Good Posture
by grandmaR
When we visited Lisbon in 1964, particularly in the fish market area, we saw many women carrying their baskets of goods on their heads. It wasn't just the fishwives that carried things on their heads - there were also fruits and vegetables and other things as well. They had a padded ring type thing to cushion their heads. And very good posture!!! I tried doing it myself when I got home, and it is a good way to carry things as it is balanced (you don't have a heavy thing in one hand).
Travel Guide
by Bwana_Brown
About 2 months before we left Canada for Portugal, I bought a DK Eyewitness Travel Guide book (for about US$30) in order to get some background information on this new (to me) country. After looking at Fodors and Lonely Planet as well, I picked DK because it is totally loaded with colour photographs, maps and helpful hints. It really made a huge difference to us to be able to see the various attractions and read the detailed descriptions of each one.
The book even has various suggested tour routes with all the relevent details, such as the Serra de Sintra drive or even one near Evora to see ancient cromlechs! For Lisbon, it also provided us with detailed street maps of the different sections of the city as well as another entire chapter on the delights in the area immediately surrounding Lisbon. There are sections describing the time-line of Portugal's history, its various rulers down through the ages, local food customs and a whole wealth of information!
It's useful restaurant phrases and a small Portugese/English phrase section all came in very handy! To get maximum enjoyment out of your trip, I strongly suggest that you get a guide book of any description to give you some understanding of the culture and attractions of the country that you are visiting!
Cristo Rei, modeled on the...
by DanaK
Cristo Rei, modeled on the famous Cristo Redendor in Rio de Janeiro. You can see the monument from many veiwpoints in the city. But if you wanna see the monument closer take a ferry to the Outra Banda (the other bank), then a bus or taxi to the monument. A lift takes you up to 82m to the top of the pedestal.... Me? saw it from the distance... ;)
Dia de Portugal
by mikey_e
One of Portugal’s most beloved national figures, and by far its most famous poet, was Luís de Camões. The author of Os Lusíades, the country’s national epic, Camões was responsible, much like the author of the Chanson de Roland in France, for casting the nation’s history into poetic greatness. During his life (16th century), Camões traveled to the East in the footsteps of the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, and it is thus no surprise that his great work Os Lusíades narrates the history of Portuguese discoveries and the challenges faced by Vasco de Gama and other explorers in rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Camões is also credited with fixing the Portuguese language and providing a basis on which Golden Era literature could flourish. For this reason, 10 June is now celebrated as Camões Day, the Day of the Portuguese Language. This is a national holiday and there are obviously celebrations throughout the city (everything is also pretty much closed). It’s also a day of reflection on the importance of the language and its place in the world.
When we are introduced...
by Fonseca2002
When we are introduced to new people, is usual to give two kisses in the chicks... Between men and women or between women...
Dont find it rude but you can be faster and stretch your hand first, lol... We will get the message...
Rossio
Interior (2)
Another view of the gathering celebrants
at Padrao dos Descobrimentos
