FARO (Algarve)
The Algarve is a compact, well-defined and historically ancient province, quite distinct from the rest of Portugal. It is a south facing amphitheatre not quite 100 miles long by about 30 miles at its widest.
The coastal belt where most Algarveans live is fringed with sand-spit islands, lagoons, drifted dunes, spectacular headlands, cozy coves and vast open beaches.
One of the most appealing aspects of life in the Algarve is that it seems to be locked in a mystifying time warp. As international airlines strain to shuttle visitors in and out of Faro airport, Algarveans feel no urgency to be punctual, no reason to rush. Nothing is more important than conversation with friends over a small cup of coffee.
The coastline is made up of various shades of gold set in a translucent turquoise sea.
The vast vault of sky is usually vivid blue. Town and village houses as well as country cottages are dazzlingly whitewashed.
No wonder that writers have long assimilated the Algarve to the "Garden of Eden" and "the land of promise"...
A paradise of unspoiled natural resources, the region is a perfect place for mountain trekking, canoeing or simply resting up in the spa towns of Carvalhelhos, Chaves and Pedras Salgadas.
Porto is without doubt the main city in northern Portugal. It has an international airport and all the charms of a riverside community. It also keeps alive traditional values while pushing ahead with a dynamic, innovative spirit in its commercial and industrial life.
Three towns that set the tone for the known charming area of Portugal are Viana do Castelo, lying upon the course of the Lima river; Braga, rich in ecclesiastical history; and the medieval Guimaraes, Portugal's birthplace.
Mansions and manorial houses in this region open their doors to bed and breakfast, offering visitors a rare privileged glimpse of the aristocratic Portuguese traditions, combined with the best modern hospitality can offer.
Everywhere people keep active traditions of song and dance (showing a strong Celtic influence, as in the Pauliteiros dance of Miranda) and in their popular festivals and processions, which reveal how Christian rituals were reproduced onto much older pagan heritage.
This Northern City lent its name to the famous Port wine and to "PORTugal" itself. One can not miss a visit to the wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia and taste this distinguished and celebrated Port Wine.
Lisbon, the dazzling city that stretches along the banks of the river Tagus, is an enchanting capital. Everywhere are fine monuments that bring to mind the great Age of Discoveries, and picturesque houses whose facades are decked with ornate ceramic tiles.
There are many places worth a visit: the imposing Mafra Convent, the cosmopolitan seaside resort of Cascais, the Arrabida hills and their nature reserve clustered with ancient trees, picturesque Sesimbra, the city of Setubal, and the aristocratic country-houses of nearby Azeitao.
The area provides something for every taste: beach, water sports, golf-courses and, in the summer, open air music festivals. The Atlantic coast, which stretches to the north and west of Lisbon, is of surprising beauty; here the landscape swiftly changes from high, sweeping cliffs to beaches of white sand, backed by lagoons.
All of these lands were won back from the Moors by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques; and the memory of that era lives on in the ancient castles that loom above Leiria, Tomar, Obidos or Santarem.
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