Portugal - the country of great navigators and the western outskirts of Europe (part 1)
“What is the most important thing in traveling?
See, understand, enjoy, love!
Colors, shapes, aromas, tastes add up
into vivid pictures in memory, so that later we
could look at them all my life"
About the country, its history and people
The country of great navigators Portugal is located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula. In the south and west it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, on land it borders on Spain. Portugal includes the Azores, located in the Atlantic Ocean about 1.450 km west of Lisbon, and Madeira Island, 970 km southwest of Lisbon, which are autonomous regions of Portugal. The area of the country, together with the islands, is 92.39 thousand square meters. km.
The name of the country comes from the name of the Roman settlement Portus Cale (Portus Cale) at the mouth of the river. Douro. In 1139 Portugal became an independent kingdom from Spain. At that time, it occupied only the northern third of its modern territory. In 1249
the last Muslim ruler in the south of the country was expelled, and since then its borders have changed little. The era of conquest began in the 15th century, when Portuguese maritime explorers such as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan traveled around the world, making great geographical discoveries. By the 16th century, the territories they discovered formed a huge empire that stretched from the coast of Brazil to Africa and Asia. It was during this era that the economy of Portugal reached its greatest prosperity.
In 1910, the monarchy was overthrown in Portugal, and in 1974, a democratically minded military junta put an end to the dictatorial regime that had existed since 1926. Portugal is one of the few countries in Europe that were not occupied by Nazi troops during World War II.
Adopted in 1976
the constitution declared Portugal a parliamentary republic with direct elections and universal adult suffrage.
Transferring in 1999 the last of its overseas territories, Macau, Macau, which it had owned since 1680, under the control of China, Portugal put an end to a long, and sometimes turbulent, colonial era in its history.
The events of Portuguese history had a huge impact on the culture of the country and introduced the features of the Moorish and Oriental styles into architecture and art. Traditional folk dances and tunes, especially lyrical fado, do not lose their significance to this day, which can be seen and heard right on the streets.
The population of the country is mono-ethnic, 99% of the 10.5 million population are Portuguese. Many peoples have settled on the Iberian Peninsula for a long time. The most ancient inhabitants - the Iberians - were undersized and swarthy.
Over the centuries, the appearance of the Portuguese was formed under the influence of the Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, as well as Germanic tribes, in particular the Visigoths and Alemanni.
Portugal is a monolingual country. The official language is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by about 184 million people on three continents. This language has similarities with Spanish, both of them are derived from Latin. However, Portuguese differs significantly from Spanish in terms of pronunciation and grammar. The vocabulary of the Portuguese language was enriched by Arabic and German words, as well as the vocabulary of the languages of the Asian peoples, with whom the Portuguese explorers and traders came into contact.
National features: do not question the historical greatness of the country - the Portuguese are proud of their past, especially against the backdrop of the modest place that the country occupies today.
The Portuguese are very painful to compare them with the Spaniards, despite the similarity of languages, characters and national cultures.
In this country, the percentage of the rural population is one of the highest in Western Europe, many foreigners work in its factories, construction sites and fields, including those from Ukraine. Average annual per capita income: $2.560 (World Bank data, 2008). Average life expectancy is approaching 80 years. As in other countries, women in Portugal live longer, almost 82 years, while men still do not reach 76. The retirement age is 65 years, and the actual retirement age is 61-62 years.
Introduction to Porto
They say about the cities of Portugal: they pray in Braga, they work in Porto, they party in Lisbon. From Porto began acquaintance with Portugal. Porto is the second most populated city in Portugal, giving its name not only to port wine, but to the whole country. It is located near the ocean, at the mouth of the Douro River.
Four bridges are thrown across it, connecting the historical part of the city with Vila Nova de Gaia, a small neighboring town. The repository of the world-famous port wine is located in Vila Nova de Gaia. We visit one of the ancient "port wine houses" - Galem, get acquainted with the history and features of the production of this popular drink. And, of course, we taste some varieties, and whoever wants - gets the wines they like. Having warmed up our appetite with the wines we are tasting, we begin our acquaintance with Portuguese cuisine in one of the restaurants, where we enjoy eating the national fish dish called “bacalau”.
One of the bridges was designed by Gustave Eiffel: a two-tier structure of impressive size seems openwork and light.
On the highest point of the old city, the Se Cathedral was built. Erected in the 12th century on a granite rock, it originally served as a fortress.
Later it was rebuilt, but even now you can guess its original purpose.
Cathedral Square offers a beautiful view of the city.
From the cathedral to the river, the descent goes through the poorest district of Porto. The area of luxurious villas is located near the ocean. You can get here on the current tram-museum, which has not changed since 1930. It's called the Electric Machine Museum. However, each of Porto's trams can serve as an exhibit: inside the vehicle is upholstered in wood, the driver drives it while standing, for the simple reason that there is no seat for it. When the tram reaches the end point of the route, the driver moves from the head to the tail, where there is also a cabin, and drives his car in a "reverse course": the rails in Porto end in a dead end. The most scenic route runs along the ocean.
From the windows of noisy and old trams you can see fashionable villas, chosen by wealthy people from all over Europe.
Porto, like other Portuguese cities, is distinguished not only by its peculiar architecture, but also by the fact that many houses are lined with multi-colored tiles.
From the early Middle Ages until the 17th century, there was a law that forbade the aristocracy not only to build, but also to stay in the city for more than three days. Even the king did not have his residence in Porto. He stayed at the Bishop's Palace built by Nicolo Nazzoni. It is a masterpiece of 18th century Portuguese Baroque architecture. The port city is located all on the hills, it has many funny houses and streets. The city is famous for the production of different brands of port wine.
When leaving Porto, behind these fortress walls, she first met the Atlantic Ocean. I go knee-deep into the ocean, the water is quite cool, but you can still take a dip.
Two days in Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and the country's largest city. It is home to 570 thousand people. It is located on the right bank of the Tagus River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Its history goes back about 20 centuries. Lisbon was built on seven hills, like Rome and Moscow. Just like Moscow, Lisbon is patronized by George the Victorious. The city became the capital of the state in 1147 after the liberation from Arab colonization. Lisbon owes this to the first king of Portugal, Alfonso Henriquez. The main city of the country was founded by the Phoenicians as a stop at the crossroads of sea routes and named Alis Ubbo - a blessed bay. The city was under the control of the Roman Empire, the Moors, the Spaniards.
We begin our acquaintance with the center of Lisbon - one of the main attractions. In the 18th century, bullfights and public executions took place here. We visit the park of Edward VII and the monument to the Marquis de Pombal.
This is a large green meadow with neatly trimmed bushes of the correct geometric shape.
Lisbon is a modern European city located on 15 hills. Walking on it you have to constantly go up and down the hills. We climb one of the hills, where with the help of a guide we get acquainted with the Moorish fortress of Sant Jorge. Once upon a time, Portuguese kings lived here, and now only a shell with pine groves inside is left of the castle. But this is the highest point of Lisbon and the views from here are appropriate. From the fortress walls you can see a strange structure - openwork frames of arches sticking into the sky. In order to capture the views of the Tagus River and the ancient Alfama district of Lisbon, we walked along the esplanade and climbed the ramparts of the old fortress. The fortress of San Jorge (St. George) has been a fortification covering the mouth of the Tagus River since ancient times.
In 1147, King Alphonse Enriques converted the fortress into a royal residence. In 1511, King Manuel I built himself a palace outside the fortress, and here he placed an armory and a prison. During the earthquake of 1755, the fortress was very badly damaged, and only in 1938, under Salazar, the ruins were restored, and only a few details remained, reminiscent of the original Moorish Alcasava, later the royal residence, where Vasco da Gama pompously celebrated the success of his trip to India. The fortress walls have been restored and now you can walk along them around the old quarter of Santa Cruz. Various exhibitions are arranged in the fortress towers, telling about the history of the fortress and the whole city. The observation decks offer a magnificent view of Lisbon.
Picturesque streets with houses covered with painted tiles scatter from the cathedral in different directions.
Benches are carefully placed in the middle of each lift. Most of the streets lead to Alfama - the oldest quarter of Lisbon, which, being built on rocky ground, survived the earthquake without much damage. Here once was the center of the Roman city, and later - the center of the Moorish city. Jews also lived in Alfama until their expulsion in the 16th century. There is nothing reminiscent of the capital city: Alfama is more like a fishing village, where housewives clean fish right on the street and scribble on antediluvian sewing machines, and ropes with linen are tied to orange trees growing right on the steps. Going for a walk in Alfama, tune in to the fact that, most likely, you will get lost - this intricacies of streets practically defies logic.
We go down from the castle on a retro tram running along route No. 28, which resembles the transport of the beginning of the last century, and go on a tour of the city center. We pay tribute to how our tram famously climbs the hills and rushes along the narrow winding streets with a frightening rattle. At one of the moments of the journey, we easily reach the wall of the neighboring house with our hands.
We get off at the bus stop and before us opens an amazing view of the capital. In Lisbon, such observation terraces are called miradores. We found ourselves on the best of them - Miradouro de Santa Luzia. We approach the fence and freeze in admiration. No wonder Lisbon is called the "White City": in front of us is a whole block of like toy, sun-drenched snow-white houses with orange tiled roofs.
We descend to Commerce Square, which is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Portugal.
Here, before the earthquake, there was a royal palace built in 1511 by Manuel I. In its center, on a high plinth, rises an equestrian statue of the reformer king José I, whose minister was the Marquis de Pombal. The majestic Arc de Triomphe, decorated with bas-reliefs and statues of famous people, connecting the square with Augusta Street, was completed in the 19th century. Then the square got its present name "Commerce Square" due to its proximity to the port, which is the main source of trade in the city. From here you have a magnificent view of the Tagus River, to which you can go down the stairs. Two square towers rise from the south side of the square, and buildings of ministries and banks frame the square on three sides.
The next point of our trip is the Belem area.
Where the Tagus flows into the ocean, stands the Belem (that is, Bethlehem) watchtower, and a little closer to land rises the Jeronimos Monastery - a wonderful example of the main national style - Manueline, that is, Gothic mixed with Arabic script, sea knots and astrolabes. Two world-famous Portuguese are also buried here - Vasco da Gama (who set off from the Belem Tower, setting off in search of an alternative route to India) and Luis Camõ es. True, only one tomb remained of Camõ es, the poet himself died of the plague and was buried in some kind of lost common grave.
Nearby is the Casa dos Past& coffee shop, where they make the best sweets in the city, and possibly in the country.
Next to the monastery is the Bethlehem Tower (Torre de Belen), built in the 16th century, the symbol of Lisbon. This is one of the best examples of the Manueline style, the tower is under the protection of UNESCO.
It is decorated with lanterns, openwork Venetian balconies, stone carvings, a statue of the Madonna of the Navigators under a huge canopy and a sculpture of a rhinoceros. From the inside, the tower looks rather gloomy - there used to be a prison here. The quadrangular Belen Tower is known as a monument to the Portuguese Age of Discovery. The tower, built in 1515-1520 and designed in the Manueline style, is a classic symbol of all of Portugal. This tower was erected in honor of the glorious military and maritime past of Portugal and rises on the spot where caravels once set off to distant lands.
Not far from the Tower on the embankment of the Tagus River in the direction of the April 25 Bridge is the Monument to the Navigators.
What is Lisbon remembered for, in addition to its historical sights? First of all, original architecture that combines different styles.
We fell in love with its squares and streets, lined with tiles of various configurations and colors. His numerous souvenir shops with all kinds of colored tiles and products from it did not leave indifferent. The city also has one of the largest oceanariums. With pleasure we rode along the famous tram route No. 28 along its steep streets and with no less pleasure - underground on the metro in modern cozy cars, admired the original interior of its stations.
It's time to say goodbye to hospitable Lisbon. We cross one of the longest bridges in Europe. 45 months after the start of work (half a year ahead of schedule), on August 6.1966, a solemn opening ceremony took place in the presence of the highest officials of the state. The structure was named "Salazar Bridge" in honor of the then dictator of Portugal.
Shortly after the Carnation Revolution, the bridge was renamed in honor of the day when this event took place - the April 25 Bridge.
