THE ENTIRE ground level parking area at the Algarve Forum shopping centre in Faro, was closed off to cars at the weekend, to make way for hundreds of bikers, wishing to visit the centre while in Faro for the 24th annual motorbike convention in the city. Taking time out from the strip shows, tattooing sessions and bike displays, it seems the leather clad motorcycle enthusiasts had suddenly felt the urge for a spot of retail therapy, or was it the rumbling of their stomachs that had led them to the shopping centre?
Last week’s edition of The Resident, highlighted the fact that many Portuguese are heading to the shops in Spain to seek out cheaper prices due to the recent tax hike – including people in the Algarve travelling over the border to Huelva.Well, the flood of bikers at Algarve Forum last weekend was certainly welcome news for the centre’s shops.
It has to be said though, that the scene in the Jumbo supermarket on Saturday morning was slightly comical.Rather bemused looking Portuguese families, quietly going about their ‘weekly shop’, were rubbing shoulders at the fish counter with tattooed bikers sporting furry viking hats with horns and the tightest of leather trousers!There seemed to have been a sudden stampede thanks to a “Promoção especial motards” (biker’s special) – trays of fresh prawns for five euros each.
The 24th motorcyclists’ convention reportedly attracts bikers from all over Europe and beyond, and from the vast selection of languages being uttered in the Forum Algarve on Saturday this fact was most definitely confirmed.
Caroline Cunha
