![[Europe's Canuck Connections : Portuguese Man of Play (pt.1) - Travel story (travelogue) - Feature length photographic travel story (travelogue) about Portugal; including Lisbon, the Algarve, Lagos, Shots in the Dark Bar, Beaches, Bars, Bullfighting and more. Great travel writing with lots of photos!]](../images/eurotop1.gif){kind=small}
"Portuguese Man of Play" (Pt. 1) - by Travellin' Tony T
For some reason, I've dreamed of going to Portugal most of my life. I don't
exactly know why. You don't hear much about it in Canada, but one thing
everyone seems to agree on is its beauty. I second that emotion. My all
too brief jaunt through Portugal left me with two distinct impressions;
for sheer awesome coastal majesty, there's nothing like it and if
you're looking for a unique Canuck Connection,
it can be found here !
Portuguese, contrary to popular belief is a much different language than Spanish, not that my grade 3 lessons while living in Miami would have provided much of a base. My latter schooling in Canada's other official language of French actually came in a little handier. Grab a pocket dictionary to give yourself a fighting chance at communication. Anyway, you'll need your eye's far more than your vocal chords here. Lisbon, Portugal's capital, is a typical ancient European city. It's big, it's beautiful and aside from the historic significance, it's generally boring. Take a spin through, drop by a museum or two, and then turn your attentions Southward to the infamous "Algarve". This coastal area is one of the biggest ocean playgrounds on "The Continent".
The West coast route is the way to go. The small car ferry from Setubal (a large suburban community outside Lisbon) to Troia (a tiny beach side spot which seems to be frozen halfway to a large tourism development) is short and scenic. Then it's off down the tree lined Western auto route. Every few kilometers you can detour off the lonely road (we seem to be among only a handful of commuters this sunny June day) to one of several seaside stops. Once oceanside, you'll be awe struck by the rugged cliffs and endless unspoiled beaches that engulf the Atlantic Portuguese coast. A roll of film containing shots of half a dozen locales along this route will seem to be motionless.
Picturesque is a word that must have been dreamed up during this journey. The tourist trade hasn't hit this area yet, so there are few amenities.
Updated Dec. 16, 1997
It's unspoiled oceania, mainly because the icy waters and chilling breezes off the open Atlantic aren't conducive to lazy beach days. Those can be found abundantly a few kilometers down the coast in
"The Algarve !"
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