Portugal is a spot of infinite options, each one with its own character. A journey throughout the country may take you to rugged streches of coastline, pristine beaches filled with local fishermen, small villages with picturesque houses, and medieval cities such as Lisbon, where monasteries and castles combine peacefully with a touch of modernity. Deep inside the country, in its rural portion, it’s still possible to see lifestyles that remain quite similar to that of the last century. However, Portugal’s most representative trait is the hypnotic power of its sea, which fills Portuguese at times with a sense of melancholy, what they call "saudade", and at some other times with a sense of joy, which always gets evident in its music and centuries-old folk traditions.

 

Portugal is making great efforts to raise its people’s standard of living to that of other bigger members of the European Union. To that end, it has started a steady process of modernization, it has launched profitable industries, and it has achieved a healthy level of growth so far. This has brought about a rapid change in Portugal’s way of life. Many Portuguese have moved to big cities in search of better opportunities, and many more have stayed in the countryside attached to traditional fishing and farming.