Country Archive
Lunch for $6.50 and homes for less than $85,000: Portugal's green and affordable north
Date: 02/28/2005
Author:
Steenie Harvey
The train thunders northwards. Outside is a landscape of frost-kissed fields, dark pine forests, and river valleys veiled with morning mist. So dense is the mist in the Douro valley, the famous port wine lodges are hidden from view. I know Gustav Eiffel's iron bridge links Porto to the town of Vila Nova de Gaia, but today it appears to be a supernatural creation suspended in clouds. This eerie bridge could lead anywhere…
Read OnOne Thousand Steps to Sanctuary
Date: 02/10/2005The virtuous climb the stepped staircase up to the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus. The lazy pay 1 euro ($1.30) and ride the funicular. At least I walked back down...
Read OnSee Lisbon for $1.25
Date: 12/01/2004From the café at the top of the elevator, you'll have a superb view of Castelo de São Jorge. I suggest you take the bus to the castle--it's a long walk, and it's easy to get lost in the maze of streets of the Alfama district.
Read OnThe Portuguese Tax-man Can Help!
Date: 11/15/2004Recent tax changes in Portugal make it less expensive to invest in property in this country--even waterfront property
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Thanks to tax reform, the Algarve is again Western Europe's best beach bargain
Date: 10/31/2004
A new law went into effect last year that will transform the Portuguese real estate transfer system. Already, it is having a deleterious impact on the prices and demand for top-level Algarve homes in Europe's sunniest region. Under the new rules, the purchase of real estate by an offshore company (which, for Portugal, usually means one based in Gibraltar) has become subject to stiff penalties.
Read OnSlats, Slots, and Codfish Rissoles
Date: 03/23/2004Considering the timing of my visit, an amazing number of people are out and about.
Read OnBest Eats in Town
Date: 01/04/2004We like historical cities, so when we were in Lisbon, a day trip to Evora was in order.
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