Aljazeera- The Traveler - Portugal Episode 1

Let's make the distant horizon our destination. Across it, and where it is very far, we will travel. Together, we will wander and discover. The magic of today's light. And the mystery of yesterday's shadows. We touch the history of times. To read the history of the coming future. To celebrate what is dear to our hearts. And to sanctify what makes our humanity shine. To discover the legends and wonders of the world, wherever they may be hidden. To see the details of their colors. To feel them. To see them. To capture our visions. And to make everything we imagine come true. Here I am the traveler, and today I step in a new world. We arrived in Lisbon, the second oldest capital in Europe. Every corner of this beautiful city hides a story of history. We will try to tell some of them to you. A city whose magic comes from the mix of the ages and cultures that lived it. Each era left a mark here, and a mark there. Lisbon, or Lisboa, as its people call it, has a population of 600,000. It has warm atmospheres and amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean. When you walk through its streets, you will find cathedrals, old houses, and historical walls. You will feel like you are walking through art that is priceless. This country does not stop reminding you that it built a glorious empire, before it was invaded and oppressed, and then isolated itself from the world. But today, it opens its doors to welcome its guests and visitors, and shows them its treasures and precious relics. This tram was supposed to be in a museum in any European country, but in Lisbon, it still works since 1930. The trip in Tram 28 is on the agenda of most visitors to Lisbon. He passes through his tour on the old historical parts of the city. He penetrates the streets, narrow roads, and sharp curbs. Inside this tram, you feel like you are standing in the middle of an old historical piece, moving in a vast historical space, in the middle of the old neighborhoods of Lisbon. Away from the tourist markets, I visited the weekly market of Lisbon, dedicated to the people of the city. It is only a few moments until you realize the love of the people of the city and their longing for the past. Most of the goods in the market belong to another time, as if you are walking in the middle of a warehouse of old things. The dust has been removed from it and brought back to life again. Before the mobile phones, people used these nice cameras to record videos quickly. This is a group of rare cooling towers from Portugal. This group dates back to 1895. This group has pictures of the king of Portugal. This group dates back to 1926. In this market, you can find almost everything. Old used shoes, toys, children, books, maps, brushes, everything. We are at the tower of Belém, which was built in the 15th century AD, here in the Portuguese capital. Later, it became a symbol of the golden age of explorations for the Portuguese. Belém Tower is the last thing a sailor sees when they leave Portugal, and the first thing he receives when returning home. Its location, construction method and its connection to the Portuguese exploratory heroes made it one of the most important museums in Lisbon, and most of it is famous and attractive to tourists. Its location, construction method and its connection to the Portuguese exploratory heroes made it one of the most important museums in Lisbon, and most of it is famous and attractive to tourists. Belém Tower includes many of the jewels, stone inscriptions and statues that depict the influential figures in the history of Portugal. As for the observation towers adjacent to this building, they were built in the Islamic style. From a historical masterpiece to a huge collection of contemporary art, in the Berardo Museum, which includes rare works of the most important international artists, which makes it the favorite place for lovers of fine arts. We are in the Museum of Modern Art, here in the capital of Lisbon. In this museum, there are more than a thousand works that date back to the history of modern art during the last 200 years, including this work by the artist Pablo Picasso. The museum includes a large number of collections of contemporary artistic works in Portugal. This artistic wealth covers all artistic movements and schools from the end of the 19th century to the present day, such as realism, symbolism, surrealism, sculpture, etc. The Portuguese were not only inventors in shipbuilding and navigation, but also in aviation. This is an example of the first aircraft that was able to cross the Atlantic Ocean, starting from this site and arriving in Rio de Janeiro in 1922. Another 15th-century architectural masterpiece is an example of the art of architecture in Portugal. Let's explore it together. Deir Geronimus is located near the coast of Belém and was built on a small church in honor of explorer Henry the Sailor. It is one of the most important historical sites in Lisbon. A number of builders and sculptors participated in decorating this building, which combines the arts of the late Cretan era and the beginning of the Renaissance, with many classical ornaments. Pastel is a traditional Portuguese dessert. It was invented by monks in the 18th century, where they used egg whites to decorate clothes. In order not to waste the egg yolk, they invented a new dessert for it. It was Pastel. The Guardian classified it as one of the most famous 15 desserts in the world. You need to stand in a long line to get some of them. This is the famous Pastel cake. Wherever you go in Portugal, you will find it in restaurants, cafes, and most shops. You may know how to prepare it, but the ingredients remain a secret. This beautiful area, which is full of life, turned from an industrial area at the end of the 19th century, specializing in fabric factories, to one of the most important gathering points for cultural, fashion, and art manufacturers in Portugal and Europe. This abandoned site has become one of the most vital places in Lisbon. It is an area that is rich in the arts of photography, fashion, architecture, music, and even the arts of cooking. The inhabitants of Lisbon love to eat in simple and elegant atmospheres. This huge bridge over the Tagus River was built in 1966 to connect the two coasts of the capital. At the time, it was called the Portuguese Dictator's Bridge. In 1974, a great popular revolution was launched, called the Coronafol Revolution, in which the will of the people won without losing a single drop of blood. The dictator fell, and his name fell from the bridge. He was named after the revolution that brought Portugal into a democratic era, the 25th of April Bridge. Coimbra, or Calumria, as the Muslims called it in the Andalusian era, has become a commercial and cultural hub where Christians of the North meet with Muslims of the South. An old city, old houses, streets, and narrow alleys, surrounded by a fence, and you can still find Andalusian fingerprints in it to this day. Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in Portugal, and it has a special architectural style. It was founded in the 13th century, and it is one of the oldest European universities. The university turned the city of Coimbra into a cultural and scientific center that contributed to the rise of Portugal in all eras. The city played an important role in the creation of a type of music that became part of Portugal's cultural identity. Fado music was invented by talented students in the early 19th century, a mixture of opera and folk music. Sad music, and words about longing and longing for the past. The youth spread the feelings of love, and the torment of waiting and deprivation, and the women sing the torment of desolation and broken hearts. Many of the songs glorify Portugal's past glory, that empire that at one time occupied the world, then weakened and isolated from the world at another time. Algarve, Portugal It is said that here in Algarve, there are the most beautiful sea caves in the world. Let's find out. 30 caves are located on the southern coast of Portugal. The journey between them gives you the pleasure of seeing the unique sea rocks, as well as the exquisite golden limestones. The journey also allows you to see the sea birds that spread around the coast and above the rocky hills. Due to the clear water here, you can see several meters deep in the ocean. It is amazing to see with your own eyes the true power of the waves that carved this great cave over millions of years. This is Benegal Cave, one of the most beautiful caves in the Algarve region, or what is called in Arabic, Aljorf. The opening that the cave opens does not only provide natural light, but also light and color changes that vary from time to time. What makes the cave amazing and special, and makes it one of the most famous tourist destinations in Europe, is that it has a private beach dedicated to it. It overlooks a crystal clear water. Of course, let's go. Let's see some caves. Yeah, yeah, I'm excited, let's go. What are we going to do exactly? Yeah, well, what we will see is we will go through some caves, these sea caves, and to get there easily, we're using the fins, snorkeling. So they're only accessible by swimming? Yes. Some of them, you have to actually swim into them. It's really water the whole way. We've seen most of these caves from the sea, but it seems that watching some of them is not that easy.