Well done Rowen! It was in fact On Her Majesty’s Sercret Service that was filmed in Portugal in 1969 and it was in fact George Lazenby whom starred in it! I must admit I do have a very very very weak spot for Mr James Bond, whether that’s because Sir Sean Connery played him (I am totally in love with him) or whether it’s James Bond I couldn’t tell you. Who can tell the difference anyway?

Anyway, before I go off into dream land, let’s get back to this week’s question!

Portugal is famous for it’s port wine. Primarily served as a dessert wine, it is from the Northern Provence of Portugal. It is the third oldest protected wine region in the world, but can you tell me where in the Northern Provence are the grapes grown, which is now listed as a World Heritage Site, to produce this tasty drink?

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This week on Friday Drivetime we are still going back in time, to the 40′s! We’ve covered every decade up to today, the 40′s will be no different. The first half of the decade saw the Second World War which effected most of the world. But there was also plenty of great music in the 1940′s, such as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and many more. Let’s see what great music we can find in this week’s Friday Drivetime.

Back to the Decades: 40’s

1. Frank Sinatra – Close to You
2. Louis Armstrong – I Wonder
3. Nat King Cole – Early Morning Blues
4. Bing Crosby – White Christmas
5. Peggy Lee – We’ll Meet Again
6. Doris Day – Bewitched
7. Marilyn Monroe – Anyone Can See I Love You
8. Judy Garland – The Trolley Song
9. Gene Kelly – Nina
10. Fred Astaire – One For My Baby

Some absolutely beautiful and very talented singers and actors in that list. I loved Gene Kelly in his most famous dance routine, Singing in the Rain, as well as Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz (one of my favourite films!) I just love all the singing and dancing, where have all the male dancers gone? Especially Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, what great dancers. My advice for you all this weekend is to dish out one of their movies, and just enjoy! Have a lovely weekend!

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According to The Telegraph at the Intelligent Transport Systems Congress in Stockholm a new technology has been unveiled where cars will be able to talk to each other of dangers in the road.

The technology is used by sensors which are able to detect danger, then transmit an automatic message to other vehicles of the danger on the road, for example, a pedestrian about to cross the road. This technology could also be used to warn of a head on collision with a car out of the drivers sight or a car approaching from behind.

This machine will not only be able to warn of dangers, but will also be able to tell a driver going into the city about train times, available parking spaces as well as warning motorists of Low emission zones like in Greater London.

Another article from The Telegraph claims that the German company Ibeo in Hamburg are developing technology which will enable the car to drive itself.

Wow! Knight Rider could end up being real everyone! I want my very own KITT! With the invention of cars being able to tell us about train times and dangers, it is only a matter of time before everything has a voice recorded for it to talk to us while we drive. There was also another article, funnily enough in The Telegraph suggesting that with this development we may become worse drivers and even forget what to do behind the wheel.

What do you reckon?

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Excellent Sven! Well done! You got the right answer and the extra point! It was in fact Jose de Sousa Saramago who made this beautiful quote and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998, and yes, he founded the National Front for the Defence in Culture in Lisbon in 1992, which is the city that was in the clue!

Now for this week’s question…

Portugal is a great set for films. Many have been filmed here over the years such as Christopher Columbus: The Discovery in 1992 starring Tom Selleck and The Nineth Gate in 1999 starring Johnny Depp and The Invisible Circus in 2001 starring Cameron Diaz.

Everybody knows James Bond, the famous secret spy that has been the longest running and most financially successful film franchise to date, (and who would be able to say no to James Bond, seriously?), what we want to know is that one of the films was set in Portugal, which film was it? Extra Point if you can tell me who played Bond in the film! (clue, the photo shows what a certain part of the film was filmed on.)

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I love the 50′s! They were a great decade in my opinion. Rock and Roll became very popular in the 50′s, defining this decade around this iconic music. Also the Blues become popular in this decade. The 50′s were great feel good music and just generally rocking out! I know I wasn’t born in the 50′s but I remember listening to Rock and Roll when I was young and dancing around my room. Let’s see who I come up with this week on Friday Drivetime.

Back to the Decades: 50’s

1. Bill Haley – Rock Around The Clock
2. Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode
3. Little Richard – Tutti Frutti
4. Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
5. Buddy Holly – That’ll Be The Day
6. Ritchie Valens – La Bamba
7. Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire
8. Carl Perkins – Blue Suede Shoes
9. Bobby Day – Little Bitty Pretty One
10. Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog

I forgot how much I just love rock and roll music! I really do love the 50′s, very sad that 3 legends died all in the same plane crash on 3^rd Feb 1959, known as the day the music died (anyone recognise that?). I’m sure we all miss Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P Richardson, but their legends live on to this day. So enjoy your rock and roll drive home and have a lovely weekend!

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Well done Charlie! That is correct that the Greater Flamingo migrates to The Ria Formosa every year at the lagoon! You get a star for last week!

Now for this week’s question…

Within Portugal there are many writers and poets that are famous. There have also been many famous quotes from these writers such as “The church says the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the church” by Ferdinand Magellan who was the first person to lead an expedition across the Pacific. This was also the first attempt to circumnavigate the Earth.

Another famous Portuguese quote is “Inside us there is something that has no name, that something is what we are.” What we want to know is who said this and what did they win? An extra point if you can tell me what they founded! (clue for the extra point is in the picture… which city is that from I wonder…)

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This week on Friday Drivetime we are going back to the 60′s. Some amazing artists came from this wonderful decade, including one of the most influential bands of all time, The Beatles, who have recently released a discography of all their studio albums. The 60′s are most famous for the Summer of Love when in 1967 as many as 100,000 people flocked to Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood in San Francisco to join the “hippie experience”. There were some great artists in the 60′s, let’s see what our top ten brings us for the weekend.

Back to the Decades: 60’s

1. Marvin Gaye – I heard it Through the Grapevine
2. The Beatles – (How am I supposed to choose a song? Most were great! Any ideas anyone?) Hey Jude? Come Together? Penny Lane? Strawberry Fields Forever? Can’t Buy Me Love? Let it Be? Help?
3. The Who – My Generation
4. The Kinks – You Really Got Me
5. The Rolling Stones – Paint it Black
6. The Mamas & the Papas – California Dreaming
7. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ Safari
8. The Bee Gees – Words
9. Pink Floyd – Let There Be More Light
10. Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love

The 60′s were rockin! So much funky music and so different. I hope you all have a lovely weekend rockin out to the 60′s!

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Here’s our latest update from Auto Europe’s Commercial Director for the UK and Ireland, Peter McAree:

2009 has been a strange year for the car hire industry. We’d anticipated a change in our customers’ habits during the recession, but instead of a slowdown in sales, it’s actually been lack of availability in many of the most popular destinations that has kept us awake at night. As I mentioned in a previous post, a number of the major car hire suppliers have reduced fleets or avoided replacing old vehicles, resulting in a limited offering.

There’s no doubt that our customers’ requirements have altered during this turbulent economic time, but instead of abandoning holiday plans altogether, they’ve simply become keener than ever to find a bargain. Perhaps that’s why we’re currently witnessing strong demand for car hire bookings in September.

Spain, Portugal and Italy are among the most popular destinations for the first few weeks of the month. After waiting until the last minute for a ‘barbeque summer’ that never came, it looks like many Brits who’d hoped to save some money with a break at home are rushing to find some sun before winter kicks in.

Then of course there’s the school holiday price hike. Anyone who isn’t tied to that timetable, along with parents who are prepared to break the rules to make a saving (that’s 56% according to online parenting network mumsnet) can and are taking advantage of much lower prices.

Be warned though, Tour Operators have cut capacity this year. A major surge in business could keep travel prices higher than you might expect to get a deal for, and some late bookers may end up having to re-think their travel plans. As always, my advice is to book as early as possible.

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This week sees the final chapter in our serialisation of The Auto Europe Car Rental Roadmap, the online guide to every aspect of hiring a car.

They key point to remember about car hire insurance is that it is not the same as car insurance policies for private vehicles. This means it’s very important to read the terms & conditions carefully to see what is and what is not covered by the standard car hire insurance policy provided with your vehicle. These are the key factors to watch out for:

• Who Provides the Insurance?: When you use a brokerage the insurance is provided by the car hire supplier. However, Auto Europe will provide an overview of the main terms & conditions on your voucher.
• How Much is the Excess Payment if you do Need to Make a Claim?: Excess payments can be as high as £500 to £1,000+ per claim. You can take out special cover designed to refund any excess payment in the event of a claim. If you do decide to take this extra cover, then please be aware that it is almost always significantly cheaper to do so prior to your departure than on arrival in your destination.
• Any Factors Which Could Invalidate Your Insurance?: For example a police report is usually required to back up all claims. Damage or collision caused by recklessness or negligence is not usually covered.
• What is NOT Covered by Your Policy?: Many consumers are surprised to learn that the majority of car hire suppliers do not cover damage to windows, wheels, tyres, the roof, underside & interior of the vehicle. If this is the case for your rental you can look for a secondary policy to cover these elements. In summary, do at least be aware of any limitations of cover so you can look after the vehicle. NB: this is an area Auto Europe is looking to improve its offering.
• Best Rate Guarantee: Auto Europe guarantees to match any like-for-like quote to ensure we offer the best rates and service possible. So, if you happen to find a lower price with comparable service, location, terms & surcharges then we’ll beat it! To submit the lower rate to us, please complete the Guaranteed Best Rate form.

To help you a little further, read on for a quick glossary of key car hire insurance terms and what they mean in plain English:

• Collision Damage Waiver: Collision damage waiver is included in your car hire price with Auto Europe at the time of booking. It covers accidental damage of your hire car as long as you comply with the car hire contract. Full details of cover are shown in the terms and conditions prior to completion of your booking. Please note that you are liable to pay for the damage up to the excess amount before collision damage waiver insurance kicks in.
• Insurance Excess: In the event of an accident or damage to the vehicle, the customer will have to pay a certain amount – called the insurance excess – towards the total repair cost. The excess on the hire varies between local suppliers. Auto Europe booking vouchers clearly state the excess amount you are liable for within the terms & conditions.
• Liability Insurance: Liability insurance protects you against claims made by third parties as a result of an accident when you are driving your hire car. This includes property damage and personal injury up to a pre-set level. Full details of cover are shown in the Auto Europe terms and conditions prior to completion of your booking.
• Personal Injury Coverage: Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) is generally not included in car rental agreements, although it may be offered it as an additional extra. It covers the authorised driver(s) and passengers for death, disability and medical expenses in the event of an accident.
• Refundable Excess: In the event of an insurance claim the customer is liable to pay the insurance excess (see above). It is possible to protect yourself against being liable for this payment by taking out refundable excess cover. If you have refundable excess cover then your excess payment will be refunded to you. Please note this cover is usually invalidated if the police report suggests the damage was due to driver negligence. Full details of cover are shown in the terms and conditions prior to completion of your booking. Auto Europe does offer some vehicles with ‘refundable excess insurance’ included in the price. These are highlighted in red in the list of potential vehicles to hire shown when you book with Auto Europe.
• Theft Protection: A rental agreement may provide insurance cover in the event that the car is stolen. However, if the excess is quite high, the customer will still have to pay for the cost of the vehicle up to that amount.
• Vehicle Theft Waiver: Auto Europe’s vehicle theft waiver covers you for theft or attempted theft of your hire car only. Full details of cover are shown in the terms and conditions prior to completion of your booking.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the six short articles in this serialization of The Auto Europe Car Rental Roadmap. Or at least found it useful. If you need any further information or have any questions then let us know in the comments box now. Looking forwards to hearing from you all!

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No one got the answer last week! Here’s me thinking the questions were far too easy! The answer to last week’s question, What was the name and when was the first county of Portugal founded? Was 868 AD and the county was Condado de Portucale.

For the Extra Point: Who founded the county, I was looking for Vímara Peres.

Let’s see if we can do better this week everyone!

Algarve is a beautiful beach region, it’s capital city, Faro is a great way to get into the city. Also located in the Algarve is The Ria Formosa Lagoon, a barrier of six islands of which one is artificial allowing easy access to Faro by boat. The Ria Formosa is actually a Park over 170km² and is a stopping place for hundreds of birds during the months of Spring and Autumn. What we want to know is the name of the one species of bird, which is the most widespread species of it’s family in the the world, that migrates to The Ria Formosa.

Which bird is it? (the clue is in the photo!)

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