Portugal is a fascinating country, full of beautiful contrasts, history, majestic buildings and bridges, living nature, lost corners and friendly people. always ready to have a talk, share a good wine or show you the way ... and in addition to all this, we must add a "yummy" gastronomy.
Now I'm going to tell you some interesting things about this Atlantic country that among other things maintains the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world. It is an Anglo-Portuguese alliance that was signed between King Edward III of England and King Ferdinand I and Eleanor of Portugal in 1373 and is still in force today. This pact became active again during World War II when the Portuguese remained apparently neutral. But then in 1943 Great Britain, after three months of negotiations, was allowed to use the airfield and nautical facilities in the Azores. The British also invoked the treaty during the Falklands War in 1982. And now I keep telling you interesting things.
Portugal, the perfect destination for Surfing
Portugal has a coastline of more than 800 kilometers and they say it has 364 days of surfing!! These are the beaches that you cannot miss if you are a lover of this sport:
- Sagres: the epicenter of surfing in the Algarve, they say the best time to surf is in spring, fall and winter.
- Arrifana in Costa Vicentina, surrounded by cliffs and located near a small fishing village.
- Beloved Beach, also in Costa Vicentina, is one of the best places in Portugal to practice surfing due to the strong currents and high waves
- Beach of Carcavelos, just 24 kilometers from Lisbon. The waves are safer and that is why it is highly recommended for beginner surfers.
- Ericeira, is a small fishing village in the north of Lisbon, with a lot of coves where you can surf, such as S. Lourenço, Coxos, Pedra Branca or Foz do Lizandro.
- Norte Beach, in Nazaré, it became famous for its gigantic waves. This was where Garrett McNamara rode the biggest wave of the year, in 2011, according to the Billabong Awards for the XXL Wave of the world.
- Peniche and the beach of the Supertubes, famous all over the world for its powerful waves.
- beach of Cabedelo or Figueira da Foz. A quiet beach with great waves.
- EspinhoIts waves are so violent that a saltwater pool was built for bathers.
- Paúl do Mar or Ribeira das Chickens , in Madeira enjoy huge waves.
Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in Europe
Another interesting question about Portugal is its universities, and especially that of Coimbra, founded in 1290, at the initiative of King D. Dinis, with the papal bull of Nicholas IV, which makes it one of the oldest in Europe. In 2013 it was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
More than 20 thousand students from all over the world are enrolled in it, in the fields of science, arts, technique and culture, making it one of the largest international communities in Portugal. The tower of the historic campus, from the XNUMXth century is crowned by the clock and its chimes continue to govern the academic life of the university.
Fado, intangible cultural heritage of humanity
If there is an interesting and important cultural manifestation in Portugal it is Fado, which means destiny in Portuguese, a musical genre that originates in the urban areas of Lisbon, but with which all Portuguese people feel identified. It is usually sung by a single person who is accompanied by the «viola» (Spanish guitar in Portugal) or the Portuguese guitar.
It is a type of popular music and the sad heart, in which the bad moments of life are expressed through song. That is why the themes it deals with are fatalistic, such as melancholy, the everyday stories of poor neighborhoods, but especially frustration.
Although there are many styles of fados, since I have talked about the university of Coimbra, this also has its kind of fado, which is always sung by men, places a greater emphasis on the instrumental part. Themes refer to student loves or the city. And as a characteristic, both the singer and the musicians wear black with a cape and gown.
Portugal, the first colonial power to abolish slavery
Another interesting thing you should know about this country is that Portugal abolished slavery in 1761, this means 50 years before Great Britain, France, Spain or the United States did.
Specifically, the Prime Minister Marqués de Pombal abolished slavery in Portugal and in the colonies of India on February 12, 1761, however, in the Portuguese colonies of America slavery was still allowed. At the beginning of the 1854th century, the Portuguese nation prohibited the slave trade and in 25, by decree, all the slaves were freed from the government of the colonies. Two years later, all church slaves in the colonies were also freed. And on February 1869, XNUMX, the complete abolition of slavery in the Portuguese empire finally took place.
There are many more interesting things about this country, some as curious as, for example, that in Lisbon is the longest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama, over the Tagus River, which is 17 kilometers long and 30 wide, or that in this same capital is the oldest working bookstore in the world. Is about the Bertrand bookstore open since 1732 and today it is one of the most important Portuguese bookstore chains with more than 50 stores throughout the country.