# My Region of Portugal



## omostra06

Portugal is a lovely country with a rich diversity of scenery from mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, to plains and coastline with fantastic beaches, cities and historic villages.

Why not post some pictures of your region of Portugal or your favorite place to visit in Portugal, along with some info for others to enjoy.


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## PETERFC

*Reply*

Hi Derek and all

You know my feeling about Gois so when i get time i will post soem pictures i have taken. They are not on this machine so you will just have to wait.

Peterfc 666?


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## omostra06

The town of *Tomar* in central Portugal, situated about 100 kilometres from Lisbon Airport and the Spanish border, is the heart of the country and the soul of historic Portugal.










The original medieval town, which was born inside the walls of the castle which was built in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, the fourth master of the order of the Temple, are set out in a grid pattern.










The castle sits a top a hill dominating the skyline of Tomar and is visible from just about every location in the town. The town is steeped in history and there are visual references to it's Templar past just about everywhere you wander. Templar crosses are depicted in many of the marble cobbled paths and masons have left their marks in appreciation on some of the historic buildings - the original form of graffiti.



















Originally designed as a monument symbolizing the Reconquest, the Convent of the Knights Templar of Tomar (transferred in 1344 to the Knights of the Order of Christ) came to symbolize just the opposite during the Manueline period – the opening up of Portugal to other civilizations. The Convent do Cristo in Tomar was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1983.


The castle of the Knights Templar of Tomar was built by Gualdim Pais, provincial Master of the Order of the Temple, around 1160. Later in that century, the castle was chosen as the headquarters of the order in Portugal. 


The Pegões Aquaduct was constructed between 1593 and 1613 by order of King Filipe I of Portugal (Filipe II of Spain).
The monumental structure, which has 180 arches, stretches over six kilometres. Filipe Terzi began the work and Pedro Fernandes Torres completed it.


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## omostra06

*Abrantes, Central Portugal*

The origins of Abrantes are evident from its strategic position where the Ribatejo, Alto Alentejo and Beira Baixa regions cross and blend with each other. 










The city was founded in the 12th century to help defend conquered territories, though there had been settlements there from as early as 300bc. 










Abrantes was awarded city status on 14th June 1916 and has flourished since then. A lively celebration is held each year to commemorate this city status, which is a public holiday.










The historic part of the city is a maze of sloping narrow, cobbled streets lined with whitewashed traditional houses and sun-drenched squares.


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## omostra06

*Constância in central Portugal*

*Constância* in central Portugal is a beautiful, sleepy town arranged like an amphitheatre and marks the point where the Rivers Zêzere and Tagus merge










The historic centre of the town is a maze of cobbled streets with lovingly restored white washed buildings inter spaced with shaded seating areas, fonts and public gardens. Alongside the River Zêzere there is an esplanade, shaded by mature poplar trees, with picnic areas.










Historically Constância is best known in Portugal for its association with Luis de Camões, the country’s national poet and explorer. Camões only lived in the village for several years, however this is something the townsfolk are fiercely proud of. 










There are two parts to the town. The older, historic centre clings to the hillside leading down to the banks of the rivers Tagus and the Zêzere, while the new side of the village stands proud at the top of the hill.


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## omostra06

*Castelo do Bode Lake*


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## nelinha

Hi Omostra, beautiful photos and you are quite a fundi on Pt history. Anybody interested in info about Paredes de Coura? (north of Ponte de Lima, very cold, very mountaineous, no expats as far as I know). Nelinha


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## PETERFC

*Reply*

Hi All

Some of my favourite places in the Gois area.

Looking across the valley from Manjao











The road to Cavelhos where i walk for exercise 1.4 km each way












A view from Dave's house











A view of the River Ceira in Gois










Peterfc


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## silvers

Nazare and Sitio on the Silver coast.


















The funicular railway from Nazare to Sitio









From Sitio looking down to Nazare









We work our girls hard here.









Nazare at sunset









And by night


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## margesimpson

hi All! Thank you for these fantastic pictures! Would you like to show something else? Pleaaaaaaaaaase!


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## Arthur.E.Grice

Hi..this may sound daft (but that's me ) but does anyone have any info on Areias or pictures of the village
I fell in love with the property i bought near Areias.but it seemed to have fallen through ( habitation certificate ) two days before I left to go to London to visit relatives.i was shattered at that stage thinking I was so close to buying it as i knew it was the one i wanted.Two days after landing in London I got a call saying the camara had issued one and that it was still there if i wanted it.."oh yeah ". So I had little time to explore the village and surrounding area..Mad dogs and expats ???sooooo does anyone have any pity and info/photos...lol..Arthur.


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## Arthur.E.Grice

Hi..this may sound daft (but that's me ) but does anyone have any info on Areias or pictures of the village
I fell in love with the property i bought near Areias.but it seemed to have fallen through ( habitation certificate ) two days before I left to go to London to visit relatives.i was shattered at that stage thinking I was so close to buying it as i knew it was the one i wanted.Two days after landing in London I got a call saying the camara had issued one and that it was still there if i wanted it.."oh yeah ". So I had little time to explore the village and surrounding area..Mad dogs and expats ???sooooo does anyone have any pity and info/photos...lol..Arthur.


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## silvers

Hi Arthur,
Some images on here.
Ferreira - Pesquisa do Google


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## Arthur.E.Grice

*Arthur*



silvers said:


> Hi Arthur,
> Some images on here.
> Ferreira - Pesquisa do Google


thank you very much  does anyone have anything on Areias its self ..


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## omostra06

i am about 15 mins from Areias, I know a few folks who live there too.

what sort of thing would you like to know about? schools, local amenities, festivals?

that village will be a lot more well known in a few weeks as there is a uk TV programme coming on soon, featuring a couple that had major problems buying in that region.


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## f10na

What a beautiful place. It's now on my list of places to go and it will be my next trip!


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## brummy

your country is very beautifull must see it some time


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## Arthur.E.Grice

*photos*



omostra06 said:


> i am about 15 mins from Areias, I know a few folks who live there too.
> 
> what sort of thing would you like to know about? schools, local amenities, festivals?
> 
> that village will be a lot more well known in a few weeks as there is a uk TV programme coming on soon, featuring a couple that had major problems buying in that region.


 ### would anyone have any photos of Areias or any local information that I could show my friends here.??.. regards Arthur..


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## Lucerno

*Areias*

Beautifull place.


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## casas em madeira

*HI i love to be in portugal*

HI friend
i read your post . And also watch you nice pictures. I really like these pictures. And i love to live in portugal for my rest of life.........


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## lucaspioll

omostra06 said:


> Portugal is a lovely country with a rich diversity of scenery from mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, to plains and coastline with fantastic beaches, cities and historic villages.
> 
> Why not post some pictures of your region of Portugal or your favorite place to visit in Portugal, along with some info for others to enjoy.


Hi ,I can speack fluent portuguese, french and inglish and I was trying to find out more about the possibilities of moving from the UK to Portugal. Would my age be an andicape? I am almost 50 years old, divorced so no familie only my self. I can do cleaning jobs, to start with or hotel jobs.Would you be kind enough to let me inn on the situation over there as far as jobs are regarding, much appreciated. Lucas.


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## Brianwl

I've found the pictures in this thread to be stunning to say the least. You all have certainly gotten my attention when it comes to looking at Portugal as a place to retire.

I'm truly amazed at how clean the cities/towns/villages seem to be in the pictures. It shows a lot of pride.

I also find the information detailing the history and general information about the locations you have posted pictures of. I am one that truly loves history and learning cultures. I look forward to learning much more.

I'm pleased this thread was pinned to the top of the Portugal forum as I would have likely missed it and not paid much attention to Portugal. 

That is why I've made my other posts in the Portugal forum.


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## monica_g

Hello all! Thank you for the gorgeous pics! I am visiting Portugal for the first time at the end of this month. I'm staying in Tomar, which is my boyfriend's hometown, and ideally I would like to find a temp job for April (leaving beginning of May). I am originally greek, native-speaker in english (lived in England for 10 yrs). Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!


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## omostra06

monica_g said:


> Hello all! Thank you for the gorgeous pics! I am visiting Portugal for the first time at the end of this month. I'm staying in Tomar, which is my boyfriend's hometown, and ideally I would like to find a temp job for April (leaving beginning of May). I am originally greek, native-speaker in english (lived in England for 10 yrs). Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you!


Do you speak Portuguese?


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## monica_g

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I cannot speak Portuguese, I have only started learning.


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## JPQ

Great Castelo do Bode and Abrantes pictures, trully lovely area near the dam


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## omostra06

JPQ said:


> Great Castelo do Bode and Abrantes pictures, trully lovely area near the dam


we have lived close to the lake for 6 years, it is a lovely spot.


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## omostra06

Not really my region of Portugal but we did spend a couple of days there, when i took this photo earlier this year.
Ponte do Lima


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## brian180254

hello them pictures are fantastic thats enogh to give me that push to go and live there regards brian newbie


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## nandnjudge2

*Introducing the Alto Minho Region*

If you were to ask the average expat what do they know about the Alto Minho region, I suspect there is a good chance the answer will be one of the following:
_
Not a lot, not particularly interested because it is cold in winter.

I drove through it on route to the South, only stopped to go to the loo. 

Terrible roads pot holes everywhere and they all drive like idiots up there. 

No use living there as no one speaks English; they are a funny lot._


So it will not come as much a surprise to discover that the residents who live in Galicia, Spain, are more clued up all about the Alto Minho region than most expats that live in the rest of Portugal.
This can be demonstrated by the hoards of Spaniards that cross the border by the coach load to explore the region, which extends as far south as Porto. Without the Spanish, Ikea and many other businesses would close down and that certainly goes for the local markets as well.

Survival in many respects of the Alto Minho Region depends on the continual cross border crossings by the Spanish and Portuguese likewise. Each side props up the other side’s economy.
Doing away with the border controls back in the nineties turned out to be a lifeline for both sides of the border.
The Alto Minho region is an historic province of Portugal. It was established as an official province in 1936 and dissolved in 1976 but still retains its identity mainly for tourism marketing purposes.

Today, the area would include the districts of Braga that has a population of 850,000 and Viana do Castelo, which has a smaller population of 250,000. Not a lot of people when one considers the size of the land area.
The Alto Minho region has substantial Celtic influences and shares with Galicia many cultural and historical traits going back to Roman times.

The Galician dialect has a strong Portuguese influence, so it will not come as a surprise that most of the population that live on either side of the River Minho can understand either Portuguese or Galician. This all makes things rather complicated for the expats living in the area who are trying to learn Portuguese or Spanish.
The lack of border control, the free movement of people, the Celtic origins and other cultural similarities means that both sides of the River Minho (Spanish and Portuguese) are included in what’s known as the Alto Minho Community. Today they trade as one big community. The only time the border was closed was in November 2010 when Portugal hosted the Nato Summit attended by top dignitaries from around the world.

The 21st century brought greater opportunities and economic advances which the authorities and business community on both sides of the River Minho were quick to recognise. This is one of the many reasons why the Spanish invest vast sums of money into property and industry on the Portuguese side. The last 10 years has also seen increased Spanish tourism on the Portuguese side of the Minho River. The restaurants on the Portuguese side owe their survival to the influx of the Spanish. As I write this article new restaurants are opening up everywhere in Valenca including a few Tapas Bars.

In many respects time has stood still in this region. Small houses are dotted around the lush landscape, surrounded by fields too small for a tractor to work them. Connecting these fields are granite-set tracks, which often have grape vines growing overhead. It is a pleasure when exercising the dogs to collect a few ripe grapes while en-route. The dogs find the constant starting and stopping a big distraction.

Liberally scattered around are the great houses of the past, of which nearly all have been beautifully restored. Crystal clear rivers flow in this region and long may it remain so. The River Minho can be described as the least polluted river in Western Europe. Access to the modern world, thanks to EU-funded roads and electricity projects, means that the old way of life of these villages are over forever. Already it is becoming hard to find a water mill still working or a house without a chimney so that the hams could smoke in the kitchen. Having said that many old-age die-hard traditions and customs do still exist.


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## rizwanroshan

*NICE Portugal*

Hi 
I like to visit Portugal.


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## siobhanwf

*SALINAS 3kms from RIO MAIOR*

At only 3 km from the center of Rio Maior city, (and 30kms from the sea!) you find a small typical village facing the salt-marshes, along with shops with traditional products and restaurants. 
These salt-marshes are a whim of Nature'
The salt itself is pure salt (97.94% sodium chloride). 
A subterranean stream passes through a extensive and deep salt mine and feeds a well where a water seven times more salty than the Atlantic Ocean is extracted. Thought it is believed that the salt extraction occurred in prehistoric time, the oldest document known is under the date of 1177.

There are references to the salt mines of Rio Maior since 1177, in written documents that are indeed the oldest of Rio Maior. It is also known as D. Afonso V owned five butchers in the salt mines of Rio Maior in the fifteenth century, and he received one fourth of the entire production and the monopoly of its sale. 
The economic importance of salt for the region is represented in the two pyramids of salt depicted in the Coat of arms of Rio Maior 
These salt-marshes are a true museum where the salt extraction methods had little change since its eight centuries of history. 

the work is seasonal, occurring only during the summer months, when the inhabitants of the neighborhood down the slope of the Sierra Candeeiros.

The salt flats are divided into compartments of various sizes, which is called butchers. These are made ​​of cement or stone and have little depth. Currently, the salt water is drawn from the well by means of a motor, and subsequently distributed by the butchers, by Regueiro. The narrow paths that separate the butchers, the sailors used to move between compartments, and are called cockroaches. In addition to these there are _the esgoteiros,_ where salt water is put to later be distributed to butchers. 
For the drying process to complete, the salt is placed on floors, and is subsequently transported to the old wooden houses, where it is stored and sold. Some of these typical wooden houses, are used as cafes, restaurants and shops of handicrafts, which form the support tour this authentic living museum.

You can buy a kilo of rock salt for 0,50 euros :clap2:


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## MsSpicy

Ahh some lovely images from a country I've come to love


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## nandnjudge2

Is this something else OK


YouTube - ‪THE PHOTOGRAPHERS DREAM NORTHERN PORTUGAL‬‏


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## ferragudofan

Ferragudo for me!
If I am allowed to add link to my blog as this has photos and info on this lovely fishing village on the Algarve:
Discovering Ferragudo | Algarve Blog


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## The Patriot

Great photo's


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## jsmoir

omostra06 said:


> Portugal is a lovely country with a rich diversity of scenery from mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, to plains and coastline with fantastic beaches, cities and historic villages.
> 
> Why not post some pictures of your region of Portugal or your favorite place to visit in Portugal, along with some info for others to enjoy.


Hi, as we are considering the Azores, do you think there should be a separate Azores/Madeira forum for stuff like this, or should it be put in with the mainland Portugal stuff?

thanks ever.

JS


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## siobhanwf

jsmoir said:


> Hi, as we are considering the Azores, do you think there should be a separate Azores/Madeira forum for stuff like this, or should it be put in with the mainland Portugal stuff?
> 
> thanks ever.
> 
> JS


There are not enough members to have a separate section I am afraid.


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## kamillo1983

Beautiful pictures! I can't wait to go to all of these places!


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## kamillo1983

*Looking for a pen pal!*

If anyone is interested in being pen pals, I would love to chat with someone in Portugal. I am moving in two months and would just love to chat. My email is [email protected]


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## Guest

ferragudofan said:


> Ferragudo for me!
> If I am allowed to add link to my blog as this has photos and info on this lovely fishing village on the Algarve:
> Discovering Ferragudo | Algarve Blog


Fantastic photos. I visited the area in the mid 1970's.

Would you consider the area and Portugal expat friendly to US citizens?

Thanks


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