Portugal: a whim of Mediterranean in a Atlantic space

[costa]

I will post some more pictures over here. Hope our greek friends enjoy it.

[costa]

Coimbra


Porto


Arribas do Douro


Berlengas


Elvas


Vila Nova de Mil Fontes


Tomar


Castelo de Almourol


Montemor-o-Velho castle


Albufeira


Alqueva

[traveler]

Very nice indeed!

[Paulo2004]

Stunning!

[sfera 20]

Great pictures of Portugal! Do you have also pictures of Madeira?

[prisma]

Originally Posted by costa;38252834 [B

Montemor-o-Velho castle[/B]

So beautiful....i love castles.
Great pictures.

[Cbr Domes]

Two promo videos from Portugal

[Alexandris]

Great pictures mate and lovely country.
Any skyscrapers in Portugal?

[Cbr Domes]

Thanks, my favourite countries are my Portugal and your Greece

The biggest are the two towers in the first video at 1:47, only 145m not true skyscrapers.






News from here:

Strikes, Clashes and Wounded in Lisbon, Porto and other Portuguese cities

Lisbon - Thousands of Portuguese demonstrated Thursday against the government's austerity policies and labour reform during a general strike, with small groups of demonstrators clashing with police in Lisbon and Porto.
Some demonstrators hurled objects at police and eggs at a bank in Lisbon, according to witnesses. Police denied claims by protesters that several people were injured in the clashes.
Armenio Carlos, leader of the country's largest trade union confederation CGTP, said demonstrations were staged in 35 localities around the country.
He said the 24-hour strike attracted a wide following, although it was 'difficult' to mobilize workers worried about losing a day's pay at the time of an economic crisis.
The government did not issue an estimate of the strike turnout. Media reports estimated it to have been lower than during the last general strike in November, when the CGTP won the support of the second-largest trade union confederation, UGT.
The impact of the strike was mainly felt in the transport sector. The Lisbon underground remained closed, while the strike also largely paralyzed the underground railway in Porto, and ferry traffic across the river Tagus in Lisbon.
Train and bus traffic suffered interruptions. Airports functioned almost normally, with the Portuguese airline TAP only cancelling two flights. There were traffic jams on entry points to Lisbon and other cities. Unions put the strike following in the transport sector at a minimum of 70 per cent.
Garbage accumulated on the streets while postal services came to a partial standstill. The strike had a lesser impact on hospitals, schools and the judiciary. Few private businesses heeded the strike call.
The general strike was the eighth in Portugal since the country returned to democracy after the 1974 Carnation Revolution ended a decades-long corporative dictatorship.
In contrast to the previous general strikes in November 2010 and November 2011, Thursday's stoppage was not supported by UGT, which gave its backing to a labour market reform making it easier for employers to hire and fire workers.
The strike also protested cuts in public employees' vacation bonuses and government spending, which unions see as increasing poverty and unemployment.
Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho is trying to meet the conditions set by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, which granted Portugal a bailout worth 78 billion euros (103 billion dollars).
The government expects the unemployment rate - currently at about 14 per cent - to continue rising as the economy shrinks by 3.3 per cent this year.
Lisbon met the EU target of cutting the budget deficit to 5.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011. This year's target was set at 4.5 per cent.


http://news.monstersandcritics.com/b...-demonstration
















Source and more photos: http://pormaioriaderazao.blogspot.pt/






Also was in Coimbra at 8 May Square, but smaller and without injuries.

[Pythagoras]

To be honest, these images with the Portuguese riots look much more like high-school fights in comparison to the Greek riots. Keep it that way, please. I am sure you are more civilized than the anarchist savages here in Greece.

p.s: Nice images from Portugal. Really beautiful country and with many similarities with the Greek landscape.

[Cbr Domes]

I understand the revolt of many Portuguese and Greek people. But yes you are more on fire, isn't properly civilized
Yes, the climate makes that


A few more photos

Lisbon, Torre Vasco da Gama

image hosted on flickr






Marco Sousa

[Cbr Domes]

Traditional Portuguese Folk Music

Some



VIRA - Minho region







CORRIDINHO - Algarve region







PAULITEIROS - Terras de Miranda region









FANDANGO RIBATEJANO - From villages near of Santarém, only 70 km north Lisbon











Some typical instruments



Cavaquinho (none translation is possible)

0:58-1:08

2:07-2:17







Guitarra Portuguesa (Portuguese Guitar)

0:38-0:47

1:34-1:43






Other Portuguese folk music, very known Meninas vamos ao vira



Meninas vamos ao vira, ai que o vira é coisa boa
Que eu já vi dançar o vira, ai às meninas de Lisboa
(...)
Meninas vamos ao vira, ai que o vira é coisa linda
Que eu já vi dançar o vira, ai às meninas de Coimbra
(...)

[Alexandris]

Originally Posted by Cbr Domes

A few more photos

Lisbon, Torre Vasco da Gama

image hosted on flickr






Marco Sousa

Interesting building. Is it a hotel or an office building?
The taller structure next to it? Maybe an observatory tower?

We have an observatory tower in Thessaloniki as well close to the coastline. Yours must be taller though

[jpfg]

Both buildings in construction are a hotel!

[Cbr Domes]

Alexandris,

The Vasco da Gama Tower (Portuguese: Torre Vasco da Gama) is a 142 m lattice tower with skyscraper in Lisbon, Portugal, built over the Tagus river. It is named after Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama, who was the first European to arrive in India by sail, in 1498.

The tower was built in 1998 for the Lisbon Expo 98 World's Fair. At the 120 m, there was an observation deck and, just below it, a luxury panoramic restaurant. At the base of the tower was a three-story building that served as the European Union Pavilion during the expo.

Parque Expo received permission for a plan by Portuguese architect Nuno Leónidas to expand on the riverside, for a luxury hotel with 178 rooms in 20 floors. The hotel will be called "Sana Torre Vasco da Gama Royal Hotel", managed by Portuguese company Sana Hotels.



Other photo:





What the metters from the tower of Thessaloniki? It's beautiful

[Cbr Domes]

Arrábida (that region is in the peninsula south of Lisbon)

























































Bluesence

[Cbr Domes]

The stupendous beauty of Lisbon suburbs commies

[Alexandris]

Originally Posted by Cbr Domes

What the metters from the tower of Thessaloniki? It's beautiful

I really like the Hotel.
Τhessaloniki's tower is 80 meters tall.





OTE Tower is a 76-metre-tall tower located in the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center in central Thessaloniki, Greece. The tower opened in 1966 and was renovated in 2005.

The tower was designed by Greek architect A. Anastasiadis and was completed in 1965, with the first black and white broadcasts on a Greek television network taking place from the tower in 1966[1]. The tower was also used in the 1970s to support the antennas of an experimental VHF analogue mobile telephone network.[citation needed] Today it is used by the Cosmote cellular mobile telephone network.

The tower today, other than its status as a modern monument of the city and its use by Cosmote, opens up for events and exhibitions during the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, while a revolving restaurant operates year round on the top floor.

Form wikipedia.

[Pythagoras]

OMG, amazing photos from Portugal! Very beautiful country!!!

In my view, Portugal should focus more on its tourist campaign. You always listen about people going to Spain, Italy, South France, Croatia, Greece, Turkey but you rarely hear people visiting Portugal for what it has to offer. This is just my opinion, of course. I have not read data from foreign visitors in Mediterranean region or the Iberian peninsula but I get the feeling that Portugal is not taking advantage of its full potentials.

Greece is doing another mistake by the way, by keeping this old "Zorba" image, which is not so popular anymore. High prices and so - so quality in some of the restaurants and hotels are some other factors that send the tourists in much cheaper destinations such as Croatia and Turkey.

[Cbr Domes]

Yes, but Portugal is very visited especially from Bristish Isles and Northern Europe and from their ancient Portuguese Empire. Portugal has great potentials for tourism, much more than sun, sea and sand, like their historical heritage, their uniquess cities, fields and land with beautiful idilic landscapes, much etc

Thanks for the info Alexandris