The Good Morning Portugal! podcast with Carl Munson

Carl Munson documents a quick round-trip from São Martinho do Porto to Tavira to celebrate Johnny Cocktail’s 65th birthday, traveling via Rede Expressos with a change in Lisbon/Sete Rios. He shares the comfort of the buses (Wi‑Fi, charging, air conditioning), kills time at the Jardim Zoológico area café in Lisbon overlooking the alligators, and narrates the southbound ride over the 25 de Abril Bri...

On Tuesday 1st September 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news leads with a warning on food security: drought and global conflict could push bread and staple prices higher from October, with Portugal producing only 20% of its own cereals.  Other headlines include Interior Minister Luís Neves saying he is calm about Chega’s no-confidence motion, Portugal hosting the world’s largest milita...

Carl Munson previews the updated Good Morning Portugal Show format and the launch of PortugalTalkRadio.com, featuring a top story, headlines, weather, currency, images/memes, and a way to book in as a live guest, with official relaunch set for 1 September and this episode dated 31 August 2026.  The top story highlights the Chronosphere Festival in Góis launching 18 September as Portugal’s first ne...

On Monday 31st August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news leads with the launch of Chronosphere Festival in Góis on 18 September - Portugal’s first neuro-inclusive event, offering an immersive forest experience with techno, ambient music and sensory-aware design. Other headlines include Prime Minister Luís Montenegro closing the PSD Summer University with new education announcements, N...

Is Crime Getting Worse in Portugal? What the Data (and Lisbon’s Periphery) Really Shows... This episode examines whether crime is getting worse in Portugal by comparing headlines and lived experience with official figures. It notes that overall reported crime fell 4.6% in 2024 and Portugal’s homicide rate remains very low, yet highlights concerning shifts: 108 homicides in 2025 (highest since 2018...

For Friday 28th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that one of four Portuguese citizens missing after the Nepal flash floods has been found alive and well, with searches continuing for the others.  Other headlines include the Polícia Judiciária director being accused of lying in court over allegedly unlawful surveillance, politicians downplaying the MAI controversy, the...

On Thursday 27 August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that foreign direct investment in Portugal reached €6.7 billion in the first half of 2026.  Other headlines include more than 100 Portuguese stranded in Cape Verde (EasyJet assisting passengers), confirmation that a Portuguese national died in the devastating flash floods and landslides in Nepal (another remains missing,...

On Wednesday 26 August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal reports that Algarve hoteliers are calling for a crackdown on “booze tourism” and aggressive nightlife following a violent car rampage in Albufeira.  Other headlines include the launch of a new progressive think tank (Instituto Progresso) chaired by Socialist deputy Miguel Costa Matos, yellow weather warnings for rain across 11 mainl...

Rural Properties reflects on seven years of restoring neglected buildings in central Portugal and how its mission has broadened as it better understands the country’s housing challenge: not a lack of buildings, but a lack of livable homes. Citing the 2021 census, it notes over 723,000 vacant homes and 238,000 buildings needing medium or major repairs, especially in aging inland communities, while...

On Tuesday 25th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that a homeless man discovered a bag containing over 7,000 counterfeit €200 notes (worth around €1.5 million) near trash containers. Other headlines include a tourist robbed at gunpoint in Quinta do Lago, unusual weather systems making this one of the rainiest Augusts in recent years (with Lisbon recording record 24-hou...

On Monday 24 August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports the peaceful death of Maria da Conceição, Portugal’s oldest person, at the age of 113. She was known for her humour and attributed her longevity to “not working hard.”  Other headlines include the government cutting almost half of the contentious green map for renewable energy projects, the GNR seizing five tons of hashish...

How to Taste Olive Oil Like Wine (and Why Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin Matters) Carl is taught, by Merkado's Haim, how to taste olive oil like wine by warming it in the hand, sniffing for fruity aromas, then sipping without swallowing to let air pass over it and noting sensations like heat and pepperiness and how long the flavor lingers. They discuss early-season oil’s intense “alive” character with...

Musing from above Alfeizerão on Portugal’s Silver Coast, Carl Munson is visting Atelier de Doces, a bakery with sweeping views featuring distant valleys, wind turbines, pine trees (pinheiro manso), and summer birds on a hot July 7th birthday breakfast date.  Inside, he speaks of 21 meters of freshly baked treats, highlighting Bolos de Berlim - soft, fluffy Portuguese custard-filled doughnuts - sha...

Email Overwhelm to Digital Serenity: The 4 Ds and Inbox Zero with Steven Shewach: On Portugal Talk Radio, host reconnects with digital serenity coach Steven Shewach to review his five pillars of digital health - passwords and security, email and communication, cloud and files, devices and backups, and legacy and access - and then focus on why email deserves special attention. Shewach explains that...

How about taking on the challenge of Speaking Portuguese in 90 Days? But in a fun, friendly and fast way?! Here, Carl from Good Morning Portugal!/Portugal Talk Radio introduces his SWAT Portuguese approach - Show up, Wing it, Adapt, Talk - aimed at helping 1,000 foreigners start actually speaking Portuguese and feel conversationally confident in three months through consistent effort.  He invites...

On Friday 21st August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports an atypical August weather pattern, with an Atlantic depression expected to bring rain, strong winds and rough seas to mainland Portugal this weekend.  Other headlines include the Torre de Moncorvo wildfire that has burned over 3,000 hectares, Interior Minister Luís Neves driving a judicial-police-seized Volkswagen Golf...

Choose your portuguese driver, social security controversy & US praises Portugal energy policy On Thursday 20th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports the launch of VLOZ, a new Portuguese ride-hailing app in Lisbon, Porto and Setúbal that lets passengers choose their specific driver. Other headlines include Chega leader André Ventura pushing for a lower retirement age i...

On Wednesday 19th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that more than 2,000 firefighters and 640 vehicles are battling ongoing wildfires across the country, with the fire in Torre de Moncorvo remaining the most intensive operation. Other headlines include plans to install fences and set operating hours at Jardim do Morro in Porto (drawing criticism that it will lose its c...

For Tuesday 18th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news (recorded live in Almada) reports that Portugal has climbed to 8th place in the 2026 Expat Insider ranking for foreign residents, praised for quality of life and safety while bureaucracy and the job market remain challenges. Other headlines include two Palestinian girls arriving in Portugal for prosthesis and medical care, the...

For Monday 17th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that fuel prices (both petrol and diesel) are rising significantly today.  Other headlines include more than 750 firefighters battling four wildfires in the north of the country (including one that spread to Carrazeda de Ansiães), the Socialist Party kicking off the political season in Olhão, the Left Bloc proposing 14...

On Friday 14th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news leads with the shooting of a Swedish tourist in Lisbon’s Baixa district, which has heightened safety concerns among residents and shopkeepers.  Other headlines include a 15-year-old suspected of killing his mother in Oeiras, a complaint of antisemitism at the University of Coimbra, vandalism causing over €3 million in damage to...

On Thursday 13th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news looks back at the highly anticipated solar eclipse that drew thousands of sky-watchers across the country the previous day - inviting the community to share images. Other headlines include environmental group Quercus challenging the reformulation of the Sofia Photovoltaic Park, former President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa being ta...

On Wednesday 12th August 2026 - 'Eclipse Day' - Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news highlights the rare solar eclipse and the spotlight it is shining on Portugal’s growing astro-tourism sector, with thousands preparing to view the event and the country positioning itself as a year-round destination for stargazers.  Other headlines include Loulé launching a sterilisation drive targeting 500 s...

For Monday 10th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that IPMA forecasts favourable clear weather for good visibility of the total solar eclipse on 12th August across the country.  Other headlines include around 30 municipalities in the North, Centre and Algarve interiors remaining at maximum wildfire danger, Western Europe hitting record temperatures amid prolonged heatw...

On Friday 7th August 2026, Carl Munson’s Good Morning Portugal! news reports that the digital healthcare platform urgentdoc.eu is moving into phase two of its expansion in Portugal.  Other headlines include a new competition for climate refugees, reports of narco boats frequently detected off the coast south of Lisbon, Chega accusing Prime Minister Luís Montenegro of losing control of the Luís Nev...