| why Portugal? We are asked this question by almost everyone we meet. Well, for one, my interest in journeying there has been prevalent for many years ... Portugal had colonized a few coastal places in India, one of them being Goa. Being originally from India, we'd had the opportunity to visit Goa several times. We loved this place - its cuisine, people and the relaxed and timeless quality it possessed. Though Indians are relaxed by nature, I'd like to believe that the Portuguese presence there brought an even more relaxed & timeless quality to the lifestyles of the people. Which is why Goa still lives in a serene rush-free zone. One of the best imports from Portugal into Indian cuisine was the red chilli pepper. In duet with vinegar, which they also brought in to India ... was born the vindaloo! Gastronomy aside, another reason to visit was the long and dramatic coastline that I'd read about. And currency-wise, It was, and still is, one of Europe's finest values for the traveller. We spent a wonderful late spring (15 days) in Portugal in April 2001. We journeyed approximately a 1000 kilometres, flying in to Lisboa and travelling up the coast northward, eventually ending our journey in Oporto. The following are some personal thoughts of the country and its people, that we came home with. * * * The common man's impressions of Portugal are vague, if not totally scant. Many think it of it as a tag-on to Spain, a notion that intensely irritates the Portuguese. Their relationship with the Spaniards is akin to the Irish and Scots ... neighbors geographically, yet extremely different culturally from each other. They have a saying in Portugal - "No good comes from a Spanish match , or Spanish wind." Other impressions that people have range from the country being backward, and probably poor, to the people being nondescript, and its natural beauty not anything to write home about. In any case, definitely less exciting than Spain, or say other European countries. In a way, these impressions are partly due to the fact that Portugal by nature in the last century was never vociferous about itself. It has spent many decades awakening from a stupor caused by an incompetent monarchy which was undone in 1910, to be followed by a republican and democratic period, peppered with some political instability. In 1926, a military revolution established a dictatorship under Dr. Salazar which lasted a long period until 1974, at which point there occurred a peaceful revolution. In 1986, the country joined the European Union, and has, in the last 10 or more years done much to repair its image ... its cities seem to be undergoing a massive re-construction and face-lift. The new subway systems are impeccable and have an artistic air about them. ATM's and fancy telephone booths are everywhere, and the estradas (national highways) are comparable to Europe's best. Portuguese peasants live in absolute cleanliness. To be poor in Portugal is a disagreeable matter. This also applies to how one presents oneself. (Which is why, in Portugal we both usually felt like tramps compared to the impeccably dressed Portuguese.) The houses are clean, inviting and neat. There is no litter anywhere, and roads and sidewalks are always swept, and washed down at the end of the business day. Even the markets square is scrubbed clean at the end of the day. The major cities in all their urban-ness, traffic and bourgeoning populace (barring construction work), were clean. The Portuguese are a gentle people. They are also soft-spoken. I had to lower my voice when I spoke to them, and by American standards, I am normally softer than the average cashier at an American department store, so I'm afraid they'd probably find Americans, loud. They were patient when I tried to speak their language, and were extremely tolerable of my stumblings. Unlike the French, who would scorn the foreigner making attempts to speak their language, they were smiling and patient, diplomatically avoiding correction of my faulty pronunciation. The Portuguese do not necessarily invite familiarity, and though well-mannered and kind, they were almost reserved when compared to say, the hospitality and warmth shown by Indians toward travellers. The Portuguese are brilliant talkers, (they make for poor listeners). On our travels we met several local people who shared with us many interesting facets of their life. Then there were those who were clearly not satisfied as citizens .. they were proud of their country and it's heritage, but knew that the country and its people had a long way to go. They expressed frustration with the way women were treated as second class citizens, they were impatient with the government and its bureaucracy and the cost of living was high. But mostly they were frustrated by the Portuguese mind-set, which they felt needed to broaden, relax and be more accepting of the many changes that were happening within and without the country. Another characteristic lacking of the people was appreciation for things peculiar to their own country, heritage and culture, (monuments, natural wonders, artistes etc.), their appreciation rising only after validation and praise was voiced by a foreigner of the same. One rarely sees the Portuguese immersed in gaiety and wild celebrating, unlike their more exuberant Spanish counterparts. They seem to be happiest when they are mildly sad, and cherish their 'saudades' or longings. If the Portuguese, in this case the males, want to display their machismo, (and this was verified to us on more than a couple of occasions by the men themselves during conversations with us), they do so in their small manual transmission automobiles by riding like bats out of hell. Which is why manual and not automatic cars take preference in this country. Animals were well fed and looked after here, and dogs slept without any fear of interruption on sidewalks. The locals stepped around them, nobody thought of awakening them or shooing them away. The dogs seemed to behave more like cats - reserved by nature, they politely ignored you and stayed put, quite unlike the poor mongrels in India, so starved of love, attention & food, that they'd give their life for you if you showed them some friendliness. (This doesn't seem to fit here, but going on with the general theme of 'gentleness' I recall reading somewhere, that Portugal was the first European nation to ban capital punishment.) Fishing and agriculture are important traditions in Portugal. Along much of the coast, fishing boats come in and auction off their catch through the day. An auction in Portugal means that you start the bid at the highest price, and work down, till a buyer is got - which is a good way, especially when you're dealing with un-iced fish. Cork, is another important product - more than half the world's cork is grown here. Not to mention first-rate olive oil, and wines comparable to the best of Europe's wines. We enjoyed our stay in Portugal, and we'd highly recommend travelling by road to places within the country. You will pass pine, chestnut and oak forests, olive and orange groves, and picturesque little villages set in rolling green hills. Some of the best food can be had in the littlest of fishing villages and town. Carry a good road map with you, and if you are not familiar with the language, try and learn some basic Portuguese phrases before you get there! The dictionary/reference book we carried with us was one of the most used items on our trip there. I hope you enjoy the travelogue. We definitely recommend you include
Portugal on your wish-list of travel places and make a trip to this
wonderful country sometime! Other travelogues include: |