A TRIP ROUTE
INTERESTING STORIES
Christopher Columbus was a sailor and navigator. During one of his expeditions in search of the western sea route to India, he reached the shores of America in 1492. It is widely believed that Columbus was born in Genoa, but disputes over his origin continue to this day. One theory is that Christopher Columbus was the son of the Polish king Władysław III of Varna, who would survive the Battle of Varna in 1444 and settle in Portuguese Madeira. The Portuguese historian Manuel Rosa published information about Columbus' Polish roots in his book "Columbus, unknown history". The author asked the Wawel Cathedral to examine the remains of King Władysław Jagiełło, the father of the King of Varna, in order to compare the DNA of the Jagiellonians with the genetic code of Columbus.INTERESTING FACTS
Azulejos are thin ceramic tiles, most often square, covered with impermeable and glossy glaze. Azulejos tiles are used as mosaic elements, covering walls and facades with them, and as separate decorative compositions. Mosaic tiles began to be used in antiquity, and the technique of their production spread with the culture of Islam. They reached Europe via the Iberian Peninsula, which was under the rule of the Moors until the 14th century. The largest azulejos production center was in Seville. At the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, they began to be produced in Portugal, where they gained great popularity, becoming almost the national art of this country.IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Torre de Belem, a tower built at the beginning of the 16th century in the Tagus River by King Manuel I, is the most magnificent military structure in Portugal. This pearl of Manueline architecture was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Few people know that Torre de Belem is associated with Józef Bem, a Polish general and artilleryman. Bem fought in the November Uprising, and then in exile he was the commander of the Third Viennese Revolution, a field marshal of the Turkish army and the commander-in-chief of the Hungarian uprising. During the formation of the Polish Legion in Portugal, Józef Bem was arrested in 1834 and imprisoned for two months in the dungeons of Torre de Belem.IT IS WORTH SEEING
The "Night Train to Lisbon" movie starring Jeremy Irons was based on the novel by Pascal Mercier. Few of the screenings are better than the novels, and that's the case. Jeremy Irons, who plays the role of Gregorius, fits perfectly into the role, a bit of an old-fashioned lecturer of classical languages. As a result of a chance meeting in Berlin with the nameless Portuguese, a whole series of extraordinary events starts. Gregorius finds the book Amadeu de Prado and, moved by the author's thoughts, takes the night train to Lisbon. He decides to learn as much as possible about the author and he delves into the history of Portugal under the dictator Salazar. The new situation forces him to change his own life and allows him to better understand himself.September 2009
We have planned our next vacation in Portugal, buying a two-week stay with the all inclusive option. Most of the tourists visiting this beautiful country go to the Algarve, and so was our case.
We spent a wonderful holiday in the tiny village of Cabanas, enjoying the charms of the lagoon and beautiful weather. Portugal has always appeared to us as a mysterious country located somewhere on the outskirts of Europe. We liked it right away. We are captivated by sandy beaches, picturesque fishing villages, wild landscape and different traditions of the inhabitants, which most appeal to the imagination when listening to fado songs in cafes or in the streets of Alfama. Taking advantage of the proximity to the Spanish border, we also went on a trip to Seville.PORTUGAL
Cabanas
We rested in Cabanas de Tavira, a tiny town where the devil says good night. The good times of plentiful tuna fishing have become just a memory, and today the locals live mainly on tourists. What captivated us the most in Cabanas are the beautiful lagoons, areas of wetlands, islets and canals separated from the full sea by sand dunes. Walking around these wild and charming nooks, apart from sex, was our daily ritual.
Tavira
Tavira is a beautiful city full of historic churches and picturesque houses, and wandering at random through the streets of the old town is great fun. The best panorama of the city is from the walls of the Moorish Castle, located on the top of the hill. We remember especially pyramid-like, hipped roofs of houses, shaped in such a way as to facilitate the drainage of water during heavy rains.
Faro
Destroyed by invasions, fires and earthquakes, Faro was always reborn like a Phoenix from the ashes. Although most of the buildings come from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the old town looks very picturesque, and wandering the narrow streets of the old town was an interesting experience. However, what we remember the most are the storks brooding their eggs in nests built in the strangest places you can imagine.
Lisbon
We went to Lisbon on our own. Unfortunately, one and a half days is not enough to get to know the city well and feel its atmosphere. Despite this, the capital of Portugal simply captivated us. We wandered the winding streets and stairs of Alfama, walked around Bairro Alto and of course took the famous Lisbon tram. In Belem, we admired the Hieronymites Monastery, entered on the UNESCO list, and then we ate the famous cupcakes that melted in our mouths.
Algarve cities
Picturesque Silves and Lagos are like gems, but they don't stand out from other Algarve cities. Perhaps except Lagos, which in the 15th and 16th centuries was the site of the first live goods market in Europe. However, an amazing impression on us was made by Cabo de Sao Vicente, the Cape of St. Vincent. Ragged, rocky cliffs shoot vertically out of the sea to a height of more than 60 meters. No wonder in the Middle Ages it was believed that this windswept mysterious place was the end of the world.
Algarve beaches
The beaches of the Algarve fully deserve their fame. We were also impressed by rocky, steep cliffs, huge inselbergs and picturesque bays. Some beaches are divided by cliffs in such a way that you have to squeeze between the rocks to get from one part to the other. During the trip, it turned out that the biggest problem was to find the beaches we wanted to visit in the maze of roads, streets and promenades.
SPAIN
Seville
We went to Seville for a day trip, which is a pity because the capital of Andalusia is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. You can wander the streets of Santa Cruz or El Arenal for hours and always come across something unusual and original. The Cathedral of Seville, which was built on the site of the mosque, is one of the largest churches in the world and, together with the La Giralda bell tower, it enchanted even dilettantes like us. However, the visit to Plaza de Torros in the famous bullfight arena, which is one of the oldest in the country, evoked completely different feelings.