Respect

[SAM SPARKLE]

I notice it was the boyfriend that complained

[Jaylay]

For your information both my daughters learnt to drive here and they were told this at the driving school. In fact they were also told you should not drive with shoes without a back ankle strap.

[Michael Crane]

...In fact they were also told you should not drive with shoes without a back ankle strap.

Oh no! None of my shoes have a back ankle strap!

[ditzy]

I was so amussed

Sounds painful

[TomUK]

Oh! God - I've just spent two weeks in the Algarve driving in backless sandals! Thank goodness there wasn't a spot check!

Seriously though, whilst I agree that fat bellied, shirtless, tattoo laden blokes do nothing for the image of the British tourist and just look gross, I get a bit fed up with the suggestion that we are exclusive in this habit. German, Dutch, Italian and many other countries have their fair share of topless fatties. Just watch any continental football match for example (including Portugal), there seem plenty of fat tattoed guys with bare torsos. It's a bit like the 'English' football hooligans problem. It would appear that only England has football hooligans, but East European countries such as Poland and Hungary are worse. Germany, Spain and Italy have hooligan problems too - that's why police with dogs patrol the touch lines and turnstiles!

[PTBUXTON]

What you are failing to see here is that many of the barely-clad (male and female) are obliged to be so due the numerous tattoos festooned about their bodies. They disport themselves in public, going around looking like the Beano, and think they look cool!

What is worse, is those that choose their clothing to show off their tats even during colder, damper weather. I especially like to see men strutting round in the winter with a pair of shorts or crops on so that we can see their tattooed calves - nice!

Sharen and I have a name for the tats - we call them twatoos.

Love it! could'nt have put any better myself

[EMM]

We may not be the only nation with its fat, bald twatoos, but we do seem to have a bigger percentage and where as other nations keep covered up it only takes a glimpse of the sun for " ours " to get their shirts off.

[jeremy]

What one Brit has done to make him feel at home when on Holiday:

[blue]

But he can't see it.

It's the habit of German men to wear banana hammocks (speedo's) or worse, thongs, that really turn my stomach. Why is it never the fit, gorgeous young guys who parade around in these things? Just the older, paunchier, hairier men who go in for them. Really puts me off my Solero!

[jeremy]

unbearable combination:

[SJ & RE]

Whats he hiding, not another tattoo!!!!

[sam]

Not a lot by the look of it.

[Michael Crane]

I dread to think why his left hand fingers are a funny brown colour!

[Polli62]

[James Faro]

You get a lot of those shirtless people here in London on a hot day never mind Carvoeiro! To be honest, I didn't think it was a problem out there. If there has been complaints by the local community then they should cover up but I do take it is the men who indulge in this only?

Whenever I am in Portugal I do make try and make sure that local amenities and institutions are shown due respect. About three years ago, I was wandering around that church in Lagos and just popped my head in to see what was going on and heard beautiful music. There was some sort of service going on and this this sweet little old Portuguese widowed woman told me to come in and sat me on a chair in the church! I was there for a FULL two hours. I wanted to get up and leave, NO,RUN OUT AND LEAVE but I dare not as it would have been too rude. To make matters work I had a bursting bladder too! I stayed the full two hours and then gracefully left.............RUNNING AND SCREAMING TO THE NEAREST HOTEL WASHROOM!

- J