For an ancient nation, Portugal has its share of places with interesting names, which are often corruptions of ancient Roman or pre-Roman names. In some cases, the exact origin is lost.
In northeastern Portugal, on the Douro River facing Spain, stands the 14th century town of Freixo de Espada á Cinta. This name could mean, "An ash tree with a sword at its belt." It might be named after the ancient warrior, Freixo. Some say the name is Visigoth in origin, based on the word Espadacinta. Most likely, it is named for King Dinis, as a warning that the town was well defended. In the Centro Region of Portugal, five towns within a few dozen miles of each other seem to have a kind of competition over their medieval castles. In the mountains near the Spanish border we can find Castelo Mendo (Mendo’s Castle), Castelo Branco (White Castle), Castelo Novo (New Castle), Castelo Bom (Good Castle) and Castelo Melhor (Better Castle).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++ The Soul of Portugal, Wrought in Stone
Every guidebook to Portugal tells you that the great abbey at Batalha is not to be missed, an architectural masterpiece that commemorates a military victory in 1385. But, that is not 100% the case. Yes, the great abbey was began as the fulfillment of a vow on the eve of battle, but it ended up being something totally different than was intended.
First off, no one celebrates wars – death and suffering offer little in the way of hope and faith confirming imagery. Batalha is a monument to courage, and what came after the Battle Aljubarrota as much as it is a monument to the passion for independence that has always defined the people of Portugal. When king D. Fernando died without heir, the majority of the nobility in Portugal was keen to unite the crown with that of neighboring Castile. But the merchants and commoners were of another mind, and recruited D. João, head of the Order of Aviz to lead an improbable fight of continued independence.
Aljubarrota was a heroic last stand, and an attempt to turn back a far superior Spanish force. Under D. João, and his army commander, the recently sainted D. Nuno Alvares Pereira, the Spanish forces were totally routed, and the Aviz dynasty would soon set Portugal in a direction that would change the course of world history. Within a generation, Portuguese ships would be sailing the Atlantic and within a century Portuguese commander Vasco da Gama would sail to India.
Today, the fact that Portugal is a nation at all is celebrated in the stone of the great abbey of Batalha. The great abbey became a monument to what the nation could be - to the vision of its people and kings, and to the potential of its future. And, still unfinished to this day, the soaring gothic church remains elegant to the visitor.
The real monument here is the Chapter House, a vast unsupported dome of some 19 square meters that rivals the Roman Pantheon or the Duomo at Florence. It is an unparalleled engineering feat by Master Architect Afonso Domingues. It was dangerous work to build the vaulted ceiling, and most of the workers feared it would collapse, but Master Afonso Domingues knew it would stand. Novelist Alexandre Herculano wrote that the old master spent 3 nights under the newly completed Chapter House, and not only did it hold, it survives today - 600 years later.
Today the dome is home to the tomb of the unknown Portuguese soldier, marked with a village of honor guards, and a cross for the battlefields of World War I where more than 30,000 Portuguese soldiers perished. There you have it – the persistent, simple, and complex soul of Portugal, wrought in stone.
In his Illustre Casa de Ramires by José Maria Eça de Queirós, the author describes the main character’s complex personality as reminding him of Portugal this way:
“Honesty, gentleness, kindness, goodness, his immense goodness ... Hot flushes of enthusiasm, which soon go up in smoke.... The generosity, the constant disaster in the business, and a sense of great honor, scruples, almost naive, is not it? ... The imagination that leads him to exaggerate almost to the point deceit, all the while with a practical spirit, will always attest to the useful reality…. Faith in some new miracle, like the old miracle of Ourique, that will wash away all the challenges …A base of sadness, in spite of being so talkative, so social. The terrible distrust of himself, that makes him cower, shrink, until one day he decides, and appears a hero, demolishes everything ...”
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
See our newsfeed at www.insideportugaltravel.com
CONTACT INFO:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
V: 646 7230213
www.visitportugal.com
Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566 x19
Need a guidebook? Call 1-800 PORTUGAL.
###
Portugal.
How much do you know about it?
Really? (Not sure, here is a quiz) just follow the 1/6 questions
http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm <http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm> )
You know the wiki-facts:
* 10 million people
* About the size of Maine
* In Europe.
* Lisbon is the capital.
List gets shorter from there?
You are not alone, so we made this fun cooks tour for you, a behind the scenes glimpse at Portugal, as one of the most compelling places in the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Europe’s First Nation-State
The Oldest Nation-state in Europe? Who was the first Portuguese?
Enter that question in Google and the answer you get is unexpected.
Galicia.
Galicia today is a province of Northwestern Spain, and is tied to Portugal’s origins. Portuguese is derived from Luso-Gailico, a “corruption” of common Latin. Today, the Galician language is very similar to modern Portuguese, and in the 11th century the Galicia and Northern Portugal formed the fragile frontier of Europe with Moorish forces.
By 1090, a new state was created under Count Henrique from Burgundy, France. They called it Portucale, a name that had been used as early as the days of ancient Carthage. Portus Cale referred to either the port town of Cale (Gaia today, on the Douro River) or Cale and its neighboring town and today Portus is known as Porto.
When D. Henrique died, his wife took the county of Portucale, much to the chagrin of their son D. Afonso Henriques. D. Afonso called his mother out in 1128, just outside the capital Guimaraes at the Battle of Sao Mamede – and replaced her as ruler. At this point Guimarães was the capital of Portugal, a heavily fortified granite city north of Porto. The Minho River was then, as it is today, on the border with Galicia, and the Moors held the lands south of the Mondego River. Today, Guimarães is still one of the country's most historic cities, its medieval streets are filled with ancient monuments such as its castle, with eight 92 ft. high towers, built in the 10th century to protect the population from attacks by the Moors. D. Afonso Henriques was baptized in the small Romanesque chapel next to the castle.
Next, the fiery D. Afonso tuned his attention to the Moors, pushing them back beyond the Mondego River expanding his county. In 1139 D. Afonso won a legendary battle at Ourique, defeating five Caliphs and declaring his nation’s independence. By 1143 the warrior king’s new nation had won Papal recognition. By 1147 he led his small army to victory, taking the city of Lisbon.
So, in 2039, Portugal will be 900 years old. Doesn’t look a day over 500!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What is the deal with Portuguese?
Reads like Italian, sounds like Russian?
We hear you – tough language to explain. Here’s the deal:
Portuguese is a derivative of Latin – and one of a few such languages on the Iberian Peninsula that grew up after the fall of the Roman Empire: Castilian (or Spanish). Galician, and Catalan are some of the others.
One of the first written works of Portuguese literature is the poem “Cantiga d’Amigo” by Portugal’s second king, D. Sancho I, some 800 years ago. In fact ancient Portuguese is pretty easy to read for the modern Portuguese speaker, unlike Ye Old English.
The language, like the country, began in what is today northern Portugal and Galicia. But, it was the first European language to be recognized as official by the royal court. In 1288, King D. Dinis (1261 –1325), created the first Portuguese university and decreed that Portuguese, then know-as the "common language" be known as the Portuguese language and officially used in place of Latin – a first for post-Roman Europe. D. Dinis himself would author hundreds of poems. Today Portuguese is the 7th most spoken language in the world, with more than 230 million speaking it in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What Makes Portugal Distinct?
France has the Eiffel Tower, Spain has the flamenco… so what is that thing that makes Portugal different? The Fado.
You asked me the other day if I know what is Fado
I said I did not know.
You were surprised.
Without knowing what I was saying, I lied to you
And said I did not know, but now will tell you:
Cursed souls
Lost nights
Bizarre shadows
Love, jealousy
Ash and flames
Pain and sin
All this exists
All this is sad
All this is Fado.
Aníbal Nazaré
View a video showing Fado in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++We saw Portugal’s Flag in the World Cup – how old is that?
The Portuguese Coat of Arms is one of the oldest national symbols in Europe, dating back eight centuries. It is a shield of smaller blue shields framed by castles and a globe on a field of green and red. Yet some of its origins are lost in time– and there are conflicting versions of the real meaning of the symbolism.
When D. Afonso Henriques inherited his father’s title of Count of Portucale. D. Afonso Henriques took the Cross of Burgundy as his symbol, as his father was from Burgundy. As we said, D. Afonso Henriques and his small army defeated the armies of five Caliphs at the Battle of Ourique, but popular belief is that the battle took place not in Ourique in the Alentejo, but in nearby Castro Verde. The Remedios Church there is filled with historical paintings of the battle, and at the Royal Basilica there are remarkable azulejo panels that tell the story of the mythical victory. Modern historians say both towns are too far south to make sense, and some place the real battle at Alfafar, just south of Coimbra.
Soon after the Battle of Ourique, the new Portuguese coat-of-arms showed five small shields - which according to some represent the five defeated Moorish kings - but others claim it was the five wounds of Christ, with the six small bezants in each escutcheon of the 30 pieces of silver used to betray Christ. Four hundred years later the "coins" in each Quina would be reduced to 5, adding up to 25, but the theory goes, you add the middle shield twice.
A change to the coat of arms came under Afonso III 1201-1279, who added a border of castles. Some say the arms of Castile inspired this, but many argue the castles are actually the towns of Mertola, Cacela, Tavira, Faro and Portimao (all of which still have remnants of their walls today) and are the last five Moorish strongholds to fall. The Algarve was Portuguese in 1249, and a treaty in 1267 with Castile, solidified Portugal’s modern boarders. The number of castles has strangely varied over the centuries, and was fixed at 7 in the 15th century.
From the beginning, the colors of the nation had been blue and white, but on October 5. 1910, when Portugal's last king was deposed and the First Republic installed, the blue and white were replaced by green and red. It was said that the green symbolizes either hope or the green fields of Portugal, and red the effort or sacrifice of those who defend the nation. Yes, we make the 100-year anniversary this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Any Cool Place Names?
For an ancient nation, Portugal has its share of places with interesting names, which are often corruptions of ancient Roman or pre-Roman names. In some cases, the exact origin is lost.
In northeastern Portugal, on the Douro River facing Spain, stands the 14th century town of Freixo de Espada á Cinta. This name could mean, "An ash tree with a sword at its belt." It might be named after the ancient warrior, Freixo. Some say the name is Visigoth in origin, based on the word Espadacinta. Most likely, it is named for King Dinis, as a warning that the town was well defended. In the Centro Region of Portugal, five towns within a few dozen miles of each other seem to have a kind of competition over their medieval castles. In the mountains near the Spanish border we can find Castelo Mendo (Mendo’s Castle), Castelo Branco (White Castle), Castelo Novo (New Castle), Castelo Bom (Good Castle) and Castelo Melhor (Better Castle).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++The Soul of Portugal, Wrought in Stone
Every guidebook to Portugal tells you that the great abbey at Batalha is not to be missed, an architectural masterpiece that commemorates a military victory in 1385. But, that is not 100% the case. Yes, the great abbey was began as the fulfillment of a vow on the eve of battle, but it ended up being something totally different than was intended.
First off, no one celebrates wars – death and suffering offer little in the way of hope and faith confirming imagery. Batalha is a monument to courage, and what came after the Battle Aljubarrota as much as it is a monument to the passion for independence that has always defined the people of Portugal. When king D. Fernando died without heir, the majority of the nobility in Portugal was keen to unite the crown with that of neighboring Castile. But the merchants and commoners were of another mind, and recruited D. João, head of the Order of Aviz to lead an improbable fight of continued independence.
Aljubarrota was a heroic last stand, and an attempt to turn back a far superior Spanish force. Under D. João, and his army commander, the recently sainted D. Nuno Alvares Pereira, the Spanish forces were totally routed, and the Aviz dynasty would soon set Portugal in a direction that would change the course of world history. Within a generation, Portuguese ships would be sailing the Atlantic and within a century Portuguese commander Vasco da Gama would sail to India.
Today, the fact that Portugal is a nation at all is celebrated in the stone of the great abbey of Batalha. The great abbey became a monument to what the nation could be - to the vision of its people and kings, and to the potential of its future. And, still unfinished to this day, the soaring gothic church remains elegant to the visitor.
The real monument here is the Chapter House, a vast unsupported dome of some 19 square meters that rivals the Roman Pantheon or the Duomo at Florence. It is an unparalleled engineering feat by Master Architect Afonso Domingues. It was dangerous work to build the vaulted ceiling, and most of the workers feared it would collapse, but Master Afonso Domingues knew it would stand. Novelist Alexandre Herculano wrote that the old master spent 3 nights under the newly completed Chapter House, and not only did it hold, it survives today - 600 years later.
Today the dome is home to the tomb of the unknown Portuguese soldier, marked with a village of honor guards, and a cross for the battlefields of World War I where more than 30,000 Portuguese soldiers perished. There you have it – the persistent, simple, and complex soul of Portugal, wrought in stone.
In his Illustre Casa de Ramires by José Maria Eça de Queirós, the author describes the main character’s complex personality as reminding him of Portugal this way:
“Honesty, gentleness, kindness, goodness, his immense goodness ... Hot flushes of enthusiasm, which soon go up in smoke.... The generosity, the constant disaster in the business, and a sense of great honor, scruples, almost naive, is not it? ... The imagination that leads him to exaggerate almost to the point deceit, all the while with a practical spirit, will always attest to the useful reality…. Faith in some new miracle, like the old miracle of Ourique, that will wash away all the challenges …A base of sadness, in spite of being so talkative, so social. The terrible distrust of himself, that makes him cower, shrink, until one day he decides, and appears a hero, demolishes everything ...”
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
See our newsfeed at www.insideportugaltravel.com
CONTACT INFO:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
www.visitportugal.com
V: 646 7230213
E: miguel.carvalho@portugalglobal.pt
Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566 x19
E: JS@LKarno.com
Need a guidebook? Call 1-800 PORTUGAL.
#Portugal.
How much do you know about it?
Really? (Not sure, here is a quiz) just follow the 1/6 questions
http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm <http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm> )
You know the wiki-facts:
* 10 million people
* About the size of Maine
* In Europe.
* Lisbon is the capital.
List gets shorter from there?
You are not alone, so we made this fun cooks tour for you, a behind the scenes glimpse at Portugal, as one of the most compelling places in the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Europe’s First Nation-State
The Oldest Nation-state in Europe? Who was the first Portuguese?
Enter that question in Google and the answer you get is unexpected.
Galicia.
Galicia today is a province of Northwestern Spain, and is tied to Portugal’s origins. Portuguese is derived from Luso-Gailico, a “corruption” of common Latin. Today, the Galician language is very similar to modern Portuguese, and in the 11th century the Galicia and Northern Portugal formed the fragile frontier of Europe with Moorish forces.
By 1090, a new state was created under Count Henrique from Burgundy, France. They called it Portucale, a name that had been used as early as the days of ancient Carthage. Portus Cale referred to either the port town of Cale (Gaia today, on the Douro River) or Cale and its neighboring town and today Portus is known as Porto.
When D. Henrique died, his wife took the county of Portucale, much to the chagrin of their son D. Afonso Henriques. D. Afonso called his mother out in 1128, just outside the capital Guimaraes at the Battle of Sao Mamede – and replaced her as ruler. At this point Guimarães was the capital of Portugal, a heavily fortified granite city north of Porto. The Minho River was then, as it is today, on the border with Galicia, and the Moors held the lands south of the Mondego River. Today, Guimarães is still one of the country's most historic cities, its medieval streets are filled with ancient monuments such as its castle, with eight 92 ft. high towers, built in the 10th century to protect the population from attacks by the Moors. D. Afonso Henriques was baptized in the small Romanesque chapel next to the castle.
Next, the fiery D. Afonso tuned his attention to the Moors, pushing them back beyond the Mondego River expanding his county. In 1139 D. Afonso won a legendary battle at Ourique, defeating five Caliphs and declaring his nation’s independence. By 1143 the warrior king’s new nation had won Papal recognition. By 1147 he led his small army to victory, taking the city of Lisbon.
So, in 2039, Portugal will be 900 years old. Doesn’t look a day over 500!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What is the deal with Portuguese?
Reads like Italian, sounds like Russian?
We hear you – tough language to explain. Here’s the deal:
Portuguese is a derivative of Latin – and one of a few such languages on the Iberian Peninsula that grew up after the fall of the Roman Empire: Castilian (or Spanish). Galician, and Catalan are some of the others.
One of the first written works of Portuguese literature is the poem “Cantiga d’Amigo” by Portugal’s second king, D. Sancho I, some 800 years ago. In fact ancient Portuguese is pretty easy to read for the modern Portuguese speaker, unlike Ye Old English.
The language, like the country, began in what is today northern Portugal and Galicia. But, it was the first European language to be recognized as official by the royal court. In 1288, King D. Dinis (1261 –1325), created the first Portuguese university and decreed that Portuguese, then know-as the "common language" be known as the Portuguese language and officially used in place of Latin – a first for post-Roman Europe. D. Dinis himself would author hundreds of poems. Today Portuguese is the 7th most spoken language in the world, with more than 230 million speaking it in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What Makes Portugal Distinct?
France has the Eiffel Tower, Spain has the flamenco… so what is that thing that makes Portugal different? The Fado.
You asked me the other day if I know what is Fado
I said I did not know.
You were surprised.
Without knowing what I was saying, I lied to you
And said I did not know, but now will tell you:
Cursed souls
Lost nights
Bizarre shadows
Love, jealousy
Ash and flames
Pain and sin
All this exists
All this is sad
All this is Fado.
Aníbal Nazaré
View a video showing Fado in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++We saw Portugal’s Flag in the World Cup – how old is that?
The Portuguese Coat of Arms is one of the oldest national symbols in Europe, dating back eight centuries. It is a shield of smaller blue shields framed by castles and a globe on a field of green and red. Yet some of its origins are lost in time– and there are conflicting versions of the real meaning of the symbolism.
When D. Afonso Henriques inherited his father’s title of Count of Portucale. D. Afonso Henriques took the Cross of Burgundy as his symbol, as his father was from Burgundy. As we said, D. Afonso Henriques and his small army defeated the armies of five Caliphs at the Battle of Ourique, but popular belief is that the battle took place not in Ourique in the Alentejo, but in nearby Castro Verde. The Remedios Church there is filled with historical paintings of the battle, and at the Royal Basilica there are remarkable azulejo panels that tell the story of the mythical victory. Modern historians say both towns are too far south to make sense, and some place the real battle at Alfafar, just south of Coimbra.
Soon after the Battle of Ourique, the new Portuguese coat-of-arms showed five small shields - which according to some represent the five defeated Moorish kings - but others claim it was the five wounds of Christ, with the six small bezants in each escutcheon of the 30 pieces of silver used to betray Christ. Four hundred years later the "coins" in each Quina would be reduced to 5, adding up to 25, but the theory goes, you add the middle shield twice.
A change to the coat of arms came under Afonso III 1201-1279, who added a border of castles. Some say the arms of Castile inspired this, but many argue the castles are actually the towns of Mertola, Cacela, Tavira, Faro and Portimao (all of which still have remnants of their walls today) and are the last five Moorish strongholds to fall. The Algarve was Portuguese in 1249, and a treaty in 1267 with Castile, solidified Portugal’s modern boarders. The number of castles has strangely varied over the centuries, and was fixed at 7 in the 15th century.
From the beginning, the colors of the nation had been blue and white, but on October 5. 1910, when Portugal's last king was deposed and the First Republic installed, the blue and white were replaced by green and red. It was said that the green symbolizes either hope or the green fields of Portugal, and red the effort or sacrifice of those who defend the nation. Yes, we make the 100-year anniversary this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Any Cool Place Names?
For an ancient nation, Portugal has its share of places with interesting names, which are often corruptions of ancient Roman or pre-Roman names. In some cases, the exact origin is lost.
In northeastern Portugal, on the Douro River facing Spain, stands the 14th century town of Freixo de Espada á Cinta. This name could mean, "An ash tree with a sword at its belt." It might be named after the ancient warrior, Freixo. Some say the name is Visigoth in origin, based on the word Espadacinta. Most likely, it is named for King Dinis, as a warning that the town was well defended. In the Centro Region of Portugal, five towns within a few dozen miles of each other seem to have a kind of competition over their medieval castles. In the mountains near the Spanish border we can find Castelo Mendo (Mendo’s Castle), Castelo Branco (White Castle), Castelo Novo (New Castle), Castelo Bom (Good Castle) and Castelo Melhor (Better Castle).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++The Soul of Portugal, Wrought in Stone
Every guidebook to Portugal tells you that the great abbey at Batalha is not to be missed, an architectural masterpiece that commemorates a military victory in 1385. But, that is not 100% the case. Yes, the great abbey was began as the fulfillment of a vow on the eve of battle, but it ended up being something totally different than was intended.
First off, no one celebrates wars – death and suffering offer little in the way of hope and faith confirming imagery. Batalha is a monument to courage, and what came after the Battle Aljubarrota as much as it is a monument to the passion for independence that has always defined the people of Portugal. When king D. Fernando died without heir, the majority of the nobility in Portugal was keen to unite the crown with that of neighboring Castile. But the merchants and commoners were of another mind, and recruited D. João, head of the Order of Aviz to lead an improbable fight of continued independence.
Aljubarrota was a heroic last stand, and an attempt to turn back a far superior Spanish force. Under D. João, and his army commander, the recently sainted D. Nuno Alvares Pereira, the Spanish forces were totally routed, and the Aviz dynasty would soon set Portugal in a direction that would change the course of world history. Within a generation, Portuguese ships would be sailing the Atlantic and within a century Portuguese commander Vasco da Gama would sail to India.
Today, the fact that Portugal is a nation at all is celebrated in the stone of the great abbey of Batalha. The great abbey became a monument to what the nation could be - to the vision of its people and kings, and to the potential of its future. And, still unfinished to this day, the soaring gothic church remains elegant to the visitor.
The real monument here is the Chapter House, a vast unsupported dome of some 19 square meters that rivals the Roman Pantheon or the Duomo at Florence. It is an unparalleled engineering feat by Master Architect Afonso Domingues. It was dangerous work to build the vaulted ceiling, and most of the workers feared it would collapse, but Master Afonso Domingues knew it would stand. Novelist Alexandre Herculano wrote that the old master spent 3 nights under the newly completed Chapter House, and not only did it hold, it survives today - 600 years later.
Today the dome is home to the tomb of the unknown Portuguese soldier, marked with a village of honor guards, and a cross for the battlefields of World War I where more than 30,000 Portuguese soldiers perished. There you have it – the persistent, simple, and complex soul of Portugal, wrought in stone.
In his Illustre Casa de Ramires by José Maria Eça de Queirós, the author describes the main character’s complex personality as reminding him of Portugal this way:
“Honesty, gentleness, kindness, goodness, his immense goodness ... Hot flushes of enthusiasm, which soon go up in smoke.... The generosity, the constant disaster in the business, and a sense of great honor, scruples, almost naive, is not it? ... The imagination that leads him to exaggerate almost to the point deceit, all the while with a practical spirit, will always attest to the useful reality…. Faith in some new miracle, like the old miracle of Ourique, that will wash away all the challenges …A base of sadness, in spite of being so talkative, so social. The terrible distrust of himself, that makes him cower, shrink, until one day he decides, and appears a hero, demolishes everything ...”
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
See our newsfeed at www.insideportugaltravel.com
CONTACT INFO:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
www.visitportugal.com
V: 646 7230213
E: miguel.carvalho@portugalglobal.pt
Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566 x19
E: JS@LKarno.com
Need a guidebook? Call 1-800 PORTUGAL.
###Portugal.
How much do you know about it?
Really? (Not sure, here is a quiz) just follow the 1/6 questions
http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm <http://www.schule.de/schulen/menzel/myeurope/sie/quiz_europe/quiz_europe_portugal.htm> )
You know the wiki-facts:
* 10 million people
* About the size of Maine
* In Europe.
* Lisbon is the capital.
List gets shorter from there?
You are not alone, so we made this fun cooks tour for you, a behind the scenes glimpse at Portugal, as one of the most compelling places in the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Europe’s First Nation-State
The Oldest Nation-state in Europe? Who was the first Portuguese?
Enter that question in Google and the answer you get is unexpected.
Galicia.
Galicia today is a province of Northwestern Spain, and is tied to Portugal’s origins. Portuguese is derived from Luso-Gailico, a “corruption” of common Latin. Today, the Galician language is very similar to modern Portuguese, and in the 11th century the Galicia and Northern Portugal formed the fragile frontier of Europe with Moorish forces.
By 1090, a new state was created under Count Henrique from Burgundy, France. They called it Portucale, a name that had been used as early as the days of ancient Carthage. Portus Cale referred to either the port town of Cale (Gaia today, on the Douro River) or Cale and its neighboring town and today Portus is known as Porto.
When D. Henrique died, his wife took the county of Portucale, much to the chagrin of their son D. Afonso Henriques. D. Afonso called his mother out in 1128, just outside the capital Guimaraes at the Battle of Sao Mamede – and replaced her as ruler. At this point Guimarães was the capital of Portugal, a heavily fortified granite city north of Porto. The Minho River was then, as it is today, on the border with Galicia, and the Moors held the lands south of the Mondego River. Today, Guimarães is still one of the country's most historic cities, its medieval streets are filled with ancient monuments such as its castle, with eight 92 ft. high towers, built in the 10th century to protect the population from attacks by the Moors. D. Afonso Henriques was baptized in the small Romanesque chapel next to the castle.
Next, the fiery D. Afonso tuned his attention to the Moors, pushing them back beyond the Mondego River expanding his county. In 1139 D. Afonso won a legendary battle at Ourique, defeating five Caliphs and declaring his nation’s independence. By 1143 the warrior king’s new nation had won Papal recognition. By 1147 he led his small army to victory, taking the city of Lisbon.
So, in 2039, Portugal will be 900 years old. Doesn’t look a day over 500!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What is the deal with Portuguese?
Reads like Italian, sounds like Russian?
We hear you – tough language to explain. Here’s the deal:
Portuguese is a derivative of Latin – and one of a few such languages on the Iberian Peninsula that grew up after the fall of the Roman Empire: Castilian (or Spanish). Galician, and Catalan are some of the others.
One of the first written works of Portuguese literature is the poem “Cantiga d’Amigo” by Portugal’s second king, D. Sancho I, some 800 years ago. In fact ancient Portuguese is pretty easy to read for the modern Portuguese speaker, unlike Ye Old English.
The language, like the country, began in what is today northern Portugal and Galicia. But, it was the first European language to be recognized as official by the royal court. In 1288, King D. Dinis (1261 –1325), created the first Portuguese university and decreed that Portuguese, then know-as the "common language" be known as the Portuguese language and officially used in place of Latin – a first for post-Roman Europe. D. Dinis himself would author hundreds of poems. Today Portuguese is the 7th most spoken language in the world, with more than 230 million speaking it in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++What Makes Portugal Distinct?
France has the Eiffel Tower, Spain has the flamenco… so what is that thing that makes Portugal different? The Fado.
You asked me the other day if I know what is Fado
I said I did not know.
You were surprised.
Without knowing what I was saying, I lied to you
And said I did not know, but now will tell you:
Cursed souls
Lost nights
Bizarre shadows
Love, jealousy
Ash and flames
Pain and sin
All this exists
All this is sad
All this is Fado.
Aníbal Nazaré
View a video showing Fado in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFgctURyGp4&feature=related> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++We saw Portugal’s Flag in the World Cup – how old is that?
The Portuguese Coat of Arms is one of the oldest national symbols in Europe, dating back eight centuries. It is a shield of smaller blue shields framed by castles and a globe on a field of green and red. Yet some of its origins are lost in time– and there are conflicting versions of the real meaning of the symbolism.
When D. Afonso Henriques inherited his father’s title of Count of Portucale. D. Afonso Henriques took the Cross of Burgundy as his symbol, as his father was from Burgundy. As we said, D. Afonso Henriques and his small army defeated the armies of five Caliphs at the Battle of Ourique, but popular belief is that the battle took place not in Ourique in the Alentejo, but in nearby Castro Verde. The Remedios Church there is filled with historical paintings of the battle, and at the Royal Basilica there are remarkable azulejo panels that tell the story of the mythical victory. Modern historians say both towns are too far south to make sense, and some place the real battle at Alfafar, just south of Coimbra.
Soon after the Battle of Ourique, the new Portuguese coat-of-arms showed five small shields - which according to some represent the five defeated Moorish kings - but others claim it was the five wounds of Christ, with the six small bezants in each escutcheon of the 30 pieces of silver used to betray Christ. Four hundred years later the "coins" in each Quina would be reduced to 5, adding up to 25, but the theory goes, you add the middle shield twice.
A change to the coat of arms came under Afonso III 1201-1279, who added a border of castles. Some say the arms of Castile inspired this, but many argue the castles are actually the towns of Mertola, Cacela, Tavira, Faro and Portimao (all of which still have remnants of their walls today) and are the last five Moorish strongholds to fall. The Algarve was Portuguese in 1249, and a treaty in 1267 with Castile, solidified Portugal’s modern boarders. The number of castles has strangely varied over the centuries, and was fixed at 7 in the 15th century.
From the beginning, the colors of the nation had been blue and white, but on October 5. 1910, when Portugal's last king was deposed and the First Republic installed, the blue and white were replaced by green and red. It was said that the green symbolizes either hope or the green fields of Portugal, and red the effort or sacrifice of those who defend the nation. Yes, we make the 100-year anniversary this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++Any Cool Place Names?
For an ancient nation, Portugal has its share of places with interesting names, which are often corruptions of ancient Roman or pre-Roman names. In some cases, the exact origin is lost.
In northeastern Portugal, on the Douro River facing Spain, stands the 14th century town of Freixo de Espada á Cinta. This name could mean, "An ash tree with a sword at its belt." It might be named after the ancient warrior, Freixo. Some say the name is Visigoth in origin, based on the word Espadacinta. Most likely, it is named for King Dinis, as a warning that the town was well defended. In the Centro Region of Portugal, five towns within a few dozen miles of each other seem to have a kind of competition over their medieval castles. In the mountains near the Spanish border we can find Castelo Mendo (Mendo’s Castle), Castelo Branco (White Castle), Castelo Novo (New Castle), Castelo Bom (Good Castle) and Castelo Melhor (Better Castle).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
++The Soul of Portugal, Wrought in Stone
Every guidebook to Portugal tells you that the great abbey at Batalha is not to be missed, an architectural masterpiece that commemorates a military victory in 1385. But, that is not 100% the case. Yes, the great abbey was began as the fulfillment of a vow on the eve of battle, but it ended up being something totally different than was intended.
First off, no one celebrates wars – death and suffering offer little in the way of hope and faith confirming imagery. Batalha is a monument to courage, and what came after the Battle Aljubarrota as much as it is a monument to the passion for independence that has always defined the people of Portugal. When king D. Fernando died without heir, the majority of the nobility in Portugal was keen to unite the crown with that of neighboring Castile. But the merchants and commoners were of another mind, and recruited D. João, head of the Order of Aviz to lead an improbable fight of continued independence.
Aljubarrota was a heroic last stand, and an attempt to turn back a far superior Spanish force. Under D. João, and his army commander, the recently sainted D. Nuno Alvares Pereira, the Spanish forces were totally routed, and the Aviz dynasty would soon set Portugal in a direction that would change the course of world history. Within a generation, Portuguese ships would be sailing the Atlantic and within a century Portuguese commander Vasco da Gama would sail to India.
Today, the fact that Portugal is a nation at all is celebrated in the stone of the great abbey of Batalha. The great abbey became a monument to what the nation could be - to the vision of its people and kings, and to the potential of its future. And, still unfinished to this day, the soaring gothic church remains elegant to the visitor.
The real monument here is the Chapter House, a vast unsupported dome of some 19 square meters that rivals the Roman Pantheon or the Duomo at Florence. It is an unparalleled engineering feat by Master Architect Afonso Domingues. It was dangerous work to build the vaulted ceiling, and most of the workers feared it would collapse, but Master Afonso Domingues knew it would stand. Novelist Alexandre Herculano wrote that the old master spent 3 nights under the newly completed Chapter House, and not only did it hold, it survives today - 600 years later.
Today the dome is home to the tomb of the unknown Portuguese soldier, marked with a village of honor guards, and a cross for the battlefields of World War I where more than 30,000 Portuguese soldiers perished. There you have it – the persistent, simple, and complex soul of Portugal, wrought in stone.
In his Illustre Casa de Ramires by José Maria Eça de Queirós, the author describes the main character’s complex personality as reminding him of Portugal this way:
“Honesty, gentleness, kindness, goodness, his immense goodness ... Hot flushes of enthusiasm, which soon go up in smoke.... The generosity, the constant disaster in the business, and a sense of great honor, scruples, almost naive, is not it? ... The imagination that leads him to exaggerate almost to the point deceit, all the while with a practical spirit, will always attest to the useful reality…. Faith in some new miracle, like the old miracle of Ourique, that will wash away all the challenges …A base of sadness, in spite of being so talkative, so social. The terrible distrust of himself, that makes him cower, shrink, until one day he decides, and appears a hero, demolishes everything ...”
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
See our newsfeed at www.insideportugaltravel.com
CONTACT INFO:
Miguel Carvalho
Portuguese National Tourism Office
www.visitportugal.com
V: 646 7230213
E: miguel.carvalho@portugalglobal.pt
Jayme H. Simoes
Louis Karno & Company Communications, LLC
V: 603 2245566 x19
E: JS@LKarno.com
Need a guidebook? Call 1-800 PORTUGAL.
#####
Portugal National Tourist Office