Capital: Lisbon … 10,310,000 People … 92,212 km² 
The Country
As one of the key nations behind the European Age of Discovery and Exploration, Portugal was one of the biggest empires in the world; Portuguese explorers discovered Brazil, explored and colonized the African coast, and discovered an Eastern route to India. Today, Portugal is known for great food including Pastel de Nadas, warm weather, and one of Europes best surfing destinations.
Fun Facts:
The worlds oldest bookstore is located in Lisbon (built in 1732).
Nearly half of the worlds cork comes from Portugal
Tom is a banned baby name in Portugal (I think it’s a pretty good name).
My Experience
After only a few days, Portugal stole my heart. Every turn had a breathtaking view, made even better by the people I explored it with. My friend and I arrived in Lisbon and checked into our hostel, where we were met with all-you-can drink sangria and beer. Not a bad way to start a trip. After waking up with a slight hangover, we were invited by the hostel to go on a trip to Sintra, a city 30 minutes from Lisbon. Unfortunately, the excursion was fully booked. My friend and I decided to ask around the hostel, seeing if anyone was interested in renting a car. After a few minutes of asking around, we recruited 8 people to join us, and we hit the road.
Among the group were Canadians, Americans, Spainards, Germans, Danish, and Portuguese travellers seeking adventure just like us. Our minibus had great music, a lot of laughs, and we began our trip in Sintra by going to the National Palace of Pena; a brightly coloured palace overlooking Sintra. After wandering around the palace, we made our way to the Castelo dos Mouros, a medieval castle only a short walk through the forest. After exploring for a few hours, we collectively decided we should get something to eat. Quite typical of large groups, however, no one could come to a decision on where to eat; because of this, we stopped at the first restaurant we saw: an Italian-Indian fusion restaurant. For a small Portuguese city, the food was incredible.
We then went to Quinta da Regaleira, an estate which has lakes, wells, and grottos, as well as a palace and chapel. We wandered into the Initiation Well, with a spiral staircase leading deep underground. Caves and tunnels connect multiple wells, and we spent a fair amount of time exploring the labyrinth underground. After this exploration, we drove to Cabo de Roca, the most western point of mainland Europe. We quickly met a friendly dog who decided to join us, so we all relaxed on the edge of the cape and watched the sun set over the Atlantic.
The next morning we decided to explore more of Lisbon, walking through the streets and eventually finding ourselves at the opening of the Tagus River, separating Lisbon from Almada. We caught a ferry to Almada, where we walked across the shoreline before going into the Panoramic Elevator of Boca do Vento. We spent a few hours exploring Alamada, but always in the distance we saw a huge statue of Jesus Christ. We decided it was eventually time to see the statue up-close, so we started our trek there. The National Sanctuary of Christ the King overlooks Lisbon, as well as the Ponte 25 de Abril Bridge. With another perfect sunset, we went back to Lisbon and met up with some friends who were studying at the University of Lisbon. After a night of bowling and drinking, we spent one more day in Lisbon before catching our next flight to Marrakech. Portugal was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, and the weather was perfect the entire time I was there. The food, people, and scenery were all amazing, and I hope to revisit sometime soon.
Photos of Portugal