Portugal is the Best. Of course. Top 10 countries for 2013.

Top 10 countries for 2013 | Globe Spots

Algarve. Great cultural heritage.

Visiting the Algarve is not just an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent beaches and delicious cuisine; it is also a chance to discover a rich cultural heritage handed down over many centuries of history.

Occupied since pre-historic times, the municipality of Aljezur enjoyed a period of great prosperity during the five centuries of Islamic occupation. Indeed, the town of Aljezur was founded by the Arabs in the 10^th century, and they built the imposing castle that can still be visited today.

In 1249, D. Paio Peres Correia won the town back from the Moors. In 1280, King Dinis granted Aljezur its charter and in 1504 it was awarded a new charter by King Manuel I.

After a period of prosperity which coincided with the maritime Discoveries and the town sending its agricultural produce to Lagos, Aljezur faced hard times, later exacerbated by the 1755 earthquake. The earthquake destroyed most of the town and left the main church in complete ruins. The intervention of the then Bishop of the Algarve, D. Francisco Gomes do Avelar, was needed to build this church and set in motion the construction of a new urban centre.

Aljezur Castle

An Arab military building dating from the 10^th century, located on the top of a hill. It has a long stretch of wall with two towers, and on the inside a vaulted cistern of Arab origin, as well as the remains of houses and barracks. Aljezur Castle was taken by the Christians in the 13th century and fulfilled an important defensive role until the 18th century.

Visitors can enjoy a wonderful view from here.

Bordeira Main Church

An 18th century church, it has a longitudinal floor plan with a single nave and a chancel with a carved gilt triumphal arch in front.

The main features are the altarpiece in the chancel and the two side altarpieces in the Baroque style, where some high quality statues can be seen. Examples are the

statues of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação (Our Lady of the Incarnation) and Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary)(18^th century), of Santo António (St Anthony) and São Francisco (St Francis)(17th century) and of São Sebastião (St Sebastian)(16th century).

There is more than a thousand impressive monuments and historical sites in the region. They will definitely be mentioned in the next series of articles. Explore and enjoy! And happy travelling.

 Portugal is situated in the Mediterranean region, which is one of the world’s most important areas in terms of biodiversity.

Its landscape is very varied, with mountains and plains, hidden valleys and meadowland, extensive forests and groves, rocky coasts and never-ending beaches that stretch into the distance, estuaries, river deltas and coastal lagoons. With such a great variety of habitats, our country also presents one of the greatest diversities of birdlife in Europe, with roughly 360 regularlyoccurring species.

In mainland Portugal, there are roughly 70 species whose distribution is restricted to the region of the Mediterranean basin (e.g. Greater Flamingo, Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Collared Pratincole, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Red-necked Nightjar, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Red-rumped Swallow, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rufous tailed Rock Thrush Orphean Warbler, Spanish Sparrow).

The coastal strip is the preferred place of migration for thousands of birds from dozens of different species. Hundreds of thousands of sea and coastal birds (gannets, shearwaters, sandpipers, plovers and terns), birds of prey (eagles and harriers), small birds (swallows, pipits, warblers, thrushes and shrikes) cross over our territory twice a year, flying between their breeding grounds in Europe and their winter stays in Africa.

In the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, there are important colonies of seabirds, such as the Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel and Roseate Tern. There are also some endemic species on the islands, such as the Madeiran Storm Petrel, Madeiran Laurel Pigeon, Madeiran Firecrest or the Azores Bullfinch. One should also stress the importance of the Azores as a place where bird species may appear occasionally, flying in from the American continent.

Birdwatching in Portugal is also made easier by the relatively small size of the country itself, the quality of its road network, its mild climate and its high level of public safety. Being included in the strategic tourist product of Nature Tourism, birdwatching is best complemented with other important regional features, such as fine gastronomy, excellent wines and a rich cultural heritage

Corvo.

The best place in Europe for watching american birds

Description

Pastureland (Intensive and semi-natural), coastal areas (cliffs, islets).

Species

Cory’s Shearwater, Little Shearwater, Common Quail, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Black Duck, Ringnecked Duck, Tufted Duck, Scaup, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Wood Pigeon, Common Nighthawk, Yellowbilled Cuckoo, Common Blackbird, Blackcap, Grey Wagtail, Common Starling, Common Chaffinch, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Ovenbird.

Birdwatching sites

Ribeira entre as Cancelas, Ribeira do Cantinho, Ribeira da Amoreira, Fojo, Ribeira do Poço de Água, Ribeira da Ponte, Ribeira do Cerrado das Vacas, Ponta do Marco, Vila Nova do Corvo, Caldeirão.

Other attractions in the area

Diving, observing whales and dolphins.

Happy discoveries!

Alentejo. Portugal. Discover a new world of tastes..

The Alentejo, a true paradise between beaches and plains, offers us an open landscape in which the cork and oak trees play a decisive part in conveying the tranquility, the warmth and the extension of one the Portuguese regions best known for its imaginative gastronomy.
In the north, we can discover Portalegre and the Serra de São Mamede, whose climate, colder and moister that in the rest ofAlentejo, provides great quality wines.
The cattle rasing and the products we can get from it, like cheese, are also worthy of a delicate tasting.
Next we have Borba, Estremoz, the Redondo, in plain Serra d’Ossa and then Évora. Wine production is tradition in any one of these cities. You can visit the many wine makers and discover this region’s enourmous amount of great quality restaurants.

On the south, in Baixo Alentejo, you can take a trip to Moura and visit the Olive Oil Museum. It is also here that great quality honey is produced.
In the Alentejo, you can also feel the scents of the fields and the rich flavors of aromatic herbs. From oregano to rosemary, the spices fill the cooking with perfume, granting them that special alentejo’s touch. The coriander gives name to Cação de Coentrada (a fish dish made with a lot of coriander), a worthy of mention typical dish that can be eaten as soup ou accompanied by boiled potatos and slices of toasted bread.

The porco alentejano (alentejo’s pig) lives the fields of cork and oak trees with the perfect conditions for a healthy growing and an oak nut-based feeding. The ham from the porco alentejano is a good example of this product’s quality, with its exquisite flavor and aroma.



The Migas à Alentejana with pork are one of the most known dishes of this region’s gastronomy. The bread is a key ingredient of this gastronomy, either by itself or used in an assortment of recipes.
The monasterial sweet making of Alentejo, predominant in eggs and gila (a variety of pumpkin jelly), is a symbol of the region. Also a part of the best tradional recipes of alentejo is the Encharcada do Convento de Santa Clara (Évora) - a regional dessert made with cinnamon and eggs. The Fidalgo and the Sericaia, either with or without rainhas Cláudia (a kind of plums) are fine representatives of the best monasterial sweet making.

To end the journey, you can take a peek to the shores of the Alqueva, the biggest artificial dam in Europa, where all these golden tones blend themselves with the blue colours of the Guadiana river.

by taste-portugal.com

Portugal is a wonderful destination for birdwatching!

by portugaldreamcost.com

Portugal has been a wonderful destination for birdwatching and one of the country’s best birdwatching areas is Sado estuary in Setubal. If you are a birdwatching fan and you haven’t visited this place before, then the range of species here might well surprise you.

The Sado estuary is a Ramsar site of international importance.
Here you can watch around 70.000 birds of more than 250 different species, all year round. The estuary incorporates a number of different habitats, ranging from inter-tidal mudflats, salt marshes, salt pans, rice fields, reed beds and river beaches, to sand-dunes, small dams and slopes covered in cork and pine.
Some of the areas of major interest include: Gâmbia, Zambujal, Pinheiro, Monte Novo de Palma, Batalha, Cachopos, Carrasqueira and Comporta.

This sparsely populated region is a vital stronghold for Great and Little Bustards – and excellent for birds of prey, too. Resident Eurasian Black Vultures and Eurasian Griffons share the skies with Spanish Imperial, Golden and Bonelli’s Eagles, and by late February, the first Lesser Kestrels should be returning from their winter quarters in Africa.

Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, Purple Swamphen and Eurasian Penduline, all are to be looked for. More birds like Black Stork, Calandra and Thekla Larks, Eurasian Crag Martin, Blue Rock-thrush, Spanish Sparrow and Rock Bunting are among other exciting species to watch for as you can listen for the tell-tale chuckling of Black-bellied Sandgrouse flying over the steppe.

Each year this region is attracting more and more people from across the world interested in birdwatching and if you come to Setúbal you have a bonus, because you might as well observe the small and unique population of Bottle-nosed Dolphins, resident in the estuary.

Not only ancient monuments and gothic churches are this very special what Portugal is famous for..

by DEZEEN

DENTAL CLINIC BY MMVArquitecto

Stripy glass screens obscure views between rooms at this dental clinic in Torres Vedras, Portugal, by MMVArquitecto (+ slideshow).

Patterned with vertical stripes of green and black, the semi-transparent walls surround the reception and waiting area of the clinic and are made from recycled glass panels of different thicknesses.

“The inspiration came from a block of ice,” architect Miguel Marques Venâncio told Dezeen, and explained how he wanted to “potentiate the reflections and the vibrations of the light, creating a perception of space that is constantly mutating.”

Narrow recesses fold around the walls and ceilings, and are illuminated from behind to provide channels of light.

Apart from the colourful screens, the clinic has an all-white interior that is only interrupted by a handful of red and blue chairs within the three surgery rooms.

See more stories about dentists on Dezeen »

Photography is by Fernando Guerra

The challenge is based on the re-interpretation of a Dental Clinic, in the search of a new clarity and spatial character.
The site is located on a first floor of a common building in the centre of Torres Vedras. The space requires a new image to provoke new atmospheres, new sensations.

The desire of creating a distinguished space in the city, more paused, contemplative, a space of reflection, leading to the discovery of the importance of silence and of spaces apparently empty yet full of drive.

An experimentation where the selection of materials is sustained by the nobleness of the materials. That experimentation is essentially realised with the immaterial architectural element, which is space.
The search of a timeless space, with a plentitude of senses, where light is filtered in different ways, gives poetry to spaces, dignifying them.

Location: Torres Vedras, Portugal

Client: R. Leal
Architect: Migues Marques Venâncio

Collaborators: B. Pedrosa (project, digital images), V. Vázquez (project), M. Álvarez (project), T. Palos (models, drawings)
Construction supervision: MMVArquitecto
Construction company: António Manuel Nogueira Cesário

Porto. Portugal. River Douro view.

Postcard from Portugal

by Kitty Meredith  @Architectureweek

Portugal was a big surprise to me. I'd read up on the country's history and culture before leaving on my trip. But nowhere in my reading was there a hint that Portugal is home to architectural traditions that I have found nowhere else in my travels.
Unusual decorative touches are present on many private residences and public buildings. Most of these, such as tile mosaics, or bands of colour (usually blue to ward off the "evil eye") across the front of the house or around the windows, are vestiges of a Moorish past.
The Portuguese don't simply lay down concrete for sidewalks. Every sidewalk and plaza is composed of small stones or marble chips, often set in decorative patterns that enhance and coordinate with the surrounding buildings. This is apparent not only in major cities, but in smaller towns, villages, and suburbs.

The most unusual touches, though, are decorative finials on the roofs of private residences. They are usually 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) tall and are often simple spirals, two or more to a rooftop. Others lend an oriental flavour, positioned on the tip ends of slightly upturned roof edges. In the Algarve region, large rectangular chimneys appear as decorative touches, usually two to a roof when only one has a practical purpose.

Pena National Palace, Portugal. Incredible. Inspiring.

Pena National Palace, Portugal -- Travel 365 -- National Geographic

Travel in Portugal. Pastéis de Belém.

Portugal’s shabby-chic capital, Lisbon, has plenty of culture.

by Steenie Harvey  @Internatinalliving  

Inner voices are a nuisance. Like some tiresome nanny, mine keeps whining about the dangers of pastry overload. I’m sure it just said: “A moment in the mouth, a lifetime on the hips.” But it won’t win this argument.

For travel writers, sampling local food specialties is part of the job. So to ignore the Antiga Confeitaria in Belém, Lisbon’s ancient maritime suburb, would be criminal. Decorated in blue and white azulejo tiles, this bakery/cafe is a shrine to the world’s most heavenly custard tarts—Pastéis de Belém.

Famed throughout Portugal, these are pastries with history. Originally made by monks, the secret recipe of eggs, cream, sugar and pastry was passed to the Confeitaria in 1837.

You can buy Pastéis de Belém to take away, but first sample one in the cafe. Baked until crispy brown on top, they come served warm. And don’t feel guilty about sprinkling them with cinnamon and icing sugar—that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Limiting myself to one pastel (pasteis is the plural) was tortuous. But Lisbon’s traditional bakeries have enough exquisite breads, cakes and pastries to send anyone’s inner voice into nagging overdrive.

I’ve already had an encounter with Pão de Deus—God’s Bread. A brioche-like sweet roll, it comes topped with moist coconut flakes. Locals eat it with cheese as a snack. There are almond pastries, walnut cakes, strange chocolate cakes that resemble salami. Whatever damage this week does to my waistline, writing a story on sweet-toothed Lisbon won’t be a problem…

Years ago, I used to daydream about never having to work again. That doesn’t happen any more. When you’re doing something you love, it’s pleasure—not work. Sure, travel writing is a job, but it never feels like one.

Wherever I go on assignment, I usually manage to include the kind of things that vacationers do. The difference is, I get paid to indulge my passions for pastries, art, music, nightlife and wandering around places steeped in bygones. Portugal’s shabby-chic capital certainly has plenty of those.

There are clattering trams, iron funiculars and a castle-topped old Moorish neighborhood that tumbles down cobbled street hills. In the little taverns of the Bairro Alto district, fado singers wail out songs of loss and lament. There are boho bars, literary cafes and tiled beer halls where the waiters almost look old enough to have sailed with Portugal’s illustrious explorer, Vasco da Gama.

Before hunting down custard tarts, I saw da Gama’s tomb in the sumptuous Jeronimos monastery. The stone carvings here are the most incredible I’ve ever seen. Intricate as lace-work, most are themed on the sea: anchors, shells, pearls, strings of seaweed, even sea monsters.

But I must go—I have a date with a sunset. Lisbon has a number of lofty viewing terraces—there’s a glorious one called “the Gates of the Sun.” With its vista of palm trees, terracotta roofs and the river Tagus estuary, it’s the perfect spot to have a glass of chilled vinho verde wine, nibble a cheese pastry, and watch the sun go down.

Aquapura Douro Valley entre os 10 melhores hotéis da Europa

Aquapura Douro Valley entre os 10 melhores hotéis da Europa para leitores da Condé Nast Traveller

por Carina Monteiro @ Publituris 

O Aquapura Douro Valley é um dos 10 melhores hotéis da Europa e os 100 melhores do mundo para os leitores da Condé Nast Traveller, pelo segundo ano consecutivo. O hotel, localizado no Douro, considerado um dos 55 melhores spas do mundo, segundo o guia Taschen’s Favourite SPA, bem como um dos “Europe’s Leading Boutique Hotel” e “Portugal’s Leading Hotel” pelos World Travel Awards, soma agora mais esta distinção.

Os 10 melhores hotéis da Europa:

1. Hotel Splendido, Portofino, Itália 

2. Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes, França 

3. La Chèvre d’Or, Eze, França

4. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Bosphorus, Turquia

5. Hotel Le Bistrôt, Paris

6. Hotel Arts, Barcelona

7. Aquapura Douro Valley, Portugal

8. The Ronmanos, Costa Navarro, Greece

9. Hotel Imperial, Viena

10. San Domenico Palace Hotel, Taormina, Sicilia


http://www.aquapurahotels.com/homepage-2.aspx

Evora, Portugal. Cultural city guide

by  Stephanie Plentl @ DT Travel

Essential cultural guide to a city whose walls conceal unique culinary and architectural treats.

Rising from the plains of Portugal's Alto Alentejo region, the tiny walled city of Évora has tremendous enduring appeal, having been consecutively settled by the Celts, Romans, Visigoths and Moors, before the Portuguese eventually wrested control. Its Roman ruins – temple, baths, walls – sit among glorious churches, convents and the former palaces of Portuguese kings.

Strolling under aqueduct archways, through immaculate, labyrinthine cobbled streets flanked by ornately tiled homes with Lilliputian doors, is to be assailed by reminders of a succession of once-great cultures. I first visited the city as a university student with a clutch of friends 12 years ago. We rollicked through Évora's cultural hit list – the imposing portal of the medieval cathedral; the vividly Roman, Corinthian-columned temple; and the macabre, yet strangely unmoving, Chapel of Bones.

Subsequent trips revealed so much more: you can clamber – rather precariously – over the roof of the cathedral for the best view of the landscape beyond the fortified walls; venture inside the Town Hall and you'll find excavated Roman baths; or follow the splendid 16th-century aqueduct that marches into the city along Rua do Cano and you'll see houses and shops cleverly built into its archways.

Ironically, it's Évora's own university that now thrills me most. Opened in 1559 and run by the Jesuits before they were evicted by the Marquês de Pombal in 1759, its elaborate classrooms look onto a serene courtyard with a central fountain (all graduating students symbolically bathe here to pass their knowledge onto freshers).

Feel free to walk through its marble cloisters, look in on classrooms with teaching pulpits and 18th-century blue-and-white azulejos (tiles, painted here to reflect the academic subjects) and don't miss the chapel's tapestry and the stunning painted ceiling of the library. The students are unfazed by visitors.

With little shopping on offer in Évora, the focus is on the many small restaurants serving Alentejan cuisine. As a former vegetarian, I once suffered opposite a university friend who devoured a gelatinous pig's foot with gusto.

Now a confirmed carnivore, I find Évora's rich and rural food a terrific adventure, particularly when faced with an untranslated or set menu (maybe not so much the "pig's privates" I saw advertised this year, but certainly the black pork, porco preto, and oxtail stew, rabo de boi estufado).

Évora is the birthplace of several sweet delicacies (to add to the hefty collection of Portuguese desserts) that were invented in convents here during the 16th century. Each convent has its signature sweet dish: the almond-infused pão de rala from the nuns of Santa Helena do Calvário is the local favourite; the encharcada do Santa Clara is sticky and yolky, with a stupendous cake to egg ratio. Across town, you're likely to see three generations of women propping up a pastelaria bar, enjoying coffee, cake and conversation.

Flat-capped, wizened-faced old gentlemen gather on corners outside, to smoke and stare as students and visitors pass by.

DID YOU KNOW?

Evora's Chapel of Bones contains 5,000 skeletons from the city's medieval cemeteries

Portugal has been awarded 6 Oscars in tourism industry.. Obvious! It has the brightest future. Lets discover!http://fugas.publico.pt/Noticias/311357_portugal-ganha-seis-quot-oscares-quot-do-turismo-europeu-e-vence-no-golfe-e-praias

Portugal. Amazing.

There are 10000 reasons to visit Portugal of course..) gastronomy is the first one)) but the rest is also just fab
Reasons to visit Portugal