Portugal Travel Guide
Information
So What is it Really Like?
Portugal may have been perched for many years both literally and figuratively on the outskirts of Europe but this is rapidly changing. This once great land of explorers has, after forty years under the repressive Salazar regime, begun to look outwards again. As an active member of the European Union Portugal now has Europe's fastest growing economy. Whilst EU money has been the catalyst for development much of Portugal remains unspoiled and waiting for discovery by the inquisitive traveller.
The country that set de Gama on his way to India and Magellen on the way around the globe (albeit under a Spanish flag) even now has close links with the sea. The principal cities of Porto and Lisbon both sit on the Atlantic coast whilst the Southern, Algarve coast is a magnet for beach lovers.
The spice trade that Magellen, de Gama, Diaz and others opened up was profitable but short-lived. Much of Portugal's history of the last centuries has been one of struggle. This longing for the past glories is reflected in Fado, the melancholic folk music that can be heard especially in Lisbon.
What does Portugal Look Like?
For the traveller much of Portugal's present glory lies in its scenery. From the dry Alentejo, parts of which would not look out of place in a spaghetti western; to the high and wet Bierro Alto or the verdant farmlands of the Minho region there is an ever-changing landscape.
Beautiful Buildings and Old Things
The other aspect of Portugal that attracts many is the diversity of Architecture and Archaeology to be found.
Stunning Architecture is in evidence all over, from the simple terracotta tiles, southern chimney stacks and Moorish style whitewashed housing to the Gothic castles of Braganca and Obidos. From the age of discovery, Portugal gave the world the Manuelin style, which flourished during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Examples of this style can be seen at Belem (Jeronimos Monastery) and Lisbon (the Torre de Belem). Foreign influences can be seen in the baroque styling of the monastery at Mafra.
Elsewhere there are the UNESCO world heritage sites at Vila Nova de Foz Coa (Palaeolithic rock art) and Evora. The walled Moorish inner part of this town, the capital of the Alentejo, is rich in historical interest dating back to the time of the Romans.
Hit the Beach
The Algarve is by no means typical of the rest of Portugal. This powerhouse of Portuguese tourism, at the southern most tip of the country, is lively, brash and noisy therefore not to everyone's taste. It has been a Mecca for sun loving 'Brit' package tourists for over forty years; the chief attraction has been sun, sea and a comparatively low cost of living. The coastline in many areas has been wrecked by the concrete coastline philosophy of developers.
The main resorts of Lagos and Albufeira are heaving with tourists in high season but away from these hotspots, there is still much of the area that has remained unspoiled. Not least of these places are the two national Parks, Parque Naturel da Ria Formosa and -wait for it - the Parque Naturel do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vincentina.
What about the people?
The Portuguese are a gentle charming people. Catholicism and the Salazar years have tended to make them a little conservative but they are polite, friendly and easy going especially in the slightly more Mediterranean south. Much of the Portuguese character can be summed up by Saudade, which is the melancholic harking back to past glories and lost love and a desire for the security of home. This is best expressed in the music and songs of Fado.
Porto
If Lisbon is a lady in slightly frayed finery then Porto is a worker; sleeves rolled up just in from the factory. Porto is the bustling port that lends its name to the country itself and to that most delicious of heavy wines. There is, truth be told, not a lot to recommend Porto apart from its atmosphere.
Spread on hillsides around the point where the River Douro meets the sea Porto is a wild mix of labyrinthine 19th century streets, bars, shops and restaurants, all of these ooze a cosmopolitan zest for life. There are museums, churches and grand houses but these are all support acts to the people and the town itself.
|
|
|
