# Braga lunch



## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

The next Braga lunch will be held on July 8th. If you fancy coming along and meeting new people, then let me know. These are not formal occasions, just food, wine and a natter.


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## jjnorty (May 14, 2009)

*Braga*



Margaret and Dave said:


> The next Braga lunch will be held on July 8th. If you fancy coming along and meeting new people, then let me know. These are not formal occasions, just food, wine and a natter.


Hi i have a few business clients in Braga but did not know that there was an expat presence in Braga. I currently am based near Tomar but travel regularly throughout Portugal. Is there a large expat presence in Braga, I would be keen to know. In fact other than Porto does the north of Portugal have a good english speaking expat presence? When are the Braga lunches held and where?

Looking forward to hearing from you

John

Leaping Ahead


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## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

*Braga lunches*



jjnorty said:


> Hi i have a few business clients in Braga but did not know that there was an expat presence in Braga. I currently am based near Tomar but travel regularly throughout Portugal. Is there a large expat presence in Braga, I would be keen to know. In fact other than Porto does the north of Portugal have a good english speaking expat presence? When are the Braga lunches held and where?
> 
> Looking forward to hearing from you
> 
> ...


Hi John,

The next ex pat lunch in Braga is at 1 00pm on Wednesday 8th September at A Ceia in Largo do Rechichno. (Go from the square with the fountains, turn left at the Vodaphone shop and the restaurant is on the right.) If you would like to come along, you would be very welcome. We usually meet monthly but people are busy in August.

I don't know how many expats live in Braga but I don't know many. However, there are lots of expats around Ponte de Lima and Viana de Castelo. There is an Alto Minho lunch every month which is usually help near Viana and lots of peolpe attend. The Braga lunches have been going for only 3 monthsand there are probably about 15 people although they do not necessarily all go to every lunch. We are really in the process of trying to build up attendance. Although most of us go to the Alto Minho lunches, we wanted something a bit nearer and also to get to know people living in this area.

Let me know if you would like to come to one of the lunches.

Best wishes

Margaret


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## jjnorty (May 14, 2009)

HI Margaret

Thank you for the update I was not aware that there were 2 lunches but I can understand that it would be easier to have a Braga get together as it is a fair drive down to Viana and then back again.

Just a quick question if you dont mind are the get togethers just lunch and socialising or are some of the attendees actively running businesses or working locally. I only ask as I still work and am not retired so meeting others who perhaps are still active is important to me as I am not at the stage where I can afford to retire.

Thanks again, and looking forward to meeting up..


John


QUOTE=Margaret and Dave;166443]Hi John,

The next ex pat lunch in Braga is at 1 00pm on Wednesday 8th September at A Ceia in Largo do Rechichno. (Go from the square with the fountains, turn left at the Vodaphone shop and the restaurant is on the right.) If you would like to come along, you would be very welcome. We usually meet monthly but people are busy in August.

I don't know how many expats live in Braga but I don't know many. However, there are lots of expats around Ponte de Lima and Viana de Castelo. There is an Alto Minho lunch every month which is usually help near Viana and lots of peolpe attend. The Braga lunches have been going for only 3 monthsand there are probably about 15 people although they do not necessarily all go to every lunch. We are really in the process of trying to build up attendance. Although most of us go to the Alto Minho lunches, we wanted something a bit nearer and also to get to know people living in this area.

Let me know if you would like to come to one of the lunches.

Best wishes

Margaret[/QUOTE]


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## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

Hi John,
Many of the people who go to the lunches, both in Braga and Viana, are retired. Some people run bed and breakfast places, but others are involved in different things. To be honest, I don't really know what lots of the Viana people do. If you are looking for business contacts, then I suppose it depends on your business. Certainly some people have come to the lunches hoping to make contacts. 

I don't know if this helps but let me know if you want any further information.

Best wishes

Margaret


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## jjnorty (May 14, 2009)

Thank you Margaret for your reply and help I do appreciate the banter and natter as well was just generally curious as you can imagine. I need to go see a business entreprise group in Braga in Sept but am still awaiting their confirmation of my meeting - so as soon as I know I will get back to you - I have diarised the date anyway for the 8 Sept.

Are you retired to Braga or still active...

Kind regards


John


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## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

Hi John,

Both Dave and I are retired teachers who moved here for the climate; we didn't realise that there was quite so much rain! Life here is obviously very different to the lives we led in the UK. We didn't know anyone so it was important that we looked for ways to meet others and the lunches gave us an opportunity to do this.

Let me know if you would like to come to the September lunch. 

Best wishes

Margaret


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## ofilha (Mar 22, 2009)

Margaret and Dave said:


> Hi John,
> 
> The next ex pat lunch in Braga is at 1 00pm on Wednesday 8th September at A Ceia in Largo do Rechichno. (Go from the square with the fountains, turn left at the Vodaphone shop and the restaurant is on the right.) If you would like to come along, you would be very welcome. We usually meet monthly but people are busy in August.
> 
> ...


Hi,
We are looking at potentially moving to Braga, can you tell me if there is much of a cafe life, and many things to do in Braga? I intended on moving to Lisbon but with the prices of apartments, i started looking around and from readings of books on medieval iberia, i started looking into Braga and found that it seems a very interesting city with many ancient monuments, churches, near Asturias, etc...
The one concern is that there may not be many things to do. I love cafes, restaurants, walking and movies. I am sure it's not like Lisbon but is there life in Braga? And is the city safe and clean? 
Thanks.
Joao Coelho


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## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

ofilha said:


> Hi,
> We are looking at potentially moving to Braga, can you tell me if there is much of a cafe life, and many things to do in Braga? I intended on moving to Lisbon but with the prices of apartments, i started looking around and from readings of books on medieval iberia, i started looking into Braga and found that it seems a very interesting city with many ancient monuments, churches, near Asturias, etc...
> The one concern is that there may not be many things to do. I love cafes, restaurants, walking and movies. I am sure it's not like Lisbon but is there life in Braga? And is the city safe and clean?
> Thanks.
> Joao Coelho


Hi,

Braga is a safe and clean place. The city centre has a really realaxed feel with lots of cafes and reastaurants although I don't know if I would describe it as an exciting place to live. There are plenty of cinemas. There are also lots of cultural activities and a good theatre which puts on a variety of events.The city council issues a monthly publication of what is going on.

The area around Braga is stunning with the Peneda Geres National Park and masses of walks and outdoor activities. One of the things that we like the best is walking along the Roman road.

Let me know if you want any further information.


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## ofilha (Mar 22, 2009)

*Braga*



Margaret and Dave said:


> Hi,
> 
> Braga is a safe and clean place. The city centre has a really realaxed feel with lots of cafes and reastaurants although I don't know if I would describe it as an exciting place to live. There are plenty of cinemas. There are also lots of cultural activities and a good theatre which puts on a variety of events.The city council issues a monthly publication of what is going on.
> 
> ...


Thank you and Happy New Year.
Just one more thing, rain. I read that it rains more than Seattle, Washington USA. 
And one more question, what about a car. One of the things we want to avoid is cars, i myself hate them. Lisbon has a grea public transportation system. I read that inside Braga one can just about walk anywhere, and as for travelling around the country, i plan to use their bus and train system. Is this feasible, or is owning a car a necessity? 
That was very good information. I appreciate your response.
Joao


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## Margaret and Dave (May 27, 2009)

ofilha said:


> Thank you and Happy New Year.
> Just one more thing, rain. I read that it rains more than Seattle, Washington USA.
> And one more question, what about a car. One of the things we want to avoid is cars, i myself hate them. Lisbon has a grea public transportation system. I read that inside Braga one can just about walk anywhere, and as for travelling around the country, i plan to use their bus and train system. Is this feasible, or is owning a car a necessity?
> That was very good information. I appreciate your response.
> Joao



I don't know about the rainfall in Seattle but we do get a lot of rain in Braga. The summers are great, hot and dry with occasional showers but winters can be wet with very heavy rain. However, unlike England, it's rarely really cold. It's the rain that makes this area so stunningly beautiful.

I think it is probably true that Braga is a relatively easy town in which to walk although it can be a bit hilly. I don't use the buses but there seem to be plenty of them.We live in a very small village up on a mountain and we have a bus service although there are only five or six buses a day. I suppose it depends on where you want to go and how quickly you want to get there. There is also a train service of course. 

Best wishes

Margaret

I suppose


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## ofilha (Mar 22, 2009)

Margaret and Dave said:


> I don't know about the rainfall in Seattle but we do get a lot of rain in Braga. The summers are great, hot and dry with occasional showers but winters can be wet with very heavy rain. However, unlike England, it's rarely really cold. It's the rain that makes this area so stunningly beautiful.
> 
> I think it is probably true that Braga is a relatively easy town in which to walk although it can be a bit hilly. I don't use the buses but there seem to be plenty of them.We live in a very small village up on a mountain and we have a bus service although there are only five or six buses a day. I suppose it depends on where you want to go and how quickly you want to get there. There is also a train service of course.
> 
> ...


Thanks again Margaret. Good stuff.


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