Portuguese Identity Card and Festivals… Not the Old 3 F’s anymore!

Where is it? Westernmost part of Europe

How to get there? By plane (Humberto Delgado Airport – Lisbon; Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro – Porto; Faro Airport),  by train (Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses), by bus (several companies offer international services, e.g. ALSA; Eurolines, Flixbus; Eva bus), by car (private or car sharing on BlaBlaCar)

How to go around? By car, train or bus

What is it famous for? Food and wine, tiled houses, people, beaches and landscapes, Fado.

What is good to know? It’s a perfect tourist destination: very safe, locals speak good English and there is plenty of food options. 

A funny Fact? 

1. There was once a young Portuguese king that left to a battle in the North of Africa and has never returned. The legend says that D. Sebastião will return one day in a foggy morning to protect its people. Portuguese still believe and wait for his return. 
2. Bacalhau (Cod) plays a big part in Portuguese cuisine and no nation has more dishes with this type of fish. Funny enough none of this is caught in Portugal but rather imported from colder countries. 
3. Portugal is one of the biggest nations in the world when counting water grounds. A recent study has revealed that 97% of Portugal is actually water.

Even though there are other forms of music such as pop or indie, Fado is very important part of Portugal and its people. The recurring theme in songs revolves around a word that’s an integral part of the Portuguese culture: saudade. It means longing, love, loss and sadness in one powerful word. 

Its origins are not well date. Some believe it came with the African slaves, others think it was with the Moors. Certainly its first forms in Portuguese grounds were born in Lisbon on the streets of Alfama and Mouraria. The ever first known Fado singer was a gypsy woman named Maria Severa, who would sing a lament song about her sad love story with the Count of Vimioso. Rapidly this style of music grew outside of Lisbon and developed different forms of singing and playing. In Coimbra, for example, the so-called Student Fado is very different from the styles played in Lisbon or Porto. 

Worldwide famous Fado singer Amália Rodrigues compared Fado to the Spanish Flamenco. However, she said that in comparison to Spain where they sing it happily, in Portugal people are more down to earth so that they sing it sadly because life is not an easy road. Even though the sadness present in Fado music is a known pattern, there are plenty of happy and quirky Fados, These ones actually uplift the mood and put a smile on people’s faces. 

For more about this style of music and it’s origins check here.

Azulejos (Portuguese Tiles) are a form of art that covers probably 70% of Portuguese walls. They have their provenance in the Arab period, which is even indicated by the Arab roots of the word meaning “small polished stone”. Its beginnings were simple geometric forms until Portugal’s King Manuel I visited Seville. Inspired by the Egyptians, he brought back the idea to develop this form of art into a more complex one that tells stories of conquests, faith and even national events.   

The color pallet initially varied between blues and whites representing the age of Discoveries. Later it was extended with warmer and (fashionable) colors such as yellows, reds and greens. In the recent years, this form of art has had a big exposure. Azulejos are spread pretty much all over the country, not only covering outside walls and church interiors but also private homes, restaurants, bars or metro station. It is a trend that has come to stay!