REMINDER:  Heather Dennis will hold Office Hours at 85 Rua Poço Novo in Cascais at 12 noon on the May 3rd for anyone who would like some help with using a credit card to buy an event ticket online, renew a membership, RSVP through our website or hunt for a missing Newsletter! Stop by and say hello …

ANOTHER REMINDER:   “I have an idea  – who do I contact?
Please contact Linda Teixeira, our Board Member who is in charge of activites. Her email is:  [email protected] 
All activities that fall under the umbrella of the Association need to be approved.  Please know that legally, our database of member info is not to be used for any private purposes, otherwise we are subject to a fine.  
We love new groups starting and ideas being hatched. so please just run things by us first – thank you. 
Check out the new Lisbon Live Bookworms book club on May’s calendar.

AND WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT OF IDEAS …. we have taken on board your suggestions of moving events around as much as we can. Some activities need to remain static on our calendar but going forward, we’ll try to  offer our Lunch Out! and any Special Events on a different weekday each month.
Please help us by recommending good restaurants you have enjoyed that have space for at least 20 and are close to public transportation. Let Linda T know! (see above).
Note that we have a new venue for our monthly Tea & Talk.

The Knitting Group is in need of a Captain … our thanks go to Lisa Olmstead who has led this group so far. If knitting, sewing or similar crafts are of interest to you, please get in touch with Heather Dennis at [email protected]

We had a fantastic turnout for our talk on Ukraine in April and from the challenge given at that event, Britta Martini-Miles will be facilitating any support that we and other ex-pat communities in the area can give our local Freguesia (Parish Council).  Please contact Britta if you have an interest in being a part of this initiative: [email protected]  Thank you!

Before we list the IWP activity dates – we wanted to recommend a free talk on ‘Portuguese Queens’ by author Isabel Stillwell. It will take place on Wednesday, May 4th at 6pm and is open to the public. The event will be held at The Chapter Bar, Pestana Cidadela Cascais Hotel, Ave. Dom Carlos I,  Cascais.
 

Some dates for your calendar – 

STANLEY KUBRICK EXPO – Tuesday, May 10th. 2pm – 3pm
A guided tour in English of “Stanley Kubrick – Looking Through a Different Lens” to be held in the Cascais Cultural Centre gallery. 
Pay at the door – Cascais residents = 2.50€ – others = 5€. – Max 20 members Reserve your spot! https://iwpportugal.org/events/stanley-kubrick-expo

Join us afterwards at the café in the Parque Marechal Carmona, right behind the Centre for a coffee or a cold drink.

DRINKS AT THE BAIA HOTEL – Thursday, May 12th. 6pm – 8pm
Join us ON THE ROOF for our mid-month gathering!
RSVP via the website please. Add a note if you plan to bring a guest. 
Reserve your spot!   https://iwpportugal.org/events/iwp-drinks-at-the-baia-hotel

‘SPIES OF LISBON’ TOUR – Friday, May 13th. 10:30am – 12:30pm
A guided tour of the history of spies in Lisbon – learn who did what and where they did it! Espionage at its best! Meet our guide at the Hotel Tivoli in Lisbon.
Reserve your spot!  https://iwpportugal.org/events/spies-in-lisbon-tour

Feel free to join us for lunch after the tour at Martinho da Arcada, the oldest restaurant in LIsbon, founded in 1782.  http://martinhodaarcada.pt/

TEA & TALK – ‘MARY’S MEALS’ – Thursday, May 18th. 3pm – 5pm 
IWP Member Christine Mixa will tell us about an amazing charity that provides school meals in areas where hunger prevents children from gaining an education. NEW VENUE!
Reserve your spot!   https://iwpportugal.org/events/tea-talk

LUNCH OUT! – DARWIN’S CAFÉ – Wednesday, May 25th. 1pm (or earlier – see below!)  darwincafe.com
IWP member Jennifer Hartney has offered to lead a short walking tour of the Belém area before heading to the restaurant for lunch. See the webpage for details.
Reserve your spot!  https://iwpportugal.org/events/lunch-out

… coming up in June – a visit to the Lisbon Water Museum and a walk across the Aqueduct – a Lisbon Street Art (Graffiti) Tour – a visit to the Animal Shelter in Cascais (Associação San Francisco) to hear about their work. 

 
This month we meet Martina Dietrich Bonzom
(by Joy Davenport)

Martina and I chatted over coffee in her lovely home in the Murches area of
Cascais. She is full of positive energy and hospitality.
Born in Germany, Martina later studied business administration in
Heidelberg and Cologne. She spent several months at a university outside of
Paris for part of her studies with the “Program for International
Management,” an exchange program. In her last year of studies, she met
Pierre Bonzom. When she finished college, she worked in marketing in Paris
and not long after, she and Pierre married. They have been together for 34
years (married 30 years) and have three grown children; two daughters and
a son.
Pierre worked in banking as an inspector/auditor and in 1991 was offered an
assignment in New Caledonia, a French territory east of Australia. This
assignment led to Martina and Pierre traveling around the globe for five
months. This around the world adventure was the beginning of the desire
for them to become expats.
Sao Paulo Brazil was their first expat position, and along with her
Portuguese lessons, she found watching children’s tv with her young
daughter helped her learn Portuguese. Besides being a wife and mother,
while in Sao Paulo Martina worked as a relocation consultant. Their
assignment in Brazil lasted six years.
After Brazil their next business assignment was in Athens, Greece for seven
years. Then Cairo, Egypt for two years, followed by Beijing, China for five
years.
In 2012, she and Pierre moved to Casablanca, Morocco. It was during this
time that Pierre decided to leave banking and become an independent
consultant. For the first few years in Casablanca, Martina continued to work
with her relocation business but then decided to renovate a villa and start a
B&B. She then left her relocation business and dove full time into her B&B,
“Casa Océane.”
Martina loved her B&B as she received guests from around the world. Casa
Océane was also popular with businesses and organizations for holding
retreats and seminars. She especially enjoyed planning events and
excursions. She continued with her B&B until COVID struck and it became
impossible to continue the business.
Martina and Pierre left Morocco in 2021 and relocated to the Cascais area.
Everywhere Martina has lived she has volunteered in the French and English
speaking communities, but since relocating to Portugal, she is still in her
“discovery phase” enjoying her new life, socializing and attending events.
Some of her favorite activities are travel and walking/hiking.
Martina is fluent in German, French, English, Portuguese, basic Chinese and
can hold her own in Greek.

 

Louise Strasenburgh
Executive President of IWP