POR·chu·gul - /pɔˈɹʧʌgʌl/
[PORTUGAL] - After the Roman-era town & port Portus Cale; Latinization, [portus = harbor/ port], of the Celtic settlement it was built on, Cale; likely from Celtic roots associated with the indigenous Callaeci (or Gallaeci) people, possibly meaning "shelter" essentially making Portugal a tautological (pleonastic) toponym as "harbor" also means "shelter."
In the early medieval era, under Visigothic & Muslim occupations, the name evolved into Portucale or Portucalense, and stretched to mean the whole northern region, then transitioned to the vernacular Portugal in the 12th century, and used for the whole Kingdom. (The original site of Cale port is now the capitol, simply called Porto.)
Portugal is an enchanting fairy-tale like destination full of palaces, colorful coastal villages, terraced vineyards & dramatic cliffs all paired with world-famous port wine & fresh seafood.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Portugese
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Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink (may taste chlorinated)
Most Locals can speak English.
Currency:
Euro
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
When renting an apartment/ room double-check if air-conditioning / ventilator (fan)or heater can be available, (depending on the season) - they are not always provided
Hot Tip:
The Portuguese Republic, considered the oldest nation-state 🔍 in Europe, (in the sense that's borders have been largely unchanged since 1139) encompasses mainland Portugal + the autonomous archipelagos 🔍 of Azores & Madeira in the Atlantic 🔍. And Iberia 🔍 has some of the earliest evidence of hominids in all Europe, (nearly a million years ago,) with modern humans arriving in the territory of modern Portugal ~400K BC and producing art like open-air rock engravings of horses,~22k - 10k BC.
In the Bronze Age indo-European steppe tribes arrived, with Phoenician merchants and Celtic tribes integrating into the peninsula in the Iron Age and the Roman conquest of Hispania beginning in 218 BC in the Second Punic War. The Romans established a colony in what would become Portugal for veterans of the Cantabrian Wars, and by the 3c AD Roman culture and Christianity was wide spread.
a bit of background...
........................ Portugal holds the record for shortest & longest-reigning monarch. Henrique of Portugal was the king for 73+ years & Luis Filipe was king for only 20 minutes.
Fun Fact:
In the 5c (concurrent with the sack of Rome) tribes like the Vandals, crossed the Pyrenees into Hispania, fragmenting Roman control, with the (Germanic) Suebi establishing a kingdom 🔍 on the west coast. They were later conquered by the Visigoths and then all of Iberia was overrun by Berber Muslims in 711 AD, who dominated most of the peninsula for nearly 800 years.
Christians began to slowly push the Moors south 🔍, and were able to reclaim the region around Porto, establishing the County of Portugal in 868 AD.† By the 12c it gained independence and vastly expanded it's overseas territory over the next few centuries, particularly in the Age of Discoveries, with expeditions along the African coast all the way to Indo-Asia were they were the 1st Europeans to reach Japan†† (made possible by Vasco da Gama rounding the Cape of Good Hope.) They even reached the.Americas, discovering & claiming Brazil for the Portuguese Empire and Magellan was 1st to circumnavigate the globe.
However in the late 16c Portugal briefly formed a dynastic union with Spain, and thus the Holy Roman Empire, drawing it into conflict with the Dutch and resulting in the loss of many of it's colonies. A revolution & the Liberal Wars of the 19c lead to the further loss of Brazil, followed by multiple military coups and several republics 🔍 in the 20c. With a successful assignation, bloodless military coup, Bolshevik-inspired revolutions, and decolonization (ending the empire 🔍 ) the Portuguese Republic didn't fully stabilize until the late 1980's.
† The Berbers weren't fully expelled for nearly 800 years, until 1492 after the marriage of Catholic monarchs Ferdinand & Isabella unified Spain.
†† They even left a linguistic mark: words like pan (from the Portuguese pão = bread) & sabato (from the Portuguese sabado = Saturday.)
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Bifanas - paprika poached pork sandwich w/ Piri Piri (Portgueese chili sauce) & mustard†
Francesinha -ham & Linguica sausage sandwich w/ fried egg ∞ Tripas A moda Do Porto - cow stomach tacos
Carne De Porco à Alentejana - marinated pork, clams & potatoes ∞ Arroz de Pato - duck w/ rice
Salt Cod stir fried in Bacalhau à Brás or as Bolinhos de Bacalhau fritters ∞ Baked Octopus
Caldo Verde (green soup) - cabbage, potato, kale, chorizo & collard green soup ∞ Feijoada - bean stew
Açorda - stale bread soup w/ a poached egg ∞ Broa - steamed corn bread
Cozido à Portuguesa - pig’s feet, ears and sausages w/ veg ∞ Caracois - snails in garlic & Piri Piri
Natas do Ceu - layered Maria cookies, meringue & cream ∞ Pastel de Nata†† - lemon & vanilla custard tart
Port Wine - sweet, fortified red wine, (Produced exclusively in the Douro Valley)
➿➰➿
BE AWARE - Couverts (table bread, cheese and olives) @ Restaurants are not free!
If you touch any of it, you will be charged, sometimes per person, so if you don’t want them, ask the waiter to take them back
† Piri Piri was made possible by the empire with the chili's originating in Portuguese colonies in South America and brought to Portuguese outposts in Africa were the now world famous sauce was developed & this pork sandwich is so popular McDonald’s has version, the McBifana
†† From Lisbon’s Belém district were the Pastéis de Belém family bakery has kept the original recipe a secret since 1837.
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Portugal
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal
(If you get there first send me your best finds !)
recommendations yet, but you can start with the most popular spots
below, and I'll update with my favorites, hopefully soon!
Most Known For:
♦️ Shrine of Fátima | Cova da Iria - pilgrimage spot were the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared
to three young shepherds in 1917 (second only to Rome in Europe in terms of number of pilgrims.)
🔸 Lisbon - w/ Belém Tower, Pastéis de Belém's custard tarts, Bertrand Bookstore† &
Jerónimos Monastery + nearby hilltop Sintra - w/ colorful Pena Palace & Castle of the Moors
♦️ Porto - w/ colorful riverside old town in Ribeira & azulejos tiles @ São Bento train station
& 🔎 Cathedrals; Capela das Almas, Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, Igreja do Carmo
🔸 Douro (River) Valley terraced vineyards; world's oldest demarcated wine 🍷 region
♦️ Coimbra - w/ Royal Palace & Coimbra University, one of Europe's oldest, c. 1290, w/ baroque Joanine Library
🔸 Azores Islands w/ volcanos 🌋 and Évora's Roman temple
♦️ Óbidos (the "Wedding Present Town") - walled whitewashed medieval village w/ flower-lined streets and a castle
🔸 Algarve region - cliff beaches & sea caves
† c. 1732, world’s oldest bookstore
👀 NOTABLE PORTUGUESE:
🗺️ Vasco da Gama & Magellan | Explorers 🪶 Luís de Camões - Poet ✟ Saint Anthony Of Padua
💃 Carmen Miranda - Singer & Actress
👣
🌀 Festa de São João | Porto (June 23/24) - massive all-night midsummer celebration honoring St John the Baptist;
fireworks, bonfires & Martelinhos (squeaky plastic hammers) that people playfully tap strangers on the head with
(evolved from pagan courtship rituals like hitting with leeks or garlic flowers.)
🌀 Carnaval - pre-Lent w/ elaborate parades, costumes & satirical floats; famous in Torres Vedras, Loulé & Ovar for
their Brazilian-inspired energy.
🌀 Semana Santa (Holy Week)- solemn processions, religious reenactments w/ illuminated streets & biblical scenes
(most famously in Braga) .
🌀 Festa da Flor 🌸 (Flower Festival) | Madeira - spring parade w/ elaborate floral carpets & floats
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
Make the Time!
Worth the Effort/ $
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