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Portugal in the spring
Rob Arnhem on the history and mix of cultures that make Lisbon and its surroundings a great destination

Spring �a perfect excuse to visit the Mediterranean countries and celebrate the return of the sun to Europe after a pretty miserable winter. Although it's not actually on the Mediterranean, but faces outward to the Atlantic, Portugal is a classic Latin country. From olive and cork oak groves in the south to thick forest in the north, and miles of beaches too, it's been a popular holiday destination for centuries.

Those intrepid travellers and early real estate spotters, the Phoenicians were probably the first people to see the prime potential of the site on which the metropolis of Lisbon stands today. Situated on the banks of the wide and navigable Tagus River, or Tejo, the city they called Alisubo saw its beginnings at least 3,000 years ago. Traditional Portuguese fishing boats' prows are still painted with those dark Phoenician eyes to avert bad luck, and first names like Annibal and Amilcar reflect their ancient Carthaginian heritage too. The Greeks claim that their wandering hero Ulysses founded the city. Both Greeks and Romans were not slow to follow up on their trading rivals' heels. Julius Caesar was there, and renamed the city Felicitas Julia �Julius' Joy. He knew a good thing when he saw it. The indigenous tribes, the Lusitanii, gave the new colonists a tough time, retreating to the mountains and forests and fighting a guerrilla war, but more invaders just kept pouring in �Germanic vandals and Visigoths, and in the 700s, hordes of warriors from North Africa to add to the already rich stew of peoples. King Afonso I recaptured the castle above the city from the invaders in 1147, and Lisbon became the capital of a united Portugal in 1255.

The long and peaceful period of Arabic culture left an enduring mark, though: Portuguese contains more Arabic words than Spanish. The names of the days of the week still follow the Islamic pattern, and the glorious blue and white tilework, azulejos, and majolica pottery, virtually a Portuguese trademark, are reflected in Morocco. Even expressions like 'insha'allah' find equivalents in popular Portuguese expressions like 'oxala'. The ever-popular gold and silver filigree work is another Moorish legacy. Portugal's characteristic national song form is the fado, shot through with that sad mingling of pathos and nostalgic longing the they call saudade. These quintessentially Portuguese-Moorish touches, flavours and sounds are everywhere in the narrow lanes of the old Moorish quarter of Lisbon, the Alfama, which picturesquely climbs the hill above the formidable medieval cathedral, the Sé, and clusters around the great fortress castle of São Jorge. By the way, don't bother with a map here �it won't help much. Just get happily waylaid in the maze of the Alfama and enjoy the experience! It's full of lingering memories of Portugal's fado diva Amalia Rodrigues, and you'll find yourself humming her favourite, Lisboa Antiga �Old Lisbon �as you lose yourself in a reverie. The stolid cathedral, so plain from outside, is full of surprises. Explore its cloisters and Roman foundations. From its narrow high windows, you'll get sweeping views over the rooftops of the city. Don't miss the quite whimsical Gothic tombs of long-dead celebrities: look out for the little dogs sculpted at their owners' feet.

The subtle blend of Celtic and Latin rootstock, with Semitic and Germanic graftings, enriched by the spices of empire in Africa, Brazil, India and China �have made Portugal a vibrant and fascinating destination. It was the poorest and least developed part of western Europe for over 30 years under the dictatorship of General Salazar, but things really sped up after the popular revolution in 1974. A group of mainly socialist army officers staged a coup that brought Portugal democracy and modernisation and ended its 500 year old role as an imperial power. Today Portugal is doing well as a member of the European Union and has an extensive menu of attractions to offer visitors.

Start your first day in Lisbon at the 19th century fantasy of the Rossio railway station. The Rossio is the main square of the city. Going uphill all the way along the Avenida de Liberdade, you reach the statue of modern Lisbon's dynamic founder, the Marquis de Pombal. One fateful day, November 1, 1755, an earthquake, then fires, followed by a tidal wave, virtually flattened the city. Pombal's feat was getting it going again and planning it afresh as a bonus. The now ruined Carmelite Church is an eloquent memorial to this catastrophe. The Bairro Alto, 'high neighbourhood,' just above the church, is best reached via the odd yellow funicular trolley at Praça dos Restauradores. Then you can whizz downhill to the Chiado, the city's swish shopping area, on Eiffel's elevator, if you aren't up to zigzagging down on foot. But do treat yourself to a couple of Portugal's coronary cocktails �their wicked confectionary delights. If you don't get to Sintra, which specialises in queijadas �delectable cheesecakes �then just tuck into anything else here. My weakness was a cake made with an apoplectic 24 eggs, which beamed at me in Alcobaça �you'll soon see why those slim pretty girls become jolly well-fed matrons! We won't talk about the men, who wash down their hearty meals with more robust liquids, not only reds, but that Portuguese invention, crisp young 'green' vinho verde. Portugal is justly famous for its seafood, but it doesn't stop with the ubiquitous salted cod, or bacalhau, the national dish. It's served in every possible way, but there are many other meals to keep you going.

Along the Tagus is an imaginatively developed example of good modern urban open space. Literally an oil dump before its total makeover for Expo '98, it's now a relaxed venue for walks and sampling a series of restaurants and clubs with great views and vibes. You'll probably need to take the scenic low cable car ride back above the river.

Sandwiched between a powerful Spain at their rear and the Atlantic in front of them, the later 15th century Portuguese navigators looked out over the sea and dreamed of wider horizons and keeping the Spaniards at bay. The Algarve, Portugal's premier holiday drawcard, was named by the Moors as Al Gharb �simply 'the West'. Portugal lies at the far western point of continental Europe, and its doughty mariners were ready to take on the known and unknown world. Within a hundred years of Dias and Da Gama's epic voyages around Africa and on to India, Portugal ruled the waves and left an enduring stamp from Brazil to Africa right across to Goa in India, Malacca in Malaysia and Macau in China. The Tower of Belem is an impressive monument to their driving will to explore and exploit. Their monopoly of the rich spice trade with the East brought this small poor nation wealth and military notoriety as tough customers. They even reached Japan, and introduced tea and marmalade to European palates. Relations with those premier tea sippers the English were always good �not only was Catherine of Braganza the Portuguese bride who brought Bombay as her bridal gift to King Charles II England, but Henry the Navigator was half-English �his mother was that very English fellow John of Gaunt's daughter. This dalliance goes back to 1386, when the Treaty of Windsor was penned and sealed by Henry's parents' royal marriage. Piccadilly was once called Portugal Street too. The English have known the place for a long time, and typically anglicised its name to Lisbon, but it's really Lisboa, with the 's' like the 'z' in 'azure'. After the Napoleonic Wars, relations strengthened further. Legions of wealthy 19th century British layabouts and fashionable dilettantes rediscovered Estoril and its old thermal baths. They found Portugal's easy attitudes most convivial, and some never left. The port business is still in the hands of appreciative rubicund English families today. Byron loved Portugal. Many British folk still retire there.

Another international traveller who found Portugal to his liking was the immensely rich oil tycoon, Calouste Gulbenkian. Of Armenian origin, he used his spare millions to create one of the world's top art collections: from ancient Egyptian artefacts to Roman glass and ancient gold coins, through Islamic art from Persia, Turkey and Mughal India to an unparalleled collection of the Venetian master Guardi's works, Gainsboroughs and Manets, the man's taste and foresight are a spectacular monument to his generosity. Art gallery, ballet company, orchestra and cultural centre, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon is an absolute banquet that must be indulged in several courses.
The exuberance of Portuguese baroque architecture, called 'Manueline' after King Manuel, reflects a unique international blend of styles born of empire. And there's nowhere better to see this exemplified than in the 16th century monastery of the Geronimos in Lisbon, where Portuguese kings and navigators lie in stone state. It's also a complex of museums to satisfy all ages and interests: naval, archaeological, folk art and more.

Most northern European holidaymakers head for the beaches of the Alentejo, the hot, dry Mediterranean south across the Tagus, but Lisbon itself is not to be missed. Based there, you can head out to enjoy the city's own attractions, and then further afield on easy day trips to Queluz, Portugal's mini-Versailles, or the old resort of Estoril, or the fishing villages of Cascais, Nazarem, Sesimbra, Eriçeira, the vast palace and basilica of Mafra, built with the profits from Brazilian gold, and magical Sintra. Serra do Sintra is a World Heritage Site, and the capital of the old Portuguese kings. The scenery is beautiful, with wooded hills overlooking the Atlantic, three palace complexes, of which Pena is the most whimsical Disneyesque Victorian folly, great walks, first-class food and museums. In the adjacent village of São Pedro de Sintra, on the second or fourth Sunday of the month, there's a bustling country fair. Farmers, gypsies and browsers of all kinds mingle at this engrossing venue. An easy train trip takes you right to the centre of Sintra from Lisbon Rossio. A good metro and train service operates in Lisbon, and with its ups and downs over seven hills and vast public spaces, you'll get plenty of good walking exercise too to shake down the hearty Portuguese fare. Longer day trips can take you to the old walled cities of Evora and Obidos and Alcobaca. And you will return to Portugal �to Coimbra, the charming old capital and university city, and Oporto, in the north, where a happy accidental discovery gave us port.

Whitewashed villages, roofs tiled with Roman-style terracotta but with Moorish tiled walls, rustic windmills (and Portugal has the highest number in Europe, surprisingly), vineyards, olive and cork oak groves, beaches, golf courses, good wholesome food, a mild climate �and generally friendly people, all add to this heady mixture of reasons to visit Lisbon this spring or autumn. Summer can be too hot for most tastes, especially in the Alentejo and Algarve, and winter too chilly and wet further north. And we haven't even been to Coimbra, or talked about the multiple delights of the Alentejo. You'll just have to extend your visit. Spring is in the air. The Cock of Barcelos is calling! He'll be a familiar friend by the time you leave Portugal �and you'll know exactly why he's such a unique national mascot.