Being almost completely ignorant about Portugal, I kind of expected to see a bit of Spain, a touch of Brazil and Goa in the country. I expected to see a bunch of very loud people, with a great sense of national pride. After all, their country ruled much of the world in the past.
The reality kind of hit me hard. The Portuguese are a warm and friendly lot. The service culture is wonderful. The smile is very genuine. But the country is quiet... very quiet. Maybe going from loud Italy to quiet Portugal gave me a bit of a cultural shock.
Lisbon and the surrounding areas were more beautiful than I could have ever imagined them to be. The first port of call was the municipality of Cascais. Full of red-tiled roofs and antiquated avenues with beautiful homes and a marina, this is one of the most beautiful places I saw in all my travels in the European summer.
There was such a purity in the azure blue waters and a gentle Atlantic Ocean breeze put me at ease. Again, I was struck by the whole quasi-silence of the area. This is where the wealthy of the country had palatial homes. I didn't exactly stand out as a foreigner in this country, where I was more or less the average height and my skin and hair colour didn't put me aside. The Portuguese genuinely love when you make an attempt to speak their language.
My wonderful hosts cooked a feast and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner in my first night in Lisbon. There was a lot to see and taste in the next two days.
The reality kind of hit me hard. The Portuguese are a warm and friendly lot. The service culture is wonderful. The smile is very genuine. But the country is quiet... very quiet. Maybe going from loud Italy to quiet Portugal gave me a bit of a cultural shock.
Lisbon and the surrounding areas were more beautiful than I could have ever imagined them to be. The first port of call was the municipality of Cascais. Full of red-tiled roofs and antiquated avenues with beautiful homes and a marina, this is one of the most beautiful places I saw in all my travels in the European summer.
There was such a purity in the azure blue waters and a gentle Atlantic Ocean breeze put me at ease. Again, I was struck by the whole quasi-silence of the area. This is where the wealthy of the country had palatial homes. I didn't exactly stand out as a foreigner in this country, where I was more or less the average height and my skin and hair colour didn't put me aside. The Portuguese genuinely love when you make an attempt to speak their language.
My wonderful hosts cooked a feast and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner in my first night in Lisbon. There was a lot to see and taste in the next two days.
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