The Land and its People

 Travelling north from Lisbon, Portugal is a land of pine and eucalyptus forests, small farms and vineyards. There are some solar panels but a lot of windfarms marking across the mountain backbones, sometimes beside an ancient windmill like a tall grandson standing beside his granny. 

little old windmill on the left

Small white houses with red tiled rooves dot the landscape, occasionally grouped together into villages. Towns are cheek-by-jowl buildings, with every square centimeter used for pots of plants or small garden plots. Laundry flutters on lines attached to window frames or Juliet balconies.

There are a lot of empty decrepit old buildings with broken glass and imploded rooves, decaying doors held up with graffiti. Portugal is not a rich country, but it is slowly getting itself out of debt. On city streets that recently were the home of crime and rubble, there are now some smart shops and cafes. In another ten years, the surrounding streets will likely be just as active and prosperous.

The Portuguese people themselves are impressive. Not without passion, but not at all hot headed. We never hear car horns, even when some idiot tourist on his phone wandered along a street - the truck or car just waits patiently until the pedestrian realizes he is holding up traffic or moves off the road. Even intercity buses will slow down to drive behind cyclists until the cyclists move off the road. We have never seen an impatient or rude Portuguese. 

In fact, they are extremely polite, welcoming and friendly in a quiet way, no matter what the situation. They are generally dressed well but conservatively, even retroactively. Bright colours yes, but not at all flashy.

We have not used more than the few words we learned because everyone seems to speak at least a little English, and most speak it very well. As well as Spanish, French and often Italian and German too. We did not get to speak in depth to anyone local - the downside of staying in hotels instead of family homes or hostels, but I get the feeling they are private, family-oriented people who are so used to living in close proximity they have learned to act with courtesy and discretion. 

typical view of Portugal