AS the clock towers all over Lisbon tick closer to 2008, we now take you to an adventure on what remains to be expected or has transpired in Portugal for the past weeks prior to the new year. Of course, we know that Portugal having been located in the Iberian Peninsula is a destination to British tourists. This country is the fastest growing place to stay by both English tourists and expatriates and may even surpass its neighbor Spain for the next decade or so as far sa the number of foreign visitors on a pleasure cruise are concerned.
Football remains to be a phenomenon here in Portugal as well as all of Europe. It is the transnational pastime here as what is hockey is to Canada. And the Portuguese are collectively celebrating a merry Christmas indeed since their football team has just landed a spot for the Euro 2008 to be held in both Austria and Switzerland in June of next year. Portugal will be joining 14 other teams to vie for the coveted UEFA championship. They will first face off versus Turkey on June 7 in Geneva and later on June 11 with the Czech Republic. On June 15 they will face off the host Swiss team in a thriller slated in Basel. The final moments in the very suspenseful qualifier over the weekend was determined when the Portuguese team beat the Finnish team so the country can have one of the 14 slots for the UEFA championsip.
Another thing the Portuguese are celebrating but on a different tone is on the transfer of prisoners. After all, the Portuguese who are predominantly Christians deserve humane treatment this Christmas season even if they are convicted prisoners. The landmark policy was the result of an agreement forged between Portuguese and Chinese officials. Under the agreement, Portuguese prisoners who are convicted in China can now serve their prison sentences in Portugal where they are closer to their families. Of course, the Chinese have installed safeguards for this and the safeguards are entirely found in the binational agreement.
Moving towards the business front, Portuguese economic officials are expressing bullishness in the country’s economy by next year. They say that the housing and mortgage crises in the United States will never have a domino effect across markets in mainland Europe which include Portugal of course. In fact, investment group Babcock & Brown has sold all its hydro assets in Portugal to a local bank at the tune of $294.8 million. That’s a lot of money folks!
The move of Babcock & Brown comes at a time when there is changing of the guard at the political front. The rotating presidency of the European Union has recently been transferred from Portugal to Slovenia. That is one of the most remarkable occurrences in these remaining few weeks of 2007 here in Portugal. And Portugal is proud to state that it has contributed much to the European Union’s progress in the last six months.
Imagining the country of Portugal is a waste of time, you would not personally experience the natural beauty it has and you will never feel the cool atmosphere around. As one of the choice of UNESCO as World Heritage, you will never regret of choosing the country to settle down your vacation. Portugal is a country full of panoramic sceneries; it is in here that you will discover monuments and statues created by the famous bare hand of the artist before and even up to this present. It is in this country that you see the flourishing vegetation of Sintra a magical like place where huge palaces stood still and proud, surrounding with gardens and romantic views makes it captivating to whomever visitors who come along the place.
Experience viewing the Vineyard of Pico Island, as a traveler you must have to set foot on this island to experience the natural views it has. It is necessary for you to visit the place yourself or with your companion because seeing the picture alone is not enough to see its real beauty. Your visit to this island is worthy since you will be seeing panoramic views like fascinating mountains, captivating villages and more. Here still, you will eventually hear the stories of the whales and whalers and all the belief of the folks that made vines emerged and orchards on hard basalt. For five hundred years, folks are struggling hard to transform rock into volcanic and productive soil, crafting a unique countryside and wine culture and because of its incredible view it has been included in the lists of UNESCO as one of the World Heritage. After roaming around the area, you can now have a taste of their wine’s palatable taste.
You can have a hop of another unique city of Evora, you will be fascinate with its significant history way back two thousand years old. You will be discovering more exciting sceneries in here like squares flooded with light, labyrinthine streets, renaissance fountains, gothic doorways and turrets and Moorish courtyards. You will never get bored when touring the place since most of the views you see in here is worthy to see and discover. As you can see there are many things you can do and see in Portugal, therefore your Portugal vacation will never be a waste of time as well as money. And in fact, Portugal has been one of the most visited countries worldwide. It is then being filled with tourists worldwide yearly, so when planning to have a vacation here you must always make a lists of your itineraries so that you will not be confuse where to start your excursions or your tour around Portugal.
Be part of Portugal’s most popular festivities which is the Sanjoaninas which being held during the months of June. This festivity is widely known not only in Portugal alone but worldwide, and in fact there are a number of tourists who flock in Portugal to witness this festivity. There are actually many events that lay in Portugal and if you wanted to experience it then you can, traveling to Portugal could be your best idea in life.
EVEN as the United States is struggling from a housing crisis, properties across the Atlantic in Portugal are certainly booming. Portugal, long been relegated as an underdog as compared to Spain when it comes to luring in tourists from other parts of Western and Northern Europe, has now come of age. The country of unassumingly simple folks is now catching up to its neighbor in the Iberian Peninsula down south as far as tourism is concerned. Portugal, a relatively modest country embedded in Catholic values, is slowly opening up the possibility of putting up nudist beaches by the Atlantic.
This is a competition to the many nudist beaches splashed along the Mediterranean coastline of its giant Iberian Peninsula neighbor. Hoteliers have also relentlessly started putting up casinos in Portugal. One of the newest hotel developments in Portugal is the 280 million euro resort in Royal Obidos Golf and Spa Resort along the country’s famous Silver Coast. Aside from the hotel, the development will also witness the rising of five-star apartments and villas in the huge 336-acre seaside campus of the hotel. And here’s the catch – all materials used in the construction are eco-friendly. Portugal is definitely going green this time. There beaches have long passed the blue flag or eco-friendly accreditation of the European Union yet largely unrecognized by fellow Europeans who still favor Portugal. It is hoped that with the opening of this new hotel haven, Portugal will seize the European tourism market from Spain.
Another advantage would be the natural part of it – the climate in Portugal is similar to that enjoyed in Spain. The Mediterranean climate is characterized with a very sunny summer with no precipitation at all and temperatures are just fine for British vacationers at 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. Statistics have further showed that more and more British expatriates, whose demographic range from the 50s to the 60s, prefer a more relaxed life where Portugal is abundant of such as its numerous fishing villages. This is in stark contrast to the crowded and oftentimes noisy beaches in Spain where the crowd of mostly teenagers dominate.
The combination of these factors have contributed much to the burgeoning housing industry in Portugal not affected at all by the ongoing United States mortgage crisis. Many holiday homes have been erected here just to cater to Western tourists who eventually end up buying these homes.
It must also be noted that each industry of a certain economy must be synergistic with one another. Portugal is certainly not an exception. Because of the booming real estate industry in Portugal, lending facilities there have likewise boomed too. In fact, there is a Irish lending venture now starting its business in Portugal with an initial capital of 50 million euros. The plan of the company is to invest all the 50 million euros in commercial properties around Portugal. They will then borrow 150 million euros to gain some leverage in their investment. Since the company plans to go public in Ireland, most Irish people can now gain access to some of the first class hotels in such tourist districts as Algarve or Praia da Luz.
