Portugal:

Europe at its most western

Europe is a small continent drawn closer together by history. At the far end of the land mass is a country with a distinct atmosphere of its own, as different as possible from Turkey, yet not without similarities. Steeped in the past, the Lisbon and Porto regions alone offer the visitor plenty to see, plenty to enjoy and plenty to go all the way back for.

What does Portugal remind you of? Mediterranean olive oil and wine? Or the surf of long, white, breezy Atlantic beaches? Catholic culture and traditional festivals – or contemporary football stars? Border castles and noble crafts - or the EU’s technology drive? Explorers in sailing ships - or a game of golf?

Everybody has their own point of view, and it can be surprising. In Turkey, Lisbon is often said to resemble Istanbul, with its wide expanse of water, its broad bridges, its trams, its seven hills, and narrow winding streets. The mouth of the Rio Tejo is said to recall the entrance to the Istanbul Straits - although the minarets, domes and palaces are here replaced by the very different silhouettes of the Belem tower, the Jeronimos Monastery, the monument to seaborne discoveries and the replica Christ-the-King statue from twin-town Rio de Janeiro.

In terms of population or of the pleasant coastal resorts which surround it, the Portuguese capital is more reminiscent, if anything, of a dramatically embellished Izmir. Yet only the most home-sick would dwell upon such matters amid the eclectic architecture and alluring shop windows of Europe’s most Western capital. This much perhaps may be said: both the diversity and the unity of the European heritage are as amply illustrated in its gateway to Latin America as they are in its bridge to Asia. The nearby Cabo de Roca is the most westerly point on the continental land mass.

Inside Lisbon

Lisbon lacks none of the monuments or public spaces which characterise Europe’s other historic cities. Churches, monasteries and other religious buildings abound – many would include Benfica’s ‘Estadio da Luz’ in the list. There are too many museums to mention from the National Museum of Antique Arts to the giant oceanarium on the Expo 98 site.

The city owes much of its special flavour to the broad avenues of the downtown Baixa district, where tourists assemble for pedestrian-friendly shopping by day and taverns and ‘fados’ by night. Cleared and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, the district offers a delightful foil to the medieval texture of the steep surrounding quarters, to which it is linked by the extraordinary 1902 Santa Justa “elevator”.

Other specialities include the pavements, designed and decorated as nowhere else, and the typical blue tiles which adorn the walls of pastry shops and mansion houses, inside and out, depicting above all the sailors and boats of Portugal’s golden age. These tiles can be photographed but not reproduced: souvenir-hunters must fall back on trade-mark ‘Vistalegre’ ceramics.

Seafood with everything

For gastronomists, Lisbon is difficult to beat. The surrounding countryside provides delicious goat and sheep cheeses and the world-famous Moscatel wine. Desserts include ‘Malveira’ pastries, ‘pao de lo’ sponge cakes, gin cakes (‘zimbros’), miniature cheesecakes (’queijadas’) and “Belem” custard tarts. Moscatel wine is made nearby. But the greatest delicacy of all is the seafood.

The Portuguese work wonders with cockles, muscles, clams and oysters, and make the most of sea bream, red mullet, sardines and swordfish. Fish is used in as many different ways as meat is used in Turkish cuisine. There are fish soups and fish pies. Fish are salted and desalted and served with just about everything. The staple diet – or almost - is the bulky Atlantic deep-sea ‘bacalhao’ or cod. There are said to be 365 ways of cooking cod, so that it can be eaten every day of the year.

Vegetables are generally served as side dishes, and the main dish of meat or fish tends to be accompanied by potatoes or rice. Agreeably, many eating houses serve much the same fare as you would find in every family home. There are also restaurants, needless to say, where the presentation is a great deal more sophisticated.

The world of port

Porto is a short hop from Lisbon by plane or a three-hour journey by car. If in a hurry, take the state-of-the-art tilt train from the equally state-of-the-art ‘Gare Oriente’. Thanks to its long and illustrious history, the whole of Portugal exudes nostalgia. But nowhere is this truer than in Porto, with its narrow alleys, its old harbour and its riverbank cellars, concentrated in the Gaia district, where the sweet fortified port wine is left to age before shipping.

The city’s major sights range from another twelfth century cathedral to nineteenth century monuments like the Sao Bento station and the spectacular two-tier iron bridge. Look out too for the sailing barges which have borne precious casks since time immemorial.

The mystic atmosphere continues inland, where the Rio Douro wanders calm as a lake among the vineyards where the port is conceived. The Douro is still used for commercial transport, as it has been for centuries. A leisurely trip up-river – at least a day trip – is a must, yet it is not without its dangers. For a tranquil afternoon on the water may tempt you to explore what lies beyond Portugal’s two famous cities - and further whet your appetite for a stay in one of its characteristic ‘solares’ or ‘pousadas’.

Homes from home

These away-from-it-all destinations are historic buildings, ancestral mansions, country houses and cottages used for high-end tourist accommodation by agreement with the families that own them. Often dating back to the 17th or 18th centuries, they provide holidays with a personal touch amid soothing natural settings, period furniture and elegant gardens. They exist everywhere on the mainland from the Costa Verde to the Algarve. They range from the majestic to the practical ‘casas rusticas’.

For those who take the time to explore, Portugal is a country too large to exhaust and yet small enough to become intimately acquainted with. Unsurprisingly, most tourists go back there again. The food, facilities and climate make the country ideal option for those with children. Everything is well sign-posted, getting around is easy and the people will make you welcome.

Take the usual precautions against pickpockets and crime. But do not be deterred by the news that Lisbon saw snow for the first time in 52 years last month, By the time you read this, the almond will be budding in the south and in the north the cherries will be about to burst into blossom.

( DIPLOMAT  -  February 2006  -  Ankara )