Portugal's Famous Fishing Town: With its natural beauty and stretches of long sandy beaches, Nazaré is a popular Portuguese beach resort and each year thousands of local and overseas tourists come to enjoy this lovely beach-side town. Walking along the seafront, it is quite obvious that tourism is the main contributor to Nazaré 's income. Yet, up until the 20th century, fishing, fish processing and sale of fish were the main source of livelihood for the people of Nazaré. Change in Fishing … [Read more...]
Sítio Sightseeing Attractions | Nazaré
November 5, 2009 by
Sitio - A different world altogether: A short funicular ride up from Nazaré and we're in Sítio, the old part of town that sits on the cliff-top. I'm really pleased that we've sacrificed the sardines and cakes in Nazaré to come up here as it's a different world altogether. Being away from the sea, farming is a means of livelihood rather than fishing. There are a couple of lookouts along the edge of the bluff from where the views of Nazaré's golden beach and its harbour are really … [Read more...]
Nazare | Funicular Railway to Sitio
November 5, 2009 by
Ascenor da Nazare 1889 - 2009: 2009 marks the 120th anniversary of the Nazare's Funicular. This century-old public transport mode was inaugurated on July 28, 1889. The funicular railway is considered to be one of the better initiatives of the town's history, allowing the growth and development of the district of Sitio, on top of the hill, as well as providing an easier access to the beach quarter. Before the funicular railway was built, access was quite difficult as there were only a … [Read more...]
Nazaré – Portugal's Famous Fishing Village
November 4, 2009 by
Portugal's Famous Fishing Village: We arrive in Nazaré at lunchtime, after a 45 minutes drive from Batalho. This little fishing village with its huge stretch of beautiful sandy beach is a pleasant change of scenery from the castles, fortresses and churches that we've been visiting. We've already been primed on what to eat here, which restaurant has the best sardines or fish stew and who has the best cakes and coffee. Pedro our tour director recommends "Restaurante O Tamanco" for its … [Read more...]
Port Wine from The House of Sandeman – Porto
October 27, 2009 by
The House of Sandeman and the History of Port Wine : Port wine it seems was discovered in the 17th century when British merchants added brandy to the wine of the northern Douro region to prevent it souring and to improve its shelf-life during shipment to England. The wine was called Port, after the port city of Porto. Since Warre’s established the first British Port House in 1670, much of Portugal's port trade has always been in the hands of the British, even up till current … [Read more...]
Port Wine Tasting at The House of Sandeman – Oporto
October 26, 2009 by
Meet the Mysterious Don at The House of Sandeman: We're on a port wine-tasting tour of The House of Sandeman. Our "Don" guide (in fact, a blonde woman dressed like Antonio Banderas in "Zorro") meets us at the entrance. Even after claiming for years 'reformed status' as regards his time as an ad agency creative director, seeing that "Don" logo and being in The House of Sandeman still brings back nostalgic memories for Tony of advertising campaigns he worked on and the great brand … [Read more...]
Portugal Tour – A Regional Tour of Portugal
August 3, 2009 by
Portugal Tour - Our Portugal Tour Route, Itinerary and Comments: This is the itinerary of our 10-day Portugal tour which is called 'A Regional Tour of Portugal'. Our tour route goes in an anti-clockwise direction, starting in Lisbon and heading down south to the Algarve and then head ups up north along the eastern border. Whereas many tours that are offered combine Spain, Portugal and Morocco, this one concentrates on Portugal only and provides a comprehensive coverage of the country, … [Read more...]
Shopping in Portugal – Portugal Holidays
March 22, 2009 by
Shopping in Portugal needn't break your bank! Portugal is a country where handicraft is very much alive and here you'll be able to buy souvenirs that are practical, rather than ones that collect dust on your mantelpiece. Traditional craftwork such as lace, rugs, ceramics, copperware, wicker, pottery, hand-knitted clothing, ceramics and copper dishes and intricate embroideries can add an exotic touch to your home, or make special gifts for family and friends. A wide array of Portuguese … [Read more...]