The Atlantic Coast

When all is said and done, one fact about Portugal remains. It occupies a very fertile strip of land along the Atlantic Coast ideal for sailing on great expeditions.

Portugal's divine beaches

The people who lived here since time immemorial seem to have been in contact with each other along the coast from Gibraltar to Ireland. We get a sense of this by travelling up North to Viana do Castelo.  From there one can take the funicular railway up to the hilltop surmounting the city and walking way behind the parking lot of the Pousada hotel. In the rear lies an excavation of boulders and blocks typically belonging to the Celtiberians, who peopled the land before the Romans and the Phoenicians.  

The View, the Sea 
The view is no longer as magnificent as it used to be. The lovely hotel blocks as does the pastiche of the neo-Byzantine basilica from the 20th century. However, there is no doubt. From high up the Celts used to look out for their homecoming ships carrying spectacular items like huge cauldrons and remarkable spits, which were presumably used at their communal gatherings. These same artefacts have been found all along the coast from Portugal and all the way up to Northern Ireland signifying a shared cultural destiny along the Atlantic Coast. (Much more may be gleaned about the celtiberians by visiting the inland Citania de Briteiros).

The English  
This natural connection with the British and the Irish never seems to have stopped. Sailing along the coast since times long gone, boats have travelled with soldiers, wool, dried cod, wine and slaves. It was the British crusaders who took a hand at “liberating” Lisbon from the Muslims in 1147, and in 1373 the first treaty with the English was signed.  Once again Portugal was helped out in 1640 in the uprising against the Spaniards. In 1703 the so-called Methuen treaty was signed securing the import of Port Wine to England. In 1801 Wellington famously invented his guerrilla-tactics against the troops of Napoleon and from 1807 to 1822 Portugal was governed by a British governor. Even today most Portuguese living at the Coast know a bit of English. And further down by Algarve, the English colonies are very prominent stretching out from Gibraltar and towards the beaches. The Russians and the Germans may live around Torremolinos in Spain, but the English are found squatting around Albufeira.

Oporto and beyond  
The symbol of all this is of course the Port Wine, which comes in a number of distinct qualities and is absolutely best with Stilton, although the Portuguese prefer to drink it with cakes of all sorts. For anyone who has flown into Lisbon and wants a real taste of Portugal this is the treat: first wind your way up to Oporto via Aveiro and further into the Duoro Valley; then you will up in the Valley of Coa with the remarkable Paleolithic rock art (guided tours must be booked at least two months ahead).