The 100-Euro Afternoon

The 100-Euro Afternoon – Column

Saturday afternoon. One of those moments where everything just feels right. We’re having lunch at one of the best restaurants in Portugal — and you can taste it, feel it, breathe it. The atmosphere is warm, the team relaxed, the food incredible. And the best part: it’s just the two of us. Elyas is at home, so we can really be together. We walk outside, hand in hand, still a little in love with life — and with each other.

As always, I turn around for that final shot. The photo that ends up in my next review. I click… and right then the sommelier walks out. Great, I think, there goes my picture.

But he walks straight towards me, holding a small wooden box.
“Sorry, Mister Peter… we accidentally charged you for the champagne of the table next to you. A thousand apologies. Here is the 100 euros you overpaid.”

He’s genuinely embarrassed. I tell him I used to be a hotel and restaurant manager at Golden Tulip in the Netherlands, so I know mistakes happen. But the way he discovered it so quickly, and fixed it even faster — that’s pure class.

We continue walking, feeling a little richer (I’d never held a loose hundred in my hand…) and mostly warm inside. A moment later, our host taps me on the shoulder with the same story, visibly relieved when I say it’s already been sorted.

I adore this country. The honesty, the heart, the people.
Cheers to Portugal. Cheers to love. Cheers to days like this.