The Modern Nomads

Founded in 1143 Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe. The home of Port wine, Fado music, and the Portuguese azulejos! Portugal is the westernmost point in continental Europe and marks the beginning of our European travel.

We plan on spending three weeks in Portugal beginning in Lisbon and ending in Lagos with several stops in and around those areas.

Portugal History

Because Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe it is rich in history and we will learn a lot about that during our time there. I mean it was founded over 600 years before the US even became a country. That’s pretty old!

We will learn about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake that killed more than a third of the entire population of the capital city and how that incident and the following tsunami that had devastating effects to the entire country.

We will also learn about the beautiful Portuguese azulejos. Not only are they beautiful but they served a purpose. These tiles are iconic to Portugual and one of my favorite elements in Portuguese architecture.

“Azulejos” is the Portuguese word for tiles. Its origin is, of course, Arabic, and it means “small polished stone”. Initially, all these tiles would be cut into geometric shapes and painted with very neutral tones.

https://www.beportugal.com/portuguese-tiles.

And of course we will learn about the food! The most surprising thing to me is the Portuguese codfish obsession. Primarily because they don’t even fish for codfish in Portugal. It comes from Iceland and Norway!

Portugal is the world’s biggest consumer of cod, with 20 percent of all cod caught around the globe being eaten here, an average of 35 kilograms per person, per year! Codfish, which earned the nickname of fiel amigo (faithful friend) in Portugal, it’s deeply connected to Portuguese heritage, culture and local cuisine

https://www.ohmycodtours.com/blog/salted-codfish-in-portugal/#:~:text=Portugal%20is%20the%20world%27s%20biggest,heritage%2C%20culture%20and%20local%20cuisine.

When to visit Portugal

When is the best time to visit Portugal? The best answer is “As soon as you can!” Of course depending on the extent of what you plan on doing, some activities might be better during certain parts of the year. But Portugal is pleasant enough year round so there is really no bad time to come. The busiest time is going to be the summer months so Spring and Autumn will be less crowded but the weather is still nice!

Spring – March to May

Summer – June to mid September

Autumn – Mid September to early December

Winter – December to February

Below are links to the areas we traveled during our time in Portugal: