Portugal

My Portugal travel summary:

Visited: July 1992, October 2021

Duration of visit: 13 days

Capital city: Lisbon

Population: 10.3 million (2021)

Portugal travel blog reading time: 11 minutes

• Lisbon – monuments, gastronomy, history and spectacular sunset views.
• An important pilgrimage center for the Catholic faith in Fatima.
• Sunset cruising around water channels on a moliceiro boat in Aveiro.
• Porto – view from Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, watching surfers and exploring Bolsa Palace.
• Spectacular views over Douro Wine Region Valley.
• Tasting delicious bacalao in all forms and tastes: from starters, main dish and desert.

Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe, with its borders practically unchanged since 1297. Once a colonial power conquering territory across America, Africa, and Asia, it is now an innovative country known for its delicious food and millions of foreign visitors each year.

Pilgrims, surfers, culinary lovers, backpackers, start-up entrepreneurs and mild climate lovers have emerged as year-round travelers across the country.

I visited the main cities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra in 1992, as a part of my Western European trip by Interrail. My memories of that times are not recorded in a dairy, nor digital format. It was only a quick stop, nothing compared to the places and experiences in Olympic Barcelona or magic Paris.

At that time, Porto lacked the old-town charm, impressive bridges, and lively surfer beaches I experienced in 2021. Therefore, my 2021 family trip impressions better reflect how I experienced Portugal.

The further memories are from my Portugal travel adventure in 2021.

My first stop was Lisbon, which became the capital only in the 19th century, after Guimarães and Coimbra. It could easily fill a week if I wanted to explore its monuments, historical sights, parks, and local culture.

On November 1, 1755, a massive earthquake devastated Lisbon. Fires and a tsunami followed, killing up to 50,000 people. With a population of about 200,000 at the time, it ranks among the deadliest earthquakes in history.

The hilly coastal capital inspired me with historic landmarks such as São Jorge Castle, tiled façades, and yellow trams. It also features modern monuments like Cristo Rei and Padrão dos Descobrimentos, celebrating Portugal’s Age of Discovery.

Wonderful sunsets at the beginning of mild winter, when the temperature was still hitting 25°C marked every day of my stay in the city.

Riding Tram 28 felt like one of the most enjoyable experiences, taking me from Martim Moniz through historic districts. It followed winding rails and passed through the city’s most iconic streets. Narrow streets, steep gradients and numerous tight turns make the route impossible to navigate on modern trams. Therefore, Tram 28 serves as a tourist attraction and a vital part of the local transport network for residents.

It was a great experience to observe Basilica da Estrella, plazas, churches, Castle Sao George and many old buildings covered with colorful tiles. Tram 28 is known for pickpockets, so I boarded at Martim Moniz, got a seat, and watched my belongings carefully. However, during the ride, I didn’t have any bad experiences.

Padrão dos Descobrimentos (The Monument to the Discoveries) was first erected as a temporary monument for the World Exhibition in 1940.  Its unique location on the Tagus River breakwater evokes Portuguese overseas expansion and recalls its glorious past. It also reminds visitors of Portuguese conquistadores exploring new territories around the world.

The 52-meter-high monument features statues of great Portuguese explorers and dominates the shoreline of Belém. It especially shines in the late afternoon and offers a stunning view of the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. A wonderful sunset lit yet another landmark of the city: Belem tower. It started as a military fortification, became a political prison, and now offered me a perfect spot for sunset photos.

One of the highlights of my Portugal travel adventure was famous pastéis da nata, oved for their flaky crust and creamy filling. I tried it at many different locations and it always tasted the same: delicious. They are made all over the country and appear in nearly every pastry shop. However, only three people in the world know the original recipe, which is used at Pastéis de Belém.

The most famous element of Portuguese cuisine is bacalao – codfish. Portuguese usually dry bacalao and salt it before storing it under natural conditions.

Cooks soak bacalao by submerging it in cold water in the refrigerator for up to three days. From there, they prepare it in many different recipes and forms. I tasted some of the best: pastel de bacalao (patanicas de bacalhau), fried bacalao, bacalao at horno, bacalao guizado and bacalao a la Vizcaina.

La Casa Portuguesa do pastel de bacalhau, founded in 1904, is arguably the best place where people can enjoy eating its famous bacalhau cakes. These fritters have the peculiarity of being additionally filled with a creamy cheese. Surrounded by paintings of well-known Portuguese artists, I watched cheese-filled cod cakes being freshly made in front of me.

After visiting Medjugorje in Bosnia and Hercegovina earlier in 2021 it was logical to make a stop in Fatima – an important pilgrimage center for the Catholic faith.

It all started with religious visions in 1917. Local children Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta experienced six monthly visions of Our Lady, during which she revealed three secrets.

People interpreted them as prophecies about World War II, the rise and fall of communism, and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. The final apparition included a miracle witnessed by 70,000 people, who also observed strange light from a dancing sun.

A massive religious complex was constructed later. Millions of pilgrims from all over the World visit Fatima every year. However, during my visit in early November, I had the place pretty much for myself. Capelinha das Aparições now stands in a huge plaza that hosts over 100,000 pilgrims, alongside the Basilica of Nossa Senhora do Rosário and underground prayer centers.

The whole city is dedicated to the pilgrims; numerous gift shops, candle industry and specific name of the hotels. Devout pilgrims attended services at the chapel. I found Fátima peaceful and reflective, a soothing experience in today’s fast-paced world.

I remember Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, from the early 1990s as an unattractive place with many bridges. I am glad I visited it again in 2021 and discovered what a wonderful place with a good Atlantic atmosphere it is.

Apart from churches and cathedral, I also visited The Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace). The building was constructed in a neoclassical style in the mid-19^th century.

The highlights include a large courtyard with mosaic floors and a marble and granite staircase. The Golden Room, covered in gold leaf, and other splendid rooms lead to the Arab Room.The Moorish-style Arab Room, inspired by Spain’s Alhambra, now serves as a concert hall and ballroom for official receptions.

I was surprised that half of the palace is still in use today, with a restaurant on the ground floor.

Cais da Ribeira is a lively riverfront promenade along the Douro river, where beautiful views to Ponte Luis I bridge open. Neatly stacked pastel-colored houses facing the water are in good shape, while overpriced, touristy restaurants with nice terraces are comfortable to observe the coastline, architecture and bridges over Douro river.

The authorities closed the bridge traffic. Therefore, I could walk to the other side and climb up to Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar, where the best view over Porto opens.

One of my best memories in Porto was the lively Matosinhos beach. We actually reached it by coincidence. The original goal was to visit Yellowood store, a Portuguese enterprise that manufactures one of the best quality fingerboards in the world. Finger-boarding was the top passion of my son at the time.

The shop was closed, but we could hear people inside working. We knocked and called out, and the owner opened the door and showed us around, including the workshop where the boards are made by hand. My son was thrilled and even tried some tricks with the team at a fingerboard skatepark on the roof.

When asked about the nearby beach, they directed us to a beautiful sandy beach. Matosinhos beach was busy even in the beginning of November, when the sea temperatures are not suitable for swimming any more. I counted more than 100 surfers, and most of them just walked to the beach from nearby apartment buildings.

Exposed to the mighty Atlantic Ocean, the water near the shore is calm, but big waves for surfing are close by.

I walked along the promenade and noticed bars, cafes, and restaurants all around me. In summer, the place must feel lively and full of energy.

Alto Douro is a World Heritage Site and offers viewpoints with wide views over the valley and vineyard terraces on steep mountains. Locals have shaped the land for more than 2,000 years of winemaking into terraced hillsides. Vineyards now cover most of the area with rows of grapevines.

It was windy and cloudy, but as far as the view could reach, I saw vineyards. Due to a hot, dry micro climate and rocky soil the growing conditions for grapes are ideal. Farmers grow mostly Portuguese grape varieties.

The area is very hilly, quite steep at many points. Accessing these terraces is hard work at any time of year. Nevertheless, most local people take part in wine production in some way or another.

Although the area was beautiful also in November, the best time to visit the Alto Douro region is September to October, when leaves turn yellow, red, and brown.

Portugal produces more than half of the world’s cork and the cork tree is still one of its native species. The government protects cork oak trees by not allowing them to be cut down without permission.

I visited a cork plantation in the area of Evora. You can easily spot cork trees along the road, sometimes growing far apart on their own, while people plant new ones in neat rows with set spacing.

During a tour in Cortiçarte, I got a chance to see the cork production and learn more about this important part of Portuguese economy.

A cork oak tree needs 25 years after planting before its first harvest. It takes 43 years after planting before it produces material good enough for bottle corks.

Workers do not cut down or damage the trees when they harvest cork from the outer bark. They harvest the trees every nine years for their entire lifespan of about 270 to 300 years. Once the cork is extracted from the tree, it is left out to dry in the sun for several months. The next step is to boil it for an hour and press it to make it flatter.

Manufacturers use most cork to make wine bottle stoppers, but recently they sell more cork to the construction and fashion industries.

Cork trees grow well in Portugal because of its mild weather, rainfall, and sunshine. Short dry periods also help create ideal conditions for these trees.

One of the oldest countries in Europe has offered me plenty of historical places to visit, attractions, things to do, great food and inspiration on my expedition around the world. My Portugal travel adventures in 1992 and 2021 were very different experiences in terms of places, culture, and travel style.

Travelling around by car gave me a wider picture of the country in 2021. Beside the big cities of Porto and Lisbon, I enjoyed the countryside and many areas I couldn’t reach in 1991.

The country has improved a lot in the 21^st century and will continue to grow in popularity because of its many unique features. From cork to wine, football stars to surfing opportunities, focus on renewable energy and new technologies.

Although there are many reasons to return to Portugal, I could go back just to taste delicious pastel de nata and bacalao in any form.