{"id":18938,"date":"2018-12-24T13:08:12","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T13:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=18938"},"modified":"2018-12-24T13:08:12","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T13:08:12","slug":"living-in-portugal-dispelling-the-myths-and-misconceptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/living-in-portugal-dispelling-the-myths-and-misconceptions\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Portugal: Dispelling The Myths and Misconceptions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot can be said of living in a country like Portugal. You could talk for hours about the beautiful nature and the awesome architecture displayed in most buildings you\u2019d find there. The country is also extremely rich in culture and history, and you\u2019d find yourself completely immersed in their habits and traditions after just a little while. While <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eturbonews.com\/230024\/why-visit-portugal-here-are-10-of-the-best-reasons\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portugal is a popular tourist destination<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Europe, it certainly can\u2019t compare with much more sought after countries like France or Germany. Yet, with the hundreds of thousands of tourists that pour into the country every year to explore its richness and beauty, there are still plenty of misconceptions about the country. It could be possible because many people\u2019s information about the country is the fact that it gave us \u201cCristiano Ronaldo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Whether you like the country for the athletes it gave us or its breathtaking nature, there are some myths and conceptions that you need to get off your head before visiting the country.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They speak Spanish<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people of Portugal don\u2019t speak Spanish; the Speak Portuguese. While there are similarities between the 2 languages, there are enough difference between Portuguese and Spanish for them to be considered separate languages. The pronunciation is where you\u2019ll find plenty of differences, for the most part.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English is not widely spoken<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another misconception that surprisingly many people have is assuming that English is not widely spoken in Portugal, which is definitely a mistake. This might even lead some people to change travel plans in fear they might not be able to deal with locals because they don\u2019t know a word of English. In fact, locals understand more English than you would imagine. English is taught at schools at a very young age. So, don\u2019t worry about being stuck in an awkward situation just because you can\u2019t speak the language. Whether it\u2019s Lisbon or any other city in Portugal, odds are you\u2019ll find someone \u2013\u2013 that doesn\u2019t necessarily work as a tour guide \u2013\u2013 who can speak and communicate in English with you just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cuisine is bad<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People in Portugal love food. Whether we\u2019re talking steak, fish, veggies, cheese, or anything else, you\u2019ll definitely find someone to help you indulge in your culinary conquest. The Portuguese cuisine is also renowned for relying on healthy ingredient; yes, they like to eat healthy there. \u00a0Some people make the mistake of thinking the Portuguese cuisine is bad; it actually is quite good. It\u2019s well known for several delicious dishes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are some of the tastiest plates you could have in Portugal.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alheira- this is a type of sausage and one of the trademarks of the Portuguese cuisine. It\u2019s also amongst the cheapest and most available dishes you could find at any street corner. It even has a very interesting backstory. The Jews in Portugal in the late 14<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century were forced to either convert to Christianity or practice their religion in secret. One of the most common things to do back then was to hang sausages usually made of pork. They started making alheira from other types of meat like veal, duck, chicken, and so on, to avoid anyone suspecting they were eating kosher.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bacalhau- this plate means cod (a type of fish) and it\u2019s more than a national dish. It\u2019s the dish the Portuguese hold in such high regard, they even name it \u201cthe loyal friend.\u201d It\u2019s one of the tastiest dishes you could eat in Portugal and is made by adding onions, eggs, olives, and chips to cod, or a million other different recipe.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Francesinha- this one\u2019s for the serious eaters. It\u2019s made of bread that has ham, steak, sausage, cheese, tomato, and occasionally beer sauce.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, go try these dishes and tell us how bad the Portuguese cuisine is!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sea is ice cold<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, there is the occasional cold breathe when you\u2019re swimming in the sea and you\u2019re not exactly swimming in the Mediterranean. However, despite the cold, it\u2019s actually much warmer than plenty of other places like taking a swim in a London beach or something. The average temperature is around 21 Celsius, so it\u2019s not that bad really. Yet, the further north you go, the colder it gets. So it\u2019s advisable to get a wet suit if you\u2019re going swimming that far.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s not much to do but go the beach and play golf<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, the beaches in Portugal are a major attraction, and thousands of tourists come every year to visit them. This is probably because the beaches in Portugal are world renowned for their beautiful scenery, gorgeous weather, and excellent water to swim in. yet, there\u2019s much more than that to do in Portugal. The architecture in Portugal is beyond amazing. The museums are a history-buff\u2019s dream come true. There are historic castles that\u2019d make you feel like you\u2019re living in a motion picture instead of real life. Also, the wildlife in Portugal is a marvel to behold. There are plenty of parks, reserves, nature parks, and wonderful landscapes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are some of the places you could visit in Portugal.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Biscainhos Museum- also known as The Residence of Biscainhos, this museum is a seigneurial residence located in Braga.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sacred Art Museum- this museum is part of the Braga cathedral in Braga. It is home to different treasures and precious items like clothing from 16<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 17<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and 18<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> centuries, religious artefacts, and gold and silver objects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Lisbon Astronomical Observatory- this is an astronomical observatory located in Lisbon and is an architectural masterpiece.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Beau-S\u00e9jour Palace- this is a 19<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century Portuguese manor-house in Benfica.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Electricity Museum- this is a cultural centre focusing on the evolution of energy. They host workshops, exhibits, and cultural events.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ephemeral Museum- this is the first ephemeral art museum in the world and it\u2019s located in Lisbon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> National Archaeology Museum- this is the largest archaeological museum in Portugal and one of the most significant ones in the world that is focused on ancient art. It\u2019s in Lisbon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Litoral Norte Natural Park- this gorgeous park overlooks the Atlantic. This natural park has a strange mixture of sand and green and it\u2019s the very definition of \u2018untamed nature\u2019<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"9\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alvao Natural Park- if you Google the pictures of this park, you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re looking at a fake picture. It\u2019s so beautiful and serene that you will want to spend an entire day there. Picture rocky hills, waterfalls, and lots of green<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"10\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Douro International Natural Park- another piece of nature that feels taken out of a cinematic universe, this park is on the borders with Spain. You\u2019d find there a river cutting a path between giant mountains and cliffs, and you\u2019ll get to watch the gorgeous scenery from above.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still think there\u2019s not much to do in Portugal? This is but a taste of the many things you could end up doing in this wonderful country. By the end of your Portugal trip, you\u2019ll want a <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.homelovers.com\/PropertyTheme\/86def14d-ab9d-45d7-97ea-08d60bf78056\/LISBOA\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lisbon real estate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or a studio in Porto.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portugal is underdeveloped<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is some truth to Portugal being a little bit less developed than its neighbouring European countries, mostly in rural areas. But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s all peasants and axes. If you think about, it\u2019s simply genuine and authentic. Who wants more cities and skyscrapers in the countryside? Portugal is actually more sophisticated than you could possibly imagine. It doesn\u2019t have talking robots (Japan style), but it\u2019s a modern, yet authentic city. There are a few places in the world where you\u2019d get that feeling of authenticity and yet modern day vibe. A wine and dine night in Portugal is something taking out of a romance flick or a novel. Picture yourself have a stroll on stone cobbles in a beautiful, archaic city with locals passing you by. It\u2019d probably be the best meal you ever had in your life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They all listen to Fado<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re unfamiliar with the term, Fado is a type of music that originated in Lisbon a couple of hundred years ago. And it\u2019s considered the soul of Portugal. It\u2019s the people\u2019s music and it has been popular for them for so many years. Yet, not everyone enjoys this type of music. In fact, you\u2019re sure to stumble upon plenty of locals who\u2019d rather enjoy some pop or rock tunes. So, if you find yourself in Portugal and you stumbled upon some Fado music and didn\u2019t enjoy it, don\u2019t give up. Chances are you\u2019d find some awesome music playing somewhere else.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Algarve is just about golf courses<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Algarve is an area in the southernmost region of Portugal. It\u2019s known for the golf courses and Atlantic beaches. Some people make the mistake of assuming the area only has golf courses and that\u2019s pretty much all you can do. There\u2019s actually much more to do. All you need to do is escape the crowd and go the edges. You\u2019ll find some awesome fishing villages where you could get your sailor act on. There are also some of the world\u2019s most beautiful beaches in that area.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s lack of culture<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe your entire experience in Portugal consisted of staying at 4-star hotels and playing golf in your free time. This can lead to the misconception that this is what Portugal is all about. The country is so much more than that. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetware.com\/portugal\/top-rated-castles-in-portugal-p-1-2.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">castles alone on Portugal are worth the plane ticket<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This is a country that is proud of its heritage and legacy, and works hard to maintain it. You can quite easily really get the real Portugal experience; you just need to look in the right places. These are some of the cool castles you could visit while in the country to get a feel on how Portugal came to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> National Palace of Pena- this is probably the most well known castle in all of Portugal. It has an amazingly colourful exterior that you could see from much afar. It was first then a monastery and then it was turned into a castle. If you find yourself in Portugal, do yourself a favour and go check the National Palace of Pena. It\u2019s so well designed that you could see it from any of the surrounding gardens or forests, resting on a hilltop.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Castle of the Moors- Over a thousand years old, the Castle of the Moors is one of the oldest preserved castles in Portugal and the world. You can find it on a steep hill in the forests, surrounded by an erect wall. You could see from the castle a breathtaking view of the forest and the Atlantic.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Guimar\u00e3es Castle- this one is considered to be one of the most important medieval fortresses in all of Portugal. Its design is not something you see every day. The walls are built in the shape of a pentagram with eight towers. It was built in the 10<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century and was home to the father of the first king of Portugal.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tomar Castle: ever heard of the Knights Templar? Well, this castle once belonged to them. It\u2019s also a convent that dates back all the way to the 12<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> century. It was built at first to hold back the Arab attacks hundreds of years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is only a brief glimpse of some of the magnificent castles and fortresses you can find in Portugal and the history behind them. The country\u2019s culture and history and so rich and diverse that you won\u2019t have time to visit all cultural hubs out there. You could spend weeks just going from one corner of the country to another, and in each you\u2019d find something interesting to learn and something cool to see. So, the next time you find a person telling you Portugal doesn\u2019t have culture, just laugh silently and walk away.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portugal isn\u2019t Paris or Berlin or Prague, and more importantly it doesn\u2019t try to be. Its personality is so unique and special, words can\u2019t do it right. You\u2019ll hear plenty of stuff said about the country from people who visited briefly or didn\u2019t have enough knowledge to make use of their visits. Don\u2019t let that deter you. If you do end up going there, it\u2019d be the experience of your life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lot can be said of living in a country like Portugal. You could talk for hours about the beautiful nature and the awesome architecture displayed in most buildings you\u2019d find there. The country is also extremely rich in culture<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/living-in-portugal-dispelling-the-myths-and-misconceptions\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":null,"_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/living_in_portugal__dispelling_the_myths_and_misconceptions","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18939,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18938\/revisions\/18939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18938"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=18938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}