After countless visits to Europe, I finally made it to Portugal. It’s not as if I didn’t want to go before, but the more I travel, the slower I travel, and places I once planned to see get knocked down the list for a future visit. Portugal has always stayed high on my list though and now that I’ve been, it should be high on yours as well. Friendly people, great food, charming towns, and low prices are all reasons to get here and also to contribute your tourism dollars to a nation very affected by the world economic crisis.
Some facty-facts:
- Population: 10.7 million, just a little more than the state of New Jersey. And twice as much as the much larger country of Norway
- 85% are Roman Catholic
- Portugal is Continental Europe’s Western most country
- The economic crisis has caused a rate of 9.6% unemployment
- Has some of the largest solar and wind power plants in the world and even opened an experimental wave power plant harnessing the ocean’s power to create energy.
This place has seen its share of rulers: Celts, Phoenicians, Romans, Christian Visigoths, Moors from North Africa, European Christian Crusaders, and so on.
In many ways Portugal, was ahead of its time. They abolished slavery in the 1700s (long before the U.S. did) and in 1850 the death penalty was done away with…yes, something still carried out in more than 30 American states.
Of course, they’ve also had some very hard times. In1755, Portugal suffered the biggest natural disaster in European history when a tremendous earthquake struck just outside Lisbon, killing tens of thousands of people. The huge quake was followed by a tsunami and fire that destroyed nearly all of the city.
In more recent history, from the 1920s to the ‘70s, the Portuguese people suffered under the repressive authoritarian regime of António de Oliveira Salazar, who banned all other political parties. His government and secret police repressed civil liberties and political freedoms in order to remain in control of Portugal until he died in 1970.
Today Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Europe and workers only earn about a third of their counterparts in the U.K. And one-quarter of Portuguese households remain below the poverty level. But despite all this, I felt an optimism and pride in the air. The beauty and history here, coupled with the fact that it has a reputation as a tourist-bargain, has propelled Portugal into a major European destination.
Travel Tip Tuesday: Foreign Bathroom Plumbing Oddities
Ugh! I'm DYING to get there!!!!! Looks amazing!
Your pictures make Portugal look much prettier than New Jersey! Oddly, both have coasts that bookend the Atlantic Ocean. It's funny how many people don't realize they're poor until someone else points it out to them. Even then, many don't seem to care. To be rich, is to have everything you need. To be richer is to have everything you need and consider it everything you want. Everything I've ever read about the Portuguese people indicates to me that they are a very proud and very friendly people. Now you've written this, I consider it confirmed!
I've been to Portugal, in Lisbon in particular, and there certainly have been traces of old glory to be found, but frankly not many. The city feels so rundown and exhausted. Will this be how New York will be like in a 100 years?
Oh I hope not Marlys. Of course NYC is a very different animal.
I'm actually from New Jersey and have been living in Lisbon for 9 years 🙂
Portugal is a great country to live in, very, very peaceful. Lisbon is wonderful, and yes, very rundown. But that's not exactly or just because of poverty. It has to do with the fact that it's so close to the beach that the higher classes moved by the seaside mansions (in Cascais) and the middle class moved to the suburbs. That means that in central Lisbon it's mostly pensioners and immigrants now, although that's been changing in the last few years. Neighborhoods like Chiado and Principe Real are now quite expensive because they've been gentrified. Let's also not forget that Lisbon is Europe's oldest capital after Athens and that all European capitals were mostly destroyed in WWII and renovated after that while Lisbon was neutral and therefore hasn't had massive renovation of its old buildings since the 18th century.
And the city does have lots of faded glory as you can see on these pictures: http://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon/itinerary.html
I invite anyone to visit Lisbon and admire it for what it is — a very authentic, scenic place. Overlook the decay and you'll see one of the most serene, inspiring and beautiful cities in Europe and the world!
Hi John….thanks for this extra insight! My Lisbon posts are starting this week. Where in NJ are you from? That's my homestate! 🙂