The Portugal Directory

Portugal is located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country in continental Europe. Two archipelagos in the Atlantic, the Azores and Madeira Islands.

Portugal has great beaches, the port wine from Porto and a very interesting history. For travellers and tourists, Portugal offers everything from culture, great food and wine to beautiful and spectacular landscapes for active vacations to long white beaches for people who like to relax or like water sports like surfing.

Especially in the summer months, a lot of festivals are scheduled, where old traditional celebrations take place: Every city and town has its own festivals. The June Festivities are very popular. These festivities are dedicated to three saints known as Santos Populares (popular saints). The three saints are Saint Anthony, Saint John and Saint Peter. A common denominator in these festivities are the wine and agua-pe (wine and water mixed), traditional bread and sardines, marriages, plenty of traditional street dances, fires, fireworks and extensive celebrations.

Saint Anthony is celebrated on the 13th of June mainly in Lisbon and Saint John on the 24th of June in Porto and Braga, where the sardines, Caldo Verde (this is a traditional soup in Portugal) and plastic hammers to hammer on other peoples' heads for luck are indispensable. The final saint is Saint Peter, celebrated on the nights of 28th and 29th June, especially in Povoa de Varzim and Barcelos. Here the festivities are mostly dedicated to the sea and fire (fogueiras) plays a major role in the celebrations. In Povoa de Varzim, at night the Rusgas, a street carnival takes place.

When in Portugal, you should also not miss a Fado performance, the portugese 'blues'. Fado is characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor. Some people think that Fado's origins are a mixture of African slave rhythms with the traditional music of Portuguese sailors and Arabic influence. Fado has two cities where Fado is sung and played extensively: Lisbon and Coimbra. The Lisbon style is the most popular, while Coimbra's Fado is the more refined. Below is a picture of the university town of Coimbra

In the old town of Lisbon historic tramways still are the main means of public transport. The narrow winding roads and rails are a spectacular nostalgic adventure trip. Get yourself a day ticket and use the tramways to move around, you'll truly enjoy it. Take the "Colinas de Lisboa" route, these are the tramways that climb over the hills of Lisbon. (I think it's even better than the San Francisco tramways!). Also walking the old streets is very rewarding : The Alfama is one of the oldest quarters in Lisbon. Since it largely survived the earthquake of 1755, the area still retains much of its original layout. Adjacent to the Alfama are the likewise old quarters of Castelo and Mouraria.

Also with the tramways you get to Belem, where you'll find the Portuguese Maritime Museum. The exhibits show Portugals history of explorers and lots of maritime maps as well as many different boats, royal barges, ship models, and maritime instruments and charts. The Bergantim Real, a sumptuous state barge built in Lisbon in 1778, and the hydro-plane used by Portuguese aviators Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho in 1922 to cross the Southern Atlantic for the first time.

Right next door, also in Belem you'll find an other Lisbon museum, the National Museum of Coaches and Carriages. The Museu dos Coches, now at the Parque das Nações, shows a unique collection. Nowhere else will you be able to see such a vast set of state and riding vehicles from the XVII, XVIII and XIX Centuries. The majority of these vehicles belonged to the Portuguese Crown and were owned by the Royal residence itself.

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