I know I should do this for France, maybe I will when I have time, but after each country I want to give some brief thought to the culture I absorbed whilst there. And if this is boring reading, tough, this blog is my diary too so I need to remember my thoughts! But I still love you for reading. And caring. My darlings.
Portugal, what a place! The cities have a derelict charm about them, Lisbon and Porto especially, and me being someone who loves derelict buildings, I was in heaven! But it is sad when you think about the stories that must be behind these abandoned buildings. Also, it drags down the entire infrastructure of the city. One building falls, the others are dragged down too. It has something to do with fixed rents causing landlords to have no money to repair buildings, the economic situation of Portugal and no governmental plan for regeneration of the city. Regardless, I think it certainly gives these cities a unique ruggedness.
The people are quite lovely, although I am going to say not quite as attractive as I was hoping - I guess the Portuguese football team isn't quite a good standard to set one's self. Still, I guess that's made me more focused on other things during my stay - like seeing the (non-human) sights and enjoying the company of friends, new and old. And they go out SO LATE! Seriously, like some of them never leave before 1:30am - craziness!!
Lagos has been bastardised by the English, Irish and Australians that flock to its shores every summer. It is hard to find any local cuisine beyond sardines and there is absolutely no chance of learning Portuguese whilst there. I'd be surprised if any tourists came out of that town knowing the slightest bit about Portuguese history or traditions. As it was, the Aussie I befriended in my hostel was being taught about local customs by ME! I am certainly glad I did my traveling the way I did in Portugal.
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