Turquel Local Custom Tips by MarioPortugal

Very rare fact: Snowing in Turquel.

I was born and raised in Turquel (Alcobaça, Portugal), a place where it doesn't usually Snow and I can pretty well remember the very first time I actually saw snowing !! - It happened in Chicago, USA, in February of 1999 and I was 29 then.

So, seeing snowing in my home village, Turquel, on January 29, 2006, I must confess I got a quite unusual feeling !! :)

The pictures on this Tip show how Turquel's centre, the Largo do Pelourinho -pillory's square-, looked like on that particular day.

It is said the previous time in snowed in Turquel was 17 years ago (I didn't see it then) !! - So, I might not be much wrong when saying that it snows in Turquel once every 20 years. Approximately.

Ti' Anibal's Barbershop

Anibal Honório Coelho, 78, born in Eiras, Turquel, in 1928, has been the local barber since long ago.

Mr Anibal was 15 years old when he started cutting hair. He started with kids only but soon later he was also given adult customers. Those were Mr Anibal's early working times.

Everything about his activity was learned by practicing. Nevertheless, despite having been working for over 60 years on this job, Mr Anibal says he's still learning from it. :-)

Price List (2006):
Hair .................... € 4.50
Shave ................. € 2.00
Hair & Shave ....... € 6.00

Click here to play my 32-sec amateur video featuring Mr Anibal Honório sharpening his barber's shaving blade.

Other Contact: Rua do Meio, 2460-816 Turquel

Maria Alice - one whole life selling Fish

Ms Maria Alice, 77, lives in Nazaré, the same town where she was born back in the year of 1929, and during all her life she has traveled to Turquel, located 24 Km (about 15 miles) away, to sell the Fish that has been brought to Nazaré's fishing port.

Long ago Maria Alice's mother use to come to Benedita to sell fish. Benedita is located only 6 Km (3.5 miles). In those times, when Maria Alice was just a little girl, life was very difficult and people in general were also very poor, Maria Alice was then left in Turquel by her mom to beg for some coins. Later, she started her own business in Turquel following her mother's profession.

This charismatic lady has been coming to Turquel almost every single day of her whole life. That's why nowadays her customers call her as Ti'-Alice (Aunt Alice), a traditional Portuguese designation when people get very acquainted and familiar between themselves.

Today sometimes it's possible to find Maria Alice's daughter and grand-daughter doing their fish selling at Turquel's market, thus making 3 generations of this family in Turquel at once.

Zita, Ti'-Alice's daughter, even says that despite being from Nazaré herself, she has spent half of her life in Turquel alone.