Portugal - The Simple Life

Steven Braekeveldt , originally from Belgium, has been living in Portugal for the last 5 years.  He is a history nut, book author and CEO of Ageas Portugal, one of Europe’s biggest insurance companies. We discuss, amongst other things, food, wine, history, culture, what Steven loves about living in Portugal , how Portugal can be better and how it's the Portuguese people that make our country...

‘The Fragrant Lady’ Claudia Camacho , born and raised in Portugal, lives in the mysterious town of Sintra and is Portugal’s only independent perfume maker. She and Dylan discuss, amongst other things, the challenges of producing luxury products in Portugal , why Claudia loves her hometown more at certain parts of the year than others, being an independent perfume maker and why Portugal smells good...

The challenges of building a home in Portugal, choosing the right contractor and the benefits of modern properties are some of the topics Davide Patricio , Chairman of Leisure Launch property group talks about in this episode of ‘ All things property ’. Join us in discovering the many joys of building a dream home n Portugal and also what to look out for ! FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Leisure Launch Group we...

Cecilia Turriago, half Colombian and half Mexican, is a sustainable energy specialist who spends her time between Portugal and Mexico. In this episode, she shares how Portugal is ahead of the game in terms of sustainable energy and what the country is doing to improve even more its use of renewable energy .  Other topics she talks to Dylan about include soup, safety, certain parts of the Portugues...

This week, Dylan is enjoyed by a former helicopter pilot and current airline pilot Ricardo Nunes. They discuss, amongst other things, what Ricardo appreciates about living in Portugal with such a stressful job, why Ricardo enjoys coming home, the most beautiful landings, some scary landings and Portugal from a bird's eye view.    FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Ricardo on LinkedIn ABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE...

Dylan chats with Sofia Noronha , founder and producer of Sagesse Productions who brought hit shows to Portugal such as ' Fast & Furious ' and ' House of the Dragon '. They discuss, amongst other things, the cinematic potential of Portugal, what Sofia loves about her country, the fabulous Monsanto Castle where House of the Dragon' was filmed and loopholes in the baby na...

On this edition of ' My Home in Portugal ’, Dylan chats with Alain and Christof, a couple from Belgium who fell in love with Portugal. Alain & Christoff share why they bought a property on Portugal’s Silver Coast and how they are living the simple life .  ABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE LIFE PODCAST: "Portugal - The simple life”, an insider's perspective to Portugal. We already know a...

This week, for a Christmas special, Dylan goes to Atelier do Doce , one of the Silver Coast’s most famous pastry shops. He speaks to the owner and head pastry chef, Catarina Saraiva, about its history and also visits the factory to see some delicious cakes and pastries being made. But it wouldn’t be a Christmas special without talking about the traditional Portuguese Christmas cake: "Bolo Rei...

Dylan is joined by two-time Emmy Award winner Mike Pricket. Mike is a cinematographer from Hawaii, famous for the works like Chasing Mavericks, X-Men 2 and the HBO documentary 100 Foot Wave. They discuss, amongst other things, Mike's incredible story about what got him into the water shooting some of the amazing footage that he is famous for, sharks, food, Fatima, The 100-Foot Wave and what,...

Dylan is joined by renowned Fado guitarist Marta Pereira da Costa. Marta is also one of the only professional female fado guitarists in Portugal and shares why she loves this music so much, what makes the Fado guitar so unique in the way it looks and sounds and just for Portugal The Simple Life Listeners, Marta plays an original piece on her Fado guitar.  FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Marta on Instagram ABOUT...

Dylan is joined by international comedian Tamer Kattan. Tamer is born in Egypt, raised in America and a human loophole with a Jewish mom and an Arab father, but he has a home and his heart in Portugal. They discuss, amongst other things, why he chose Portugal, Spanish prisons, Portuguese prisons and the real reason Portugal is so slippery.  WARNING: This episode contains some adult humour and adul...

Directly from his favourite castle in Portugal, Dylan is in Óbidos joined by Cecilia Ribeiro, born and raised in the area and a talented jewellery designer and jewellery maker. They discuss, amongst other things, what she appreciates about living and growing up in the area, how she got to the point of designing and making these incredible pieces, Obidos castle and why it’s so unique and how where...

Dylan is joined by resident ‘Proud of Portugal’ expert Ricardo Monteiro for another edition of the ‘Proud of Portugal’ series. Dylan and Ricardo once again chat about everything that makes them proud of Portugal, including current events, a historical account, architecture, something made in Portugal and a charming story about Ricardo’s 98-year-old mom… FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Ricardo on LinkedIn   ABOU...

Dylan is joined by Apolonia Rodrigues, the president at Dark Sky Alqueva, an award-winning travel destination in Alentejo Portugal where people visit from all over the world to find themselves under the darkest skies and brightest stars. They discuss, amongst other things, what it means to experience Portuguese hospitality, living the Alentejo life, feeling big and small at the same time and disco...

Dylan is joined by Portuguese journalist, food critic and book author Ricardo Felner. They discuss, amongst other things, raising food snobs, transitioning from investigative journalism to food writing, eating tarantulas and, finally, a favourite subject on the podcast, food in Portugal! Some of the weird and wonderful things to eat, happy pigs and why in Portugal you should try just about everyth...

Joana Moscoso and Afonso Bento are both born and raised in Portugal and work for Native Scientist , a social enterprise that connects scientists with children across Europe to reduce inequalities, promote quality education and celebrate diversity. We discuss, amongst other things, living a balanced life, being a scientist in Portugal, staircases, winning a UNESCO prize, what makes them proud of Po...

Dylan is joined by Ricardo and Joao Botas, the founders of the photography project ‘ As pessoas fazem os lugares ’ ( The people make the places) , which documents the lives of everyday people in Portugal, such as fishermen, farmers, craftspeople, shop owners and many others. We recorded this interview at one of their exhibitions, so for listeners, pop over to our YouTube or Facebook to see some of...

Dylan is joined by special guests and TV personalities from the Netherlands Arno Reymakers and Sanne Heyen. As hosts of the popular  TV show ‘Way of Living’ , Arno and Sanne share their experience of Portugal and why more and more people are considering Portugal for not only a second home but also a place to live. We discuss, amongst other things, wine, food, safety, an angry priest, stress-free s...

Dylan is joined by comedian Ines Coimbra. They discuss, amongst other things, the differences between people from the North & the South, Portuguese food like " francesinha " and a version of drunken chicken, trash, following construction workers and we try to answer the question ‘Are Portuguese people funny?’. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Ines Coimbra Instagram   ABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE LIFE...

In this week's episode, we celebrate the 3rd edition of Portugal The Simple Life Magazine and I am joined by some of my friends from the Leisure Launch Property Group who are a part of it.  We discuss, amongst other things, what they do, their article in the Magazine and their own 'hidden gems' on Portugal's Silver Coast.  Download the magazine...  It’s FREE: https://www.portug...

In this episode, Dylan speaks to Maddalena, a chef and artist who is originally from Italy and has lived most of her adult life in America. Now, Maddalena is living the simple life in Salir do Porto, on Portugal’s Silver Coast. This is some of her story… ABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE LIFE PODCAST: "Portugal - The simple life”, an insider's perspective to Portugal. We already know about Portu...

Dylan is joined by Paula Delgado. Like many of our Portuguese guests, Paula is a fascinating person with a diverse and interesting background. She’s an optimist, a mother and a creative and her job can’t be described in just a word or three. Paula uses narrative to develop brands and people so that they can be easily engaged.  They discuss, amongst other things, challenges, opportunities, space to...

Janz was born in the Philippines, raised in the UK and has lived happily in Portugal for the last 5 years. Janz is a film critic, a film creator and responsible for the incredible YouTube channel ‘In the mood for life’. They discuss, amongst other things, why he is happy in Portugal, exploring Portugal off the beaten track and how his YouTube channel gets people in the mood for Portugal. Full Podc...

Dylan is joined by Margaret J. Lloyd , a Portuguese writer and historian , to discuss the fascinating and very turbulent history of 19th-century Portugal , which included the French invasions, civil war, divided families, scandals and plagues, to name just a few...   FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Margaret on Instagram Margaret on Twitter ABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE LIFE PODCAST: "Portugal - The simple life...

Dylan is joined by Vasco Ribeiro Casais, a producer, composer and visual artist who plays 8 musical instruments. They discuss, amongst other things, the anatomy of a Portuguese ‘ festa ’, Vasco’s amazing project Omiri, which combines old stories with new music, and what he has learned about Portugal while doing this project. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: Omiri website Instagram Facebook  Spotify YouTube ABOUT...