners are the hinges of one’s day-to-day existence here
a tuna dish served in some kind of sweet garlic vinegar sauce
is something I could happily eat every day for the rest of my life
Clay ate immense amounts of freshly baked bread
The only thing that makes him as excited as waves do is food
One dish for the rest of my life? I’m choosing this. Photo: Andre Carvalho
we had another stop to make before our new hotel
Óbidos is a mediaeval town that looks as though you’ve walked through a time warp
Built before the Romans showed up in the Iberian Peninsula
After it became part of the queen’s estate — the Casa das Rainhas — it did very well
soaring parapets protect a castle surrounded by a maze of streets lined in small white houses
Jéjé couldn’t help himself and lay down on his stomach on an outer wall
plucking a handful of oranges to hand out to all of us
Manueline porticoes and a strangely high number of churches
some with bars over the open window and all still with fresh flowers on altars
allow the visitor to feel what it might have been like way back then
Ace Buchan, Mikey February, Pedro Boonman, and Nic von Rupp ponder the wonders of ginjinha to warm the stomach. Photo: Andre Carvalho
There’s a certain gravity to the place; a solemnity easily spoiled by the stuffed animals and tourist trinkets on offer where a person whose hands laid some of the millions of stones that make Óbidos probably lived
“I feel like such a tourist here,” Clay told me from atop one of the outer walls
its ancient streets crowded with visitors taking selfies
I stood on a wall as the sun dipped and church bells began to echo through the streets
It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the past in a moment like that
Standing on stones put carefully in place hundreds of years ago by someone long dead tends to give me a strangely melancholy feeling in the pit of my stomach
It’s slightly sad to compare the beauty of what those old hands made with the asphalt roads crawling with speeding vehicles
what we’ve created will be looked at by future people
Clay Marzo and Pedro Boonman in Obidos. Photo: Andre Carvalho
As evening began to pull the curtains on the day, we arrived in Caldas. The streets are narrow and cobbled, Peugots fighting for parking and eventually finding it wherever the car will fit. Graffiti covers some of the buildings.
At dinner that night, as I asked about Caldas, Andre Carvalho said something that I thought was a joke. “You know what the most famous Caldas handicraft thing is?” He asked. “It’s dicks. Small dicks, big dicks, anything. It’s dicks.”
Ceramic dicks are all the rage. Photo: Haro
Doris Peniche, a former CHP overtime coordinator at the East Los Angeles office, claimed her colleagues improperly viewed and shared her sexual photos and videos after obtaining the material through a search warrant.
She sued CHP and several individuals for negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and distribution of private sexual material, among other charges. The jury ruled in her favor Thursday after a three-week trial.
The overtime probe that led to Peniche’s phone being searched first became public in 2019, when CHP Southern Division Chief Mark Garrett held a news conference alleging dozens of officers had bilked the agency for unworked hours.
The search warrant for Peniche’s phone data, including photos and cell tower pings, was issued in July 2018.
Garrett said officers assigned to protect Caltrans workers repairing Southern California freeways billed CHP for eight-hour overtime shifts even when the protection detail did not take that long.
Officers at the East L.A. station claimed at least $360,000 worth of fraudulent overtime, Garrett said.
Dozens were relieved of duty, and the California attorney general’s office filed felony fraud and theft charges against 54 officers from the station.
California
A woman was accused of child abuse while pregnant with a baby who is now presumed dead. Child welfare officials in California and Utah did little to intervene.
The roster cleave was so broad that it triggered an agency-wide shuffling of staff because the station was home to only approximately 100 officers to begin with.
Though the case gained headlines and was touted as a major corruption investigation by the CHP and attorney general, charges against all but one defendant have since been dismissed.
Peniche was fired from the CHP in May 2019 amid the investigation, her lawyer, Charles Murray, said.
Murray argued during the civil trial that CHP investigators improperly shared the sexual content from her device with one another and with at least one other employee outside of the case, Murray said.
Members of the criminal investigation team uploaded the content onto a shared drive, witnesses testified, and also shared it with administrators.
Lt. Martin Geller, who was author of the search warrant, discovered photos and videos of Peniche giving and receiving oral sex upon his initial review of the evidence. He told other investigating officers about the content in order to alert them, he testified.
Geller was following CHP policy that potential evidence be shared with the administrative team, he said.
Murray questioned that policy, arguing it didn’t make sense and ultimately harmed Peniche.
“You have an investigator that knows there’s sex material and it is highly sensitive,” Murray said in court. “It doesn’t appear to be relevant, but he goes ahead and uploads it to the criminal shared drive. You decide if that policy makes sense.”
Where internal investigators saw corruption in the overtime investigation, attorneys for the accused officers and a number of former CHP leaders saw “standard operating procedure.”
The difference between an officer’s written account of a fight in Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and video of the incident raises concerns about the reports, which can be used in court.
Officers assigned to Caltrans overtime details routinely remained on call for a full eight hours even if they were not in the field and were entitled to the extra pay because they could be called back to the repair site, attorneys argued in a dismissal motion filed in 2022.
That approach had been the procedure established by CHP since at least 2010, according to a number of former CHP executives including ex-Southern Division Chiefs William Siegel and Art Acevedo.
In late 2022, an L.A. County Superior Court judge reduced the charges to misdemeanors, granting the 54 officers entry into a diversion program as long as they satisfied certain requirements including paying restitution.
All but one have paid restitution and had their cases dismissed, according to the attorney general’s office. The remaining officer, Pedro Chavez, is due back in court in August.
Former L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, who represented some of the officers at disciplinary hearings, called the overtime prosecution “shameful” and “one of the great frauds by corrupt law enforcement in California history.”
Ironically, he said, the state spent more money attempting to prosecute officers than they ever alleged was stolen.
CHP Sgts. Robert Ruiz and Matt Lentz on the administrative team shared the material with Capt. Melissa Hammond, who was a lieutenant at the time, Peniche’s complaint said.
The complaint also said Hammond told CHP Sgt. Connie Guzman that the images “confirmed” rumors that had been circulating about Peniche having multiple sexual partners, including her brother-in-law.
Murray denied the rumors and said that the images did not show Peniche with her brother-in-law or with multiple men. He also said that Hammond and others acted outside the scope of their duties to intentionally harm Peniche.
“They are trying to see if there’s enough material to fire over 50 people,” he said of the overtime investigation. “Why was my client’s folder the only one with a subfolder of photos? Was it because she was the overtime coordinator or was it because she was disliked immensely?”
Several Southern California law enforcement agencies use drones in a variety of scenarios including hostage situations, missing persons and 911 response.
Defense lawyer Joseph Wheeler said his clients appropriately reviewed the content as part of their investigation.
“You can’t determine whether something’s relevant unless you actually review it,” he said during the trial.
Wheeler attempted to place some responsibility on Peniche, arguing that she should not have allowed sexual photos of herself to be taken.
“Once that search warrant is issued for the data on your phone, any expectation of privacy is gone,” he said. “If you wanted to keep your body private, why would you let other people take photos of you?”
Although Peniche testified that she was concerned about where her sexual material was spread and who had access to it, Wheeler said there was no evidence the content was leaked outside of CHP.
Before deliberations, Murray told the jury to look beyond CHP’s evidence policies when deciding the case.
“You can send a message and say, ‘I don’t care what your policy is, that ain’t right what you did,’” he said.
Caroline Petrow-Cohen is a Business reporter at the Los Angeles Times covering electric vehicles and aviation. She is a graduate of Duke University, where she studied journalism, English and environmental science and policy.
James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles County’s criminal courts, the district attorney’s office and juvenile justice issues for the Los Angeles Times.
World & Nation
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Headliners announced for the Peniche Festival.
and GNR are among the musicians confirmed for the Peniche Festival
which takes place between 12 July and 6 August
The concert programme starts on the 26 July with Moonspell and continues with Os Quatro e Meia (27 July)
Richie Campbell (4 August) and GNR (5 August)
there are also performances by other groups or DJs
The concerts will have paid admission between eight and 10 euros per night
with the exception of the one tonight which is free
is also known for the only nighttime maritime procession in the country
which has been held on the night of the 3 August for more than seven decades
The sea procession includes dozens of boats not only from Peniche but also from Nazaré and Ribamar
which head out to sea decorated and illuminated
The procession culminates with the launch of fireworks from the marina
visitors can also have fun on several carousels
or shop at the traditional fair with dozens of traders
Surfing is great. Surfers, on the other hand, can be not so great. Image: Schwartz
can sometimes not be so great–this is my experience a few days ago in Peniche
and it was love at first sight (read: ride)
but at that time I was living in the UK where I went on spending many lovely weekends surfing beautiful breaks in Cornwall
Fast forward to the beginning of this year
one of the most famous surf destinations in Europe
I’ve always known that local surfers want to keep some surf spots for themselves; no foreigners allowed
I never agreed with this attitude in the slightest
but I also thought that starting my sabbatical by fighting with my new neighbors wasn’t the greatest idea
Not to mention that there was plenty of room and waves for everyone
so I kept surfing away from the more localized spots
local surf spots were not invented in Peniche
This extremely anti-social attitude is quite common in surf areas around the world
and you can read many reports about Californian local surfers assaulting outsiders all the time
I was walking by my place with a Portuguese friend and my dog
My dog saw a cat and briefly managed to escape and run after the cat
even a five year old kid knows that a cat runs ten time faster than any dog
By the time I collected my dog–not even 200 feet away
desperately looking around as the cat had magically disappeared–a Portuguese guy
He started insulting both of us in a mix of Portuguese and English
with the usual crap: “This is my place,” and “Go back to your country or something bad will happen to you,” and so on and so forth
I am not sure whether telling foreigners “to go back to your country
or something bad will happen to you” would really help his business
Not satisfied by having insulted and threatened us
he thought that his best move would be to call a couple of local thugs to have a fight in the middle of the day
but again I’m talking about 40–50 year old grown men here) stopped their car just next to us
do it” was enough to make him go away (my lucky day?)
but not before throwinga series of racist comments against Italians coming to Portugal at me
He must have attended the same School of Tourism and Hospitality as his very brave friend who called him in
just for a dog running for 30 seconds after a cat
are trying to make a living out of tourism — would deal with their foreign guests should something slightly more serious happen
blend with it and learn to respect the nature and people around you
surf communities are often polluted with people who behave way worse than stray dogs (and trust me
there are quite a few of them here in Peniche — local cats
Let’s not be afraid of the threats coming from local thugs
and let’s hope that they will represent an ever smaller part of our surfing communities
Peniche fortress was used to hold dissidents under Portugal’s dictatorship
The guards have long abandoned their posts at Peniche fortress
leaving sentry duty to the seagulls and cormorants that speckle its ancient battlements
Around and beneath the birds are builders in hardhats and hi-vis vests
the occasional architect and an old man who is delighted to see the most notorious political prison of the Portuguese dictatorship stir back to life as a stone-and-concrete testimony to its own many and varied cruelties
Few people know Peniche better than Domingos Abrantes. The communist politician, now 83 and a member of Portugal’s council of state, spent 12 years in prison under the authoritarian Estado Novo regime of António de Oliveira Salazar
a 16th-century fortress that was used as a jail for dissidents and opponents of the regime between 1934 and 1974
“People used to say this was the worst of the fascist prisons,” says Abrantes
“It was the only prison where people were held in individual cells
The whole system here was designed to make everything hard
We didn’t have any books and most of the time were were in isolation and couldn’t speak to each other.”
On 27 April – the 45th anniversary of the prison’s closing following the Carnation revolution – the fortress will reopen as the National Museum of Resistance and Freedom
An inaugural exhibition will take place alongside the unveiling of a memory wall inscribed with the names of the 2,500 people who passed through its gates under the Estado Novo
The Portuguese government stepped in two years ago after plans to turn part of the fort into a hotel provoked anger from the people of Peniche
Although there are smaller museums dedicated to prisoners of the regime in the capital
the Peniche project will be the first national centre and is intended to teach people about the country’s past
this is a way to show younger generations what the country was like under fascism,” says Paula Araújo da Silva
the government’s head of cultural heritage
We want schools to come here and to see what was here so that it doesn’t happen again.”
With the far right once again rising in Europe
Abrantes is one of the former prisoners who have shared their recollections of Peniche as part of the historical memory project
the prison’s geography and petty routines remain fresh in his mind
He hops over duckboards and around piles of building materials to point out the spot from which a brave inmate intent on freedom plunged into the sea
the roof terrace where prisoners were allowed an hour of fresh air a day and the cold
wet and dark chamber used for solitary confinement
narrow cell where he spent seven solitary years remains much as it was – apart from the odd detail
The cupboard that housed his slopbucket is empty
his bed has gone and the drilling and shouts of workmen echo along the corridor
Mindful of the fort’s beautiful location high above the waves of the Atlantic
the authorities had cell windows whitewashed so prisoners were denied a view
View image in fullscreenFormer political prisoner Domingos Abrantes inside the fortress in Peniche
Photograph: Rafael Marchante/ReutersAbrantes’ memories are of dozens of daily whistles and a similarly incessant brutality
“The whole system worked with whistles,” he says
to go to our beds at night – all the orders were given by whistle.”
He remembers the guard who boasted of fighting in the Spanish civil war and belonging to a firing squad: “He used to say that having political prisoners was a waste of money.”
a guard came across a board drawn on the floor in chalk
and confiscated the stones the prisoners had been using as pieces
The inmate who called the guard a thief was punished with 17 days in solitary confinement
“There was a permanent state of conflict between us and the guards,” says Abrantes
Worse still was the fact that the secret police could arbitrarily extend people’s original sentences for “security reasons”
Some prisoners suffered mental breakdowns and some died in prison five or six years after completing their terms
Abrantes says he preferred being in a single cell to being held in a group and that he even feels a certain sense of calm when he returns to the fortress
standing in the room that was once the governor’s office
he remembers the day he was told to let a fellow prisoner know that his wife had killed herself
He puts a hand over his heart and turns away
Portugal, like neighbouring Spain, is still struggling to come to terms with a long dictatorship
“There’s been a policy of wiping out this memory,” he says
there’s no museum and there’s practically no information about fascism in school textbooks
The Portuguese people paid a high price for the loss of 48 years of freedom
so if the younger people feel that freedom just dropped from the sky
He hopes Peniche will remind people that freedoms can be lost as well as won
“This is the danger: freedom is not guaranteed,” he says
This fortress is one of the last remaining symbols of fascism
European Seafood Investment Portugal (ESIP)
has officially inaugurated their new factory store
which will sell ESIP’s own brand creation Peniche Can by Thai Union as well as other ESIP products that are exported to three continents
Thai Union executives and dignitaries inaugurated the Peniche Can Store
Minister Counsellor Supamas Yunyasit of the Thai Embassy and Henrique Batista Antunes
said: “Our brand-new factory store and our new brand Peniche Can by Thai Union with its Peniche Can Surf range of products are a celebration of Peniche as a playground for surfers from Portugal and all over the world
Our store is right next to the beach and at the heart of our community
We’re all proud to live and work here and our Peniche Can Store will show people from near and far that we’re responsibly producing seafood products that make their way all over the world – from right here in Peniche.”
Europe Operations Director at parent company Thai Union
said: “ESIP is an important pillar of the Leiria district’s economy
and it’s one of our most versatile plants in Europe
We’re employing over 850 people from Peniche and the surrounding area
so this store and our new brand Peniche Can is our way of sharing our passion for seafood with the community and with the people in Portugal.”
Peniche Can Surf celebrates Portugal’s status as a surfer’s paradise
The factory created Peniche Can by Thai Union as a reverence to Peniche's fishing heritage (with the upcoming Peniche Can Fish range of products) and its vibrant community of surfers (Peniche Can Surf)
ESIP is the fourth-largest exporting company of its home district Leiria and is exporting its products to three continents
More than 850 employees operate 8 production lines
which can process 90 different recipes and 16 fish species
generating a yearly turnover of EUR 84 million
Peniche Can will be for sale on site and nationally via penichecan.pt. If you’d like to learn more about the brand and its products, please check out their Instagram page instagram.com/penichecansurf
Thai Union Group PCL is the world's seafood leader
tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for 46 years
Thai Union is regarded as one of the world's leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 155.6 billion (US$ 4.4 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable
The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea
and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ®BONE
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Leading seafood producer Thai Union has launched a new factory store
brand and product range in Peniche on Portugal’s west coast that draws on the region’s “vibrant community of surfers”
Thai Union – via its subsidiary European Seafood Investment Portugal (ESIP) – has opened a new factory store in Portugal called Peniche Can by Thai Union, which will sell ESIP’s new brand creation Peniche Can Surf
a selection of tuna salads that speaks to the region’s surfing community
along with other ESIP products that are exported to three continents
said in a press release: “Our brand-new factory store and our new brand
with its Peniche Can Surf range of products are a celebration of Peniche as a playground for surfers from Portugal and all over the world
We’re all proud to live and work here and our Peniche Can store will show people from near and far that we’re responsibly producing seafood products that make their way all over the world – from right here in Peniche.”
Europe operations director at parent company Thai Union
added: “ESIP is an important pillar of the Leiria district’s economy
and it’s one of our most versatile plants in Europe
We’re employing over 850 people from Peniche and the surrounding area
is our way of sharing our passion for seafood with the community and with the people in Portugal.”
The Peniche Can Surf product range starts with a selection of tuna salads and will be available at the new Peniche Can by Thai Union store and nationwide via the company’s website
a péniche near Bordeaux is now their home and workplace
You could say that the couple had already led unconventional lives before they chose to live on the river.
Yann (48) and Ombline (46) met in 2011 when paragliding over the Dune du Pilat
both were microlight pilots working in film: Ombline made TV documentaries and Yann worked in corporate films
They soon teamed up personally and professionally
“Having spent years living on a sailing boat
I found that I could no longer live far from water
particularly in an urban area,” explains Ombline
so in 2012 we decided to live on a barge so we could cast off at every opportunity.”
Read more: Make sense of… boating in France
The couple fell in love with a 1930s péniche
and by 2013 they’d moved south to Castets-et-Castillon on the Canal latéral à la Garonne
where they spent seven years continuing to make documentaries and returning to their floating home whenever possible.
“We bought the barge already fitted out and felt comfortable in it immediately,” says Yann.
“It’s nearly 30 metres long and just over 5 metres wide
with a total of 115m² of living space.
"Unlike most barges with living quarters in the hull
with 360-degree views and a hydraulic floor that means you can lower the dining area
kitchen and part of the deck to pass under bridges.”
The main deck has an open-plan kitchen-diner and living space
with a small corridor leading to the master suite
can watch the surface of the river from their window.
The family has an oil-fired boiler for heating
electricity and even fibre-optic internet connection
The barge is named Marajó after the world's largest river island
which has played a significant part in Ombline’s life.
Ombline spent many years globetrotting as a microlight pilot and long-distance sailor
she spent half her time working in the Amazon rainforest
which had to be treated locally with natural remedies
This fostered an interest in plant life and their healing potential
Read more: ‘€8,000 barge in France gave us an off-grid retirement’
“When I was battling infertility, I learned about naturopathic approaches, which led to me becoming a mother, an energy therapist, and finally a naturopath, which came as a logical extension.
“After seven years of practice, I'm absolutely convinced naturopathy can improve wellbeing and health, and that the benefits are boosted by being on the water.
“Clearly, the Garonne is very different from the Amazon, but it exudes a regenerating energy and here it’s wide enough to feel like the sea at times.
"The colours are constantly changing depending on the light, but above all, we’re living with the element of water, which truly is the essence of life.”
“Since 2020, we’ve been moored in Bordeaux’s La Bastide district on the right bank of the Garonne,” says Yann.
“As someone who has always been passionate about the oceans, rivers and skies, it’s amazing to be able to find this work-life balance. I can choose to take on certain film projects but I mostly focus on our family, maintaining the boat and developing our business.”
Their business ‘Naturaflo’ is all about wellbeing on water, offering yoga classes and treatments combined with a river cruise.
The couple are sharing their profound love of nature by sharing their space.
The early days of the business – during the Covid crisis and its various restrictions – were far from plain sailing, but the business is now flourishing.
Yann got his pleasure-craft licence so he can take the narrowboat upriver for cruises, and guests can enjoy yoga or sophrology sessions, massages as well as the onboard hot tub, with panoramic river scenery.
The boat is also available for exclusive hire, for team-building events and conferences, or unique wellbeing breaks.
Yann and Ombline are constantly aware of the environment for their children.
“Although the girls have grown up on the river, we're extremely vigilant, you can never take safety for granted,” says Yann, “but this is counterbalanced by countless advantages.
"Every day, we can watch the sunrise and sunset, hear the lapping water and birdsong, and the deck is big enough for us to kick a ball around. Carefully!”
“I never intended to train as a practitioner,” adds Ombline, “but this was a unique opportunity for us.
"Living and working on our péniche means I spend my days combining the benefits of water with natural therapies, sharing something I’m truly passionate about with as many people as possible. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
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Kerovpyan says, “The Peniche is a space where we aim to provide a warm welcome to all people. We also hope that Armenians from around the world who are passing through Paris will think of this as a home away from home.”
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