I have had the pleasure of visiting Portugal, in fact, this was the last family holiday my family and I had with my wonderful Step Dad before he was unexpectedly taken from us. As such, I will always love Portugal no matter what!
So, without further ado – Let’s discover just a little bit about this beautiful and historic country….
- Portugal is the oldest country in Europe, having had the same borders since 1139!
- Ever wondered about the cork in your bottle of wine? Portugal produces 50%-70% of the worlds cork
- Portugal has the longest bridge in Europe, measuring in at 17km! It’s called Vasco da Gama Bridge
- Portugal and England have the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world, since 1373!
- Portugal is a surfers paradise – with nearly 500 miles of coast line, and 364 days of surf. The biggest wave every surfed was 80 feet high in February 2011!
- Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, is home to the worlds oldest bookshop. Bertrand Bookstore was established in 1732!
- Portugal has a genre of music called Fado (meaning fate or destiny), which can be traced back to the 1820s but is probably much older. It’s a melancholy style of music and topics are about lost love, sadness, longing and the sea
- The Portuguese are masters of handicrafts – lace, tapestries, glass, tiles to name but a few.
- And then there’s the jewellery! Think of filigree, well the Portuguese have examples going back to 2000BC!
- Cristiano Ronaldo, know the name? Even if you’re not a footy fan, you will probably know he’s considered one of the best all time players – he’s Portuguese
- Portuguese cuisine is global! They are the originators of piri piri sauce, and they’re culinary influence doesn’t stop there! Portuguese missionaries invented Japenese Tempura, and introduced chilli, pepper, tomatoes and potatoes to India and Thailand!
- Portugal understood people are people and slavery was a cruelty that must be stopped, and was abolished, half a century before the likes of Britain, France, Spain and the US
These are just a few facts I’ve picked from the web. Links are below if you fancy having a look for many, many more wonderful snippets!
20 Interesting Facts About Portugal
https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Interesting-Facts-About-Portugal
Trying to lose! 