PORTUGAL

Portugal is the most westerly country on mainland Europe.  Along with its neighbour Spain it comprises what is known as the Iberian Peninsula.  It is in the same time zone as the UK, so no need to fiddle about with your watch when you visit there.

To the west, Portugal is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north and east by Spain, and to the south by the Mediterranean sea.

 

The earliest inhabitants the country were neolithic settlers who built the many dolmens and other monuments which dot the landscape from this time.   These people shared the land with Celtic tribes.  The country was often visited by the Phoenicians & Carthaginians.  The Romans incorporated the country into their empire in the 2nd century.  The Moors invaded from across the Mediterranean Sea after the Romans departure and stayed until the 12th century when they were finally defeated by Portugal's First King Afonso I.

 

The Portuguese were natural explorers who gave birth to legendary names such as Magellan, Vasco De Gama & Pedro Alvares Cabral, who discovered Brasil for the Portuguese Crown in 1500.

 

The country remained a kingdom until 1910 when the Royal Family were deposed in a revolution and sought exile in other countries in Europe, and even Brasil.

 

The country was ruled by António de Oliveira Salazar in a dictatorship which lasted from before the beginning of the 2nd World War until 1974 and the so called “Carnation Revolution”.  The catalyst for this revolution was of all things the Portuguese entry in that years Eurovision Song Contest.  The current President of the country is Aníbal António Cavaco Silva and the Prime Minister is José Sócrates.

 

GETTING THERE

Portugal's two major cities are Lisbon in the south, and Porto in the north.  Both cities are served by international airports.  It is possible to fly to Lisbon from anywhere in the world if one uses a stopover point such as Schipol Airport in Amsterdam.  We used that route when we travelled to Portugal in February 2006.  This is also the route we always use when travelling from Scotland to Brasil.

 

The Capital of Lisbon is well served by an extensive tram, bus and metro network.  Travelling via those methods is not particularly expensive.  There are also good rail links within the country, and I assume also coach services.

 

Portugal is a member of the European Union and the currency they use there is the Euro.  It is a far less expensive choice of destination to travel too than neighbouring Spain which I found surprisingly expensive.

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