Before you travel to Portugal, what do you need to know? What makes Portugal so unique? Where is it located? What is the weather like? What is the government structure? What is the food culture? What is a brief history of Portugal? So you have a basic understanding before you go. What are some cultural norms? What are some tips and tricks for tourists to know when traveling to Portugal? We'll answer these questions and many more in today's Know Before You Go episode.
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That's the world, the universe and us. Get it wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, I am back with another Know Before You Go episode, which if you're unfamiliar, these are basically a country in a quick snapshot. short episode that covers location, food, culture, religion, economy, some history of a country that is a common travel destination.
My 101 episodes are deeper dives into history, but these are more like snorkeling over the essential history of a country so you can get a feel for it before you travel there, or if you just want a baseline understanding, even if you can't travel there right now. In all honesty, I hope to do a full 101 on every country in the world one day, but these shorter ones are really fun for me. So just keep in mind that this is by no means a fully comprehensive look at Portugal.
So please continue to learn about it from other sources. This is just a springboard to get us thinking about it. I do my best with pronunciation, but I might, you know, mess up on occasion. I do my best. And at the end of this episode, I share some tourist tips for you since I spent a week there in 2022. And all Patreon subscribers will get some extra bonus resources on Portugal this month.
So you can always sign up on patreon.com slash wiserworld for just a few dollars a month and support the podcast and learn together. All right, let's get into it. Let's get into Portugal. Let's start with location and geography, just like we always do. We got to know where we are in the world. So Portugal sits right there on Europe's western edge. It's the farthest west that you can get on the European continent.
It's essentially a narrow rectangle between Spain and the giant Atlantic Ocean. We've got the Atlantic to the west and south, making for some amazing beaches, and then Spain to the north and the east. Right off the bat, this is something that makes Portugal unique. Its only neighbor has been Spain and it has the oldest unchanged border in Europe.
Because the border was established in like 1297. That's remarkable. It makes it one of the oldest nation states in Europe. And Lisbon has been the capital since 1255. That's amazing. Portugal is roughly about the size of the U.S. state of Indiana or the European country of Hungary and has roughly 10.5 million people that live there.
It also has two island chains which connect Portugal on the global stage. It has the Azores which are these lush volcanic islands about 1400 kilometers or 850 miles west of mainland Portugal.
and the azores have a mild temperate oceanic climate high rain high humidity and the madeira archipelago which is about 970 kilometers about 600 miles southwest of mainland portugal and madeira has a subtropical climate warmer more stable year round it makes it very popular for its nice weather it feels like eternal spring there so the azores are straight west of portugal Just right out there in the middle of the Atlantic. And Madeira is a little bit closer to Morocco, to the south.
People usually travel to these places in airplanes and both are autonomous regions of Portugal, meaning that they have their own local governments and a degree of self-rule, but they remain fully part of the Portuguese Republic. For most of this episode, when I refer to Portugal, I'm just going to refer to mainland Portugal. Portugal's geography is diverse, but it's very much shaped by the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal has these rolling plains in the south. It has mountains.
to the center to the north the tallest mountain being about 1900 meters that's about 6500 feet and it does have a ski resort It has a Mediterranean climate. Hot, dry summers, mild, rainy winters. through the north does tend to be cooler and a little bit wetter When I was there, we spent time on the southern coast in Lisbon and the northern coast in Porto, and both were lovely. I went in the summertime.
And the city of Lisbon actually reminded me quite a lot of where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, just in terms of the summer climate. It was very similar to where I live. And lots of people head to the Portuguese coast year-round, and I can totally see why. It is very, very pleasant.
Let's talk a little bit about demographics. So like I said earlier, there are about 10.4, 10.5 million people who live in Portugal. And Portugal doesn't officially track ethnicity, but it seems as though about 90%. identify simply as portuguese and around 11 10 11 of residents are born abroad primarily from brazil angola and france There's also a long-standing Roma minority. The Roma people are historically nomadic people from northern India.
and there is a small but growing Jewish community as well. Portugal's generous citizenship laws mean that many immigrants quickly become Portuguese citizens, making the country's population even more diverse than the official numbers probably reveal. In Portugal, the official language is Portuguese. It's spoken by nearly everyone and used nearly everywhere.
When it comes to the economy, if we imagine Portugal's economy like a big old pie, the biggest slice, about three quarters, comes from services. So that means jobs like tourism, banking, tech, healthcare, retail. Another big chunk about about 21% comes from factories and Industries like making cars clothes medicine and even things like cork and wine Only a tiny slice just 2% comes from farming And tourism is a huge deal. In 2023 alone, tourists brought in
about 13% of the GDP and that is, you know, that's a big part of Portugal. It also builds and sells cars, electrical machines, fuel and industrial tools and Portugal is especially famous for cork. Cork comes from the bark of a tree called the cork oak which grows in warm dry climates like Portugal which is why it produces about half of the world's cork.
It's also famous for olive oil and wine. And most of its exports go to nearby European countries. Spain, Germany, and France are the top customers. The U.S. is Portugal's biggest trade partner outside of Europe. And one more thing, Portugal uses the euro as its money, just like many other European countries, and it has been doing that since 2002. Portugal is a parliamentary democracy with a semi-presidential system.
Which basically means that it shares executive responsibilities between a president, who is elected by the people every five years, and a prime minister, usually from the largest party in parliament, who handles daily governance. So lawmaking or legislative power goes to a unicameral parliament called the Assembly of the Republic.
A unicameral government means that one group of people make the laws rather than two groups. Like in the United States, the United States has a House of Representatives and a Senate. There's one group in Portugal, and this group has 230 members called deputies. They are the lawmakers. And every four years, the people of Portugal vote to choose the deputies, and it's done through proportional representation, meaning that if a political party gets 30% of the vote,
they'll get about 30% of the seats in the assembly. So it's a system where the number of seats each party gets matches the amount of support they got from voters. It's a way to make sure the government reflects what people actually voted for. Portugal also has an independent judiciary. So that's the government in a nutshell. When it comes to religion, Portugal is predominantly Roman Catholic, with about 80% of Portuguese identifying as Catholic.
Though regular church attendance is relatively low, which reflects a trend toward secularism and daily life, which is also very common in Europe. Alongside Catholicism, Portugal recognizes several minority religions like Protestantism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as other Christian faiths. Now, when it comes to food, Portugal has a rich cuisine. The sea is really showcased in Portuguese food, especially salt cod. This is called bacalhau.
salt cod and the portuguese love it so much that they say that there are over a thousand ways to cook it one day it might be shredded and mixed with onions eggs and crispy potato stick in a dish called bacalhau abras. Another day it might be baked in a creamy casserole called bacalhau con nata. I actually tried a really cheesy salt cod when I was there. I'll admit I had never had cod with cheese before. That never...
I just had never thought I'd try that before, but it was very good. I really enjoyed it. Everyday meals in Portugal are fairly down-to-earth. Breakfast is usually a strong coffee and a sweet roll. Lunch often starts with soup. Then comes the dish of the day. Maybe that's going to be grilled fish or stewed beans, roasted meat.
crispy cod cakes dinner similar or maybe you're going to try something like a one pot stew a cozido a portuguesa or fish wada which is like a bean dish On the table, you'll always find olive oil, crusty bread, and often they will serve a spicy piri piri sauce, which I think is so good. for dessert people often have fresh fruit but there are little bakeries scattered throughout portugal and you just can't miss the pastel de nata this is a little custard tart has these crispy caramelized
edges, the top is all caramelized too. And it started in a monastery centuries ago as a clever way to use up extra egg yolks. And now people travel all over Lisbon just to find the best pastel de nata. So good. If you walk through any market you're gonna see all the ingredients that make Portuguese food special like sardines, octopus, pork. It's simple cooking but it's packed with flavor and tradition and it's really quite good.
Fun fact for you, Portuguese traders and missionaries introduced tempura, which is battered and fried food. to japan in the 16th century along with other things like chili peppers and actually the japanese word for bread comes from the portuguese word wow so i thought that was interesting an international connection adjacent to food we have distinctive traditions and festivals and most of them have music food
deep local pride. Here are some of the most unique or widely celebrated traditions and holidays in Portugal. The first is the Festa de São João. which is the festival of saint john this is held in june and it's most famously celebrated in porto which is the largest city in the north It's one of Portugal's wildest street festivals. People hit each other on the head with plastic hammers. They jump over bonfires, they eat grilled sardines, set off fireworks.
all to celebrate St. John. It's like a mix of a religious festival and a block party and the whole city is out on the street. There's also the Festa de Santos Populares, Festivals of the Popular Saints. also celebrated in June. This is celebrated across the country where they celebrate Saints Anthony, John, and Peter. There's parades, dancing, grilled food, decorated neighborhoods.
In Lisbon it's also a time where people, couples in particular, will exchange potted basil plants with love poems. I find that to be pretty delightful. In February or March of each year, we have Carnival. That is a colorful, music-filled celebration right before Lent. Lots of countries do this, but obviously this is going to be Portuguese style. You can expect parades, costumes, dancing, lots of energy.
This is especially big in Madeira. And I have a whole episode on Carnival. If you want to learn more about it, that is episode 21. Christmas is also really important in Portugal. They have special dishes like bacalhau on Christmas Eve and families often set an extra place at the table to honor deceased relatives. One tradition that I find super interesting and special is the pilgrimage to Fatima which happens in May and in October and this is where thousands of people walk or travel.
to the shrine where the three children said they saw the virgin mary in 1917 in the town of fatima and it's one of the most important catholic pilgrimage sites in the world There are obviously many more celebrations and traditions, but the basic idea I want you to walk away with is that the Portuguese love to celebrate, and there are many opportunities for them to do that in the year. Another thing to know about Portugal is they have a traditional style of music called fado.
F-A-D-O. It's kind of like Portugal's version of the blues. It's full of emotion. It's slow. It's soulful. They have lyrics about love and longing and loss and the sea. And it's known for expressing a feeling called saudade. and saudade doesn't translate perfectly into English but it means something like a deep nostalgic longing for something or someone and it's typically sung by a solo singer that often has two guitars. So there's a regular classic guitar.
and then there's a portuguese guitar which has more of a teardrop shape and a bright metallic sound and there are actually special restaurants called Casas de Fado where people eat dinner while listening to live Fado performances sometimes in almost complete silence out of respect for the music so fado is a huge part of portuguese culture and identity and in 2011 it was even recognized by unesco as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity I just think that's really special.
All right, just like we talked about when we did the Italy episode, Portugal has a solid written history. So while there's plenty we don't know, there's also a lot that we do know and so when we get into the history i've kind of broken it down from the ancient period to the modern era But I've tried to focus in a little bit more on the more recent years because I think that's what most people are interested in. Just know there's so, so much I'm not going to cover here in the history.
this is more designed for you know non-portuguese people who just don't know anything about the history and want a primer so let's let's get into the history Are you dreaming about becoming a nurse or maybe you're already in nursing school? I'm Nurse Mo, creator of the Straight A Nursing Podcast, and I want you to know that I'm here for you.
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In ancient times, the land that's now Portugal was home to several groups like the Iberians, the Celts. and later the Lusitanians who were known for fiercely resisting Roman rule. Around 200 BC, the Romans began conquering the Iberian Peninsula.
including what's now Portugal. And they ruled the area for about 600 years. They built roads, cities, they spread the Latin language and Roman culture, and the name Lusitania, which the Romans used for the region still pops up today in things like Portuguese poetry and sports teams.
And when the Roman Empire weakened, other groups moved in. And in the 5th century, Germanic tribes moved in and took over, like the Visigoths. And they ruled for a few centuries. They brought in their own kings and customs.
And then in 711 AD, Muslim forces from North Africa, known as the Moors, invaded and conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula including much of present-day Portugal and their influence was especially strong in the south and they introduced new crops, architecture, and advanced scientific ideas.
And one of my favorite parts of walking around Lisbon, which is in the south, was noticing all of the Moorish influences in architecture and in the design. There's really a blending of cultures there, and I think it's fascinating to see. And during this time, the Christian kingdoms in the north began pushing back against the Moorish Muslim rule. And this slow process called the Reconquista took many centuries.
so part of modern-day portugal was part of a larger christian kingdom called leon in the north based in what is now northern spain by the 1100s a key figure named alfonso enrique declared independence from the Kingdom of León and called himself King of Portugal. After he won a really important battle against the moors and he spent the next several decades fighting for recognition And finally, in 1143, the King of Leon agreed to recognize Portugal's independence in a treaty.
And in 1179, the Pope made it official. So Portugal didn't break off from Spain as we know today. Really, it separated from an earlier kingdom before Spain even existed as one country, if that makes sense. After Alfonso, his descendants continued to expand and strengthen the kingdom, and over the next century, Portuguese kings pushed further south to reclaim land from the moors.
By 1249, under King Alfonso III, they completed the Reconquista within Portugal's borders. And this gave the country the territory that it still has today. And during the 1200s and the 1300s, Portugal began focusing on nation building. So the kings created laws, they supported the Catholic Church, they worked closely with nobles. Portuguese towns grew especially along the coast
And trade started to boom. And the monarchy... also encouraged learning and culture with Latin and early Portuguese used in writing and Portugal stayed out of many big European wars during this time which helped it to remain stable and unified which was really unique compared to some of the neighboring regions so between about 1179 and 1400
portugal really went from a new kingdom fighting for survival to a confident unified country getting ready to sail into a bold new chapter of history and that's what happens in the 1400s so By 1400, Portugal was stronger than ever, and under King John I and his sons, especially Prince Henry, who we'll talk about in a second, Portugal began to turn its focus to the sea.
They wanted to explore the coast of Africa. They wanted to find new trade routes, and they wanted to spread Christianity. And these early steps... would soon launch Portugal into the age of exploration, which was a time in the 1400s and 1500s when European countries started exploring and conquering the world by sea. Portugal was the first big player in the age of discovery. And it got its head start because it was small. It had a long coastline.
and it was already really good at sailing and navigating. And one of the key figures was Prince Henry, the navigator. He was the son of King John, and he was a royal who didn't really sail himself. But he opened a school for sailors and he supported a lot of voyages. And that's why he became known as Prince Henry the Navigator. Portuguese explorers began traveling down the coast of Africa mapping it out and looking for a sea route to Asia where they hope to trade for spices gold and other riches
And by the late 1400s, Portuguese sailors had gone farther than anyone in Europe. In 1488, Bartolomeo Dias became the first European to round the southern tip of Africa, also known as the Cape of Good Hope. And then in 1498, Vasco de Gama made it all the way to India by sea, which was a huge deal. This gave Portugal a direct route to trade with Asia, skipping over the Middle East, where trade routes were controlled by other powers.
So Portugal started building a global trading empire, setting up forts and colonies along the coast of Africa, India, and eventually reaching as far as China and Japan. And at the same time, Portugal was also exploring West. And in 1500, a ship led by Pedro Alvarez Cabral accidentally landed in Brazil.
while trying to reach India. And that's how Portugal ended up claiming Brazil, which became its most important colony in South America. And unlike other countries that initially focused on land empires, Portugal focused on controlling sea routes.
coastal cities which allowed it to dominate trade for a while so it didn't do much with the land in Brazil for a little while but when it realized how valuable Brazil could be especially for resources like timber and sugar the portuguese began to colonize it more seriously in the 1530s and they set up settlements they brought over european crops and animals and started building a society based on farming and trade And one of the biggest impacts was the creation of huge sugar plantations.
which needed a lot of labor. And at first, the Portuguese tried to use indigenous peoples as workers. but many resisted or died from diseases brought over by the Europeans. And so starting in the mid-1500s, Portugal began deeply involved in the Atlantic slave trade, bringing millions of enslaved Africans to Brazil over the next few centuries. And this had a massive and tragic impact both in Brazil and in Africa. And it shaped Brazilian society and culture forever. And more on that in a second.
In terms of other colonies, Angola and Mozambique in Africa were part of Portugal's largest and longest-held colonies. They became key sources of enslaved peoples during the Atlantic slave trade and were rich in resources like gold, ivory, and even oil. Capo Verde, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe and Guinea-Bissau were also important island and coastal colonies that provided major stops in Portugal's trade and slave route.
In 1510, Portugal captured Goa in India and made it the capital of its Asian empire. It was a major trading hub and remains culturally unique today with many churches and Portuguese-style buildings. Also, Malacca in Malaysia was captured in the early 1500s as well, opened up trade routes in Asia, as well as Macau in China, which became a base for trade with China and Japan. It remained under Portuguese rule until 1999 when it was returned to China.
Fascinating. Portugal also colonized part of the island of Timor which is now called East Timor in Southeast Asia and it remained a colony until 1975 and eventually became an independent country in 2002. But Brazil was by far Portugal's most important colony in the Americas. And over time, Brazil became the richest colony for the Portuguese empire, especially after gold was discovered in the 1700s.
so the portuguese became portuguese became the main language in these places catholicism became the dominant religion and brazil remained a colony until 1822 which we'll talk about in a moment deep Portuguese influence is still very present today in these areas. And we could talk about this section of history for hours and hours, but I think the most important things to know are that Portugal's empire may have been small compared to Spain's or Britain's in terms of land area.
But it was hugely influential in connecting the world through sea trade, culture, and then sadly through colonization and the slave trade. And its legacy is still seen in the Portuguese language, which is spoke today in many countries across four continents.
portugal's discoveries changed the world you know for good or for bad depending on what you're specifically studying and they helped connect different continents through trade culture sometimes conflict yet with all that exploration came colonialism forced labor the slave trade especially in africa and brazil
So while Portugal's role in the Age of Discovery was full of amazing voyages, bold exploration, it also had serious and lasting impacts on the people and places that it encountered. So two-edged sword there. After the golden age of exploration in the 1400s and 1500s, when Portugal had colonies and trading posts all over the world, things started to get more difficult. And in 1580, Portugal's royal family ran out of direct air. and the king of Spain took over the Portuguese throne.
It's called the Iberian Union, and it lasted until 1640. And during this time, Portugal still existed, but Spain was essentially calling the shots. And this hurt Portugal's empire because Spain had a lot of enemies. and those enemies started attacking Portuguese colonies too.
Portugal got its independence back in 1640 with a new royal family, but the empire wasn't as powerful as before. And over the next 200 years, Portugal struggled to keep up with the bigger powers like Britain, France, the Netherlands. Spain and even though Portugal held on to its important colonies you know like Brazil, Angola, Goa
it often was more financially weak and politically unstable. So to stay afloat, Portugal formed close ties with Britain, which became its long-term ally, still is today. In the early 1800s, during the Napoleonic Wars, Portugal got caught in the middle again, and when Napoleon invaded, the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil.
Yes, the king actually moved there, and Brazil became very important during this time. But in 1822, it broke away and became an independent country. Obviously, there's a lot more to that story that we'll talk about when we do an episode on Brazil. But from the Portuguese perspective, it just lost its richest and most important colony. So it was in shock and it lost a huge source of income and power.
Back in Europe, the country was already struggling, and just to make things worse, when the king returned from Brazil, He died and a nasty civil war broke out between his sons. And the war was between Don Pedro, who supported liberal ideas like a constitutional monarchy. and Don Miguel, who wanted to rule as an absolute monarch, right? Total control, no constitution. And the fighting lasted until 1834, when...
Pedro's side won. That was the constitutional monarchy side. And after that, Portugal had a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the king or queen ruled, but their power was limited by a constitution and by a parliament. But even after the war ended, things really didn't calm down. And the 1800s in Portugal were full of political instability, constant changes in government.
fights between liberals and conservatives, financial struggles. While other European countries were industrializing and growing stronger, Portugal was falling behind and it still had colonies in Africa like Angola, Mozambique, parts of Asia. But they weren't. making the impact on Portugal's economy the way that Brazil has. And by the early 1900s, people were very frustrated. The monarchy was unpopular. Many believed it was out of touch and corrupt. And in 1908, things got even worse
when King Carlos I and his son were assassinated in Lisbon. And this shocked the country, and his younger son, Manuel II, became king. But by then, the monarchy was losing support very quickly. And so a political movement called the Republican Party was gaining popularity. And they believed that Portugal should get rid of the monarchy.
and become a republic where leaders are elected instead of born into power. And the republicans were especially strong in cities like Lisbon where people wanted more modern ideas like democracy, freedom of speech, and public education. In October of 1910, the revolution fully began. There were protests, military uprisings, chaos in the capital, and within just a few days, the monarchy collapsed.
and king manuel ii fled to england and a republic was officially declared and portugal became a constitutional republic no more kings and a president and parliament would lead the country instead. And this marked the beginning of the first portuguese republic it was a huge change
But it didn't solve everything, right? It always takes time, right? And the new government had a hard time staying stable. Between 1910 and 1926, Portugal went through dozens of changes in leadership, political fights, protests, even short lived military coups.
Life was tough. There was poverty, high prices and really not much trust in politicians. And then came World War I. Portugal joined the war in 1916 on the side of Britain and France and they sent troops to fight in France and Africa but the war was really hard on Portugal and after the war ended things didn't really improve much.
and in 1926 the military took over in a coup ending the first republic and they promised to fix the chaos but instead what they did was they set the stage for a dictatorship so just to be clear the republic was from 1910 to 1926 and then there was a military coup a dictatorship became official in 1933 when a man named salazar took control and he created a system called the estado novo new state
Salazar ruled with tight control, no free speech, no real elections, strict censorship. He believed in order, tradition, and keeping Portugal out of trouble. So when World War II broke out in 1939, Portugal stayed neutral. They didn't join either side, though they quietly helped the allies in some ways. Meanwhile, Portugal still had its colonial empire and Salazar was determined to keep it.
They controlled large parts of Africa, again, Angola, Mozambique, Capo Verde, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Goa and India, Macau and China, Timor and Southeast Asia. And unlike Britain or France, Portugal didn't plan to give these colonies independence. Salazar saw them as a permanent part.
Portugal and after World War two most of Europe was rebuilding and rethinking its future and the attitude toward imperialism colonialism began to shift around the world and many Europeans started to give independence to their colonies who were obviously fighting for independence, especially in Africa and Asia. But Portugal didn't. Under Salsar's dictatorship, the government insisted that its colonies...
were not colonies at all, but actually part of Portugal. And Salazar refused to give them up even when those people began to demand freedom. And in the 1960s and early 70s, so this is not that long ago, independence movements in Africa grew stronger and several guerrilla wars broke out in Portugal's colonies. You might remember when we studied Cuba in the Cuba 101 series. We talk about Angola, right? All of this led to a long and expensive period known as the Colonial Wars.
so portugal was fighting three different african countries at once and it was draining the portuguese economy frustrating many citizens especially younger people who were being forced into military service But back in Portugal, life was still really tightly controlled by Salazar. People couldn't speak out. There were censorship of every newspaper, book, movies, even songs were censored by the government. And if you criticize the government, you could be arrested by the secret police.
There were no free elections. This is just so classic of a dictatorship, and it's so sad that this continues to happen. schools obviously taught kids and trained kids to not ask questions and for most people life felt quiet but controlled Portugal was mostly rural and many people lived in small villages where they worked as farmers and laborers and wages were low and poverty was widespread, especially compared to other European countries.
Again, if you disagreed, you were kept silent or you could go into exile or you go to prison. taken away by the secret police. But at the same time, some people did support this regime, especially those who liked its stability and its conservative values. Salazar himself ruled until 1968 when he had a stroke and he was replaced by another man, but nothing really changed.
the country was falling behind the rest of europe economically and politically and many young men that were drafted into the military and sent to fight in these faraway colonies you know that became very deeply unpopular and they were tired of the censorship the poverty and the frustration began to rise and rise rise until it fueled another revolution On April 25, 1974, something amazing happened. A group of young army officers staged a peaceful military coup.
to overthrow the dictatorship they call themselves the armed forces movement and they're supported by many everyday citizens who also wanted change and the revolution was called the carnation revolution because people in the streets started placing red carnations in the soldiers guns and on their uniforms which is a symbol of peace And amazingly, the entire change of power happened with almost no violence. the dictator at the time.
surrendered and the Estado Novo regime, the dictatorship collapsed overnight. Just like that, a new chapter for Portugal began. And the Carnation Revolution is still celebrated every year on April 25th as Freedom Day. And it's a powerful reminder of how a peaceful movement can bring huge change. So the dictatorship lasted from 1933 to 1974. And after the revolution, Portugal went through a few years of big changes. It quickly gave independence to its African colonies.
including Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome, and Principe. And many Portuguese citizens who had lived in those colonies returned back, creating what was called the Retornado Wave. And these returns brought new cultural energy, but also created challenges as Portugal adjusted. And inside Portugal, the country worked on building a democracy, new political parties were formed, free elections were held, and a new constitution was written in 1976.
Again, not that long ago. It wasn't easy. There were some protests and strikes. There was even fear of communist takeovers. But by the late 1970s, things began to settle for Portugal to become a fully functioning democratic republic. From there, Portugal worked hard to modernize. It had some catching up to do, right? In the 1980s, it was still one of the poorest countries in Western Europe.
So it joined the European Union in 1986. This helped boost its economy, connected it more closely with the rest of Europe, bringing in investment, better infrastructure, more connections. And Portuguese workers also started migrating across Europe for new job opportunities. also tourism began to rise.
By the 1990s, Portugal was a very different country from what it had been just 20 years earlier. It was democratic, it was open to the world, it was focused on education, technology, growth, big events like hosting the Expo 98 in Lisbon. you know showed the world that portugal was modern and it was forward looking and while there were still challenges like unemployment regional inequality
The country had also made huge progress from dictatorship to democracy, from isolation to integration, right? Portugal really completely reinvented itself by the year 2000. In 2008, the global financial crisis hit Portugal pretty hard. By 2011, the country faced a severe debt crisis, which led to a 78 billion euro bailout from the EU and the International Monetary Fund.
And they had to implement some strict economic policies to get the government to try to save money. And while this had some upsides, it also had some economic difficulties for citizens, which led to public protests. And over time Portugal did begin to recover, especially because of tourism and the tech sector, which started to see growth and attracting startups and innovation.
Then, just like the rest of the world, Portugal grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic with lockdowns and health measures and a recession. that really challenged the economy there. Recent years have also shown some political changes. There is a far-right political group that has gained significant traction and has disrupted the traditional two-party system that's dominated Portuguese politics since...
1974 and so the rise of populism has just sparked debates on immigration national identity and economic policy Portugal stands at a pivotal moment with political fragmentation and social debates presenting challenges, which is honestly quite similar to many countries throughout the world. And just like in many large cities, Portugal has seen a housing shortage in Lisbon and Porto, rising rents, property prices can be difficult for people to afford homes. It has a low birth rate.
and has one of the oldest populations in Europe. So there's a growing concern about young Portuguese leaving to find better jobs elsewhere and the loss of talent for the Portuguese economy. So those are just a few of the challenges that Portugal is facing. We live in a complex time. I think 2025 is kind of a difficult time to be a human.
And I think Portugal is feeling that too. The coming years will be crucial in determining how Portugal is going to navigate those political and economic and social complexities. All right, now that we have skimmed over the history, which hopefully if you're traveling to Portugal, it gives you some insight into why things are the way they are. I want to end with giving you some tips. for if you're traveling to Portugal.
for starters i loved my trip to portugal it's a fantastic country my husband's company had a conference in lisbon in the summer of 2022 and i just got to tag along and i got to go explore while he worked very lucky two of my friends were able to come so we spent three days in Lisbon and then after my husband was done working we drove ourselves all the way up to Porto so we got to see the more rural countryside and then check out another big city that's actually quite different from Lisbon.
So I have a few tips for you if you're traveling Portugal. Patreon members are going to get quite a lot more than what I'm sharing in this episode. I've got some pictures, links, restaurant recommendations, places you have to hit. So feel free to sign up for a subscription or you can buy my Portugal post a la carte. Patreon now allows you to buy individual posts on Patreon, so that's also an option for you if you want to do that. But here are a few tips just for you listeners.
For starters, Portugal is currently quite peaceful. and very safe. There are obvious things that you need to keep in mind, like if you're in a heavy tourist area, you want to keep your hand on your bag for pickpocketers and things like that. But overall, it's a very welcoming place to travel. I felt very safe. Dinner is very late in Portugal. People usually eat after 8pm, like 9pm is pretty common.
And I was just one of three women walking around Lisbon and even when we were out very late, I still felt quite safe. So that is a major bonus point about traveling in Portugal. The public transport in the big cities is pretty great. We took it a lot in Lisbon. There are a ton of hills. It's again, it's kind of like San Francisco in terms of hills. So you'll want really good walking shoes because a lot of the streets are stone.
And part of the charm of Lisbon are these little trams. They're these little classic streetcars that kind of rattle through the narrow streets and the steep hills and you can take them through the historical old neighborhoods that really are a must-hit.
for every tourist they're fantastic there's even like an elevator like lift that you can take from one area to another and we walked plenty but we also took cheap uber-like rides all over the city and i was surprised by how inexpensive those were I also think that classic Portuguese architecture is beautiful, especially the distinct terracotta roof.
They are this reddish orange color and they're used in the roofs all over the country and it makes everything feel very Mediterranean and cozy. I also really loved the colorful ceramic tiles that cover some buildings. These are called azulejos. And that word originates from Arabic, which means little smooth tile. And they originated from the Moors when they ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula, you know, from the 700s to the 1200s. So you get to see that influence.
up close and personal as you're walking through some of these cities. It's also smart to have cash on hand. In Portugal, there are parts of the cities that are very modern, very up to date. But there are also plenty of neighborhoods that are less so, and so it is nice to have cash on hand in Portugal. I was surprised at how much I used it. Depending on the situation, and especially in the rural areas, cash was helpful. I also learned that you need to pack in layers.
It can get hot. It can get very warm. But then the coastal wind starts blowing and it can cool down pretty quickly. So having layers was helpful to me. And lastly, if you can get out of the major cities, And go drive around in the nearby little cities like Sintra. It's worth it. It's fascinating to see the winter and summer homes of the royals out there. They're the green hills.
And you can see how much of Portugal, how many of the Portuguese really live out in the more rural areas. It's beautiful. I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend traveling to Portugal. I have more that I'm going to share on Patreon, particularly one place that surprised me so much. It was so charming, but I'm going to stop there. I hope you learned a little bit about Portugal today with me. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast. And if you enjoyed this episode,
Please share it with someone you know who's planning a trip there or wants to learn more about Portugal. You can also subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app. That lets you know when new episodes drop. And you can sign up for my free newsletter on my website, wiserworld.com. I'm so grateful for your support, for listening, for sharing. It keeps the lights on, and I'm super grateful to be able to do this work because of your support. Until next time, let's go make the world a little wiser.