2011 09 - The REAL Portugal behind the headlines

Thursday, 01 September 2011 00:00

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You have been reading a lot about Portugal these past few months, including the great article on Geres in National Geographic, and the piece on Evora in the New York Times to name a few. However the question still remains, what exactly is Portugal? Other nations in Europe have much stronger associations in the mind of the American traveler but as Barry Hatton points out in his new book The Portuguese: A Modern History, Portugal is an established member of the European Union, one of the founders of the euro currency and a founding member of NATO. Yet it is an inconspicuous and largely overlooked country on the continent's south-west rim. But there is much more than meets the eye.....

1. This Month's Travel Secret: The REAL  Portugal!
The year 2038 will mark Portugal's 900th anniversary as an independent nation. And, despite its misty nature, Portugal also happens to be the closest European neighbor to America.
Among its many accomplishments, Portugal was the first European nation to discard Latin in favor of its own unique language. Portugal's borders have also remained stable for centuries, giving them the longest-standing borders in Europe.  But most importantly of all,. Portugal was the first nation to build a global economy.  Its sea-faring explorations of the 1400s to 1600s opened up trade routes that reached Brazil to the West, Africa to the south, and Macau and India to the East.
Today Portugal offers some of the most exciting new buildings in Europe, from Porto's Casa da Música to Lisbon's new Casino Lisboa and Two Portuguese Pulitzers architects that have renowned projects around the country. Its restaurants and cafes serve bold new dishes that combine traditional Portuguese cuisine with flavors of the other regions once explored by Portuguese mariners, making it an ultimate destination vacation for foodies. Portugal’s cities are also heavily influenced by the cultures of the distant lands influencing their cuisine, appealing to the history buff in every traveler.
So what defines Portugal? Start with its vast cork forests, move on to discovering its ancient castles and forts, check out its mighty cathedrals and abbeys, and explore its whitewashed towns and vibrant cities. The traditional songs of Fado "the Portuguese version of the blues" thrive among a new generation of Fadistas, who are the singers that turn the melancholy melodies into art.
Visitors still fill the arenas for Portuguese bullfights, where the bulls lives are always spared and the fighter always approaches on horseback. Portugal's islands the Azores and Madeira also offer green landscapes and dramatic scenery, yet several of their cities compete as hotspots with the best in Europe.
Yes, these are challenging times for the Portuguese no doubt. But we need to have some perspective; in 1580 a massive Spanish army annexed Portugal following a lost battle in North Africa that left the nation kingless and defenseless. Portugal went on to regain its independence after two generations. In the first decade of the 19th century Portugal faced not one but three invasions by Napoleonic armies, and turned back all three.
Today's Portugal remains well seasoned with its past and is best enjoyed in juxtaposition to an uncertain but endless future.
In Eça de Queiroz's The City and the Mountains, he describes his first vision of Portugal:
"I awoke wrapped in a vast, sweet silence. There was a station, perfectly still and clean swept, with small white roses climbing the walls, and more roses in clumps in the garden, where blooming mimosa flowers gave off their scent.  A pale young man in a honey-colored coat bent his cane on the ground as he watched the train pensively. Overhead shone the deep rich and soft blue sky in which my eyes were bathed."
And, BTW, we just saw the launch of the Mysteries of  Lisbon http://www.misteriosdelisboa.com/en/news.html based on a story writen by Eça de Queiroz.
Portugal remains as it always has been, a welcoming place to the visitor unpretentious, proud, humbled, nostaligic, and in many ways very mystical in it's own self vision.
Today's Portugal beckons the traveler looking for authentic Europe with an inviting mix of the traditional and the modern. Come discover this land of explorers, and become one yourself!

2. News

The 2011 travel and tourism competitiveness index, put together by the World Economic Forum, places Portugal in the top 20 most competitive destinations for tourism andtravel investments for the 3rd year running.
The new Madeira Iberian Museum will host a collection donated by Joe Berardo, becoming the first museum of Art Deco in Spain or Portugal.
Recently several new restaurants opened in Lisbon, such as:  Pharmacia Restaurant; Darwin's Café; Restaurant Tejo; Guilty by Olivier; Restaurant Alma Lusitana and Paradigma Restaurant.
Goeurope.About.com says that two of its favorite Gardens of Europe are in Portugal
The Intercontinental Hotel Group, in partnership with Solitaire Hotels, is considering opening a new unit  in the Douro region.
3. Packages / Deals
++ SATA Azores Express announces new Azores air + hotel packages to the volcanic islands of the Azores – from $699. This year, choose from 26 hotels and five storm-free islands.
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See our news feed at www.insideportugaltravel.com

Contact Information:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
www.visitportugal.com
V: 646 7230213

Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566