Introduction to Portugal
September 2009
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The monarchy was overthrown in 1910 and replaced by a series of dictatorships.
In 1974 a bloodless revolution replaced the Salazar dictatorship with a democracy.
The country is now in the European Union and has made substantial economic
progress in the last 35 years, but still lags behind most of western Europe.
On 31 August we took a train from home and in about an hour arrived at Philadelphia
International Airport. We quickly went through the security checkpoint, walked to
the gate, and with our carry-on bags got aboard US Airways flight 738 for the
7-hour non-stop overnight flight to Lisbon. The plane was completely full, the seats
very cramped. We got little sleep that night.
Before and during the trip we made good use of three travel guidebooks: "Rick Steves
Portugal", "Lonely Planet Portugal", and "DK Eyewitness Travel Portugal". Aside from
our trans-Atlantic flights we made advance reservations only for the first night in
Lisbon.
During our visit the weather was very pleasant, averaging a daily high of about 80 F
(25 C) and a low of around 60 F (15 C). We had no rain.
Electricity in Portugal is 240V and uses standard European plugs.
The currency is the Euro, equivalent to about US$1.50. Our costs in Portugal
averaged about the same as in the United States, except that restaurant and lodging
expenses in Portugal were lower.
The total round trip airfare for the two of us from Philadelphia to Lisbon totaled
US$1296.
We were in Portugal once before, a few days in 1973, as part of a journey through
Portugal, Spain and Morocco. The main changes we noted between 1973 and 2009
were that the average standard of living in Portugal is much improved and that the
outskirts of Lisbon have grown with many new modern residential and office buildings.
Portugal is a small country in the southwestern corner of Europe. On the north and
east it is bordered by Spain, on the west and south by the Atlantic Ocean. It is about
500 miles (835km) long, roughly 100 miles wide. Population about eleven million.
Starting about 3,000 years ago what is now Portugal was occupied by a series of
conquerors including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans. The Moors
came from North Africa and occupied the country from the early 700's AD to around
1100 AD, when the Moors were driven out and Portugal became a Catholic-led monarchy.
From about 1500 to 1700 Portugal was at the height of its power, extremely wealthy
from overseas exploration and developed a very profitable trade with Asia, South
America, and Africa. Much of that wealth was used to build palaces, churches,
fortifications, universities, monasteries, and to expand its naval power.