First Thoughts – Can So Many People Be Wrong?

Port wine, sardines, tea-towels, the ubiquitous cockerel symbol, sandy beaches, golf, football and the spectacularly expensive legs of Luís Figo: all these are typical Portuguese images and icons – and of course there’s more, much more. Mention Portugal in conversation and many people instantly conjure up warming memories of sunfilled days in languid enjoyment of the increasingly popular holiday destination – the Algarve. In 1999, 27 million people visited Portugal, almost 12 million of these as holiday tourists, outnumbering native inhabitants of the country! The vast majority of visitors come from the UK (now accounting for almost 2 million annually), Germany and Spain, and a steady influx from the USA (around 3% of visitors), Canada and Brazil.

They are all drawn to the sun, the relaxed way of life, cheaper prices (although these are changing since the introduction of the euro), beaches, the landscapes of the north, and the good, cheap wine and food.

In addition to this constant transient swelling of numbers each year, thousands have gone on and bought property in Portugal, mostly as holiday, or second homes, but some also as a permanent move, either for retirement, or a new way of life. It is estimated that in 2001 the number of British people who bought property in Portugal rose by 25%. Whilst Spain continues to tempt the greatest number of British ex-patriots, Portugal enjoys growing popularity, especially amongst young families, and the retired, and an estimated 50,000 British people now enjoy residence there.

A huge 48% of all tourists to Portugal stay in the Algarve, and indeed many go on to make their homes there, with about 20% of Algarve residents now British. With average sunshine rates of 8.6 hours a day, and a much better all-round climate, it’s no wonder the southern coastline is a PR person’s dream commodity. For those who have ventured beyond the foreign, ex-patriot enclaves of the Algarve (even by a mere 5 km or so), Portugal has also offered much more than sun, beaches and golf: a varied landscape, a fascinating history, good food, family values, a calm lifestyle, and above all, the warmth of its welcoming people – a true hand of friendship and a feeling of belonging.

If you are considering making your visits to Portugal more permanent, it is worth pondering carefully the primary factors in your decision-making. This book, as well as containing guidance on the process of purchasing property, and life in Portugal, also contains comments and case studies from people who have actually taken the plunge and done it for themselves. Hopefully, you will feel inspired, but also cautioned by their tales, and you will take a more balanced view of what is involved. The extensive reading and contacts lists at the end of the book should give you extra starting points for research.

England’s Oldest Allies

The English are made most welcome in Portugal because we have long enjoyed a special relationship with our more southerly counterparts. England and Portugal boast the world’s oldest friendship alliance, dating back to 1386, and sealed by such links as the marriage of the Portuguese João 1 to Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of the Duke of Lancaster, John O’Gaunt. One of their sons, Henry, was to become the well-known Prince Henry the ‘Navigator’, a title bestowed upon him by the English. It was these early English connections which had facilitated the help of English archers against the Spanish in the battle of Aljubarrota.

In fact, many traditions which we consider quintessentially English, such as drinking tea, and eating marmalade, came to us via the Portuguese courts, through the marriage of Catherine of Bragança to Charles II. During the Peninsular Wars of the early 1800s against Napoleon, Portugal once more relied upon British intervention to rout the French leader at the famous battle of the Torres Vedras lines.

Things have not always been so cosy. After assisting Portugal to rid the country of Napoleon in the 1820s, British power in Portugal led to much unrest, and eventually gave rise to the Liberal movement there. Even 40 years later the English, who now had a stronghold in the port wine industry in and around Oporto, dictated external affairs in Portugal. However, apart from a few periods of unease, the link between the two countries has been steadfast, with both enjoying mutual respect. In World War I Portugal was reminded of its Alliance, and under British influence, finally joined the Allies, having initially taken a neutral stance.

For further background on this intriguing part of European history, you must read the two gripping novels set in Portugal by Robert Wilson: A Small Death in Lisbon and The Company of Strangers (HarperCollins). See Reading lists on page 226 for details of these, and other books of interest.

Today, those old ties remain firm. The English are made to feel welcome in Portugal, although it is probably true to say that the British lager louts are as unwelcome here as anywhere. Luckily, Portugal (and the Algarve in particular) still manages to attract a large number of families, so drunken excesses are, on the whole, blissfully less obvious than in some Spanish and Greek holiday hotspots.